This is my first fanfiction and I don't own the characters, they belong to Charlaine Harris and Janet Evanovich. I'm just making the introductions. Thank you all so much for the reviews, pms, and favorites, it's really inspiring me to write more.

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Sookie woke slowly, a cold shiver causing her body to tense up. She felt a throbbing in her head and went to reach for it but found her hands were bound. She flexed her legs and wiggled her back. She seemed to be in a chair, her hands tied behind her back. Her chest, hips, knees and ankles were all affixed to the chair. She listened around her but couldn't make out any clear voices or thoughts, only a murmuring of disconnected thoughts. She slowly opened her eyes, but found her right one was swollen and would only open to a slit. She blinked rapidly through the rough and scratchy pain, and felt tears gather at the corner of her eyes. Her vision blurred. She closed her right eye and peered around the room with her left. She took in everything on her left side: a pair of dressers, a small pile of rags, and an empty fireplace with no mantle, and then turned her head so she could see the rest of the room. Her head throbbed as she moved and her vision swung out of focus and then back. As it cleared she saw Stephanie strapped down to a chair a few feet to her right, the rest of the room empty save for an old metal filing cabinet only two drawers high sitting in the corner. A small window streamed dirty sunlight onto the floor.

Stephanie was wearing an oversized t-shirt and grungy men's tan work pants that looked so big that they likely were only staying on because she was tied to the chair. Sookie looked down at her own clothing but it seemed to be the same outfit as she wore the previous night. She frowned thinking what that might mean about what had happened to Stephanie. She looked at Stephanie's face but saw only a bruise the size of a quarter on her temple, with a small trickle of dried blood, as any signs of abuse.
She listened carefully trying to pick up Stephanie's thoughts.

No. When Ranger finds you… Not coming… but he always…like the Wizard…the great and powerful…The disjointed pieces of Stephanie's dream didn't make much sense but she seemed upset and Sookie noticed a thin sheen of sweat on Stephanie's face. "Stephanie?" she whispered. "Stephanie, you need to wake up."

"No," mumbled Stephanie, Just ten more minutes… It's the weekend and I don't want to go running.

Sookie struggled with the binding on her wrists, trying to focus her energy on breaking them but only felt the searing sting as the ropes cut into her skin. She thought back and realized she hadn't had any vampire blood since before her disappearance and wondered if that meant it had been days or over a year. "Can't count on them coming to heal me anytime soon if they haven't found me yet," she murmured to herself, releasing the tension she had on her bindings.

"Stephanie, we need to get out of here." Sookie said, realizing with a shiver just how cold she was. She looked down and saw her feet bare and touching a cold concrete floor.

"Fine," said Stephanie, still not moving. So heartless… like the Tinman...no wait, the Tinman was nice…

"Open your eyes hon, we're not in Kansas anymore."

Didn't she say Louisiana? Oh to be in the sunshine right now….But no, I'm stuck in this cold… Stephanie lifted her head quickly then winced, inhaling quickly. Her eyes snapped open and she looked straight at Sookie. She paused for a moment, turned her head left and right. "Kidnapped?"

"Looks that way, " Sookie replied.

"Holy crap it's cold in here." Stephanie continued taking in the room. "Are you okay?" Cause your eye looks awful.

"My eye hurts and my head is throbbing, but I think I'm alright." Sookie looked over Stephanie's clothing again, "What do you remember?"

"Not much, they knocked you out then hit my head on the wall and injected me with something." Steph looked down at her clothes and the straps that bound her to the chair then looked over at Sookie. "I'm so sorry about this." God, I meet a nice person in a bar and now whoever those creeps are had to go and kidnap her too!

"What do you mean? You can't think this is your fault." Sookie tilted her head to the side as if looking for a different perspective.

"Yeah, well, these things just sort of happen to me." But I swear it's not my fault… still, YOU shouldn't be here.

"Believe it or not it's not my first time being taken hostage either." Sookie replied, shrugging.

Stephanie's eyebrows shot up, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, well it's a long story."

Stephanie giggled and looked around the room. "Don't think we're going anywhere soon." She tried pulling one-by-one on her restraints and then shifting her chair. "Hmm… that doesn't seem to be working. But yours might."

Sookie looked at the ropes holding her in place and realized it was more like the kind of cord people used on clothes lines. Stephanie was bound with proper straps. "I've already tried, they're pretty tight. What makes you think I'd have a better chance?"

"I think they were only prepared to take me and had to make do with what they had for you." Stephanie said, looking apologetic.

"Why do you think that?"

"Well, they knocked you out but gave me an injection. The straps I'm bound with were obviously designed for this purpose and they must have bought them in advance, but there's only one set you're tied up with something different… Plus you just rolled into town; I doubt anyone could be looking for you yet. Meanwhile I was hanging out in a skeezy bar that I've been known to go to when I have a bad day."

Sookie paused and looked hard at Stephanie, pausing for a moment before replying, "It makes sense… but you're wrong about people looking for me. I have a feeling two people have been looking for me and possibly following me for days. Although, obviously, they haven't found me yet." It wasn't even halfway through the night when those guys entered the bar…if Eric or Bill had been near…

Stephanie managed a small smile, "Your man problems?"

"If only it were that simple."

Steph's eyes grew a little wider, women? "But… I'm pretty sure those were men's names you were using last night."

"Oh, no, they're men, they just… they're not just men, and they're not my only problems."

Stephanie's mind flashed quickly with an image of Ranger and his specially trained men, her various stalkers and exploding cars, and then settled solidly on an image of Diesel. Unmentionables?

Sookie looked at Stephanie with her one good eye and waited for another thought that would explain what an 'unmentionable' was or anything to explain the thoughts that had just run through her mind, but found nothing more. She shrugged slightly, "I guess there's not much harm in telling you now. Though if you all are much like the folks back in Bon Temps you might change your mind about whose fault this is…" She took a deep breath, "My man problems are with two overly territorial vampires who both want me for their own. And a whole lot of other folks who seem to cause problems around me too. It's like I just attract problems without even tryin'."

Stephanie's mind ran through what she had just heard then her mouth dropped open slightly. "Wait, you know real vampires?"

Sookie shook her head, "Well sure, I mean I didn't know them before they came out, but then Bill moved back into Bon Temps and… then I met some other vampires. And now it seems I can't get away from 'em."

"I know they've been out for years, but not only is it too cold here for their tastes most of the year, but Trenton just kind of sucks, so I guess none of them wanted to live here 'cause I've never even seen one… You know, except for on television."

"Huh," shrugged Sookie. "I thought they were everywhere."

"Well if they're here they're doing a good job of keeping quiet. I mean I'm a bounty hunter and if they were here, surely some of them would be getting in trouble, and if they did I'm pretty sure I'd know. God knows I see all the rest of the freaks and crazies."

Sookie just stared.

"Oh. Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, I'm not saying your… your boyfriends or whatever are freaks or crazies, I just…" Aww, crap, why can't I keep my mouth shut. We were just starting to become friends and then I…huh, making friends while kidnapped…why is my life so weird?

"No, no, it's okay," said Sookie. "You might be right. I'm just surprised you're a bounty hunter…You just… I wouldn't have guessed."

"Yeah, I know. And honestly I'm not a very good bounty hunter. That would be Ranger. He's like the perfect bounty hunter. But he helps me sometimes, so I get by with his help and more dumb luck than anyone should have."

"Dumb luck?"

"Well, I have really good instincts I guess. I get a gut feeling about things. My own little 'Spidey Sense' about where someone might be or when bad things are going to happen. Not that that keeps me from wading right into the middle of it and…" She smirked and looked around the room, "Doing things like getting myself kidnapped." She sighed loudly, "Still, it's helped me find everyone from flashers to killers."

"So it's like ESP?"

"No, I can't read minds, I just get a funny feeling. It's kind of like the tingle I get when Ranger comes near, but it's a bad tingle instead."

"You get a tingle when Ranger comes near?"

Stephanie blushed slightly, "Yeah, it's weird, huh?"

"Not that weird."

"Oh yeah? You have tingles with your vampires?"

"No, but they can sense when I'm in danger."

"So you think they're coming for you right now?

"No, by the sun coming through that window I'd say it isn't even noon yet. Wherever they are they've gone to ground for the day. And if they were close enough last night and knew where I was…" Sookie trailed off.

"Oh, right. Vampires… daylight. I forgot." Stephanie looked back at the window, "But Batman should be looking for me by now; we were supposed to go running this morning."

"Batman?"

"Oh, Ranger… he dresses in black, hardly talks, man of mystery and all that… and he saves me all the time so he's my Dark Knight, my Batman. Well…not really my…" She shrugged, "just something me and my girlfriends and I call him when he's not around." Hmm…MY Batman…

Sookie smiled, outside of vampires she didn't get to have many conversations with people without hearing contrasting thoughts in their heads. Stephanie's might be private, but they didn't contrast what she was saying. Plus she had an irritating attraction to a certain dark and silent man herself. "And when he is around? What do you call him then?"

"Ranger."

"That's his name? Really?" She smiled, "I mean my name's Sookie, so who am I to judge, right?"

"No, his name is Carlos Ricardo Manoso. But so far as I know no one calls him that. He was in the Army Rangers and everyone just calls him Ranger."

"And you think he'll be able to find us?"

"Well he puts trackers in my clothes and purse a lot, but…" she nodded towards her clothes, "obviously they're not on me now, and I'm guessing whoever switched out my clothes but not yours figured that out and took them for that reason. So it'll be a bit harder."

"Oh…" Sookie's face fell a bit.

"But he's always managed to find me before."

"Might be a while," Sookie said. "Mine might make it here first."

"Oh…" Stephanie shifted as much as the straps would allow in her seat. I can't ask, she… well it's just rude is all.

"Oh?" Sookie asked.

"It's just, I don't want to make assumptions. I just… being tied up in a room with vampires… Is it safe?"

"I won't let them hurt you." Sookie said defiantly, trying to open her right eye again to make clear eye contact.

"And they'll listen to you? They don't hurt your friends?"

Sookie shifted this time. "I won't let them," she replied with slightly less conviction. "And if Ranger gets here first?"

"Or Joe… I mean, it's not often, but Joe is a cop, so he could…" Stephanie mumbled.

"So if they got here first."

"If they got here first our kidnappers, whoever they are, are in for a world of hurt."

Sookie looked down at her bare feet. "Based on my experience, they should hope for yours, they're dead if Bill or Eric get here first."

"They should hope for Joe…He's the only one likely to follow any laws." Stephanie looked over at Sookie, the silence stretching out. How does she do it?… I mean I guess Ranger has killed for me, and I've shot people in self-defense, but to know someone IS a killer. I wonder if she's seen them do it? She looks so normal.

"I am normal," Sookie replied.

Stephanie's head snapped up, "I… I know I didn't say that out loud."

Sookie blushed. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't trying to… you just think so loudly."

"Think loudly? Think loudly?"

Sookie winced as Stephanie's voice pierced the air and made her acutely aware of the throbbing in her head.

Suddenly they heard a door slam. It wasn't nearby, but it must have been in the same building as the noise seemed to reverberate through the walls of their room.

Saved by the bell…er… door, Stephanie thought, shooting a glance at Sookie.

Sookie chuckled as Stephanie looked at her out of the corner of her eye.

Can you read my thoughts now?

Sookie looked up at her and gave a slight nod of her head.

What about whoever is out there?

Sookie concentrated, her brow wrinkling. Acting as a freakin' babysitter… Maybe I should go take a peek… don't care what they said… have a little fun…

Sookie nodded at Stephanie then frowned and whispered, "Just one guy… hasn't decided if he's coming to see us yet."

Freakin' ESP, what do I get? A stupid tingle and usually when it's already too late.

Somewhere in the distance a car door slammed and the sound of several men arguing filtered through the house as a dull rumble. Uh, oh…you know that bad tingle I mentioned? It's off the charts right now. Now might be a good time to check those bindings.

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Please let me know what you think. I've really enjoyed the reviews so far and the ideas from other fans of these two worlds.