Chapter 3: Fun in the Sun and Goin' Huntin'

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Someone was banging on her door. Abby rolled over to look groggily at her clock. Four-thirty. "Wha the-? Who the-?"

"Whistler, get dressed and open up! It's important!" King said anxiously.

She threw on some clothes, sheathing weapons and opened the door to find a dressed and alert King shifting from foot to foot. "King, what's wrong?"

"C'mon." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out to the black SUV already running.

They drove in silence until they came to a bluff overlooking the ocean.

He turned off the car and waited.

She peered out into the darkness. "What is it? Vamps?"

"Shh…" He looked in every direction, leaning first out his window to check something then towards her to peer into the darkness beside the car.

"You're not going to try and make out with me, are you?" she asked, jokingly. His closeness made her insecure. There was something about him that broke down her guard. His humour and pure joy sneaked through the cracks of the shields she'd so carefully put up and it scared her.

He shook his head, a serious look on his face for once. "Don't even try to ruin this for me." He got out and stood in front of the SUV, facing the ocean.

She got out and joined him, keeping quiet.

After a few minutes, it started to lighten and rays of sunlight started to peek over the sea.

She turned instead to look at King as the sun came up.

His face became calm and peaceful and he seemed to become more human as more and more of the sun appeared. It was as if the sunlight was chasing the last of the demons from him.

His arms came up and he closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun for the first time in five years. He stood for a few minutes, soaking up the sun then his eyes and turned to Abby. "Let's go swimming."

She laughed. "We don't have bathing suits."

"So? Your clothes are washable." He pulled her along as he ran down through the bush to a sandy cove. He let go of her hand and stripped down to his boxers before throwing himself into the surf. He bobbed up a few feet away. "C'mon, Whistler. Live a little!" He threw himself back into the surf, yelling.

Well, if he could be so blasé about getting naked then so could she… She kicked off her shoes after a slight hesitation, stripping down to her underwear before wading in slowly. "You're nuts!"

He stood still for a moment, frozen in place by the sight of her half-naked body. She was fuckin' gorgeous. Before she noticed though, he threw himself back into the surf, yelling. "You're too straight-laced. Have a little fun!" He reappeared like a dolphin a few minutes later, splashing her.

She swam out towards him. "You are crazy."

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Later, they lay in the sand, drying out.

"I am going to get a fantastic tan. No more of this pale skin shit… I'm going to be tan and buff. Too bad no one'll see it because I'm too busy saving the world…"

She laughed, rolling over onto her stomach to squint at him as he made a sand angel. "You're insane."

He nodded, grinning and shrugging. He got out of the angel and started to draw in facial features.

"What are you going to do now?"

He smiled dreamily. "Grow a beard."

She grabbed a handful of sand and threw it towards him. "Seriously…"

He shrugged, sitting back on his heels to survey his work. "I don't know. I figured I'd just stay on and help you guys…"

She nodded. "I guess we could you your help. You'd have to train harder, of course. And we could really use your expertise as a vamp to track them…"

"I'd like that." His gaze shifted towards her, almost predatorily. Then he blinked and it was gone. "So what else do you people do for kicks around here?"

She stood up, brushing the sand from her body and started to get dressed. She checked her watch. "We should really get back before Sommerfield starts to worry…"

"Okay." He grabbed his clothes as well.

She covertly watched as he slid his t-shirt back on, watching his muscles flex and move under his skin. She shook her head. She couldn't get involved. Attachment in this line of work was weakness – it was dangerous.

"Okay, let's go."

They rode back in silence.

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Abby dropped down through the grate onto the catwalk. Thank god for the catwalk. She wrinkled her nose and peered disgustedly down at the sewage below. She'd spent two hours the night before scrubbing gunk off her boots and she didn't care for a repeat tonight.

King dropped down beside her with a thud. He immediately covered his nose with his arm. "Holy fuck, it smells…"

She shook her head. "Let's go. And keep quiet." There was nothing quiet about her new partner. He loved to make a scene and bring the vamps to him, sometimes dangerously so. But she had to admit that he was a great asset to the team. Thanks to all the info he supplied, they'd taken out twenty nests in as many nights. Impressive, even to her. And he could finally hold his own, thank god. The first time they'd gone out she'd had to save his ass a few times and her kill was 80. He'd only gotten the other 20 with luck. Now, they were usually 60/40 in her favour. She started moving to the north end of the tunnel.

He followed along, her shadow. "Yes, ma'am," he replied, a bit muffled by his hand. "Hey, you'd think that with all the money this guy supposedly had, he'd find some nicer digs… how are you standing this?"

She declined to answer, instead put her finger to her lips and turning towards the entrance of the tunnel, to the newest nest. Apparently, there would be ten vamps, five familiars. They had to keep the element of surprise. She crept closer, pulling out her bow and leaned in, an arrow expertly notched. She took out the first two vamps with ease, just the ash fluttering by warning the others before the cry went up. Then she launched herself down into it.

King was right behind her. "Kowabunga!" he yelled, jumping into the fray.

She lost sight of him and focused instead on the two familiars coming towards her with chains.

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King watched Abby dispatch the two familiars easily with swift kicks to the head. If he could, he would just sit back and watch her go all night long. It was enough to make a guy sweat thinking what else she could do with that awesome strength, flexibility and agility.

He was so distracted that he almost didn't see the lead pipe swinging at his head but ducked in time. "Didn't your mother teach you to play nice with the other kids?" he quipped, kicking the vamp hard in the stomach, spinning and kicking it in the face then staking it neatly. He jumped through the ash at the next vampire.

Fantasizing about Abigail Whistler would have to wait until the quiet of the base. For now, he'd have to use that extra energy to dust a few. Had to keep up with the little hellion or she'd rail him for it later. He whirled, slamming the stake deep into a vamp's chest, kicking another in the head. He grabbed a third and pulled its head down to slam it into his knee.

"King!"

He turned and his blood ran cold. "Get the fuck away from her!"

Abby was being held between two vampires with a third holding a red hot poker inches from her face.

"Wouldn't want to mar this pretty face of hers, do I?" the vamp sneered.

Abby struggled. "You asshole!"

"Get away from her!" King yelled again, storming towards them.

"Get back. Get the fuck back, boy." The vamp edged the poker closer.

King held up a hand, stopping ten feet from the group. "Okay, okay… ease up, champ. Don't want to do something that she'll kick your ass for later…" He fingered a stake under his jacket.

The vamp laughed. "You are in no position to give orders."

King shrugged, trying to keep a cool exterior. Inside, he was terrified. They could roast Abby before he could even move two feet towards them. 'Just keep their attention on you,' a small voice said in his head. 'Just keep it here…' "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

The vamp cackled, a cackle that turned into a gurgle as a stake seemed to materialize through his chest. "What the fu-?" And then he burnt up, the poker clanging to the floor.

Abby flipped herself over the familiars' arms, landing behind them.

King was already moving. He took a few strides, scooped up the poker and drove it straight through the heart of the first vamp.

She had already dispatched the other and they turned towards each other as the dust settled.

"Thanks."

"No problem.Y'know-"

Sommerfield's voice cut in through their earpieces, crackling as she said, "Abby, King, we got news of another nest. Feeling up to it?"

"You know it," Abby replied, the light of battle coming back into her eyes.

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So, that's it, let me know what you think! Ciao!