A/N: Chapter 2! XD Again I apologize in advance for any mistakes and reviews are greatly appreciated! X


When Caroline finally awoke, the first thing she noticed was a throbbing pain that pounded violently behind her eyes. She opened them agonizingly slowly, blinking as she encountered the fluorescent lighting coming from the ceiling. Her wrists were chained above her and a wave of nausea brought on by the sharp pain in her head caused her to pitch forward and emit a low groan, fighting the urge to throw up.

"Look who finally decided to rejoin the land of the living."

Her head snapped up at the sound of his mocking voice and when she caught sight of the vampire as he emerged from the shadows she attempted to scoot backwards, only to have her back meet with the wall her hands were chained to. Her feet had been cuffed together too and her top and jeans were missing, along with any weapons she had concealed in them, Oh hell.

"Who do you work for?", his eyes hardened and the mocking tone had left his voice, to be replaced with a cold detachment.

The question surprised her so much it took her a moment to answer, "I.. No one."

"Bullshit, once again who do you work for?", he bit the words out between his teeth and moved closer.

Something in his predatory gait screamed danger causing Caroline to stiffen, "I told you, I don't work for anyone."

She blinked and suddenly he was inches from her face, protruding fangs gleaming under the lights.

"I know you're lying", he whispered, lowering his head until his mouth brushed her neck.

She continued to hold herself rigid, biting down on her lip to avoid pleading for her life.

"I know your lying," he continued. "Because last night I was looking for someone and when I finally spotted him I saw the same lovely blonde who'd been batting her eyelashes at me leave with him. I followed, figured I'd get him while he was occupied, instead I watched you drive a stake through his heart. What a stake!". He dangled the weapon triumphantly in front of her stricken gaze. "And it didn't stop there, no, I watched you bury him in pieces, before returning to your own truck and heading home wearing a brilliant smile. How is that possible? You don't work for someone? Then why do I smell something other than human? Faint but it's there, Vampire. You work for someone who feeds you blood, we never see it coming, It makes you stronger, faster, but still human. Now before I forget my manners, tell me who you work for."

As she looked at him the realisation hit that this would be the last face she ever saw and bitterness coursed through her. She would not plead for her life. She would she would not give him the satisfaction of hearing her screams. Perhaps the world would be a better place for what she had done, it was all she could hope for. She was proud of what she'd done. His kind were not infallible, no matter what they may think and so she'd die telling him the truth.

"I don't work for anyone." Her words dripped with venom, there was no point in holding back now. "you want to know why you can smell both human and vampire? Because that's what I am. Years ago, my mother went out with what she thought was a nice guy. He neglected to tell her he was a vampire. He feed on her and left her there but she survived and five months later there was me, I lived but I was not quite human and when she finally told me the truth about who I was and where I came from I swore I'd kill every one of your kind I came across. I hunt for her and others, so they won't have to suffer what she did or worse and the only regret I have about dying now is that I didn't take more of you with me!"

As she spoke her bitterness was quickly replaced by anger until she shouted the last part, hurling the words in his face and when she finished speaking she closed her eyes, waiting to die. When nothing happened she opened them again, to see the vampire standing in the same position with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Well? What are you waiting for, get it over with you coward!" She snapped, desperation putting a strain on her voice.

Faster than she could blink his mouth was at her neck once more and she froze as she felt the graze of teeth on her pounding pulse point. I will not beg. I will not beg. But he pulled back again and regarded her with a raised eyebrow, "In a hurry to die luv, are we? Not quite yet I think I'd like you to answer a few more questions first."

"What makes you think I will?" She hissed.

He smiled at her arrogantly, flashing his fangs in the progress, "I'm sure your blood would be exquisite".

"I hope you choke on it" she spat.

"Say I believed you," he mused " where did you get your information, how did you know how to spot a vampire, how to kill one?"

"Your kind looks different and when I'm near you I can feel it in the air," she hesitated " It's almost like a shift in the energy, and as for killing you, I didn't know, not for sure, it was trial and error. Heard what you wanted?" She could feel her bravado slipping away as the conversation continued and she had begun to tremble slightly.

"Almost. How many have you killed? And don't bother lying, I can hear your heartbeat."

"Including your friend from last night, nineteen", there was no point in lying now.

His eyes widened for a moment and he paused, "Last chance, luv. Tell me who you work for and I'll let you live."

His hands moved to her neck and he smoothed her hair back she could see the veins begin to protrude under his eyes and feel the pressure of his fangs on her artery but she stared stonily ahead, "I told you everything."

"Look at your bloody eyes!", she started as he caught her face between his hands.

"Don't need to," she mumbled " they change when I'm upset."

He continued to stare intently at her and she stared back, both their gazes matching each other now. He released her and she sagged in the chains, the last of her energy quickly dissipating.

"Unbelievable," he muttered "you're telling the truth, you have to be, only vampires eyes change like that but you have a pulse!".

He ran his hands through his hair and paced away from her. She watched through her hair which had tumbled back across her shoulders as he spun back to face her, stepping into the light once more. It flowed over him making him appear ghostly beautiful, like a fallen angel, but that he was certainly was not.

"We could help each other out, you and I," there was a glimmer of excitement in his eyes now as he met her confused gaze "I could let you live but living comes with conditions. You see," he continued "We share a common goal luv, you hunt vampires, I hunt vampires. We both have our reasons, but another vampire can sense me when I'm close, makes it difficult to take them out without them running. Not you though, all they see is food, but you aren't strong enough to bring down the old ones. You may have gotten nineteen of us but I'm betting they were all young. Against an original like me you wouldn't stand a chance, I'd be picking you out of my teeth within minutes, but together... I'm proposing a deal, you continue to hunt vampires but only those I'm looking for."

An original.. She knew he was old but not that old.. "I'll do it," the words flew out of her mouth before she could think them through, if she did she probably never speak them "but I have a condition of my own". What am I doing..

"Do you?," that made him laugh "hardly in a position to be making demands luv."

"You said I wouldn't stand a chance against you. I disagree. Unchain me and give me my stuff, winner takes all", she stuck her chin out defiantly and watched carefully to discern his reaction.

That arrogant smile was back on his face and his eyes held a definite spark of interest, "And if you win?"

"You die," she said bluntly "If I can win I don't need you, and if I can't you have yourself a deal."

He ran his eyes over her before walking forward slowly and pulling out a key, inserting it into the manacles and twisting.

"well then, let's see what you got" he smirked, for the second time that night.