The autumn breeze whistled gently through the trees, breaking the silence of the night. A young woman walked quickly, the soft clicking of her boots echoing down the deserted street. She stopped to glance at the paper she held in her hand, straining to see the words that had been hastily written on it. Looking up again, she made her way pass a few more buildings finally stopping in front of one. Taking another glimpse at the address on the paper, she smiled triumphantly before folding and placing it back into her jacket pocket.

Tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear, she moved to step forward, but a figure quickly slid in front of her, blocking her path.

"A nice girl like you shouldn't be walking alone so late at night." A mocking voice intruded upon her ears. The young woman looked up at the man's face, his honey-coloured eyes laughing at her. "It's a rough city out there." He continued. She gave him a small smile.

"Thanks for the concern, but I can take care of myself." The young woman said quietly, trying to sidestep the man, but he blocked her way again. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance; "I really don't have time for this."

"But you could get hurt." Hearing the malice in his tone, she looked up and saw his grin widen, not at all friendly. Suddenly, the man's face transformed and the amber of his eyes glowed brightly. The moonlight glistened on his newly revealed fangs.

The woman rolled her eyes and cursed under her breath "Great, just what I need." She looked up, irritation playing across her soft features. "Okay, now that we've established that you're in serious need of a tan, do you mind moving along?" She made a shooing motion with her hands.

The vampire just stared at her, confusion registering in his eyes. The young woman sighed and rubbed her temple gently with a finger. "Look buddy, I don't think it's that hard to understand. You leave and I go on my merry way. That way, I get my business done and you don't get your sorry, undead butt wasted. It's a win-win situation."

The demon laughed, showing the full effect of his sharpened teeth. "You're kidding right?" The woman merely crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

"What, is that too much info for you to handle? Don't tell me that you're brain stops working along with the rest of your organs when you get turned. Or have you always been this stupid?"

The grin vanished then, replaced by a snarl as he lunged at her. She quickly stepped aside, leaving nothing but the cold asphalt to break his fall. The vampire got up and faced her, the amber of his eyes flashing angrily.

"So, you ready to take me up on my offer?" She asked, almost bored.

He let out a menacing growl and went at her again, she quickly sent a swift kick to his midsection, sending him flying backward. He landed with a loud thud.

"Why is it that even when they're dead, men are still impossible?" The young woman muttered under her breath before falling into a fighting stance.

"You're so going to pay for that, bitch." He snarled.

"Bring it on."

He ran toward her throwing a punch that she easily ducked. His head snapped back with her swift, right uppercut. He recovered quickly and threw a left hook, catching her on the jaw. She reeled back, and tried to elbow him in the face, but he blocked the blow, sending her staggering back with a hit to her stomach. She jumped, and delivered a high kick to his nose, rewarded with a loud crack. He stumbled backward, covering his broken nose with both hands. The young woman stepped forward, wrapping both her legs around his left calf, and snapped upwards, bringing both of them to the ground. His head cracked against the road at the surprised attack.

She moved so that she was straddling him, her breath coming out in short gasps. She pushed back a few strands of loose hair out of her face and glared down at him. "Why can't you guys ever do anything the easy way? I offered you a way out, but no, you had to be Mr. Stubborn Fangs."

He grinned up evilly at her. "Come on, all you slayers like if rough."

She rolled her eyes in disgust, and pulled out a stake from her waistband that had been hidden by her long jacket. The vampire's eyes widened in fear. "You know," She started easily, almost distracted. "It takes 42 muscles for me to frown, and only four muscles for me to raise this piece of wood and…" She struck the stake through his still heart, watching as he vaporized. "dust you."

She got up and placed the stake back in her waistband. She straightened her clothes and took a moment to fix her hair, quickly re-pinning the strands that had come loose during the brawl.

She jogged to the steps of the building she had been standing in front of earlier. Throwing a glance over her shoulder at the spot where the vampire had lain just moments before, she chuckled softly.

"Slayer? Me? Boy, you couldn't have been more off." Her emerald eyes shimmered for a second with an eerie glimmer, then the light vanished.

She turned back to the building and quickly bounded up the stairs. She walked through the front door and came to another at the end of the hallway. Before stepping inside the office, she took a moment to read the writing on the door, "Angel Investigations." *How original*, she thought with a grin.

Part 2
Back to Star Crossed