A/N: And here it is! Please review, they mean the world to me. Especially on Christmas!

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.

Look to the stars

Let hope burn in your eyes

And we'll love

And we'll hope

And we'll die

All to no avail

All to no avail.

- Stockholm Syndrome, by Muse

When Daphne started to wake up, she felt absolutely refreshed, which was odd, as he had not registered that the beds in that hostel were so comfortable when she took her afternoon nap the day before.

But then it hit her. Heather and Laura were dead. She had been kidnapped by a crew of crazy vampires who wanted her to work for them. She wanted to cry, but she would not give them the satisfaction of hearing her suffer. At that, she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." She replied hoarsely, sitting up in bed, sighing when she saw the state of her hair. A day of traveling had not done well for it.

"Ah, I thought you might be awake." In walked Demetri with a fruit basket, a glass of water, and some boiled eggs on a tray. "Good morning. You didn't eat your food last night." He said, giving her a disapproving glare.

She glared back. "Well, forgive me, I was too preoccupied with my captivity." Demetri raised one eyebrow. So her snarky wit still hadn't gone away.

"Heidi was displeased, she assumed you didn't like what she picked up for you." He set the tray down on her desk. "So hopefully this is more to your liking."

"I'm off to a great start, then, disappointing my employers on the first day." She replied, rolling her eyes. "Throw me an apple, would you?" Milliseconds later, an apple had landed perfectly in her lap. "Thanks." She replied cautiously, biting into it and relishing the fresh taste. For a bunch of vampires, they sure knew how to pick perfectly ripened fruit. "Hey, is there anywhere I could freshen up? Like a bathroom? I could use a shower."

A devious glint appeared in his eyes. "Yes, there's one just through there." He said, pointing to a door that until then, Daphne had taken to be a closet.

Curiosity got the best of her. "Do vampires even shower?" She asked.

"We don't require it, but showers are generally used for more... recreational purposes." He explained, smirking at the blush that appeared on her soft cheeks. Clearing his throat, he continued. "There are towels and everything you should need inside. I'll set out some clothes for you and you can choose the most suitable. Someone will come and fetch you to begin your training and you'll be able to meet the rest of the guard." He had opened his mouth to say something but stopped, shaking his head slightly. "I'll leave you to your business." He muttered, as he left her room, shutting the door roughly, causing the room to shake.

Daphne was perplexed at that man's behavior. One minute, careful and considerate (as considerate as a captor can be, at least) and the next, completely cold. She sighed, deciding there was no point dwelling on it now, not when there was a nice, hot shower waiting for her.

And Daphne took her sweet time in there, washing away the past few hours as best as she possibly could, relishing the comforting feel of the warm water against her back. When she finally did get out, piles of clothes were waiting on her already made bed.

Tentatively, she lifted each outfit one by one, noticing that some of them would have left her quite scantily clad. Above all else, these vampires appeared to be perverts. When she finally settled upon a salmon-colored blouse that could be buttoned up higher, if she wished, and a black pencil skirt, she went to have a look at what shoes were on offer but found only one: a size 8 pair of high black stilettos. "Fucking vampires." She muttered under her breath, trying them on, and realizing they fit perfectly and didn't hurt as much as she'd expected. A few minutes walking back and forth in her room, though, trying to break them in would prove differently as parts of it began to dig into her heel. As soon as she'd styled her hair, as if on cue, there was another knock at the door. At least they were polite enough not to barge right in, perverts or not, and still respected what little privacy she had left.

With a rather awkward walk, due to the shoes she was now sporting, she opened the door and was greeted by Heidi. Great, she thought.

"Hi. I'm here to-" Heidi said, with a smile. But before she could continue, Daphne interrupted her, as per usual.

"I'm sorry about the food." She said, unsure as to why she was apologizing, but wanting to maintain on their good side. "I'm sure it was delicious, I was just so tired."

Heidi pondered for a moment but eventually decided she was telling the truth and waved her off. "No problem, that's what Demetri said. He defended you vehemently, I should have listened."

Daphne's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why would he bother defending me?"

She received a pointed glare from the woman in front her as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world. "Come on, we've set up your work desk, it's all ready. And some of us are quite anxious to meet you." Heidi looked her up and down to make sure everything was in order. "I see you went with the salmon, then. Good choice, it suits your skin color."

"Thank you." She said, more out of habit than anything else, wondering why this woman - this vampire woman - was helping her. "Demetri said something about training and meeting more of you. Why would they want to meet me?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"My dear Daphne." She said, extending her hands to the human woman and recoiling slightly when it wasn't accepted. "You're one of us now. Is there any harm in getting to know us? We're not monsters, you know. If you give us a chance, you may even grow to like us."

Daphne offered a conciliatory smile. "I didn't mean anything by it... Heidi." The name sounded less foreign once she spoke it, addressing her directly. "It's just, this is all a bit sudden. Yesterday, I was on vacation and now I'm on some forced work placement. To be honest, I think I'm taking it quite well, all things considered."

"Perhaps you are." She said, smiling back at the human. "I'm sure Demetri's told you, but we've never had too difficult a time finding recruits - they usually beg to have a chance at working here. It's different with you. But then again, everything's different with you."

Daphne's eyebrows furrowed at this. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Heidi replied too quickly. "Come, we should go. They'll be waiting." She spoke with an air of finality, opening the door for her and guiding her out into the hall, shutting the door behind them and simultaneously, on Daphne's old life.