Fine Year

            "Every day is the same. Wake up, shower, eat, classes, go to work. Well, I guess that's the life of a working college student" she thought as she strolled around the winery with a duster. "People don't drink enough wine in this town" she murmured as she swept the dust off the bottles. "I'm sure the brewery doesn't have to dust the merchandise."

            "Did you say something Ellie?" Rob asked from the back.

            "Just talking to myself again" she replied.

            "That's not a great habit, you know," he teased.

            "I'm sure you have worse ones than that, Mr. Smoke-break" she retorted.

            "Ha-ha. Very funny. Speaking of which, can you watch the store while I go around back for a smoke? It's almost 10, I doubt anyone will be coming in."

            "Sure, why not? You know I can't say no to those big blue eyes of yours."

            "Thanks. I'll be back in five minutes," he said as he went out the back door.

            She went behind the counter and put the duster away. The store got so quiet after dark, the small click of the cupboard door sounded louder than it really was. She checked her watch. "5 to 10" she thought. "Might as well close a bit early." She was about to go switch the sign on the front door to the closed position when a tinkling of a bell announced the door opening. In sauntered a man that had an air of confidence Ellie had never seen before. "He'd have to be confident," she thought. " To pull off that look."      The pale man had white-blonde hair, a long black leather coat, and rims around his eyes that suggested eyeliner. "He's certainly not from around here," she thought.

            "Can I help you?" she asked in her best cheery please-the-customer voice.

            "Sure pet, got any wine around here?" he asked with an impish grin and a cocky North London accent, strolling up to the counter.

            " Well if I check in the back, we might just have some lying around," she said, obviously letting her eyes wander over the many wine racks around the room. "Are you interested in a red or a white?"

            "Always have been more of a red wine sort of bloke," he said, leaning forward, his striking blue eyes staring right into hers.

            "Did you have anything specific in mind? A certain year, perhaps?" she asked, starting to feel a bit flustered.

            "What year were you born in, luv?" he asked, still staring with those piercing eyes.

            "Nineteen eigh-eighty two," she stammered. Most of the guys she flirted with at work weren't quite so striking, but the combination of those eyes and his chiseled cheekbones was making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

            "Sounds perfect, pet," he said in a low voice.

            "W-w-we might have an '82 red here somewhere, I'm not sure," she said, beginning to turn away from the counter. There was a small strange noise and he said, "No, I think I'll just take this one right here." Then he reached across the counter and grabbed her by the neck.

            "Wha..?" she said as she was violently pulled forward. The small glimpse of the man's face she saw showed that it had turned from handsome stranger to terrifying monster. Then he sank his teeth into her neck and the pain began.

            Spike let the body slump across the counter when he had finished. "You were right, ..Ellie," looking at her name tag, "eighty-two was a fine year"

Reviewer responses

Kalio: Glad you liked it. Who knows, maybe a POTC fic will be in the future

Imzadi: Certainly wasn't Ellie's best day, but hey, a vamps got to eat!

SpIkEs AnGeL:  Yeah, it was only intended to be a one chapter fic. Glad you liked the line

BrownEyes: No, Ellie was just an unfortunate girl who happened to run into Spike

Nat: Nope, it's just a one chapter thing

Lots42: Glad you liked the ending, and thanks for adding me to your favorite authors list!