A/N: Ok, this is going a little slower than I intended, but I'm not expecting this to go beyond 10 chapters, if I ever get to THAT point. You know, I've read a lot of fan fiction, not just VHD, and I've come to the realization that people usually like the sappy, romance stuff. Yeah, ok, who doesn't like picturing D naked, but common' people, the guy has a little self-control. You didn't see Kikuchi-san saddling D up with his female characters…Doris, Lina, Leila, and why is that? Because it adds a little appeal to a plot! There's a line between a well written touchy-feely scene and a lemon/lime/porno. I can see a little bit of sexual tension, because that was included in the original storyline, but to have him banging every half-dressed chickie he meets? Anyway, I've ranted way too much for this chapter. Happy reviewing!

Disclaimer: VHD is not mine regrettably, but it won't stop me from drooling over the big pin-up of D in my room.

ONCE UPON A MIDNIGHT DREARY

CHAPTER 2

Groans from the approaching zombies hung continuously in the air. The young woman shivered; cold and fear had over taken her. The leather thongs that bound her wrists had irritated the skin to the point of bleeding. The crimson liquid slowly trickled down her arm. She attempted another scream, but only a muffled sound escaped the cloth shoved into her mouth. Her throat was sore and raw from the constant crying. Terrified eyes jumped around the room, looking for any possible exit, but none was to be found.

"Come, come, girl, is it really so bad?"

The raspy voice spurred her heart to beat faster. The Noble approached her, stepping out from beneath the shadows. Garbed in an ornate black and white three-piece suit, he walked toward her with both hands comfortably shoved into his pant's pockets. His black hair hung limply in front of his sallow and pale face. The ethereal face that was bestowed upon most vampires was not evident in this Noble's dark countenance. He looked as lifeless as any of his victims.

A cruel smile manifested over those pallid features. "Why do you tremble so?" His hand ran along her naked side, as his gaunt form slunk down next to her on the bloodstained bed. Her withered form was bound to the head and foot rests, allowing minimal movement.

The woman recoiled from his touch, her eyes wide with fright. Goosebumps littered her skin and she shuddered involuntarily.

The vampire breathed softly, closing his eyes rapturously. "You're bleeding…and I haven't even laid a hand to you." The acrid smell excited him.

His hand cupped her breast. The girl winced as his ice-cold, spidery fingers violated her pure, soft skin.

Drawing his face close to hers, he spoke softly, "So full of life." She watched his mouth anxiously; gruesome fangs concealed behind his thin lips. His presence was both intoxicating and repelling.

The Noble squeezed her breast hard with a hand accustomed to torture and abuse, tracing her outline with his long fingers, and finally coming to a stop at the nape of her neck. "You're so full of life, but trapped in this fragile body."

He leaned over her, lightly kissing her cheek, bringing his mouth down on her neck. Sinking his teeth into her translucent skin, she wailed, biting down on the gag. Her blood flowed freely from the open wounds into the vampire. The terror subsided and a warm, peaceful sensation replaced it. Her cry turned to a moan, transcending subtly from pain to pleasure. She arched up against him, straining against her bonds.

The Noble pulled back, licking his lips. His eyes had turned vermilion with hunger and lust. "I promise to make you so much more."

D paused in the doorway, staring into the guest bedroom prepared for him. The heavy, gray curtains had been drawn shut, leaving the moonlight to struggle into the interior's darkness. A large, queen-sized bed was covered with a thick, down-filled comforter. The Hunter felt awkward; it had been so long since he could last remember being received warmly.

"Why'd you do it?" A voice inquired.

D ran his hand along the dresser as he walked the perimeter of the room. "Do what?"

"Take the job." The ominous voice continued. "Was it for the money? The girl? It sure as hell wasn't for the location. This has got to be one of the creepiest places I've ever seen."

The Hunter sat on the edge of the bed, turning his left hand supinely. A small, grotesque face could be seen in the contours of the dhampir's palm. The mouth gaped and the voice's source was revealed. "It wouldn't happen to relate to the experiments your fa—"

D clenched his fist. "Silence." For the first time since he entered the unfortunate town of Merritt, D showed an emotion, that of anger. Gritting his teeth, he gradually released his grip. "If I wanted your opinion, I would've asked for it."

"No need to get so grouchy." The face puckered. "So what is it that really made you take the job?"

D's face was somber. He had no desire to answer the parasite's question. Instead, he found himself pacing the room, unable to sleep, his mind buzzed with troubled thoughts. He wondered himself what had drawn him here. Merritt was like any other village on the Frontier. It had farms and livestock, villagers and the monsters of the night set on eating the villagers. However, something was different about Merritt…something odd.

"Penny for your thoughts?" His left hand attempted to spark a conversation.

A smile flittered at the Hunter's lips for less than a second. Any human wouldn't have been able to notice it. He marveled at his hand's perceptiveness. "It'd take more than a penny for me to disclose my thoughts with you."

"I'll pretend not to take offense." The parasite quickly changed the subject. A one-track mind. "Well, let's walk around a little bit. I'm bored." The small mouth yawned. "Believe it or not, being someone's hand isn't the most exciting thing in the world."

D exited the room, shutting the door noiselessly.

"I WILL NOT HAVE A DHAMPIR IN MY HOUSE!" the old man managed before falling into a bout of coughs.

The flames in the hearth licked heartily at the recently added logs. The eerie light illuminated the sickly mayor lying in his four-post bed, with his daughter sitting beside him. He rolled on his side, choking on the blood that arose from his lungs.

Emily touched his shoulder tenderly. "Please, pa…" Hatred coursed through her, but she swallowed the insubordination expanding from her core.

The mayor put a handkerchief to his mouth, coughing once more before continuing. "Put him in the barn with the animals where he belongs!"

"How could you say such a thing, pa?" The girl stood up quickly, throwing her arms down at her sides. Her voice was full of defiance, "You don't know him."

"I know enough." Another cough. "His kind are all alike. Maybe you'll feel differently about him when his teeth are pressed against your skin." His face was beet-red from the lack of oxygen.

"Well I hope he gets to you first." She spat, venom seething from her tone.

The old man attempted to prop himself up on his elbows, but his weakened body allowed only for his head and shoulders to raise slightly. "You hold your tongue, you ungrateful brat!" His chest heaved with every pained breath. "Mayor or not, I am your father and you will listen to me. I to not want that half-blood piece of shit in my home!"

The girl's tight-lipped expression was enough. She turned on her heel and headed for the large oak door, slamming it shut behind her. She was tempted to crumple right there on the floor, shutting out the world with her screams.

Looking up, a rush of embarrassment flooded over her as she spotted the Vampire Hunter passing through the hall. "Oh, D…I'm sorry."

How long had he been listening? How much had he heard? Emily tucked a piece of auburn hair behind her ear nervously. She smiled weakly, before placing a hand on her hip in feigned self-confidence. "So, how do you like your room?"

"It's fine," His voice was hushed and sensuous. "But I think I'll be more welcome outside."

Emily though she heard a soft snicker coming from his waist. He clenched his fists.

"No, please don't." Emily put her hands on his chest. He looked down at her hands and then back up into her face, his cold blue eyes piercing into her. She pulled back, humiliated further. "My father is a senile, old fool with one foot in the grave. If you went out there, you'd be eaten alive." She forced a smile.

She though she could see an air of damaged pride. Was it possible that her father's hateful words had struck a nerve in the stoic dhampir? Emily shrugged the thought off as a passing whim.

"How long has he been sick?" D's words caught her off guard. It certainly wasn't concern for the old man, because this Hunter seemed to want to know every minute detail that might pertain to his bounty.

"Oh, um, about a couple months." She folded her arms flat against her chest. "We've been treating him the best we could. It's consumption, at least, that's what the doctor's say."

He raised an eyebrow. "You disagree?"

"Yes, although the symptoms are that of tuberculosis, there hasn't been a case of it in a millennia. The Nobility eradicated the virus along with hundreds of others."

"What do you think it is then?" The Hunter inquired.

"I'm not sure." Emily looked down, closing her eyes slowly. "He became sick around the same time that my brother was taken by the Noble. Everyone thought his illness was brought on by his son's disappearance."

This piqued D's interest. "Was your brother's body ever found?"

"No, and that's what concerns me most of all. What if he's become like them?" Emily's eyes moistened and her voice quavered. She was no longer that self-assured girl D had seen outside only hours earlier.

The Hunter laid his left hand on her shoulder, caressing the material gently. He turned to leave, winding through the narrow corridors that lead back to his room. Portraits of the Marlowe family adorned the crimson walls; all bearing a striking resemblance to the young woman the dhampir had just left.

D rounded the corner, halting six feet from his room. Standing by the door waiting for him was the butler, Nicholas, whom he had met earlier in the evening. His calm face was complimented with blond locks cut closely to his scalp and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on top of his head. A smooth, black suit hugged his thin frame.

The manservant approached the Hunter. "I had come to see if you were comfortable in your room and found that you weren't there." He paused, eyeing D with mounting suspicion. "You understand how this looks, am I correct?"

D brushed past him, putting his hand on the door handle. The butler's voice stopped him. "Sir, Ms. Marlowe seems to hold you in high esteem and, generally, I trust her judgment. However, I've always been a rather wary man and I feel that I must side with the good mayor and his opinion of you. I would find it also safe to assume that most of those residing in this village feel the same way."

"And what would you have me do?" D spoke to the door.

"Finish your business as quickly as possible and then leave. We don't want any trouble and we also don't want to be forced to take any radical procedures." His voice faded as he headed down the hall to see to his other duties about the house.

The Hunter opened the door and stepped inside. Comfortable in the silence, D's left hand spoke up, not bothering to mince words. "What a freak."

The dhampir faced his open room. "What did you sense when I touched the mayor's daughter?"

"She smelled good and was warm, very warm." The parasite growled playfully.

D was rapidly annoyed at his left hand's teasing antics. "Was there anything special about her?"

"Oh, yes. There was certainly something special about her." The left hand drawled. "Just what, I can't say. But she's not all there, if that's what you mean; kinda like part of her is missing and was replaced with something else."

"Quite the conundrum. It'll reveal itself soon enough however. Tomorrow perhaps…" With that, the door was closed and the mysterious conversation ended.

A/N: Heh, oops, this was supposed to just be like one page and I made an entire chappie. Oh well.

Kitala – It was a lil' confusing just getting a "Ahh" and, funny as it is, I didn't even happen to notice you're Canadian (even though I read your bio) until you pointed it out. So if I had any thoughts concerning your intelligence or ability to write articulately, it had nothing to do with your nationality.

O Canada! My home and native land, true patriot love in all thy sons command…