Author's Note: GCSEs are hell, I'd say I'll be updating less than usual but if you bear in mind how intermittent my updates are anyway I doubt anyone will notice.

Shadow's eyes widened. "You?"

"Oh do I look like her you bastard?" The knife pressed closer on his neck. "Well, I've got news for you blood-sucking parasite I'm not her you killed her!" The hand holding the knife was beginning to shake.

"Killed who?" Shadow asked, running through a mental list of everyone he'd killed recently.

"My sister! You sucked the life out of her you blood-sucking bastard."

The knife cut skin. Shadow moved. He swayed backwards below her arcing arm, flicking up into a handstand and spinning around so an outstretched foot caught her in the wrist. The knife fell. Flicking back up onto his feet he grabbed the other hand and squeezed. The knife fell from broken fingers.

Running on instinct and a vague unease he span round, the blade in his hand found flesh.

The vampire looked down disbelievingly at the wooden blade lodged in it's stomach. Shadow grinned twisting the tanto in the wound before removing it. A swift left hook knocked the vampire to the floor.

A foot scuffed the floor behind him and his hand snapped upwards grabbing the wrist of the girl – the would-be-victim, now would-be-vampire-hunter and in Shadow's own opinion actual-idiot.

He squeezed, the girl whimpered as he broke the wrist of her other hand. He sighed.

"Not a vampire you idiot." He said it calmly, but there was an edge to his voice. He turned and darted a fist out catching the girl on the chin; she crumpled into a heap. "Now you: leech. Start talking."

The vampire laughed, "Or what you're going to kill me?" He laughed again manically, "I'm already dying there's nothing you can do to me any more." He laughed again, the harsh sound grating on Shadow's nerves. "Only way I'll survive this is blood, or course you could just give me her." He gestured at the girl. "Yeah, actually lets make that the deal, give me the girl and I'll give you the others."

Shadow grinned, typical rogue vampire -always trying to save their own skin. His reply was calm but there was something in it that was hinting at someone coming to the end of their tether.

"No, I have a better idea. I'd say you have ten minutes to live at best. Here's my best offer, you tell me everything I want to know or I'll see how much pain can be inflicted in ten minutes."

The vampire smirked. "You wouldn't most of you vampire hunter types are too weak stomached to do that sort of stuff."

"I'm not most. Now tell me!" Shadow shouted the last part, finally dropping his calm facade.

"Yeah, yeah. So who are you hotshot?"

"I believe I was dubbed the Shadow." The vampire's grin slipped slightly.

"Yeah right, prove it."

"Gladly..."

Shadow got the information in six minutes. Looking at the bloodied barely breathing vampire he couldn't help an internal sigh, the leech could have made it so much easier on himself. The worst part in Shadow's opinion was that before The Fall the vampire would have told him everything the moment he used the word Shadow. Vampires seemed to fear him less and less now. Calmly he slipped a note into the vampire's pocket.

'The Shadow – Now into public services.' That should get their attention.

The vampire about to expire on his own, Shadow at last turned his attention to the girl he had already mentally named 'The Idiot'. She was still unconscious. Shaking his head Shadow relayed the information he'd gained from the vampire asking that they not start without him as he had been irrevocably delayed. Business dealt with Shadow sat to wait against the wall of the alley, patience a way of life to him.

Roughly ten minutes later the girl finally stirred, Shadow stood deliberately looming over her. The girl shakily looked up and upon seeing him swung – temporarily forgetting her broken hand and wrist. Shadow allowed the punch to connect with his leg, the girl's face changed instantly as pain flashed across it but she didn't cry out. Shadow had to admit that that mildly impressed and redeemed her stupidity in his eyes.

"Your left wrist is broken as well as at least three bones in your right hand. I am going to carry you to the lair of the vampires who killed your sister..." The teenager whimpered at that.

"Please don't, please, I want to live."

Shadow continued. "...once there you will be able to see them killed and know that in this instance at least justice has been done. Then we need to talk. Understand?"

She nodded.

"Good." And with that Shadow carefully lifted her over his shoulder and began to jog to the location ignoring the looks this gained him, after all even without his katanas – the metal blades were far too much of a clue to his identity – he was still quite obviously armed, noone was going to interfere.

Partway there Shadow smiled, he'd finally realised why he'd recognised the girl's walk. He'd seen it on so many new slayers in his time. So desperate to hide there weapons from public sight but having not bought proper sheaths yet the blades often stabbed into the legs of the concealer giving them their odd walk. Well if 'The Girl', as he was beginning to think of her, intended to continue her likely short career he'd at least see to it she got a sheath for her blade.

When he got to the house the vampire had specified the squad was getting restless. Their captain – Darrius – accosted him for his lateness as soon as he was turned up.

"What took you so long?" He asked, outraged at the hired hunter's lateness. "and what's with the human? Bait? Bit callous isn't it?"

"Her sister was one of the victims. She tried to track down the killer, I thought it fair that she and all others under Night World dominion know that the patrols pursue justice above all else." Shadow replied knowing the PR angle had already caught Darrius hook, line and sinker.

"True, true. Anyway you said we should wait for you, what's your plan?"

"Just wait here. Open the door in... let's call it ten minutes." Shadow turned to advance on the building disappearing through the door. Before even a minute was up the screaming started. Patrol and human couldn't suppress a shudder.

"Justice isn't as pretty as you imagined is it?" Shadow said to 'The Girl' who was currently throwing her guts up. "If you'll excuse me I just need to get paid then we're going to have that talk I mentioned."

He walked over to Darrius who he noticed actually paid more than the agreed fee. Thinking for a second, Shadow took an envelope from a jacket pocket and handed it the the patrol captain.

"Don't open it until you get somewhere safe." He advised.

With that he helped the girl up and left.

An hour later...

Shadow helped the girl into his safehouse, mindful of her injuries. Meticulously he cleaned his weapons before putting them away then did the same with his body armour. Only then did he acknowledge her presence again.

"So do you have a name girl?"

She remained silent.

"Look, I'm trying to help you here."

"My name's Sally."

"Good to meet you Sally. Now about this vampire hunting of yours, you are going to give me your blades and you are never going to even consider trying a stunt like that again."

"What! Why?" She shouted, outraged at the hunter trying to tell her how to run her life.

"You were almost killed tonight. I don't care about your motives but now you have your revenge they aren't worth dying for. Now hand the blades over."

"No."

Shadow sighed before moving over to a shelf. "This isn't a request, it's an ultimatum."

"No, I want them to die. All of them. They treat us like slaves, it's disgusting."

"Perhaps." There was a genuine sadness in his voice. "but not all of them are evil and cruel." He turned a gun in his hand. "Just like not all humans are nice."

The tranquilliser dart caught her in the chest. Shadow moved to the other side of the room and picked up his phone.

"Cat? I need a pickup pronto, full move please." A pause as he listened. "No the job went fine but I've got an unconscious wannabe hunter in my room right now and I want to be gone by the time the tranq wears off." Another pause. "I'd say eight hours. I can probably make it a day with a couple extra darts. Sure. See ya."

It was time to move on – again.

An hour after that...

Patrol-Captain Darrius opened the letter the hunter had given him. He read through it slowly, there was no denying it. He'd have to send this to the council, they'd probably kill him for not spotting it. There had to be another way.

He eyed the fire in the hearth; perhaps there was another way. Quickly – his course of action decided – he threw the open letter into the fire, it quickly burnt shrivelled and crisped. A tiny fragment got caught in the grate, hanging there just outside of the hungry reach of the flames. The slightly blackened words could just be made out.

'…and so you see I am not the monster you believe, it is my sincerest hope our species can work together to forge a new future for our people.

Yours sincerely

The Shadow'

Then that to fell into the fire.

Author's Note: It's really nice to be getting such a good reception from a fic for once. Also for those RuneScape players out there a chapter is being written to celebrate RuneScape's most recent update (Warning: Chapter will future Nex) and is based on my own views on some stuff I saw in the RS forums about how to beat such a great foe. (Note for those RS trolls out there, I don't mean soloing)

And so till the next chapter. Farewell.