Creepy Alleyway (a.k.a. Diana the Vampire Slayer's favourite Hunting Ground)

A secluded spot in a well known Muggle City, is usually ignored. There seems to be an air about it, that just says, "Keep away, danger lies here." It is darkly lit, and horribly cared for. Pieces of paper, cigarette buds and other such rubbish litter it's ground. The lamps' light refuse to work on most nights, opting to shut itself automatically when it pleases. Since no one really goes by, no one really notices... no one sober at least.

This Creepy Alleyway is also situated next to a Muggle Bar. The kind of place where one would go to have a heck of a time, only not to return the next day. You see, once the costumer leaves the Pub, in their drunked state, they manage to ignore their gut feeling and stumble in the Alleyway.

Just what the Predators of the Night are waiting for.

You see, in this Creepy Alleyway, the Vampires have made it their personal Hunting ground. Why not? Easy drunken prey!

But you see, that doesn't quite work for our Vampire Slayer, Diana. She stalks every Vampire that decides to stumble in, just as every Vampire would stalk any human that stumbles in.

It has become her favourite Hunting Ground.

Diana Casillas walked in an outfit that wasn't one of her usuals (them being, black comfortable easy to move in cargo pants and a shirt to match), no she was wearing a dress. Not just any dress, but a sequenced red dress that was large enough to cover everything, yet it was a little too revealing to go to Sunday church in.

She was wearing heels too, ones that kept her 3 inches higher from the ground. And though she rather liked the height, they were getting slightly uncomfortable. So uncomfortable in fact that to an observer, her inability to walk straight might have lead them to conclude that she, dress and all, came from the nearby bar and had a night to remember.

She shivered slightly, cursing mentally that she hadn't brought a jumper to go with the outfit. It was freezing outside. Well at least that make her look all the more vulnerable. Vulnerable. Yes, that's what she wanted to be. Well, what she wanted to look like.

She'd been tracking a certain vampire with the name of Dante. He'd been causing a lot of grief for the Muggles lately and he'd been elusive enough to escape her grasp. However, luckily, he seemed to have a consistent MO. His victims usually included girls aged 15-24, attractive, young, full of blood. He usually went for the party types too. Luckily, for Diana.

So that's how we find Diana. Walking in the creepy alleyway, looking as vulnerable as she'd ever look, playing the prey.

Wouldn't the predator be surprised when they find more than blood under her dress.

Consciously, she decided to set her trap.

Clumsily, she took a step down the side walk. Her unsure footing resulted in her tripping on her heel, and instead of 3 inches higher, she was several feet on the ground. "Dammit!" She cursed. She wrapped her hands around her left ankle to fabricate it being broken. A prey could not have been easier.

Little did she know, her prey had already been alerted of her presents, and was slowly and quietly, the dead quiet vampires have when they moved, made his way towards her...

Boris Kaminski pushed his way out of the noisy bar and stumbled in convincing exaggeration down the sidewalk and into the alley. It was custom in his country for the young men, and even the older ones, to be hardy drinkers. And so, despite the fact he was out in search of vampires decided to wait until the time when they normally came out. What better way to pass the time than by making some friends and sharing a drink or twelve? During that time it allowed him to properly look the part of someone having just left a raucous party: hair unkempt, shirt untucked, jacket half-off... not to mention the fact that his face was slightly flushed. Boris knew his limits, and was buzzed but not completely inebriated. His family - both in and out of mob’s sense of the word - would have been proud of the achievement. To have had a sufficient amount to drink, yet not fall down drunk. He had to fake his I.D. what with being underage to the Muggle world. Had Dante been preying on victims near a wizarding establishment, it likely wouldn’t have been a problem at all.

But alas: such was life. Fake identification wasn’t exactly that difficult, what with a bit of magical assistance.

The vampire he was hunting preferred to be called Dante. Insofar as Boris was concerned, the vamp's name was going to be 'dead meat'. Or, rather, 'undead meat'... a thought which made the young man laugh. Yes, he knew Dante preferred victims of the feminine persuasion - of this fact he was very much aware. But... Boris wasn't willing to undergo a change of gender under any pretense or method! So, hopefully, Dante wouldn't be too picky about his prey tonight.

As he turned to walk down the Alley, Boris spotted his quarry creeping up on a young woman around his age in a red dress. What he didn’t spot in his state was that several of Dante’s ‘friends’ were also present and had their hungry eyes on him. It looked like her ankle was broken and thus she wouldn’t be able to get away that quickly. A clichéd damsel in distress...

“Are you all right? Vot’sh place like you doing in voman like thish?” Boris called to Diana, deliberately slurring his speech and flip-flopping the words ‘place’ and ‘woman’. He hoped it would be enough of a deterrent, but held fast onto a weapon crafted for him by one of his relatives just in case: a handgun with a clip full of handmade silver bullets.

The moment Dante heard the masculine voice the vampire shrank back into the shadows, to the point where Boris couldn’t see where his quarry had run off to. But, he was fairly sure the vampire was still lurking. With a slight hint of annoyance the Russian teen sighed. It looked like he wouldn’t be able to deal with Dante tonight as things were presently.

However, he reasoned, the girl would likely need a healing spell for that ankle, and a subsequent escort home... She was in fact rather pretty. Perhaps Boris could wheedle at least a name and number, or even a floo address, if he played his cards right...........


Meanwhile, Dante hung back to reconfigure his plan of attack, out of sight from the pair. This was a dilemma, with two potential victims. It simply wouldn’t do to take one and have the other start running around and screaming about vampires. All it took was the slightest of glances from him to alert his compatriots to a change in attack formation.

Diana felt the cold air around her change, she felt it thicken. She closed her eyes and inhaled. She could sense them - an ability her line had, among other enhancements - Dante was here and so where a few more.

She rolled her head, exposing her neck. She could have sworn she heard an sharp intake of breath. She was trying to stimulate their Blood-lust. For Vampires, most of them, had small control. In their Blood-lust state, they would be stronger yes, but a small part of their mind, the place of logic and reason are numbed. If she awakened it, they wouldn't be able to run, not even if they wanted too.

She rubbed her ankle, positioning her hand at an angle just right to easily have access to the silver dagger, just slightly out of sight.

“Are you all right? Vot’sh place like you doing in voman like thish?”

She felt the air lighten, the Vampires were pulling back! Diana inwardly swore. She'd been so focused on putting up her little act that she hadn't heard a man's approach. She focused her gaze at him, wanting to glare at him, but knew they were still being watched.

He wasn't much of a man anyway. He was young, a bit hard to place his age, but she was sure in was in her rage. With a cynical look, she figured he had some sort of fake identification, since by his words and by the way he looked, he'd obviously been at the bar.

She needed to think quickly and to salvage whatever she could. She needed him to leave, he was tipsy, if not drunk. She could fight Vampires off with three inch heels on but she didn't want to be watching out for someone in the process.

"I'm fine." Diana said through gritted teeth. She decided she could loose the broken ankle act, men and their whole damsel-saving-thing, he would probably want to help her, then get her number. She got up, she had to tell herself to do it slowly, as if she was really injured. She stood on her 'broken' ankle and looked up back at him. "See, I'm fine."

He shouldn't have been here! She put up wards to make sure no Muggle would be able to come tonight... No Muggle... He wasn't a Muggle!

That makes things a little difficult. She tried to lock his gaze and tried to signal him to go away...

Dark eyes widened as she deliberately exposed her neck. Was this woman insane?! Perhaps she didn't know about the vampires... that made things all the more complicated. And was this chick a witch or a muggle? That was the big question right there. A witch he could discuss vampires with and not be called loopy. If she were a muggle, it'd likely be a whole different story.

Boris could only vaguely sense that Dante was pulling back, having attempted to train himself to intuitively perceive vampires. It didn't always work, but he had a feeling what he felt in the retreat was legitimate. 'Damn it...' he swore mentally. He'd wanted to at least take care of Dante before he got the woman to safety. But alas: it clearly wasn't meant to be when it seemed as though said vampire was, as commonly happened with cell phones, out of range.

The young man bit back a laugh at the response through gritted teeth. She probably thought he was some drunk about to crudely ask for a 'favor' or two. While that was what he wanted Dante to think, that wasn't what he wanted this mystery girl to assume. If he'd been given a knut for each time a girl had addressed him through gritted teeth... well, let's just say he'd be quite a great deal richer than his family already was!

"Goot; then you should leave dis place. It'sssnot safe here," Boris suggested even though the seemingly immediate danger had passed. He had no idea there was more than one vampire down here. "Come - I can take you home... I drive." With the way he staggered into the alleyway, even closer to the woman, it didn't look like he was really up to being able to do much save stumble on his own feet and end up falling either on his rump or flat on his face.

Boris couldn't really tell what her expression was meant to be read as upon locking eyes with her, though this time it was a genuine confusion and had nothing to do with the booze. His hold on the handgun full of silver bullets lessened, assuming Dante was long gone by now. "Vot is your name?" Boris asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Diana felt Dante creep away... far away. She had the ability to differentiate between vampires. It was very subtle, and she had to really focus herself to sense it, but she’d been developing that particular skill. Dante apparently sensed something was up. Dammit! That was the night's prey! She'd been preparing for this for a good week. And here was this drunken wizard all to ruin her night.

When he started to approach her, her anger level rose. The nerve of him! The utter nerve! Why is it when women say no, men take it as a yes? She didn't need his help, if anything, he'd need hers in just a few seconds; Dante had left but the other Vampires were still interested.

"My name is none of your business, you idiot!" Diana screeched, her anger getting the better of her. She’s usually a calm person unless someone messed with her night, and that is exactly what this bloke, this stupid bloke just happened to do. Already she forgot that her ankle was supposed to be broken and she stood effortlessly on it.

“Look,” Diana in a tone that said don’t mess with me. “Let’s cut the crap, I know you’re a Wizard, and I’m a Witch alright? So you can leave now. The last thing I want to do is get in a metal vehicle with the likes of you behind the stirring wheel. Haven’t you ever heard of drunk driving? I happen to know exactly what is out there and I’d rather take my chances with them. You’ve just ruined my trap! So if you don’t mind, just leave now.”

Please, Merlin please just let this bloke leave. She didn’t need to baby sit a drunken jerk.

"None of your business, you idiot?" Boris echoed, lessening his drunken act to merely what he was: simply a bit tipsy. "Long and very odd name for girl." The statement was punctuated with a genuine laugh that was made a bit more boisterous with the help of the alcohol in his system.

"Da, da, da..." the Russian huffed in his own language, brushing off the fact that he was just informed on the fact they were both magical, and the drunken driving comment. It was spoken as if saying 'yeah, yeah, yeah' to one's mother in mild annoyance, and was pretty much precisely what it was intended and meant to be. He'd meant to say his cousin would drive them, but oh well.

"And how do you know vot precisely is out there?" he asked, crossing his arms and refusing to budge backward even an inch. "There a lot vorse things are out there than me..." For some reason, that sentence hadn't quite sounded right to his ears.

Whoa, whoa, wait a minute... a trap? Boris scrutinized the witch's appearance with his dark eyes. "A trap, huh?" he questioned cynically, pretty sure she was a bit crazy for going up against vampires.

"Do you even know vot these vampires do? They're nothing like the coven of Cullen from that muggle book... Dusk, or ... or Tvilight or something to that effect, I can assure you!" One of Boris's cousins had fallen in love with the book and told him all about it. Boris, however, had been far from impressed. Vampires and him did not sit well together when placed in the same vicinity.

Diana was aghast and very annoyed that this boy decided to be childish. What was he four? He obviously was drunker that she’d originally thought. Great. Gotta love alcohol.

“Yes a trap.” Diana repeated. Was he deaf too? She was already pretty sure he was draft, deaf would have just made her day. Drunk, deaf and draft.

"Do you even know vot these vampires do? They're nothing like the coven of Cullen from that muggle book... Dusk, or ... or Tvilight or something to that effect, I can assure you!"

She felt like she’d just been slap in the face. It completely belittled her. HER! At that line Diana was certain of three things: One, She was absolutely certain that the boy was draft, two, she should slay who ever wrote that bloody vampire lie, she loathed at book, loathed. What sort of sick sadism was the author of the book playing at? Honestly some of the crap they think up these days. And three, she had more self-control than she originally thought because her initial response was to drive her silver dagger through this idiot’s heart.

She closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath.

She opened her eyes and neared the drunken fool. “Let’s get a few things straight.” She said in a dangerous tone. She met his slightly gazed dark eyes with cold blue ones. “I’ve seen these Vampires do things your worst nightmare can’t even imagine. So you better go away little boy, I’ve got everything under control.”

"Kind of odd... if you vere setting up trap then vy aren't you off vaiting for vot you're trying to catch somevhere safe?" he asked, choosing to seem oblivious to her irritation. A semi-garbled sentence followed the question with the only intelligible word available being 'bait', and was promptly followed up with a combination of a cynical 'hmph' and a stream of snickering that implied what he'd said was a bit off-color.

Boris wasn't quite sure what to make of her reaction to his last statement. Not aware of who she was, or her chosen profession, how was he to know? She honestly looked as though she, like Boris, had just come from a party. Though, this mystery woman was rather more sober than he. "So you are finally going to tell me your name?" Boris asked when she started speaking of getting a few things straight, though had a feeling that wasn't quite what she meant.

It was then he realized she had blue eyes, and that they were regarding him rather coldly. Perhaps if he'd had another three rounds or so of vodka Boris could have mistaken the ice for fire of a whole different kind. However, at the moment he couldn't help but think that he'd come face to face with a woman that could pass for a twin of his second cousin, Svetlana Kaminski...

'Little boy?!?!?!?!?!!!' Boris repeated in his head, brows furrowing. She really had no idea who she was talking to... It was insulting, to say the least! "I'll know have you... ((Translation: I'll have you know...)) ... that I am sheventeen years old and can take care of myself! An' how the hhell do you know I haven't seen vorse things than vampires, huh?!" Boris argued right back, rolling up one of his sleeves to show Diana just a few of the smaller tattoos he carried: some text, a skull (complete with mad-looking eyeballs), a cross, and some sort of bird with wings outstretched. Oddly enough, they looked reminiscent to but not quite like prison tattoos.

"I've seen thingsh not jus' anyvone our ages've seen! So... I vill not anyvhere be going... you are not of the bratva so I don't take ordersh from you! Besides little girl... you might just actually need my help." A smirk re-plastered itself onto Boris's face at the arrogant statements he'd just made. With a snap of his fingers, the sleeve magically rolled back down over the bare arm.

"Vouldn't vant to ruin pretty dress, anyvay, now vould ve?"

In retrospect, Diana decided it probably would have been better if she hadn’t lost her temper, pretended to be a Muggle girl, took his offer for a ride and when he was all away and gone, she could have easily returned to this spot. Or at least pretended she had a boyfriend who she was just waiting for.

As it was, Diana did lose her tempter and now she was in this situation. Sometimes she just wanted to bang her head on the wall… most of the times, she wanted to bang someone else’s head on the wall.

Her eyes flickered at the tattoos that the boy had. Diana was familiar with markings, having one herself. Diana concluded that he probably was part of the Wizarding Mafia. If they had met on different circumstances, different circumstances being him not ruining her night, she probably could have been more susceptive to his charms… then again probably not.

Bratva . So Diana’s conclusion was correct. He was part of the Mafia. However, Mafia wars were completely different from Vampire wars. Vampires sucked your blood… literally.

With the smirk plastered on his face, Diana used more self control then ever to keep herself from hitting this boy with the sharp edge of her heel. Imagine, him helping her? Preposterous! Highly flustered and distracted Diana didn’t feel the vampires approach. The Slayer’s sense abilities weren’t as good as the Vampires and they really had to focus to keep it working; a reason why Diana never touches alcohol.

Diana decided to end this useless banter.

“I am a Vampire Hunter,” Diana informed clearly. She turned herself around and raised her hair to reveal a black cross at the nape of her neck. “Does your thick little head know what that is?”

That was as far as Diana got before, she finally felt them approach. She dropped her hair, covering the mark again and immediately her silver dagger was at hand.

“Slayer.” Dante was back, along with some friends. It looked like Dante gathered a few more of his clan members before returning. There were perhaps a dozen of them that surrounded Boris and Diana. Dante neared Diana. He smiled at her showing of his fangs. “Wonderful trap,” Dante said teasingly. “I probably would have fallen for it… after all, red… is my favourite colour.”

Diana did not like the way Dante was looking at her dress. Diana made a mental note to herself saying the next time she offered herself up as bait; she’d perhaps wear slacks instead. The other vampires chuckled.

“But I’m afraid, your little friend here put me offff…” Dante turned to leave. “But, not to worry, my friends aren’t as easily disheartened as little old me, they still want to play.” He blew her a kiss before he turned to leave.

“Let’s see how disheartened you’d be after I’m through with you!” Diana tried to attack Dante, however, another Vampire intercepted her.

“They’re eager to see if Slayer blood really is sweeter…” That was the last thing Dante said before he left and the other Vampires started to attack.

Boris gave a hmph of disbelief and rolled his eyes at the outright declaration. He wasn't quite sure what to make of her turning around, until she lifted her hair to reveal the tattoo. One he was familiar with: while the Muggles considered it one thing, in the wizarding world this mark labeled one as being in an organization of Vampire Hunters. Yet... with the popularity of body art, how was he to be sure she wasn't just some wannabe? Okay, so, Boris wasn't exactly a professional in the field either... but he did kill vampires a bit more often than once a year on the Annual Kaminski Family Outing.

"I know vot it means!" Boris retorted indignantly. For people that barely knew each other, she certainly seemed to assume a great deal about him. Then again it wasn't like he'd made a sparkling first impression either. "But vith the vay some people get tattoos, how can I be sure you aren't bluffing?" his tone was cynical, condescending.

Boris took a step back when the weapon was drawn, and reached for the handgun in his pocket. It wouldn't do any good against a witch, so he altered his hand's course and withdrew his wand. When he heard a masculine voice, saying the word 'Slayer', Boris's other hand reached for the silver bullet-loaded pistol but paused. Best to wait for the most opportune moment, if it presented itself.

It was then he noticed approximately a dozen other vampires encircling them. Brows furrowed in confusion - didn't Dante flee? This did not bode well for either of them. And, instead of taking them out without need to hold back, he had to worry about this girl - this woman - that was bound determined a little tattoo made her a great Vampire Slayer. The light laughter of the other vampires nearest them sent a chill down the Russian wizard's spine... a voice very much like his own in his head was screaming for him to launch the assault now, while they were still unawares. But, logic reasoned they should wait just a little longer. Let them get slightly closer...

A raven eyebrow then rose at the fact that Dante was apparently put off by him. A nasty century-or-so old vampire afraid of a Russian teenage wizard? Why didn't that not quite sound right? Ah... that was why: his friends were invited to dinner. Wonder if he told them silver was going to be on the menu?

When Diana went to attack Dante, and another intercepted her, Boris made a move to cut the bloodsucker off but noticed another had decided to attack him. "Chew on this!" he snarled, revealed the handgun - which was also equipped with a silencer - and fired.

Comically enough, the vampire almost did eat it as the bullet lodged itself in the creature's throat.

Diana twisted her wrist, but the Vampire that intercepted her wouldn’t let go. Just as well. With her free hand, Diana managed to get other dagger from somewhere in the folds of her dress and stabbed the vampire’s heart. She was right-handed, but she’d been trained with ambidextrous fighting techniques, and her left hand was just as competent. The vampire disintegrated. However, that didn’t seem to be much deterrent to the other vampires that surrounded them.

One down but three others went in his place. Diana made a move to become significantly closer to Boris. Not that she wanted to be; just that it was easier to protect somebody when they were closer to you. Diana glanced at Boris, slightly worried for his safety. However, she saw him shoot a vampire with a handgun. She did take time to deem that odd, usually Wizards didn’t bother with Muggle weaponry, considering it obsolete. Then her next train of thought railed somewhere along the lines of a handgun is useless against vampires, unless… the way that the vampire reacted made Diana concluded that it was filled with silver. Perhaps she underestimated him a little bit…

However, that was all that Diana could muse as the next moment, several vampires went at her at once. Not even thinking, but instead, reacting, she managed to do a back flip and ended up behind them, surprising the vampires. Before, the vampires could articulate what she had done, she followed through by slashing one of them and beheading another while driving her dagger into the heart of the last one.

The one vampire roared in anger. “Ops,” Diana said feigning innocence. “Did I just kill your boyfriend?” As answer, the vampire ran at her, his claws extended and rage set in his eyes. Diana moved out of the way but because of her less-then-appropriate footwear, the vampire was able to cut her arm, drawing blood. She didn’t realize it until after impaling the one that attacked her and she sensed the change in the vampires. Before it had been the promise of blood that keep them attacking, but now, now they could smell it. Fresh, red, bleeding, blood.

The vampire’s pupils dilated with excitement, they sniffed the air with delight, and they extracted their fangs. “Blooooood.” One of them moaned.

Great. She didn’t mean to excite the vampires that much…

She had most of the vampire’s attention. Four came at her all at once.

Slash.

Stab.

Slice.

Slit.

Slain.

Diana turned to face Boris.

While the first bullet had hit its mark, the vampires bent on attacking him dodged all of the other rounds, mocking him with their toothy grins. By the time he'd run out of ammo, Diana had approached to be closer to him. 'Vell, at least she knows that I can protect her better vith her nearby than vay off down the alleyvay...' he thought to himself as he threw down the gun. A quartet had gone after him, and with only one down, that left three.

But that meant quite a few more were after the woman.

Placing a shield spell around him, Boris glanced at Diana to see how she was faring. A numb kind of surprise washed over him when he decapitated one vampire and pierced another through the heard with a silver dagger...

Perhaps she wasn't bluffing... either that or it was just luck.

Raven brows furrowed in confusion when there was only one vampire clawing at the magical shield. This wasn't good. Where was the other one? Boris soon found out when he heard a snarl of sorts behind him and dodged what would've been a bite to the jugular vein. Extremely agitated it missed, the vampire shoved Boris into the wall. The teenager, caught off-guard, had released the shield spell but at the same time had - without entirely meaning to - rammed his wand into the other vampire's eye.

While 'Creepy' the one-eyed vampire fell, the second one set both of its beady eyes on him. "Are we all out of toys? Tsk, tsk... and here I thought you'd be more of a challenge..." the vampire mocked Boris, who only stared back with an ominous blankness that clearly meant he wasn't going to throw in the towel but didn't really indicate he had anything planned to prevent what looked to be the inevitable.

The vampire lunged. Boris hastily stepped to the side and whipped out a silver dagger and drove the weapon into the creature's heart. Right before the thing disintegrated it managed to get an attack in, leaving a five-fingered tear down the center of the front of his shirt, which had also penetrated the skin. Thankfully, they were only scratches even though said wounds were bleeding slightly. A string of vulgar Russian curses left the young man's mouth. A tattoo that looked like an acromantula with various-shaped cocoons in its web could be seen upon his chest.

When one of the other creatures moaned of blood, Boris looked up from the wounds he received. As he watched her dispatch the others with an ease he had only seen a few of his relatives manage, Boris trudged over to 'Creepy' and placed a foot on the vampire's abdomen. A rather disgusting gurgle escaped the vampire. It certainly seemed dead, with a rather great amount of blood having been lost from the eye injury. It even laid still, as though dead. However, it was better to be safe than sorry... and the dagger was still in his hand.

Boris looked up from the last remaining vampire that attacked him to see how his temporary ally was faring. She certainly didn't have trouble with the last few he'd seen get turned into little piles of dust...

... only to find her staring right back at him. "So... you veren't bluffing..." he panted, deciding to openly give her that much.

Well... something in Diana just snapped. Diana ran, and not unlike the vampire before her, with her momenum, was able to slam Boris Kaminski into the wall.

"Of course I bloody well wasn't bluffing!" She wasn't. She wasn't that good of a liar either. She could afford not to lie, after all, she got was she pretty much wanted by telling the truth. The term 'Vampire Slayer' had that apparent affect on people. "You just managed to ruin my trap!"

Diana was beyond angry, she was furious. She glared at him. "I'll have you know, I've been tracking that bloody vampire for about a month!" Well it was more like a fortnight but exaggeration tend to happen when one is screaming bloody murder.

"- And now, NOW he's gone! GONE! BLOODY GONE! Probably off to find another Muggle girl to suck the life out of!"

She felt immence dislike, if not hate for the boy she was pinning against the wall. She wanted nothing more than to shake some bloody sense into him. Dante was gone, and this boy, this boy was going to pay...

Surprise caused Boris to drop the silver dagger in his hand as a woman - a woman, mind you, and a witch to boot! - used brute strength he clearly did not expect her to have and shoved him into the wall, pinning him to it. He grunted as shoulder blades met... whatever the wall happened to be made of. Boris assumed it was either concrete or brick. "Vell, this looks a bit kinky..." the Russian teen snickered. "Shouldn't ve go somevhere more-"

Before Boris could finish his sentence, Diana began her tirade. Brown eyes squeezed shut as the shrillness of her voice threatened to bust his eardrums. Yes, he got the part about ruining the trap. Yes, he realized she wasn't bluffing - how was he to know before the attack that she wasn't? "Vot do you expect me to do about it now?! Revind time?!?!" he asked indignantly as he opened his eyes.

She was glaring at him. 'Looks rather cute ven angry,' the teenager noted.

"...Everyvone dies at some point..." Boris pointed out stoically after her piercing shrieks had diminished and his eardrums stopped ringing. He'd seen enough mafia 'business' to learn that fact, even though he'd already known it before being sponsored into the Bratva. He wondered for a moment if she was trying to make him feel guilty or something by bringing up the Muggle girl. If so, it hadn't worked. Cold-hearted as it might seem, he really didn't care about Muggles. He couldn't even be certain she cared about the 'Muggle girl' she referenced either, considering the majority of her tirade was about tracking down the vampire and how it was gone now, no thanks to him for ruining the trap. Then again, perhaps she had a hero complex or something... Regardless, now wasn't the time for accusations and assumptions - some of which he could be completely wrong about. For once in his life, Boris Kaminski decided to hold his tongue.

Well... not literally.


But, of three major things, Boris was certain:

Firstly: This woman was definitely a Vampire Slayer - a professional one. Likely from a prominent line, judging by the tattoo. He didn't have long to see it, but upon reliving that part of this evening, he was certain now that it was an official marking. Normally Slayer bloodlines didn't accept non-kin, but Boris knew there were exceptions made to that rule sometimes. She could very well be his way into becoming an official Vampire Slayer if he played his cards right!

Secondly: She is obviously a bit more than a little mad right now. Honestly, how was he to know it was a trap for vampires? And how was he to know she truly didn't need help? His family always tracked, fought, and killed vampires in groups! Hence the word 'family' in the phrase 'Kaminski Family Outing'. If they went out alone it certainly wouldn't be a family outing, now would it?

And Thirdly: While he didn't know her name, the woman was pretty hot! A slew of rather indecent thoughts came to Boris's mind upon acknowledging that fact. Being pinned against the wall didn't exactly discourage him from having said thoughts, either.


It was a combination of those things - with particular emphasis on the last one - combined with the fact that he was still under the influence of alcohol, that made Boris lean forward..........

.............. and place a kiss upon the lips of this mystery witch. The move had done wonders to pacify an amazing number of his ex-girlfriends in the past.

But would luck be on Boris's side this time?

Due to the activity of her lips – they were busy damning a certain someone to hell – Diana’s brain wasn’t really working. Ergo, it took her several seconds to realize that the current activity of her lips wasn’t in fact orchestrated by her but by the very person she wanted to send into the fiery depths.

Her reaction? Shock of course. Brain freezing shock. Shock that paralyzed her, made her show signs of the body-binding jinx. He was kissing her… he was kissing her… her brain hasty tried to function… he was kissing her… BLOODY HELL! HE WAS KISSING HER!

She was still shocked but, as one knows there are several different types of shock. Her initial shock was that of the pure and utter surprise of feeling lips on hers.. It was a foreign sensation, something she’d done on several occasions but that was a while back. Just the mere physical contact sent shock waves through her system

The shock, now that she realized she was being kissed, was the act of being kissed. Her still processing brain told her it wasn’t something she’d normally do. Her brain told her to feel shock and… indignant! What the bloody hell was he doing kissing her?

Ergo, she slapped him.

For a brief moment, Boris thought his attempt to soothe the irate woman had worked. He’d kissed several women before, but feeling Diana’s lips upon his was bliss. Then again, that bit about her being an ‘in’ for him probably had a further enhancing property on the action. Not that his kissing Diana solely for the sake of kissing her hadn’t occurred to him - it certainly had been considered even before he’d seen the tattoo. Boris just hadn’t thought he’d be in a position to. And now, here he was!

Because she did not exactly deny him within the first few seconds, Boris attempted to deepen the kiss. However, being as tipsy as he was, it wasn’t exactly the most graceful of moves. That was about when she had slapped him, basically batting his face away from hers.

It took a second or two for him to register the physical pain of being slapped. When he realized what had happened, Boris put a hand to the assaulted area and gazed at Diana with surprised brown eyes.

Pain to the face was rather sobering... to a degree.

“Vould you go out vith me... um... vot exactly is your name, anyway?” he asked, undeterred despite his initial surprise at the rejection.

Diana's eyes were burning. She'd never felt so... violated in her life. The NERVE. The utter nerve of him! How dare he? HOW DARE HE?

Her eyes sparkled with a small degree of satisfaction as she saw his apparent surprise at her slap. However, Diana felt he deserved a lot more pain. She was about to relate this to him when he ask her out.

Again shock shot through her. It must be some sort of record, she thought. Diana liked to be in control, and when things surprised her, well she didn't really open surprises with open arms. The surprise she had for his unexpected question made her forget that she was angry at him for kissing her. Not for the first time in the night, Diana put this man's sanity into question. He'd just seen her slay more than half-a-dozen Vampires. Most guys would run at the sight of her. Then again, most guys probably wouldn't have kissed a Vampire Slayer either.

"Would I like to go out with you?" Diana repeated his question, cynicism riddled her echo. "Hmm," she said sarcastically, as if she was actually considering his offer. Her blue eyes were fiery when she yelled, "No."

And with that, she turned on her 3-inch heels and left the Creepy Alleyway.

Of course, she totally ignored the small part of her heart that skipped a beat when Boris had kissed her.

Boris nearly chuckled at the reaction he'd initially received upon his asking. Why was she so shocked, he wondered? Did Vampire Slayers take a vow of anti-dating and celibacy or something? He hadn't thought so. The Russian teenager couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking... not to mention he didn't even know her name. It wouldn't be the first time he'd kissed a girl before finding out what others called her, but still.

The echoed question almost told him instantly her response would be a 'no' but he decided to wait for her answer anyway. Sure enough - no. No, nein, nyet, iie, and however one says 'no' in all the other languages of the world. Brown eyes snapped closed at the shouted monosyllabic statement, and then opened again.

"Vy not?" he called to her with a slight snicker. "I don't bite..." Whether she'd heard his attempt at humor he wasn't sure, for she'd hightailed it out of there a lot quicker than he did. By the time he thought he'd caught up with her, she was gone.

Boris swore fluently in Russian, assuming Diana had apparated. Despite how handy the mode of transportation was, he was cursing it right now. And then, he got thinking... if this is Dante's regular haunt, and the Slayer was hunting it, she'd surely return tomorrow. With a grin and a half-baked plan forming in his still-slightly-muddled mind, Boris apparated back to his family's manor.

He would be coming back here infinitely more prepared than he was tonight...


- - - - - - The Next Night... - - - - - -

Boris appeared with a *pop* on the street where he'd frequented the evening before, deciding to pass up the bar this time. He would need all of his wits to tangle with both the possible threat of vampires and the mystery witch that was also a vampire slayer. He was determined to find out who she was, and persuade her to go out on a date with him.

Beneath his black wizard's robes the Russian was, as the expression goes, armed to the teeth: wooden stakes, holy water, silver bullets with two silver pistols to match, throwing knives made of solid silver, and even a dagger or five. Yes, he felt he was quite ready to fight off any creatures of the night, and possibly lend the Slayer a hand if need be.

He rounded the corner to the alleyway, not quite sure what to expect to see but determined to face whatever or whomever awaited him anyway...

Diana was in the Alleyway yet again (not surprising since it was her favourite hunting ground) fighting a several vampires. Well, there was a lot more earlier, but now, Diana's managed to down the number to several.

Diana loved being a Slayer.

She stabbed an incoming Vampire with the dagger that's already considered as the extension of her hand.

To put it simply, it was fun.

She dodged a kick, however, she received a punch, no matter, the next moment, that Vampire disintegrated.

Ridding the world of pesky blood suckers had that wonderful ring to it too.

She threw her dagger up in the air, and she took the moment to send several ninja (in this case, Slayer) stars at one of the Vamps and catching her dagger at the handle right before it hit the ground.

There was of course, her unadulterated hate for the nasty blood suckers that made it all the more worthwhile.

Boris practically grinned, glad to know this seemed to be a popular spot for the Slayer whom he’d met last night. The details of their meeting were slightly fuzzy in his mind, but he remembered kissing her... Now that he was completely sober he could say for sure that she was hot. And it wasn’t just the getting in on being an official slayer himself that made him think that.

Vot a voman... Boris mused to himself as he watched her dispatch vampires one right after the other with the simplest of ease.

Deciding she shouldn’t get to have all the fun, Boris tucked away his wand in favor of a firearm full of silver bullets (complete with silencer) and a short sword, also made of silver. Now all he had to do was find a target and he could start hacking away as well.

The moment the toe of the Russian wizard’s dragon leather boots left the sidewalk and touched ground belonging to the alley, two of the nearest vampires started and eyed him with large beady eyes. He dispatched both, albeit slightly clumsily, with a few swings from his sword. The gun was generally not his first weapon of choice.

“Mind if I join you?” he called over the battles being waged. It was then Boris noticed a vampire heading straight for her and decided to jump in whether she said yes or no. He was already pretty much a part of the battle as it were, but he wanted her to know he was there. Thing was, he wasn’t entirely sure why... just felt like it.

Boris aimed and fired three shots at the Vampire heading toward Diana, for it was too far away for him to dispatch by any other method.

Diana as she was enjoying herself immensely, she was in her element after-all, it took a millisecond longer for her to realise that there was someone else in their little dance.

Oh no... it was the boy from yesterday!

But there was no mistaking him. The same funky looking hair, the same face, the same arrogant voice... he was back!

Scores worth of adrenaline was pumping in her bloodstream and thus she did not falter once she was alerted of his presence. No. In fact, she was pretty pissed off.

Diana stabbed a vampire harder than what was necessary. She elbowed one while she kneed the other. Usually she went for the clean kills but man, her temper started again. "And if I say no?"

It turned out that an answer was completely unnecessary as he was already helping himself to her kills that night. Boy was this guy annoying!