"Oh God be careful!" Abby whispered under her breath as she watched Lyric approach the beautiful woman.

The strange vampire seemed so dangerous and powerful. Lyric has said Dante was much stronger than he was. Was this new vampire stronger too? Would she find him only to loose him on the same night?

She wanted to get closer to see what was happening but she knew she would only endanger Lyric by shifting his concentration.

Abby smothered her scream by covering her mouth as she saw the blood spray out as Lyric slashed at her neck. The vampire made a vicious bubbling hiss and launched herself at him. She attacked Lyric with sharp claws and glowing eyes but it seemed within horrific seconds it was over and she disintegrated with a screech into a pile of ashes.

"Oh"

Abby picked up her skirts and ran to Tony, hugging him frantically.

"What have I told you about strange women in bars Tony? I thought I had lost you for a moment there"

Abby pulled back from her excited hug and looked at Tony warily.

He seemed woozy and sort of vacant eyed. He smiled at her and waved his fingers.

"Hello Abby"

Abby turned to Lyric with panic in her green eyes.

"What's wrong with him? There is something wrong with Tony!"

Lyric soothed her and slid his strong cool hands down over her own, releasing Tony from her grip with ease.

"She must have put a compulsion on him to come with her. It will wear off soon enough and then he will return to doing whatever he was doing before she turned up. In some ways it is good. He probably won't remember any of this in the morning and the alcohol he has drunk will help confuse him."

Abby nodded distracted. Ok right. Explaining to Tony about Lyric wasn't quite in her plans yet. Suddenly she threw herself into his arms and Lyric smiled and held her close.

"Oh thank you! I was so worried. I thought for a minute that I might loose him. Or you. And I have only just found you after waiting so long. And you killed her right? She's not going to come back seeking vengeance or anything is she?"

Lyric leaned back looking down at Abby and smiled wryly.

"She was a vampire Abby not a zombie. She will not rise again to come and hurt you. Besides I will protect you."

Abby smiled as Lyric pulled her into his arms and held her tight and she was lost in his comforting embrace. She sighed and grinned at herself. She had never been a romance novel kind of girl dreaming of dashing heroes and pathetic maidens but right now she could understand the desire to be swept away just once by something magical.

Finally she turned around and stepped back trying to wipe the foolish grin off her face. In some ways tonight had been perfect. It was so nice to have someone she could trust to keep her safe instead of these endless wack jobs who seemed intent of trying to knock her off or frame her friends.

"Tony?" Abby suddenly remembered her friend and whirled looking in every direction peering through the murky darkness. The car park was empty. He had gone.

"TONY!!!"

******************************************************************

"Ziva? Have you seen Tony? I'm really worried about him. One minute he was here and the next…"

Ziva tried to convince her friend through the phone that Tony was alright.

"Abby! Calm down. He is here Abby. With me. It is alright. What happened though? He was covered in blood. I thought he had been hurt but he seems ok. Groggy though. He collapsed on my doorway."

Abby bit her lip. She couldn't say that her Vampire date had killed another vampire that had been looking to make Tony her next tasty meal. Not yet anyway.

"Um I bumped into him leaving a bar and there was a fight outside in the uhhhh car park. It got a bit rough and Tony stepped in. Someone got uhhhh stabbed. Yeah. Stabbed. So it's not his blood. It got pretty nasty. I think he got knocked on the head at some point. Police turned up and several people got arrested. It got confusing and we got separated and I was worried for him and then I couldn't find him…"

"Ok ok. Abby. He is ok. I will keep an eye on him tonight in case he has concussion. He can stay here."

Abby breathed out a sigh of relief. Ziva would look after him. He would be safe with her.

"That's great Ziva. Thanks. Um well I will call you in the morning then. Make sure Tony doesn't give you too much grief"

Ziva smiled and looked across at Tony who was collapsed across her bed snoring softly. She had stripped him of his clothes looking for any injuries and found none. He had made some joke about her going gentle with him and then had passed out.

"Don't worry I wont"

Ziva hung up the phone before she slipped into bed beside him, wriggling until she made a spot for herself. Softly in the dark she stroked his hair and thought about what he had said to her. Tony might in the morning claim it was all just from the knock to his head or from the drink but she knew it was all true and her heart broke for him. It all made so much sense to her now she wasn't sure why she hadn't seen it earlier. How could someone do that to him? To Tony? It seemed inconceivable to her to hurt someone like that, especially a child.

She dropped a kiss into his sweet smelling hair. He loved her. He was afraid, even terrified but he loved her enough to tell her the one thing that could destroy him. She smiled into the darkness. She wouldn't let him down. He was hers now in a way he had been no one else's. And no one would take that away from her.

Ziva fell asleep holding Tony's hand while he murmured about strange things about Vampires. He really shouldn't watch so many movies.

She awoke later that night to find Tony under the covers beside her and sliding his hand up Ziva's firm warm thigh. She smiled as she watched him, her eyes warm and pulled him closer into her arms, then rolled on top of him. She kissed him and felt him respond eagerly to her touch, his hands cupping her buttocks. She learned down and whispered into his ear.

"I love you Tony"

*******************************************************************

Tim sat naked in the gentle warming sun and frowned at his old typewriter on the little portable table in front of him. He had set himself up in this high walled courtyard at Dante's house so he could again share the mild warm sun with his slumbering lover who was currently asleep in his coffin. Cooler weather was coming and it might be the last of the warm days. He had thought it might provide him some inspiration being so daring but it wasn't working out as he planned.

Dante was happily curled around his 'borrowed' roman sword and his sun soaked dreams were currently filled with the desire to nip and suckle on his Companions nipple. This was proving rather distracting to Tim as he attempted to write an action filled sequence as Tibbs confronted….

Tim groaned as the ghost of Dante's mouth moved from his nipple to his warm sweat salty sensitive neck. Ok maybe he should try and write that steamy little sequence he needed between Lisa and Tommy. He always found it difficult to write them in bed without considering himself a bit of a pervert for thinking of his two friends writhing and naked together. As much as he denied that Tony and Ziva were his inspiration for the characters they certainly looked a lot like them.

Tommy slid his hand up Lisa's firm thigh as she watched him with that secret smile she kept just for him…..

Tim sighed and shook his head, giving up and sagged back into his chair. Closing his eyes he concentrated on smelling the fragrant ancient honeysuckle that wound over the deep crumbling warm stone walls. He could hear the hum of a bee and feel the warmth of the sun on his bare flesh. Water splashed playfully out of a gargoyles fanged mouth into a broken and cracked bird bath while a dragon fly flitted around the ancient sundial. Somewhere in the real world a radio was playing snatches of recognizable songs. It was exciting and exposing to be here naked, even though he knew no one could see him.

Tim shivered as Dante contemplated doing unspeakable things to him in his sleep. He had discovered the vampire had a rather voracious natural appetite for his flesh. Not that he minded. It was nice to be desired as much for his body as for his mind.

Tim opened his eyes when he heard a soft cooing and he watched apprehensively as a beautiful pure white dove looked at him from the edge of the table. Tim leaned back slowly not wanting to startle it but the bird seemed unafraid. In fact it cocked its head and seemed to be looking at him. Tim looked back at it for a moment wondering if perhaps it was a tame bird that had escaped? It seemed too attractive to be wild with its perfectly clean flared snow white plumage and glossy black eyes.

He held out his finger and the bird after a second's hesitation hopped on and he could feel its tiny claws wrapping around his finger. He found himself smiling as the bird and he considered each other.

"Hello" Tim smiled and then he shook his head at himself as he realized he was talking to a bird. While sitting naked in a vampire's forgotten garden.

The bird cocked it head again

"Hello" it greeted Tim softly and blinked its dark eye it had trained on Tim's face.

Tim froze.

Dante!!!