======================
Ryan smiled when he realized where he was. He had wandered directly into an old cemetary. The kind with old, rough headstones that were shaped like plain rectangles and crosses, names and dates unreadable from the wheathering. He fumbled in his pocket for a cigarette and lit it, leaning on a headstone as he took a long drag and filled his now dead lungs.
It was then that something suddenly tackeled him full-force from behind.
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Colin sat on Greg's couch staring blankly at the carpet. The owner of the couch stood next to him, patiently. Colin spoke.
"Where is he?"
"At home I expect. Least that's were Drew said he was taking him."
"You left him alone?"
"Wasn't really much else anyone could do. Except fpr being a little shocked and a little dead he was fine." Colin stared at him.
"Will you change out of those clothes? I can't look at that."
"Yea. Be right back."
Greg dissapeared and Colin looked at the floor again. Ryan couldn't be a... They don't exist. But the blood on Greg kept pushing its way into the Canadian's mind, reminding him that it couldn't've come from anywhere else. Greg wouldn't lie about something so serious either. Unless it was a tastless and sick joke from the guys. But no, Greg was scared. He had to see if this was true.
Greg finally came out changed.
"I've gotta go see him," Colin said.
"I'm coming too."
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Ryan reflexivly doubled over, causing the person who had hit him to flip over his back and onto the grass. In the few seconds it took for the man to get back up, Ryan got a look at him.
He was shorter than Ryan(but then, not many people aren't), and seemed to have a stockier build. It was hard to tell, because he wore a black leather duster. His hair was bleached. All in all, he made Ryan think of Billy Idol.
At least, until he noticed the big axe in the man's hand. Then he was thinking of something else entirely.
Ryan's thought's were broken as he recived a kick in the stomach... no, make that a *hard* kick in the stomach. He fell backwards onto the ground and looked up just in time to see that axe be raised up over the man's head.
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"I thought you said he was at home!" Colin said angrily, stepping over the broken glass in Ryan's living room.
"Well, I thought he was!" came Greg's reply. "Where could he be?"
Colin shook his head. He didn't know. For once in his life he didn't know were Ryan was.
And that scared the hell out of him. He didn't want to think of what happened to the glass, either.
"C'mon, we gotta find him," he muttered going back out the door, Greg at his heels.
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Ryan rolled as the axe came down. Luckily, it became lodged in the ground and not his neck. What sounded like a growl of frustration came from the other man, and Ryan nearly fainted as he saw what happened to his face.
The forehead seemed to wrinkle up, forming a mass of rigdes, eyes turned from blue to a light amber, nose and mouth curling into a snarl.
Teeth bared, showing two, sharp, fangs.
Damn.
Something inside Ryan screamed at him to run, get away from whatever this was, while something else screamed that the man wasn't dangerous. Not listening to either of them, Ryan looked up to the other man, no noticeing the fact that he was still lying on the ground.
The other man misplaced his frustration and need to kill something as he noticed the confused look on Ryan's face. "What's wrong with you?" Great. An Englishman.
Ryan busted out in bitter laughter. "Some guy tackles me and tries to chop my head off and his face goes all bumpy and *then* he asks what's wrong with me and what the fuck are you?!" The blond began laughing too as his face returned to normal.
"And here I thought you were another vamp. Guess I was wrong."
"Well, I was told that I was."
"What's your name?"
"Ryan."
"I'm Spike. Someone told you you're a vampire?"
"Yea. You still didn't tell me what you are."
"*I'm* a vampire."
======================
"GREG, STOP!!"
SCREECH.
"Wha-"
"There he is." Colin pointed out the window to the other side of the street. "Who's that other guy?"
Ryan and Spike *were* walking down the sidewalk. Now they were staring at the car, it having stopped so suddenly. Colin climbed out.
"Colin?" Ryan went to meet him. Colin threw his arms around the tall man, pinning Ryan's arms to his side. "Uh, gee Col. Miss me?"
"Please tell me Greg lied," he mumbled.
"Okay. Greg lied."
"I did not." Greg bent down to look at his tires. "These *were* new, y'know." Colin released Ryan.
"But they don't *exist*. You can't be."
"Drew and Greg are witnesses. I've even got more proof than that. Let's see. I'm cold, I'm pretty sure I'm pale. Can't tell because I can't see myself in a mirror. Teeth..." Ryan opened his mouth, showing the two fangs. Colin reached up to touch them, but ended up cutting his finger on the sharp end. He heard Ryan's stomach growl as the blood began to seep out. "I feel hungry when I look at that..."
"Here's a question." Colin pulled a napkin out of his pocket and put his finger in it. "Who's that?" He guestured to Spike, who was leaning on a fence, smoking a cigarette and watching. The axe he had tried to kill Ryan with was leaning beside him.
"His name's Spike. He's, well... He says he's a vampire. But something's wrong. Hang on." Ryan made his way to the blond. Spike looked up as he approached.
"Those your friends?"
"Yea. I need you to show them your face. The other face."
"Alright. Then we gotta find out what's wrong with you." Spike dropped his cigarette onto the ground and snuffed it out before picking up the axe and following Ryan to the others.
"You're another vampire?" Greg looked Spike up and down, eyes lingering on the axe.
"Well, I *know* I am, but something's different about your friend. I don't know what, but that's not what a vampire is."
"Well, then what *is* a vampire?" Colin said.
"This."
Colin and Greg gasped as Spike's face changed to it's demonic state.
"This is what a vampire looks like." Spike let his face soften. "There's something wrong with him."
"He says he knows someone who can find out what it is. That's where he was taking me." Ryan looked to the other improvers.
"Well then let's find out." Colin turned to Spike. "Where do we go? Car's faster."
"I'll give directions."
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"The Magic Box?" Colin looked at the small building. "What's that?"
"It's a witchcraft shop," Spike replied.
"That's real too?" asked Greg. Spike nodded as they followed him inside.
The shop was actually pretty nice inside. Greg for one had expected it to be dark, and dingy, mysterious. Colin was just waiting to see for himself. Ryan didn't care one way or another.
"Have a seat." Spike guestured to a table near the middle of the room. Setting the axe on the counter, he yelled into the backroom, "OI, WATCHER!!"
A crash and a groan was heard before an older man in a suit with small wire glasses appeared, holding his hand to his head. "What do you want *now*, Spike?" Another Englishman.
"Have you ever heard of something that seems like a vampire, but isn't what an actual vampire is?"
"What are you talking about?"
Spike sat down beside Ryan. "He has fangs, he's cold, bite marks, biting witnesses, pale, no blood and he can see in the dark. But he doesn't do the face thing or seems to want to kill."
"Now I know what you're talking about. But I've only heard of it, I've never acctually seen it."
"So I'm not the only one who's like this?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, you are the only one. Just not the first. You see, there's--"
The man was cut off as a door on the other side of the shop slammed open, making them all jump. Two young people, a man and a woman, her with red heir and him with dark brown, walked through, fighting. The woman was the first to speak... or yell.
"I don't know where they are! I don't run the shop, Anya does! Yell at her about it!"
"Will, Anya won't even *handle* rabbit ears! Hell, she jumps when when she sees a *picture*!"
"Then find a girlfriend *without* rabbitphobia for goddess' sake!"
"DO YOU MIND!?!?"
Everyone jumped as Spike yelled at the two. The young man looked at him.
"Shut up, Spike. This doesn't concern *you*," he spat. The woman smacked his arm.
"Xander! That's not nice."
"Indeed." The older man at the counter walked over to Ryan and looked in his eyes. "I'm Giles."
"I'm Ryan."
"Would it be possible to talk to you alone for a moment?"
"Why?" Colin demamded.
"Well, I need to find out what other vampire qualities he has. It'll only hurt a little bit, if at all."
"Ryan..."
Ryan turned to his best friend. "I'll be fine. Where to?" He stood up.
"Well, give me a second." Giles dissappeared behind the counter, ducking down to dig on a shelf. He came back up holding a small cardboard box. "Spike, could you fill in Willow and Xander? Ryan, follow me."
======================
Ryan smiled when he realized where he was. He had wandered directly into an old cemetary. The kind with old, rough headstones that were shaped like plain rectangles and crosses, names and dates unreadable from the wheathering. He fumbled in his pocket for a cigarette and lit it, leaning on a headstone as he took a long drag and filled his now dead lungs.
It was then that something suddenly tackeled him full-force from behind.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````
Colin sat on Greg's couch staring blankly at the carpet. The owner of the couch stood next to him, patiently. Colin spoke.
"Where is he?"
"At home I expect. Least that's were Drew said he was taking him."
"You left him alone?"
"Wasn't really much else anyone could do. Except fpr being a little shocked and a little dead he was fine." Colin stared at him.
"Will you change out of those clothes? I can't look at that."
"Yea. Be right back."
Greg dissapeared and Colin looked at the floor again. Ryan couldn't be a... They don't exist. But the blood on Greg kept pushing its way into the Canadian's mind, reminding him that it couldn't've come from anywhere else. Greg wouldn't lie about something so serious either. Unless it was a tastless and sick joke from the guys. But no, Greg was scared. He had to see if this was true.
Greg finally came out changed.
"I've gotta go see him," Colin said.
"I'm coming too."
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````
Ryan reflexivly doubled over, causing the person who had hit him to flip over his back and onto the grass. In the few seconds it took for the man to get back up, Ryan got a look at him.
He was shorter than Ryan(but then, not many people aren't), and seemed to have a stockier build. It was hard to tell, because he wore a black leather duster. His hair was bleached. All in all, he made Ryan think of Billy Idol.
At least, until he noticed the big axe in the man's hand. Then he was thinking of something else entirely.
Ryan's thought's were broken as he recived a kick in the stomach... no, make that a *hard* kick in the stomach. He fell backwards onto the ground and looked up just in time to see that axe be raised up over the man's head.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````
"I thought you said he was at home!" Colin said angrily, stepping over the broken glass in Ryan's living room.
"Well, I thought he was!" came Greg's reply. "Where could he be?"
Colin shook his head. He didn't know. For once in his life he didn't know were Ryan was.
And that scared the hell out of him. He didn't want to think of what happened to the glass, either.
"C'mon, we gotta find him," he muttered going back out the door, Greg at his heels.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````
Ryan rolled as the axe came down. Luckily, it became lodged in the ground and not his neck. What sounded like a growl of frustration came from the other man, and Ryan nearly fainted as he saw what happened to his face.
The forehead seemed to wrinkle up, forming a mass of rigdes, eyes turned from blue to a light amber, nose and mouth curling into a snarl.
Teeth bared, showing two, sharp, fangs.
Damn.
Something inside Ryan screamed at him to run, get away from whatever this was, while something else screamed that the man wasn't dangerous. Not listening to either of them, Ryan looked up to the other man, no noticeing the fact that he was still lying on the ground.
The other man misplaced his frustration and need to kill something as he noticed the confused look on Ryan's face. "What's wrong with you?" Great. An Englishman.
Ryan busted out in bitter laughter. "Some guy tackles me and tries to chop my head off and his face goes all bumpy and *then* he asks what's wrong with me and what the fuck are you?!" The blond began laughing too as his face returned to normal.
"And here I thought you were another vamp. Guess I was wrong."
"Well, I was told that I was."
"What's your name?"
"Ryan."
"I'm Spike. Someone told you you're a vampire?"
"Yea. You still didn't tell me what you are."
"*I'm* a vampire."
======================
"GREG, STOP!!"
SCREECH.
"Wha-"
"There he is." Colin pointed out the window to the other side of the street. "Who's that other guy?"
Ryan and Spike *were* walking down the sidewalk. Now they were staring at the car, it having stopped so suddenly. Colin climbed out.
"Colin?" Ryan went to meet him. Colin threw his arms around the tall man, pinning Ryan's arms to his side. "Uh, gee Col. Miss me?"
"Please tell me Greg lied," he mumbled.
"Okay. Greg lied."
"I did not." Greg bent down to look at his tires. "These *were* new, y'know." Colin released Ryan.
"But they don't *exist*. You can't be."
"Drew and Greg are witnesses. I've even got more proof than that. Let's see. I'm cold, I'm pretty sure I'm pale. Can't tell because I can't see myself in a mirror. Teeth..." Ryan opened his mouth, showing the two fangs. Colin reached up to touch them, but ended up cutting his finger on the sharp end. He heard Ryan's stomach growl as the blood began to seep out. "I feel hungry when I look at that..."
"Here's a question." Colin pulled a napkin out of his pocket and put his finger in it. "Who's that?" He guestured to Spike, who was leaning on a fence, smoking a cigarette and watching. The axe he had tried to kill Ryan with was leaning beside him.
"His name's Spike. He's, well... He says he's a vampire. But something's wrong. Hang on." Ryan made his way to the blond. Spike looked up as he approached.
"Those your friends?"
"Yea. I need you to show them your face. The other face."
"Alright. Then we gotta find out what's wrong with you." Spike dropped his cigarette onto the ground and snuffed it out before picking up the axe and following Ryan to the others.
"You're another vampire?" Greg looked Spike up and down, eyes lingering on the axe.
"Well, I *know* I am, but something's different about your friend. I don't know what, but that's not what a vampire is."
"Well, then what *is* a vampire?" Colin said.
"This."
Colin and Greg gasped as Spike's face changed to it's demonic state.
"This is what a vampire looks like." Spike let his face soften. "There's something wrong with him."
"He says he knows someone who can find out what it is. That's where he was taking me." Ryan looked to the other improvers.
"Well then let's find out." Colin turned to Spike. "Where do we go? Car's faster."
"I'll give directions."
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"The Magic Box?" Colin looked at the small building. "What's that?"
"It's a witchcraft shop," Spike replied.
"That's real too?" asked Greg. Spike nodded as they followed him inside.
The shop was actually pretty nice inside. Greg for one had expected it to be dark, and dingy, mysterious. Colin was just waiting to see for himself. Ryan didn't care one way or another.
"Have a seat." Spike guestured to a table near the middle of the room. Setting the axe on the counter, he yelled into the backroom, "OI, WATCHER!!"
A crash and a groan was heard before an older man in a suit with small wire glasses appeared, holding his hand to his head. "What do you want *now*, Spike?" Another Englishman.
"Have you ever heard of something that seems like a vampire, but isn't what an actual vampire is?"
"What are you talking about?"
Spike sat down beside Ryan. "He has fangs, he's cold, bite marks, biting witnesses, pale, no blood and he can see in the dark. But he doesn't do the face thing or seems to want to kill."
"Now I know what you're talking about. But I've only heard of it, I've never acctually seen it."
"So I'm not the only one who's like this?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, you are the only one. Just not the first. You see, there's--"
The man was cut off as a door on the other side of the shop slammed open, making them all jump. Two young people, a man and a woman, her with red heir and him with dark brown, walked through, fighting. The woman was the first to speak... or yell.
"I don't know where they are! I don't run the shop, Anya does! Yell at her about it!"
"Will, Anya won't even *handle* rabbit ears! Hell, she jumps when when she sees a *picture*!"
"Then find a girlfriend *without* rabbitphobia for goddess' sake!"
"DO YOU MIND!?!?"
Everyone jumped as Spike yelled at the two. The young man looked at him.
"Shut up, Spike. This doesn't concern *you*," he spat. The woman smacked his arm.
"Xander! That's not nice."
"Indeed." The older man at the counter walked over to Ryan and looked in his eyes. "I'm Giles."
"I'm Ryan."
"Would it be possible to talk to you alone for a moment?"
"Why?" Colin demamded.
"Well, I need to find out what other vampire qualities he has. It'll only hurt a little bit, if at all."
"Ryan..."
Ryan turned to his best friend. "I'll be fine. Where to?" He stood up.
"Well, give me a second." Giles dissappeared behind the counter, ducking down to dig on a shelf. He came back up holding a small cardboard box. "Spike, could you fill in Willow and Xander? Ryan, follow me."
======================