Chapter 6: Sunshine and Puppies

Roughly two hundred metres down the narrow street, Hange's grey SUV was parked at the kerb, behind a car that looked like its owner had died last year, judging by how it was covered in filth and bird shit. As Nora approached with her unlikely ally in tow, her Watcher let down the driver's window, waving her binoculars.

"Hey, sweetie!" Hange said in a sing-song voice, beaming from ear to ear. "I see you brought a friend." She followed Levi's every step with wide, curious eyes as he rounded the vehicle to get in behind the passenger seat.

Nora, in the meantime, went for the rear door on Hange's side. "I'll keep my 'friend' company in the back if you don't mind."

"No worries. My crossbow's riding shotgun." She fondly petted her weapon.

Glaring at the rightfully cautious Slayer joining him in the back, Levi fastened his seatbelt. "Tsk. I'd never eat in a car, anyway. Too messy."

Nora might have come up with a snappy retort if not for the odd sight of the evil undead using a sodding seatbelt unprompted. Something about it just struck her as… grotesque.

Unabashed, Hange had half turned in her seat, craning her neck to ogle the fascinating novelty joining them for the ride. "So you are Levi."

"Hange," he said, acknowledging her with a terse nod. Probably as close to an actual greeting as he ever got.

She clapped her hands together, positively delighted. "So, Levi, I heard you won't bite us. Neither in here nor outside. Is that true?"

"As long as you don't piss me off even more than that snotty Slayer of yours does, I won't eat you." He honoured Nora with a quick sidelong scowl.

" Mistkerl," she bristled. "That I still haven't staked you is a testament to my angelic patience."

Something seemed to have soured his mood. It was hard to tell with that perpetually grouchy bastard, but he'd appeared comparatively even-tempered only minutes ago. Maybe the battle hadn't only had a mellowing effect on Nora. Or maybe he just didn't like meeting new people. Least of all such a cheerful specimen he wasn't even allowed to eat.

"No staking and no putting holy water in your tea. Gotcha." Hange gave a little salute and faced front again, turning the key in the ignition. With a chuckle, she added, "Can't speak for my girl in the back, though."

Levi blinked at his chauffeur's profile, forgetting to glower for a moment. He remembered as soon as he caught Nora's mildly amused gaze. "I can see why you two are shacking up."

Nora's chin dropped. Hange cackled, steering the car out of the parking spot. "Who says we aren't married?"

The crease between Levi's brows deepened. His flinty eyes flitted from Hange's hands on the steering wheel to Nora's, folded in her lap.

"She's kidding," Nora cleared up once she recovered, torn between alarm and the urge to laugh. "We're just roommates, not… roommates."

What the vampire thought she was up to in private, and with whom, didn't matter per se; yet, misconceptions irked her, especially when she felt it put an even bigger target on Hange than her Watcher status already did.

Acknowledging the information with a noncommittal grunt, Levi sprawled in his seat, making himself comfortable as though he were lounging in his own home. "A long-term commitment with a Slayer is nothing but a fucking joke, anyway."

Indignation flared in Nora's chest. Of course, the immortal vampire would poke fun at the high mortality rate of Slayers. The mere thought would probably lull the bastard to sleep later in bed, with a smile on his face. Provided he was actually capable of smiling.

"Funny," Hange said lightly. "That's more or less what you always say, Nora."

" Verräter," Nora hissed, glaring at the back of Hange's head. Traitor.

So maybe she had made similar morbid comments in the past when the subject of dating had come up; that didn't mean a sodding vampire was allowed to mock her for her inevitable untimely demise.

Hange, whose knowledge of German didn't go beyond Nora's favourite swear words, retaliated by answering in French.

"How many languages do you guys speak?" Levi asked, annoyed.

"I have no bloody clue what she just said," said Nora, "and her German is only marginally better than yours."

"That so," he mumbled.

"We both do know our Latin, of course," Hange was happy to inform him, running over a red light. Thankfully, they hadn't reached the liveliest part of town yet. "As a Watcher, the required reading tends to—"

"Zip it, Hange," Nora interjected sharply. Seriously? Why not just hand him a list of her strengths and weaknesses?

Levi's undivided, frowny-faced attention was already back on her. "Why would a Slayer take the time to learn Latin?"

"You shut your gob, too," Nora barked. She had no intention of elaborating on her family or educational background from before she'd been Called. Bloody hell, he'd watched her fight several times over. That was bad enough already. "If you want small talk, how about you tell us something about yourself, for a change? I'm sure Hange's got a ton of questions."

"I always do," she chirped, taking a sharp right turn without slowing down.

"Tsk." Naturally, Levi did not dignify them with an answer. Silent, he scowled out the window.

"So, Levi, where can I drop you off?" Hange asked after mere seconds, undeterred, not even pausing long enough to allow for an answer before she blithely chattered on, following her erratic train of thought out loud. "Or are you coming with us? I make a mean Bloody Mary—well, probably not the kind of bloody you'd appreciate—and I'm sure Garlic would love to get to—"

"He's absolutely fucking not coming with us," Nora said, shaking her head in disbelief. She wasn't going to show the vampire where they lived, much less invite him inside.

"What the hell was that bit about garlic?" asked Levi, looking tired and confused.

Nora massaged her temples. This night was getting even more surreal with each uttered sentence. "That's our cat."

"You two have a cat. Together," he recapped, voice blank.

"Uh-huh." Hange gave an enthusiastic nod.

"And you named it Garlic."

"Yup. Hilarious, right? It was Nora's idea."

"I'd never have guessed," he said, each syllable dripping with bland sarcasm, then added something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like nutcase.

"It's a perfectly good name for a cat. With white fur, may I add. White like garlic," Nora explained, piqued, vaguely wondering why she even bothered. The arsehole was a vampire, after all; he was supposed to hate the name. Needless to say, that was the whole sodding joke: a Slayer with a cat named after a common (if rather ineffective) vamp repellent. Of course, she hadn't expected Hange to take her seriously when she'd suggested it in jest. Arms crossed, Nora shrugged. "The cat sure never complained."

Levi scoffed. "Yeah, because the poor bastard can't talk."

"Gosh, I finally realised what's been bothering me this whole time!" Hange cut in just as Nora inhaled deeply, a scathing reply on the tip of her tongue. "I can only see Nora in the rear-view mirror. What a pain."

The random, obvious-as-fuck observation brought an abrupt end to their spat, more effectively than any well-intentioned attempt could've done. The two squabblers in the backseat exchanged oddly meaningful looks, some sort of involuntary, nonverbal communication passing between them.

What the fuck is wrong with her?

I wish I knew. She's really smart, I swear.

"You can drop me off back at the pub," Levi said after several seconds of silence.

"Oh?" Hange glanced back, throwing him a quick grin. "Don't tell me you're meeting another hot chick with superpowers to go on a killing spree with?"

Shit, but Hange was on a roll, tonight. Nora hid her face in her hands, no longer in any state to care about the dried blood on them.

"Hell, no. I happen to live nearby." Levi's eyes darted to Nora, then back out the window, so quickly she almost missed it.

She had the vague feeling he was paying some sort of perceived debt, sharing this titbit now.

"Figured," Hange said with satisfaction. She jerked her thumb at her Slayer behind her. "This one's a unique specimen, you know."

"Bloody hell," Nora mumbled, cheeks warm. Had she died back at that nest, and this was some kind of barmy hell dimension?

Levi looked a bit like he was wondering the same thing. "Aren't there almost two thousand Slayer brats worldwide?"

"The times of a single Chosen One might be over, thankfully, but my girl here is irreplaceable."

This was hell, no doubt. Why else would Nora have to suffer through all this teasing, this aggressively outspoken affection, with a judgemental demon as witness? "Hange, I beg you—"

"Glad to hear it," said Levi frigidly, talking right over her. "One of her is more than enough." His scowl was looking more and more like a permanent fixture on his sharp features.

Nora responded with a cold glare, telling him in German about one of her more macabre fantasies that involved him and herself and a flamethrower.

Another turn, and the pub finally came into view. The moment Hange brought the car to a halt, Levi threw the door open. "Thanks for the fun ride, I guess. And the nice chat."

Hange gave him one last bright smile. "See ya!"

"Stop threatening me," he grumbled, and slammed the door shut with a force that shook the entire car.

"He didn't sound particularly thankful," Nora quipped, watching his retreating shape shrink. A splotch of black slowly dissolving in the dark of the night, and with him dissolved a considerable portion of the tension in her body, a constant current that had been keeping her on edge.

Well, at least Hange'd had her fun. At the Slayer's and the vampire's expense. And yes, while every conversation involving the two of them inevitably degenerated into a moderate disaster, Nora couldn't deny that this little outing had been a complete success.

"I can see why you like him," Hange said, watching her through the rearview mirror.

"Are you taking the piss?" Mild bemusement was all that reflected in Nora's otherwise even voice. "I despise the bleeding git."

Once more, a smile crinkled the corners of her Watcher's eyes. "I can see that, too."

#

It looked like something had exploded inside the cottage—which was exactly what had happened only yesterday.

Nora had returned early enough to make use of the late afternoon's dim daylight, trickling in through the broken windows and the doorless doorframe, casting the room in cool, muted colours. It was pissing down outside, the sky shrouded in a smoky grey. She'd have to strain her eyes a bit.

Considerable amounts of black soot and ashes covered the ground, the disarranged furniture. The charred remains of the couch were overturned, and several mismatched, broken chairs scattered across the room. Only a cupboard and a desk at the wall opposite the entrance seemed to have survived the grenades mostly unscathed. As good a place as any to start searching for any potentially relevant information.

She had always planned to come back later for this purpose—on her own; Levi didn't need to know everything. It was probably a waste of time, but not one of the parts of her job she could allow herself to half-arse. Like, say, her diet (not quite enough protein most days, and too much caffeine and sugar).

When dealing with a nest, you never knew if their boss was one of those vamps with greater ambitions than having a good time chasing after everything with a pulse. Popular contenders were trying to cause the apocalypse (because that had always worked so well in the past thousands of years) or going pro at hunting Slayers. Demons teaming up was never a portent for sunshine and puppies, so Nora needed to find out what was up, and if someone else not-yet-dust was still involved.

Goosebumps rose on her nape. The song she'd been humming to herself died in her throat.

It felt like danger—but the kind where, standing at the precipice, you still had a rope tied to your ankles.

"You must be kidding me," she muttered, turning towards the entrance. Drawing her stake, just in case.

Only seconds later, Levi appeared against the stormy backdrop in the rectangular frame that once held a door. It was like looking at a painting called Vampire with an umbrella sulking in the rain.

Unlike her, he didn't seem particularly surprised. "Morning, sunshine," he grumbled, stepping inside as he closed his (black, of course) umbrella.

Nora had meant to ask what he was doing here. "But it's still day!" she protested instead, feeling foolish yet justified.

"Are you stupid?" He pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the downpour outside. "In case you didn't notice on your way here, it's not exactly ideal barbecue conditions today."

"Sod that piss-poor British weather," she groused, right now not caring that she didn't have that much cause to complain, living here in the south. "A vampire isn't supposed to be out and about before nightfall."

He glowered at the sodden sleeves of his dark grey coat. "I don't know about you Brits, but over in the US, vampires don't give much of a shit about what we're supposed to do."

"I'm quite certain you lot give a shit about the sun, though, no matter which continent you're on." Even as she was saying this, she studied the small patch of sky visible through the doorframe.

All she could see was a dense blanket of clouds, not allowing even the suggestion of a sunray to pass through. This was different from your usual, slightly overcast day, when you could guess at the approximate position of the sun. Yet, it was there, hiding behind the storm clouds. It was still day, still a risk.

Nora's curiosity got the better of her as she took in Levi's steadfast appearance. "Don't you feel it at all, today?"

The divot between his sharp brows deepened. "It's a bit like an annoying itch all over my skin."

The description was too relatable for her taste, and it was all his fault. "Well, I cannot possibly imagine what that must feel like," she said caustically.

"Don't complain about your cute little Slayer tinglies to me." He returned her glare. "After yesterday, and now this, I am the one who's gonna have your smell stuck in my nose for days." His mouth twisted slightly.

"What's your bloody problem? You think I didn't hop in the shower first thing after yesterday's little outing?"

"The scent seeping out of your goddamn pores can't be washed away with lavender soap."

If her hackles hadn't been up already in the face of his disdain, the biting remark sure would have done the trick. Damn it, why was she offended by a bloody vampire insinuating that she stank? She shouldn't care. If anything, she ought to be glad.

Yet, it rankled. His entire existence, everything about him… rankled. He had the nerve to strike up an alliance with her but seemed determined to be as disagreeable as possible.

"It's not soap, it's from my hair stuff. The lavender fragrance," she said stupidly, indulging her mulish, prickly temper despite knowing it was utterly beside the point. But correcting him was more prudent than hurling her stake. Again.

"Fascinating." His sarcasm was punctuated by a dismissive glance at her sandy blonde mess of loose curls and waves, which she had only somewhat contained in a sloppy half updo today. Why even bother, his expression was saying. Or maybe she was projecting a little, seeing as this had been her thought process looking in the mirror earlier.

Levi sauntered across the soot-stained floor, frowning at the surrounding chaos. He procured something from a pocket of his trousers—a mask—and put it on, covering his nose and mouth.

Nora stared, unable to make sense of what she was seeing. This was even more absurd than the hand sanitiser. "What the hell is that thing for?"

"I don't want to get all that dirt inside me," Levi said with the disdain of someone who'd just been asked if one plus one equalled two.

She must be slow on the uptake; she still couldn't see where the problem was, as long as he didn't plan on straight up licking the dirty wooden planks. "A bit of soot on the sodding floor doesn't do any harm. You literally don't even need to breathe." Besides, vampires couldn't get sick in the first place.

Levi nudged one of the blackened books lying strewn all over with the tip of his boot. "I do need to breathe to talk and smell, though."

"Yeah, but—never mind." Nora decided to utilise her energy for a less useless endeavour, starting with inspecting the remains of the coffee table. There was no point in reasoning with the unreasonable.

The search didn't go much faster than it would have, had she been on her own; Nora was keeping an eye on him all throughout, not trusting that he'd share an interesting find. And considering how often their wary gazes met, Levi was doing the same with her.

He let her riffle through the books that weren't burnt beyond legibility. They were probably too filthy for the fussy clean freak. Nora waited until he was looking again, maintaining eye contact as she very deliberately and thoroughly wiped her dirty, sooty hands on her jeans. They'd go into the laundry after this anyway.

Levi screwed his face up in disgust and she pressed her lips together to prevent her glee from showing. "Filthy pig," he mumbled, so low and deep she could barely pick it up with her human ears.

"What was that?" she asked innocently.

Ignoring her, Levi resumed searching the cupboard, leaving her the desk next to it. Closer than her liking.

Well, she'd stood even closer to him yesterday, slaying vamps like it was an Olympic team discipline, and had survived. She could manage rummaging through a few drawers, his proximity crackling on her skin like static.

"Your Watcher girlfriend couldn't be assed?" asked Levi after a minute or two, dropping a pair of socks like hot coals as he realised what he'd just dug up.

"She's at a Council meeting in London." A little thrown, Nora had answered automatically, looking up from the random old Tesco receipt she'd just found. "Also, again, not my girlfriend. Not that I care, but why'd you assume I'm into women?"

"Not assuming shit, but c'mon." He abandoned his inspection of the cupboard for the moment, rolling his eyes at her as he started ticking off reasons with his fingers. "You guys were acting like some wacky married couple. You're living together. You've even got a goddamned cat with a stupid-ass name."

Okay, she could see how one might get that first impression. Facing him, Nora propped her hip against the solid wooden desk as she deliberated how to put it. "Hange's just… a chummy type." And had been her best friend since the week they'd met, and was the only family Nora had left. "She's a bit like an annoying, very clever little sister."

A twinge of paranoia-fuelled regret zinged through her abdomen the moment she had shared the information, but Nora was quick to subdue it; the cat was out of the bag, anyway. Since yesterday, at the very latest, Levi was surely aware that she was close to her Watcher. As anyone would expect.

His brow creased some more. "Isn't she a bit older than you?"

Nora cracked a lopsided grin. "Yeah, so?"

That seemed enough of an explanation for him; he had met Hange, after all. Shrugging, Levi went back to work, clearly losing interest in the pointless and trivial conversation. "Fine, but if you're trying to convince me that she isn't batting for the other team, either, I'm gonna call bullshit."

Nora burst into laughter, causing Levi to turn in bewilderment. Oh, Hange would like that.

It seemed there wasn't a single subject Levi didn't handle with bone-dry candour—all the while keeping his own cards very close to his chest. Granted, vampires might not be poster children for political correctness—and that was one of their less problematic traits—but they weren't usually known for bigotry; it was tragic, but in a few select aspects, some people actually improved when the demon took over and chucked the human soul out the window.

Whoever (and whenever) Levi had been as a human, and whatever it was that set him apart from any other vampire Nora had ever met, he was a demon all right, and demons did not concern themselves with the intricacies of human society, their countless self-imposed restrictions and contradictory rules. Why would they, if it did not serve them?

Unfortunately, this life philosophy was bound to come with some flavour of psychopathy, all owed to the lack of a soul—that mysterious spark that connected you to your moral compass and empathy on a visceral level.

Be that as it may, Nora could see the logic behind their reasoning sometimes, or at least appreciate the simplicity, to a degree. Something makes you feel good, you do it. If it doesn't, then don't. Seen from this angle, right and wrong don't mean shit. Want, take, have.

Unlife might be that simple, but life wasn't.

Levi was looking at her as though she'd spontaneously burst into flames instead of a harmless spot of laughter.

"I get where you're coming from, but you're just as wrong as you're right," Nora explained once her mirth was contained in a grin. "Hange doesn't give a toss about the exact parts."

Why would I limit myself like that, she'd say. That's just sad.

Nora didn't wait for a reply before resuming her search; the demon's prolonged (if mostly blank) stare unnerved her. It's because he's so hard to read. That, and it made him look like the homicidal psycho he was bound to be. The mask hiding the lower half of his face somehow made it even worse.

Her attention snapped back to the task at hand as she opened the last drawer of the desk; Nora's own pale, round-eyed reflection stared back at her through the black screen of a phone.

Now that was more like it. Certainly more promising than old receipts and dried-out biros. Or the shabby clothes Levi was sorting through, clicking his tongue in disgust every now and then. A quick glimpse to the side to ascertain he wasn't looking in her direction, and she grabbed the phone and stuffed it inside her jacket. Then, she rose with a tiny sigh that suggested her endeavour had been fruitless, wiping dust from her palms.

Levi was looking now, tilting his head at her. "Show me what you got there." His fingertips tapped the left side of his coat at chest height.

Shit. Nora put on her best puzzled frown. "What are you talking about?"

His frown was far more authentic. "Don't fuck with me, brat. You're a terrible liar, plus I saw you pocketing something just now."

She huffed. "Do vampires have 360-degree vision or what?"

Levi held out an arm, wiggling his fingers. "Give it here."

The man seemed born to boss others around; Nora almost gave into the impulse to do as he commanded, but her defiance saved her.

"No," she said, chin jutting, arms folded over her chest. "I found it first, and I don't trust you all that much."

Levi did not look impressed by the valid point she'd made. "Are all Slayers that shit at teamwork?"

She matched his cool glare, eager to correct his misconception. " Yesterday, we were a team. Today, I am a Slayer who's trying to do her job while being pestered by a bossy vampire." Keeping her eyes trained on him, she took a step back, bracing herself.

But he just crossed his arms, mirroring her stance, his demeanour no more threatening than before. "Fine. Have it your way. I tried asking politely—"

" Asking politely?" she echoed, snorting in disbelief.

"—but if you insist on being a bitch, we can do this the hard way."

No further explanation followed. Just the rain, incessantly pattering on the old roof over their heads.

She'd been right about him; it seemed their truce was over the moment she didn't dance to his tune.

"Are you threatening me?" Nora's voice was quiet whereas his had been deep and menacing, infusing her system with a vague sense of foreboding. It screamed danger— he screamed danger—of that much she was certain.

Whatever he saw in her face—possibly even felt and smelt radiating from her—had the opposite effect she expected.

"Don't be dramatic." Rolling his eyes at her, Levi's posture relaxed. "I suggest a quick sparring match. You win, you can keep your secret little loot."

His gaze was levelled at her chest, cool and steady. The inside pocket of her baggy jacket was what held his interest, his sharp focus. Not the flesh beneath, not her pounding heart. It was all hidden away, even from a vampire's sight.

And yet—

"I win," he said, slow and dark, "and you'll show me."

AN: Somehow, not one, but two little Buffy references sneaked into this chapter. Thanks, Faith!

I kinda hate to end the chapter here, but I have to stop somewhere or I'd NEVER finish editing lol. Brain=mush, so at some point I just gotta hit Post and hope for the best. Still, I'm looking forward to the next one.