Charlie emerged from the bar a few minutes later, a triumphant grin on her face.
"Well?" Pat asked impatiently.
"Bingo." She held up a business card.
Pat's expression was not impressed. "Somehow I don't see those Grateful Undead wannabes handing out their address."
"Ah, but I know these kinds of people." Charlie began walking down the alley towards the well-lit street, forcing Pat to follow her. "Think about it. If you were a band, trying to get gigs, wouldn't it make sense to leave a contact number? I don't think they were just trying to get food here - they've been around for a while and they're actually fairly talented. I'd lay odds that they were musicians when they were alive and couldn't change even though they're vampires now."
"Huh." Pat thought for a moment. "But I don't see how a telephone number will help. Are we just going to call them and ask where their base is?"
Charlie did not answer. She was scanning the brightly lit signs lining the street, searching for something. After a moment she nodded and began walking purposefully towards one of the coffee shops. She pushed open the door and strode into the warm, coffee-scented shop. Pat shrugged and followed her.
A couple of minutes later they both had mugs of hot liquid and Charlie was leading the Englishman to the back of the shop where several computer terminals had been set up. The tall woman sat down at an unoccupied one and carefully set her cup down.
"What are we doing?" Pat asked, pulling up a chair. "Shouldn't we be out there, tracking down the, uh, things that took Vonnie? Every minute we waste here just puts her in more danger."
Charlie ignored him, concentrating on the keyboard in front of her. She had to hope that she was remembering the address of the website she wanted correctly. Her computer back at the cabin had everything book-marked but there wasn't time to go back there. Not to mention that if the Watchers got wind of what had happened their rescue mission would be delayed at worse, or more likely prevented. "Unacceptable risk" was apparently a catch phrase for most the Watchers. It was hard to believe that her father had been one of them.
Pat carried on muttering beside her as he drank her coffee and she patiently ignored him. Charlie reached the screen she wanted and quickly entered the telephone number. Now she was counting on the vampires' egos to do the work. If they had the mentality most bands attempting to get a break had, they would have a listed number. On the other hand, if they had more brainpower than they appeared to their number would be unlisted. That was a possibility Charlie was praying wouldn't happen. It would take her several hours to hack into the right computers and get the information, and they did not have the time to spare.
The status bar at the bottom of the screen completed and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Take a look."
Pat shifted closer. "Are you sure it's their address?"
"It's local and I'm betting they wanted to make sure potential signers could find them." Charlie shrugged. "It that isn't there base, there should be some clues about their location."
She quickly scrawled the address down, gulped down her cooling coffee and then stood to leave. Pat followed suit and they hurried out of the shop.
"Now what?" he asked curiously. The paleness and fear that had been in his face earlier was now being replaced by grim determination and a look that said "mess with me and you die".
"We get Vonnie's car and hunt down some vampires."
They walked the rest of the way to the Jeep in silence. At the car, Charlie paused and scrutinised Pat carefully. Satisfied that he was big enough to take care of himself, she pulled a stake out of an inside pocket of her jacket and handed it to him.
"What's this?" he asked, holding the stake as though it would bit him.
"A stake," Charlie said dryly.
"I can see that. I meant, what am I supposed to do with it?"
Charlie sighed. "Pointy end?"
"Yeah?"
"Goes through vampire's heart."
"Uh-huh."
"Vampire go poof."
"Ah." Pat carefully examined the sharp piece of wood. "And if the vampire doesn't want me to stake it?"
"Clobber it until you can stake it."
Pat frowned unhappily. "Are you sure we should be doing this?"
"Do you have another plan?" Charlie asked, frustrated. "Because I'm all ready to hear it."
"No, but I'm . . ."
"Pat, you have a choice right now. You can go back to the Institute and be the same kind of useless, waste of space Watcher as they are. Or you can come with me and find out what this is really all about." Charlie crossed her arms over her chest. "It's your call. But you should know that I'm going after Vonnie whether you're with me or not."
"I . . ."
Pat's face reflected his inner battle. He had been raised with certain ideas, the most important being that Watchers don't get involved, and he was being asked to go against everything he had been taught. Watchers do not embark on dangerous rescue missions, they do not enter fights they may not win - Charlie could see it all in his face. The ingrained habits of years warred with Pat's friendship with Vonnie. And Charlie wondered whether his feelings went deeper than that.
He turned a beseeching face towards her, asking her to make the decision for him but she turned away. Nobody could do this for him. If he was going to change, it had to come from inside him.
Charlie turned to the car and concentrated on the door lock. It only took her a minute of fiddling with a set of lock-picks (a present from her father last Christmas) and she had the driver's door open. She hopped inside and unlocked the passenger door before reaching under the steering wheel to find the wires she needed to start the car. As the engine roared to life she heard the door close and turned to see Pat pulling his seatbelt on.
"Are we going yet?" he asked impatiently.
Charlie nodded, put the car into gear and pulled away sharply. "What changed your mind?"
"You're Charlotte Giles. I sort of idolised you when I was a kid. Your parents are my heroes. If I shirked on this, what kind of person would I be? I certainly wouldn't be deserving of your friendship, and I think I need a friend like you. How many other people would go into a nest of vampires, on their own, for someone they've only known for a couple of days?" Pat studiously studied the dashboard. "And I don't know what I'd do if I lost Vonnie."
The blonde woman nodded her understanding. "She's a special woman."
"Yeah."
There was silence for a moment as Charlie negotiated the streets of Halifax, trying to remember which way Vonnie had brought them. "Can you check the glove-box for a map?"
She heard rustling sound as Pat rooted around. "Got one."
"Great. You'll have to direct me."
Pat nodded. "You do this often?"
"Fight vampires? Sometimes." Charlie turned where he directed her. "Usually I've got back-up, mom or one of her friends, and this is the first time I've been plan-girl. Mostly I just hit what I'm told to and leave the thinking part up to them."
"Ah." Pat hesitated. "I've never been in a fight before."
"Really? Well, this will be a new experience." Charlie grinned wolfishly. "Don't worry. Once you get over the terror, the adrenaline kicks in and you want to hit anything that comes near you. Just remember to keep an eye out for guys sneaking up behind you."
"Check. Take the next left."
The road was deserted at this time of night so Charlie made the turn easily.
"Where did you learn to hot-wire cars?" Pat asked curiously, needing to fill in the silence.
Charlie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Are you sure you want to know? It'll ruin all your expectations."
"Come on, what can be that bad? Were you secretly a member of a street gang in college, or something?"
"Nothing quite that wild, thank you," she admitted. "Da taught me."
Pat gaped for a moment. "Your . . . Rupert Giles taught you?"
Charlie nodded with a fond grin. "It was a personal safety issue. He wanted to know I'd be able to get into a car and get away if I lost my keys while being chased by bad guys. I think it came from personal experience. So a couple of years ago he spent a few days teaching me. I can now get through most locks, hot-wire cars and a few other things that are slightly illegal."
"Ah," Pat said faintly.
"Willow taught me hacking, so I can get into pretty much any computer I want to and mom taught me to fight."
"Huh. Is there anything you can't do? Turn left at the next exit."
"Yeah, there's plenty."
"Such as directions."
Charlie quickly glanced down at her hands, did a mental calculation and changed her indicator to signal left. "Such as directions. I also slept through most of Da's lectures on demonology, history and other Watcher stuff so I know squat about it all. And my one attempt at spell casting was a resounding failure. Tara was so disappointed."
Looking slightly relieved, Pat sighed. "I was about to ask why you needed training, but I think I feel better now."
"Glad to be of service."
There was silence again for a few minutes as Charlie concentrated on following Pat's directions. They were now moving through a residential section of Halifax, with tree-lined streets and neat little wooden houses.
"You know what's weird?" Pat asked eventually.
"Specifically? No."
"Hearing you talk about Willow and Buffy as though they're real people that you know."
"Well, that's because they are," Charlie said slowly.
Pat rolled his eyes. "I know. But I've grown up on stories about them all. My parents, of course, hated you. But when us kids got together at our parents' meeting and retreats we told stories about you. "Buffy and the Master", or "Willow and the Troll" were our fireside stories. I guess in a way you were our myths and legends. And now those legends are suddenly real, and I'm sitting in a car with one of them."
Charlie did not know what to say about that. She was used to the hatred from many Watchers, and she was even used to younger Watchers hero-worshipping her parents. But she had never thought of her parents or their friends as legends. It was unsettling knowing that there were kids out there who saw them as heroes like Batman or Superman. To her they were just her family. Normal people who had all the problems that normal people did. Yes, sometimes they had to do extraordinary things but underneath all that they were just people.
"I've made you uncomfortable," Pat said unhappily. "I'm sorry."
"No, no, I was just, uh, thinking," Charlie said awkwardly. "I hadn't realised people felt that way."
Pat shrugged. "Sorry."
The silence, this time, was strained and Charlie was grateful when they finally turned down the street they had been aiming for. She parked the car a couple of hundred metres from the house and turned off the engine. "We're here."
"Yeah."
She hopped out of the car. "You still game?"
Pat climbed out of the car and pulled out his stake. "I'm ready."
"Then lets get this over with."
They walked down the street in grim silence. It looked just like any other street in the Maritimes: wooden houses, neatly kept yards and the occasional tree. Probably the other occupants had no idea that their neighbours were vampires.
"Do you have a plan?" Pat whispered as they approached the band's house.
"Yeah."
"And?"
"I thought we'd go in, get Vonnie and get out of there."
Pat winced. "I was hoping for something a little more . . . concrete."
"I thought that was concrete."
"Charlie, that wasn't concrete. That was a statement of fact. I was hoping you had a plan with actual plans. And maybe words like 'point', 'rear-guard', and other military sounding phrases."
She shrugged. "Sorry, I told you I'm not usually plan-girl. How about this - I bust the door down, we go in running and stake anything that isn't human."
Pat considered for a moment. "Guess that'll have to do."
Charlie nodded. "Ok then, lets do it."
She pulled out her stake and crouched down to silently stalk down the path out of line-of-sight from the windows of the house. It looked quiet and innocent, hardly the home of soulless killers. Pat followed her example and she straightened when she reached the wall and flattened her back against it.
The two rescuers took up positions on either side of the door. Charlie glanced over at Pat, who nodded his readiness. For a moment time stood still. She was aware of everything around her; the whisper of a breeze in the trees, a distant siren, a cat jumping down from its perch on a wall.
Was this how Buffy felt before a mission? Was she finally finding out why her parents did what they did? Fear and excitement coursed through her, intoxicating and addictive. It was a heady feeling and she had to take several deep, calming breaths before she trusted herself to work.
Before she could think better of the idea, Charlie mimed "three, two, one" with her hands and began moving. She pushed away from the wall and spun into a kick, aiming at the door. With the sound of splintering wood, it ripped open and crashed against a wall. They were in.
Charlie immediately darted in with Pat hot on her heels. The hallway of the house was not ideal fighting ground but that did not deter their first assailant. He rushed out of a doorway halfway down the hall and slid into his demon's face when he saw Charlie. Snarling viscously he charged her, running straight into her stake and impaling himself. His surprised look lasted bare seconds before he crumbled into dust.
"Do they normally do that?" Pat asked, and Charlie noted absently that although he was pale he wasn't panicking.
She shrugged. "Not often - we just got lucky. I don't think he was the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree when he was alive, and a vampire usually retains the personality of the person it was made from."
"Ah. So, now what?"
Charlie moved forwards, down the hall. "Check down here first. I think they're upstairs but the first rule of combat is never leave an enemy behind you to cut off your escape rule."
"I'll try to remember that."
The sitting room the vampire had rushed out of was empty, as was the kitchen and the dining room. That only left the upper level and Charlie prayed that there weren't any squeaks on the stairs. Although their element of surprise was gone she did not want to advertise their movements any more than she had to. Straining every sense she had, she silently began padding up the staircase.
A sound, the barest hint of movement, alerted her and she looked up just in time to see a body jump over the banister above, heading straight for her. Charlie flattened herself against the wall and the vampire landed on the stairs with a loud crash, bounced once and knocked over Pat as though he was a skittle.
Pat gave a surprised yelp as eleven stone of enraged vampire flattened him. If the situation had not been so serious it would have been funny. The dark-haired Englishman was trapped by the stunned vampire and flailed his arms for a moment while his brain caught up with his senses. After a few tense seconds Pat managed to get a grip on the vampire's shoulder and heave him away, sending the creature smashing headfirst into a wall. Charlie jumped down the stairs, over Pat's prone body, and landed lightly next to the half-conscious vampire.
She pushed him against the wall, holding him there with one forearm against his throat and the stake positioned over his heart.
"Where are the humans?" she hissed angrily.
The vampire blinked bleary yellow eyes at her. "Let go of me!"
Charlie's smiled was cruel and cold. "No. Now, tell me where you've got the humans and I might let you go."
Realising that it was the only way he could preserve his unlife, the vampire babbled, "Up there, second door on the right."
"Good boy."
Charlie released his throat and patted his cheek gently . . . as she thrust the stake through his heart. He immediately turned to dust and the blonde woman stepped back, brushing remnants off her leather pants.
"You said you'd let him go," Pat said, his eyes wide.
"I said I might. There's a difference."
"But . . ."
"Pat, that was a vampire. We don't make deals with vampires; we kill them. End of story. Now, are you ready to get Vonnie?"
Looking at her warily, Pat nodded. Charlie knew that was the only agreement she would get so she again took the lead up the stairs. This time no vampires attempted to jump them on the way up and they managed to creep silently to the top. Charlie paused there, straining her hearing as she tried to work out where the rest of the vampires were. Nothing moved in the house. All she could hear was Pat's harsh breathing and an occasional creak as the house settled.
The stairs led onto a hallway with a window at its end. There were three doors off the right side and two off the left. The second door on the right was closed and Charlie eyed it speculatively. If their recently dusted friend was correct, behind that door was Vonnie and her fellow victims. But her advice to Pat still held: never leave an enemy behind you so that it can cut off your escape route. That meant she would have to check the rooms between her and Vonnie's prison despite her immediate instinct to rescue her new friend.
Prowling silently forward, she pressed her ear against the first left-hand door and listened. It was silent within, which could mean anything. After all, vampires did not need to breathe.
Pat cocked his head curiously, his green eyes questioning. Charlie gestured for him to stand back as she slowly turned the door handle. When there was no immediate reaction within the room she cautiously put her head through and scanned the room. It was empty, with no trace of ever being occupied. Good - one room down, four to go.
She retreated and shook her head, amused at Pat's ill-concealed relief. He was really very transparent sometimes.
The first door on the right proved to be an entirely different matter, though. Possibly the vampires thought they were being stealthy, but she heard a hissed "shut up" as she listened at the door and smiled with grim triumph. Charlie had a feeling she knew why the creatures had gone the bedazzlement route to get victims; these guys just did not have it in them to hunt properly. They probably scared off their prey first by being too damned noisy.
Stepping back, she raised an eyebrow at Pat. He sighed mournfully, but nodded his readiness. For some reason kicking the door down this time felt cathartic, and she was unaware of the feral, almost ferocious, grin on her face as she did so. All she was aware of was the four vampires standing on the other side of the door.
Shorty, the colliding twins and the keyboard player stood arrayed in front of her, all wearing matching demon faces and smirks. It was just too obnoxious for words. She heard Pat swear behind her but her concentration had narrowed down to the fight about to begin and everything outside that was just white noise.
The colliding twins, as enthusiastic now as they had been in the alley, immediately rushed Charlie. The two-pronged attack would probably have worked if she hadn't stepped out of the way at the last moment so that they rushed straight into the opposite wall. Their intelligence levels had not improved. Shorty and the lead singer helpfully stayed back, just out of range from seeing Pat. At least she had one card up her sleeve.
Shaking their heads, the two vampires slowly stood up and glared at Charlie. She smiled sweetly for a moment before kicking one in the gut and allowing her momentum to carry her around and punch his friend. The one she had kicked sailed through the air and tumbled down the stairs with a loud crash. Unfortunately his friend was more resilient and barely seemed to notice Charlie's punch.
He gave her two quick jabs in the face that made her ears ring and caught her fist as she attempted another punch. Twisting sharply, he thrust her away and she gasped at the combination of pain in her wrist and in her shoulder as she bounced against the doorjamb. Charlie did not have time to recover as the vampire immediately pushed his advantage and delivered another head-spinning punch. He attempted another but howled in pain and fury when Charlie ducked, letting him punch the wall where her head had been. That had to hurt.
She ducked under his arm and gave him a sharp chop to his kidneys that made him grunt with pain. Another sharp chop to his shoulder elicited another grunt and then the vampire turned to face her, his yellow eyes enflamed with his rage. It was the opportunity she had been waiting for. Charlie jabbed her stake into his heart as hard as she could and was rewarded when the vampire crumbled to dust around the piece of wood.
Unfortunately her motion put her off balance and she stumbled against the doorjamb as the vampire disintegrated. Shorty immediately stepped forward to press the advantage and kicked her legs out from under her. Charlie landed on her back and winced as all the breath whooshed out of her. Looking up into Shorty's ridged face she groaned internally; this was not what she had wanted as her last sight before dying.
Gasping to try and draw in breath took all her attention so she was surprised to see Shorty suddenly stumble back. It was not much but it was just enough to allow her to take a lungful of air. Something long and wooden appeared above her and slammed into Shorty's chest hard enough to send him stumbling back another step. She craned her neck backwards to see Pat wielding a broom with a fierce expression on his face.
"Nobody." Thwack. "Messes with." Thwack. "My friends." Thwack.
Pat with a broom was apparently a dangerous combination. Charlie quickly grinned her thanks at him before staggering to her feet, wincing slightly as her bruised ribs and shoulder complained. Shorty growled at them but they both stood their ground.
"What he said," Charlie told the vampire cheerfully, before sweeping his legs out from under him in with the same move he had used on her. "I'm not happy right now."
Shorty attempted to spring to his feet but she kicked him in the face and he collapsed back to the floor.
"You can't sing," Charlie said as she kicked the short vampire, "and your repertoire is pretty stale."
Deciding that enough was enough she stepped back and gestured to the prone vampire. "Pat?"
The Englishman's eyes widened with surprise and he shook his head vehemently. Charlie frowned but he still refused. After a beat she shrugged and staked the vampire with a quick thrust.
The keyboard player had been edging backwards during the fight and now stood beside the only window in the room. He eyed the two rescuers nervously. In one night they had decimated his small force and he did not fancy his chances of going solo against them. Before Charlie could stop him, the remaining vampire dived out of the window.
Pat panted for a moment before asking, "Aren't you going after him?"
"Nah, he's probably halfway to Rio by now. We came here with a purpose."
Charlie stalked out of the room and took a quick look down the stairs where she had thrown the last vampire. There was no sign of him and the band's van had gone. Evidently that had been the one with brains. With an internal sigh, the blonde woman returned to Pat and eyed the second door on the right. She reached out and tried the door handle but, as she had suspected, it was locked.
"Are you going to pick that or break it down?" Pat asked, his green eyes looking wary.
"Which would you prefer?"
"I'm not sure. Knowing you can do both is a little disconcerting."
Charlie grinned. "Just call me talented."
"Fine, Talented, lets get in there and get them out."
Charlie nodded and quickly kicked the door in. After all, she wasn't the one who would have to pay for repairs.
Inside the room she could make out several shapes huddled against walls and there was the sound of quiet sobbing. One dark shape, away from the rest, seemed a little less terrified and she instinctively knew who it was. Striding through the room, wincing as the other girls shied away from her, Charlie crouched down and rested a hand gently on Vonnie's back.
"Hey," she said softly.
Vonnie looked up, relief written all over her tear-streaked face. "Hey."
"Ready to get out of here?"
The redhead nodded. "Yeah."
***
The coffee shop was filled with the low buzz of conversation and the chink of crockery. It was a quiet, mellow place with low lighting and comfortable sofas as well as chairs and tables. Soft music played through speakers concealed in the corners, but so low that it was more of a background noise than entertainment.
Vonnie and Charlie were curled up at either end of a sofa in the back of the shop. It was connected to the main shop by an archway, but here the walls muted the sounds of the coffee machines and it was almost quiet enough to forget that they were in a shop. Pat was sprawled in an armchair next to Charlie, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Although it had been a week since they rescued Vonnie he was still keeping a careful eye on the redhead, almost as though he was afraid she would disappear.
"You know," Charlie said slowly, staring into her coffee mug, "this is much more restful than spending Friday night in a bar. I now remember why I didn't go clubbing much back home."
Vonnie frowned unhappily. "I didn't mean to-"
"Hey, it wasn't your fault," Charlie cut her off before she could apologise again. "You couldn't have known."
"I shouldn't have gone out there. I still don't know why I did that."
"I do."
Pat looked up sharply. "You do?"
Charlie nodded. "Yeah. I talked to Willow and she did a bit of research. I think those vamps used some kind of witchcraft on you. Apparently there are some tricks you can use to bedazzle someone, or several someones, so that they'll do whatever you suggest to them. It's a sort of thrall, or at least that's what Willow called it."
"So why didn't it work on us?" Pat asked.
"Rough guess? They probably used pre-existing attraction."
Pat blinked. "Pre-whuh?"
Charlie grinned at him. "Think about it. If they were trying to pull this trick to get some easy meals, they would hardly have wanted several beefy guys to accidentally get caught up in it. So this thrall thing would only have worked on people who already had the potential to be attracted to them. We wouldn't have been attracted to them normally so the spell didn't catch us. Vonnie, though . . ."
Vonnie sighed. "Vonnie has a thing for dangerous guys."
"Yeah. Sorry, hon, but you were exactly what they wanted."
"They hadn't counted on me having friends would know what to do about vampires, though," the redhead said with a shy smile.
Charlie returned her smile. "No, they hadn't."
"Thank you," said Vonnie quietly. "I owe you, both of you, my life."
Blushing, Charlie waved it aside. "You don't owe me anything. It was completely selfish - I didn't want to lose one of the first friends I've made here."
Vonnie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just . . . thank you."
There was an awkward silence for a moment as the three friends tried to think of some way to lighten the mood.
"It's a good thing they didn't find a gay club," Charlie said eventually. "They might have had a few problems."
The joke was lame, but at least it got everyone grinning and lifted the dark atmosphere. Vonnie raised her mug and grimaced as she realised that it was empty.
"Anyone want a refill?" she asked.
Two mugs were immediately held out to her so she stood, stretching, and took them. Wandering through the shop the counter gave her a few moments to think. It was still amazing to think of how much Pat and Charlie had done to get her back. She had no idea of what the fighting had been like but from the hints they had dropped during the week she guessed that it was not as easy as they tried to make out. Pat was one of her oldest friends but Charlie had barely known her a few days and she had still risked everything to save her. Vonnie had a feeling that life around Charlie was going to be interesting.
There had been two reasons for inviting her friends to this coffee bar. The first, and the one she had pleaded earlier in the day, was that right now nightclubs had bad memories for her. And it was true, as far as that went. She wanted to treat her friends to say thank you and the coffee shop seemed much safer than a darkened bar.
The second reason was standing behind the counter, smiling down at her with intense blue eyes.
"Hey," Vonnie said shyly, hoping she was not blushing.
The tall, blonde man leaned forwards and rested his forearms on the counter. "Hey. I see you brought your friends."
"Yeah . . . well, I, uh . . . we had a disastrous night out last week." Vonnie shrugged and put down the mugs. "I figured this place was safer than the bar we went to."
"Disastrous how?"
"Oh, you know . . . uh . . ." Vonnie struggled for a good story that wasn't the truth. "Unwelcome approaches, Pat and Charlie being protective . . . you know how it goes."
He smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, I know. Refills?"
For a moment Vonnie had no idea what he was talking about, but then his blue eyes shifted to the mugs in front of her and she blushed. "Yeah. Refills. Sounds good."
While he busied himself with the coffee machines she gave herself a severe talking to. Yes, the guy was attractive. But that was no reason to suddenly loose her brain when she talked to him. After all, she didn't even know his name!
Silently she handed over money and waited for the change before picking up the tray of steaming coffees and heading back to the sofa where her friends were waiting. As she approached, Charlie burst into laughter and Pat added his own chuckle. She had no idea what they were talking about but they already seemed to be getting on well. Pat was even slowly getting over his hero-worship. Vonnie set the tray down on the table next to the sofa and allowed her friends to grab their mugs while she curled up in her corner of the seat and sorted out the change.
Getting used to Canadian money had taken her weeks the first time she came over but she now automatically sorted out the dollar and two dollar coins, the dimes and pennies, and the . . . huh. For some reason she had two notes instead of one five dollar note. She separated them and realised the second slip of paper was actually from the till-roll rather than money. There was a name and a telephone number scrawled on it.
"Who's Steve?" Charlie asked, looking over Vonnie's shoulder.
The redhead immediately blushed again. "The guy at the counter."
Charlie grin was wicked. "Ooh, sounds promising. Cute?"
"Very."
"Even more promising. Do you like him?"
Vonnie shrugged helplessly. "Yeah, kinda. But . . ."
"But? There's a but? And is it a nice one?"
"Isn't picking up guys in bars a little, uh, tacky?"
Charlie rolled her eyes. "No. A cute guy in a coffee shop is picking you up. It's a totally different thing."
"Sounds reasoning." Vonnie wrinkled her nose at the blonde woman. "I can see the logical prowess of your mind switches off at five on a Friday."
"Too damn right. Why be logical on the weekend?"
"Are you sure he's ok?" Pat asked worriedly. "He could be a rabid axe-murderer or something."
The look he received from both girls was distinctly mocking.
"Pat," Charlie said slowly, "stop. Now. It's just a phone number. Nothing has to happen unless Vonnie wants it to. Isn't that right?"
Vonnie nodded quickly, feeling tiny flutters of excitement shoot through her. He liked her. She'd probably never have the confidence to do anything, but Steve liked her. The warm glow that thought caused chased away the last of the chill she had been feeling ever since she was taken by the vampires, so she failed to see the quickly masked pain in Pat's face.
***
In a corner of the coffee bar, well away from the cheerfully chattering friends, sat a shadowy figure. There was nothing specifically intimidating about it but most of the patrons in the shop seemed reluctant to sit anywhere near it. In fact, the few who had considered it had inexplicably found they were walking away and decided that seats somewhere else looked strangely appealing. Even the boy cleaning tables was staying away from that corner.
The shadowed figure sighed.
The air around it shifted, blurring for a second as though there was heat-haze, before settling again. Standing, the figure looked around once more before flowing through the shop and out into the street. For a moment Steve thought he saw movement through the shop, although his eyes itched as he tried to focus on it. But then the thought was gone and he went back to calmly cleaning his counter.
*finis*