Note: This is a sequel to 'Into Darkness' so you should really read that first or you'll be a bit lost.
Title: Hunter and Prey
Author: Tanisafan
Characters: Angelus, Drusilla, Fred, Wes, Gunn, Spike and Faith. Maybe some Buffy guest stars.
Owner: None of this is mine. All characters and concepts are property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy Inc. So this is totally unofficial material. The complete storyline is mine though.
Rating: R for strong violence, language and kinky flirty stuff :). Might still turn NC 17 but in that case I'll post a censored version here.
Status: Unfinished. This is a sequel to 'Into Darkness' so you should really read that first or you'll be a bit lost.
The little girls were standing by the edge of the basketball court in downtown Los Angeles, hopping from one foot to the other and blowing their hands to protect them from the cold December wind that was sweeping the streets. The days were short and no-one in California was used to this kind of weather.
"Come on mom," Kayleigh, the oldest girl muttered under her breath. She glanced at her little sister who was looking increasingly teary-eyed. It was six pm and the sisters were waiting for their mother. She's probably working late again, Kayleigh thought.
"Hi there. Anything wrong?" a young woman suddenly said. The older girl looked up and smiled at the kind brunette.
"No, we're fine. We just finished basketball practice so our mom will be here any minute to pick us up," the blonde girl said while she kept peering down the empty street. She was a bit suspicious of any stranger, especially since she had her little sister Carol to look after. The young woman smiled.
"Would you like me to wait for her with you? The streets aren't safe for little girls these days..." the brunette asked, and for a fraction of a second there was a strange glimmer in her eyes, that made Kayleigh's heart skip a beat.
"Uhm, no we'll be fine, thank you," she said firmly but politely. The young woman just smiled and sat down next to Carol on one of the benches at the courtside. Kayleigh walked over instinctively and sat down in between the woman and Carol. Come on mom... she thought despairingly.
"I was just on my way to grab some food, you could come along if you want?" the brunette said sweetly. Carol looked up happily, she'd been hungry since halfway through practice.
"Oh Kaye can we?" she said with pleading eyes. Kayleigh looked at her watch. It was already well past their usual dinner time, and she was getting terribly hungry as well...
"No sweetie." she said firmly, suddenly decided upon her answer. "Mom will be here any second. Imagine how worried she'll be if we're not here.". The younger girl seemed to accept this as a valid reason and leaned back resignedly.
The young woman on the other hand clenched her jaw, her friendly smile dissipating like melting snow. Her eyes suddenly looked as if they were about to shoot fire and Kayleigh shivered. She suddenly was very aware of the fact that it was nearly completely dark. The cold wind was blowing candy wrappers and flyers around their heads.
"Are you sure?" the woman said with a smile that was clearly forced. Slowly she got up and turned to the basketball court.
"Too bad. Guess I'll be the only one who gets a nice dinner tonight..." she said, apparently to herself.
Suddenly the young woman snapped her head round and Kayleigh's breath choked in mid-throat. Vaguely, she heard Carol scream right next to her ear, but all she could see was the woman standing in front of her. Her face was all wrinkled around the forehead, and the smile she had flashed before now showed a set of pointy teeth with two large fangs.
Kayleigh gasped, and instinctively got up and stood in front of her sister. The brunette let out a growl and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up as if she were one of the candy wrappers the wind was playing with.
"Carol, run!" the blonde girl screamed as she was lifted into the air, but her sister was frozen to the spot. The woman just smiled and with a growl, brought her face to the girl's neck. Kayleigh closed her eyes and held her breath, as if that would help her. But suddenly she heard a new voice.
"Hey hellbitch, try picking on someone your own size!" Immediately, Kayleigh felt the grip on her throat being loosened and she fell to the ground. Wincing in pain, she scrambled away from the monstrous woman. Looking up, she saw a young African American standing a couple of feet away, holding a crossbow which was pointed at the woman's back.
"Yo kids, this way!" he yelled. Kayleigh scrambled to her feet and, grabbing Carol's hand, hurried over to him. Holding each other close, they stood next to him while the brunette turned around, hissing.
But when he saw her face, the determination on the young man's face was suddenly replaced with a shocked expression. Slowly, he lowered the crossbow and squinted to look at the woman's face through the darkness.
"Fred?"