Meeting in the Park

[brian_campo]

One at a time, Brian shook the nervous energy from his legs.

He stood on the end of a playground slide in one of the city’s public parks. It wasn’t like the places he spent his hours as a kid. There were low acacia and western hackberry trees instead of towering oaks, and the equipment was here was newer. No need to worry about updated tetanus shots. The park was empty except for a nanny caring for a set of twins dressed in too many layers. They bounced up and down on a teeter-totter.

Brian watched for a minute and then turned away. He didn’t want to look like a creep.

His shoes slipped a little as he walked up the incline and climbed over the bar. From up there, he had a view of the swings. Brian thought about his ultimate goal as a kid: to swing so high, he flipped over the bar. He had spent hours in relentless pursuit of it, kicking off the ground and pumping his skinny legs until one day, a chain broke. He wound up flat on his back in the dirt.

Seemed about right.

He flexed his fingers in the wrist splint. It was too tight.

[Thread]

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[valerie_vause]

Valerie glanced at the hands of her watch as seconds ticked by. She was late. Not on purpose but still, she picked up her pace until she reached an effortless jog. It caused less staring when people assumed leisure instead of rush. It was her own fault, she’d decided to stick her bag in her dorm, the rest of the day she had free so why carry them around? Alright, maybe it had been an excuse to swap the torn, paint soaked shirt with a black sweater. Whatever Brian thought, she didn’t want it to be that she wasn’t showing up.

When the park came into view Valerie slowed back down to a walk. Took a moment to see how empty it was before frowning. Had he gone home already? She checked her watch again, cringed. Fifteen minutes wasn’t that bad, was it? She scanned the park again, walked a little faster. No, there he was, on one of the bars. The anxiety that filled the blonde released with a heavy sigh. Replaced with nerves.

“Hey!”

She called out, one arm lifting to wave up at him as she made her way over. “I know I’m late, but I’m here. Have you been waiting long?”

Rather, had he shown up early only to be stuck by himself while she had scrubbed as much paint off her as fast as she could without using a wire brush.

[brian_campo]

“Nah,” he lied. He shook his head. Hun-unh. Totally not the dork getting to the park five minutes early, just to shuffle his feet and furtively look around like a crack addict. For some reason, he was perpetually stuck in over-eager mode when it came to Valerie. He was going to play things closer to the chest, from now on.

He debated the smoothest way to get off the playset.

Ultimately, there wasn’t one. He was a dude on a jungle gym.

Brian sat down and stretched out his legs, which extended half the length of the slide. He slid to the ground and stood up. “Hey.” Now that his hands were in the pockets of his jacket, the splint wouldn’t be as noticeable. The giant bruise on his forehead, eh. There was finally a practical use for what Angie described as his ‘girl hair’.

“How’ve you been?”

[valerie_vause]

Valerie wandered over when he slid down and reached him as he stood up. The smile felt coy even to her own lips and she shrugged lightly. Fingers nervously straightened out the hem of her sweater as she fought the urge to touch him. Anywhere, just to make contact, yet she didn’t. Not yet anyway, as butterflies made good use of her stomach.

“Oh you know, busy with… Stuff. What about you?”

Well, it sounded better than killing. As if she were some sort of supernatural grim reaper dead set on running around cleaving beasts in twain. Arguably, she was, but not quite psychotic enough to gush about it. Valerie sighed. The conversation could quite easily slide into the horizon if they weren’t careful and she wasn’t having it, especially not from herself.

“I mean, patrol.” She tilted her head slightly, sought out his gaze. “I wanted to tell you that Julianna approached me last week, I wanted to confront her about what’s going on with people just chatting publically about, well, private things but if I did that then I’d have to explain how I know, and I don’t want you caught in the middle.”

There was a mild shrug then, a slight cringe as she took a breath. “Plus it turns out, one of the girls she’d trained died years ago no doubt in battle and she’d taken a sort of leave of absence. At first I wasn’t sure why she was telling me but apparently I’m… I replaced her. Julianna should have been one of the Watcher’s that trained me. Since she missed out she’s offered to work with me here. I figured I’d give it a go.”

Valerie chewed the inside of her lip and tried to gauge his reaction. Both hands lifted to pat the sides of her hips as she shrugged. “That pretty much sums up my news.”

[brian_campo]

“Thanks.” Brian appreciated not being caught in the middle. Just being in the general vicinity of that argument between Holly and Julianna made him uneasy; he recalled a visceral urge to fling himself over the edge of the roof, and he was pretty sure Nathan would’ve joined him. Goodbye cruel world. He considered telling Valerie that most of the ‘outing’ was Holly’s doing and not the older woman’s, but he didn’t want to throw his friend under the bus. People said and did dumb shit when they were high. He should know.

When she told him about replacing the watcher’s previous slayer, his eyebrows went up, and he mumbled, “Jesus.” Brian looked down at the rounded toes of his doc martens and drew a long, narrow line in the dirt, but then it seemed too much like a wall between them, so he scuffed it out. As he scrubbed, he said, “Maybe it’s a good thing you’re just meeting her now. I mean, how do you take that news and respond to it? ‘Gee I’m real sorry your girl died. But look what I can do!’” He flailed his good arm around.

A smile picked up the corner of his mouth. “Y’know?”

The telekinetic lowered his chin again. This time when he dumped information on her, he wanted to do it right, so he was measured in his approach to the topic. "I um... I kind of ran into that redhead you warned me about. She saw me using a payphone."

[valerie_vause]

“That’s the point of cold detachment during training. To stop emotional connections. Carry on with your job. Evidently she slipped in that regard.”

Valerie’s words were soft, no judgement in them, just fact. Personally she liked that the elder had shown vulnerability. It humanised her. Watcher’s had always been stoic to Valerie, unreal, robotic. Nice to know that under it all perhaps they ached just the same. “I know.” She replied, offering up her own ghost of a smile. Tentatively she took half a step closer, smelled the scent of his deodorant in the breeze, allowed it to wash over her senses like a comforter.

They’d get passed this, she felt it in her bones even if he looked down at his shoes. Why else would they be here, trying to understand one another, trying to salvage what they’d began to build? Then he spoke, hesitantly, and Valerie found herself scanning him with her eyes as her back straightened. He was alive, he appeared in one piece, but the sadness that clung to him might not be entirely due to their argument.

Without asking permission her hand moved to his face to cup his cheek, urging him to meet her eyes. She stroked the side of his jaw with her thumb lightly, a mixture of fear and anger boiling beneath the surface. Held back because she didn’t know what happened yet and she had no desires to let her emotions overwhelm her when her focus needed to be on Brian.

Fingers dropped to tangle in the fabric that covered his stomach and she pulled him into her arms. For a second she didn’t say anything, just held him, relieved that he wasn’t dead or worse.

Three whispered words were all she managed when she pulled back to look at him. “Tell me everything.”

[brian_campo]

Brian took his hands out of his pockets. He set them lightly on her waist, not pulling tight, just resting them there, so that Valerie knew he wasn’t averse to touching her. “For starters, I’m okay,” he reassured her. Not just physically but mentally, was what he meant. He wasn’t scarred for life or anything, although he could definitely see how a person might be. Brian thought about the fangs, the kind of pain that would follow. Movies lied. No simple puncture wounds came from those. Worse, he pictured the look in her eyes and the vitriol she spewed.

No, it wasn’t about the redhead.

It was about the first confirmation of true evil. Evil that walked around on human legs, evil that drove sports cars, for crying out loud. In those eyes was a void of compassion, which was particularly hard for someone like Brian to process… Brian, who walked around feeling like an open wound.

He sighed. “I was on the phone with Angela and she pulled up to the curb to ask for directions,” he said. “I thought it was weird. I mean, she didn’t seem lost. But we talked for a minute, and then she mentioned how she once got stuck in a glass elevator. Then it clicked, y’know, I remembered what you said. I guess I must have gotten a look on my face, because she jumped out of the car. There was a bunch of trash talk. She stole my wallet, and then I got this feeling like I had to make a move. She kept getting closer.”

He looked at her. Was she going to tell him he was wrong? Well, maybe he was. There were probably other, smarter things to do, but in the moment, he had done the only thing that felt right, and he survived. At least this time.

[valerie_vause]

Valerie searched his eyes as her hands went to cover his. In part to reassure herself that he was fine, but she felt the splint and her gaze lowered to linger on his wrist. On the outside nothing changed, not even a hitch of breath, despite the way her heart ached. It wouldn’t do any good to act hysterical, she had to stay focused, clear headed. Guilt creeped into her emotions as she realised it was easier than she would have liked to admit, filing things off into well sealed boxes to open privately later.

Trash talk didn’t surprise the blonde, she’d witnessed it happen in the elevator. Though she wanted to feel shocked that the vampire had taken his wallet she honestly wasn’t. In a strategic way it made perfect sense. It kept the intended person unnerved when personal space became a target. A silent threat that could strike at any time. The feeling must have been akin to waiting on death row, never knowing when it will happen, only that it will. Even if it took years.

“You acted on instinct. If you hadn’t…” Valerie’s gaze shifted to look across the park, unable to finish the sentence. “You did the right thing. If she was coming towards you, waiting for her to make the first blow could have been fatal.” The tip of her tongue pressed against her lower lip as she contemplated her words then looked up at Brian. “Actually she made the first move the second she baited you. Taking your wallet just emphasised it.”

The calm exterior continued to hold as she sniffed lightly. The next part she knew would be difficult to hear but she had too. Fire already burned within the cavity of her chest but all she had to show for it was a small smile as she tried to soothe him. One hand lifted to brush imaginary fluff off of Brian’s injured arm delicately. He didn’t deserve any of this. If she hadn’t been stuck in that stupid elevator…

“What happened next?” Valerie searched his face intently, “I know it all probably happened fast, but can you remember any details or things she said that could be important?”

[brian_campo]

“Alright. First I broke a store window and sprayed the glass at her. It didn’t do much. I think that just pissed her off. I had this big piece of glass in my hand. She kicked me and then we were…” He tried to figure out how to explain it. “Like this.” He picked up Valerie’s hand and wrapped it around his injured wrist. “She started squeezing, so I let go of the glass and floated it to her neck. It cut her pretty bad. Then she elbowed me in the forehead and I lost my focus. She was closing in, so I blew us apart.” He laughed quietly, a little huff. “We went flying. Both of us. She landed on a car and I was on the ground. She said we were even, but next time I wouldn’t see her coming.”

He tried to think of anything else.

“Oh, she said she’s staying at the Hart, and she mentioned going to a magic show at one of the first casinos. That’s what, the 1930’s?” He had no other intel to offer. Now he wished he let the redhead drone on longer while she smoked.

He bent his knees to look at Valerie from her level. “Hey. I really am okay. I’m starting to get it, what you said about taking care of myself. I can see it. I got off light, considering.”

[valerie_vause]

Though her eyes were open Valerie pictured it happening in her mind. Glass exploding, the struggle as she gripped his wrist, the satisfaction that he’d managed to injure her enough to want to retreat. Lips parted so the blonde could release a slow breath, her hand around his arm loosened to find his cheek. A lingering stroke of palm that ended in her finger tips tracing the line of his jaw. The power Brian held might have needed practice but there was no doubting that he’d used it wisely when he needed it most. Valerie felt pride through the searing rage and managed to smile a little more genuinely.

“What you did, thinking on your feet like that.” The blonde nodded, trying to express what she felt while unable to word it right then. It wasn’t that she couldn’t so much as she refused to try in case her emotions evoked a lump in her throat. “Very cool.”

The mention of Hart stole the warmth that had tried to surface and replaced it with apathy as her mind worked. “When did this happen?” If the shoe were on the other foot she’d have already left the building. Failing that she would have warned security. Valerie wasn’t suicidal so she had to wonder if the redhead was the type to shout for attention and run off when she got it, or did she stay, waiting for an inevitable crossing of paths? “So she’s been around for quite a while then.”

Valerie’s mind drifted to the weapons she already had, and the slew she could make with the tools and materials of her classes. The blonde tilted her head slightly as Brian crouched down to her height. His words nearly broke her heart. There he was in a splint, after being attacked because of an association with her, and he was trying to make her feel better. She couldn’t bring herself to promise that she’d never let anything like that happen to him again. Knew better than to make promises she couldn’t keep, no matter how desperately she wished she could. Instead she cupped his face with both of her hands, stroked her thumbs across his cheekbones and then brushed his hair back to look upon the bruise that had been hidden.

“Survival of the fittest doesn’t have anything to do with fitness. It’s about being adaptable to change.” The words offered were soft, laced with meaning that evoked a ghost of a cryptic smile. It might have seemed off topic but to Valerie it tied in quite nicely. “Predators at the top of the food chain are there because they all share one thing. Patience.”

Hands withdrew slowly so she could entwine her fingers in his good hand. “She knows where you live, it’s up to you if you want to temporarily stay somewhere else, either way we’re going shopping. I need supplies, as do you.”

Valerie’s gaze went beyond him, various plans already forming in her mind, if he could read her thoughts at that moment he might have been horrified.

[brian_campo]

“Yesterday,” he answered. It was awesome to be touched by Valerie again, and he had the absurd idea to send the vampire a thank-you note at her hotel. Maybe he should get pummeled more often.

‘Eh, bad idea. Don’t mock the angry vampire.’

Pulling himself back to the moment, he said, “Nah, I’m not leaving my apartment,” and squeezed her fingers. He’d have to look over his shoulder for a while, but if a stalker was persistent, there wasn’t anywhere Brian could hide and maintain his normal routine. If she searched his mail, rooted through his trash, or interrogated a nosy neighbor, she could learn everything she wanted to about his habits. He couldn’t quit his job and the hell if he was going to leave his band.

The best thing to do was prepare in case she made good on her threat, and hope she had better things to do than plot revenge on a tattooed telekinetic.

“Where are we going?” He tried again to make light of a stressful situation. “Is this like one of those movie montages where we push a rickety cart around a military surplus store and fill it with trip wire and gasoline and tactical vests?” Brian took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. He searched the full breadth of her face and looked for an appropriate place to kiss in the park and in a tentative emotional situation. Decisions. He pressed one on the tip of her nose.

[valerie_vause]

“Yesterday.” She repeated, the tone light as her eyes flicked to the sky then back to Brian’s face. The corners of her lips hinted at a ghost of a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Valerie nodded lightly. Clearly the intent had been to provoke her, see what she would do when something she valued had been harmed. Brian had just been the correct vessel, a way to get under her skin. Perhaps even to throw her off her game, which was funny in and of itself considering the redhead hadn’t even been on a priority list. Evidently she wanted to be there, and so, things changed.

Green eyes danced over Brian’s features. Valerie appreciated the way he joked, it let her know he would be alright, even if she couldn’t quite bring herself to smile. “You learn well, young grasshopper.” Was all she offered in return to his teasing questions, a sigh leaving her small frame at the delicate kiss against her nose. It made her insides gooey and for a moment she let it distract her, gave into the emotion for half a second, then swallowed it back with the anger that burned like a well kept furnace.

She’d guided him through the town at an easy pace, as if there was no rush at all, fingers entwined and palms pressed together. Valerie had fallen into silence when they’d began to wander around the large store, true to her word, pushing a cart around as she browsed shelves. She wasn’t being rude, at least not on purpose. Preoccupied with sheer intent on gathering what came to mind. So far she’d grabbed two of the big super-soakers all the kids, and some of the students, seemed to love in summer. Several small cans of lighter fluid clinked around next to a small hand held axe, partially tangled around rope.

Down the next isle Valerie found the rather large sports section and turned to look at Brian, the left side of her mouth turned up and she sighed, “I love these places. It holds everything a supernatural serial killer could possibly need.” With that said she turned to consider the wall before them. After a few moments she plucked up the bow she deemed best and found the appropriate arrows to go with it.

[brian_campo]

Brian watched the contents grow with mounting interest. Some uses were easier to guess at than others: squirt guns for holy water, for instance. Lighter fluid made him nervous, just because he could see himself burning a building down; at least holy water couldn’t turn against him. He wrapped his hands around the handle of the cart and rocked it back and forth, trying to piece together her plans in his mind. If the vampire couldn’t get into his unit, then the primary problem he’d have was coming and going between the entrance and the car. He wondered if there was a way to consecrate ground.

He blew out a steady breath.

Brian checked behind himself before saying in a lowered voice, “I gotta ask here, what are we playing? Defense or offense?” He wet his lips. “I know you can’t get into the whole thing here, I’m just curious.”

[valerie_vause]

Pale fingers drew along the metal edge of the cart, a momentary pause to make a decision as she turned to face Brian. Eyes wandered behind him, then over her own shoulder before seeking out his once more. Nobody was close enough to hear them if they remained quiet.

“Defense for you.” The answer was soft and somehow expressed that it wasn’t up for debate. Valerie blinked once, slowly, then continued matter-of-factly. “I haven’t decide for myself yet. On one hand experiencing her bicker with Rhiannon and get friendly with the other vampire, Theresa, in the elevator I can tell she doesn’t like to be ignored. Which is typical for those of a vain nature. So if I sat back and did nothing, it would get under her skin, which would make her try again. Whether coming for me or you is up for debate.”

She cleared her throat, the tip of her tongue pressed against her lower lip before she added quietly, “On the other hand she wants me to make a move. Probably expects my emotions to make me sloppy so that I act rashly, that way she can get a feel for me, to learn me, because this is like a game of chess to her. She saw you as a pawn. Now, it’s up to me to make a move, and whatever move I make will reveal something to her, and vice versa, so I’m trying to work out what I want to achieve.”

Valerie lacked the usual warmth to her tone, "Of course this is all speculation." Not mechanical exactly but perhaps not that far off it. She killed for a living. She was envisioning it right now as she gazed at Brian, in the back of her mind, carnage unfolded. Even the essence inside her being coiled as if ready to strike with her. After Beth she’d felt it more, Sabra had picked up on it, said something about it being awoken. Whatever that meant.

“Currently my mind is going over the notion of taking a man of God to bless the water supply that leads to Hart then once dawn arrives, taking that bow and arrows to the roof of the closest building to Hart. Set a few arrows on fire, shoot through a few windows, activate holy water sprinklers and see who runs out into the daylight and who suffers under the rain which would feel like sulfuric acid to us.”

The blonde didn’t bat an eyelash.

“Just a thought.”

[brian_campo]

An entire pipe system could be blessed? Brian was surprised and his face registered it. Who knew that the power of Christ was so… well, powerful? Maybe he needed to get his ass to mass after all. Naturally he wondered about the safety of shooting flaming arrows into the windows of a crowded hotel, but he figured Valerie knew more about this offensive stuff than he did.

There was one piece of advice he could offer, and the only reason he knew it was because of working at Tracks.

“The uh, the sprinklers,” he said, pulling on his earlobe. “Some systems only activate one sprinkler at a time. Each sensor has to pop individually, from the heat. It’s like that at Tracks. It keeps the whole inventory from being destroyed. But we could probably figure out which suite she’s staying in, or at least which floor she’s on, if you know her name, or even if we pay off the staff. A woman like that…”

He trailed off. Was this going to come out weird?

“I mean, somebody’s noticed her. A valet or a bellhop or a housekeeper, I dunno. She’s a classy-looking redhead.”

He didn’t argue with Valerie about playing defense. Brian knew he had gotten lucky this last time, that wasn’t ready to go head-to-head with a vampire yet. That didn’t mean he couldn’t help with the behind-the-scenes fact finding, if she wanted it.

[valerie_vause]

She kept her eyes on him as she waited, saw the confusion, and as if reading his thoughts she said flatly, “St Teresa’s Church in Dublin. They have a tap outside the building, where anyone can take Holy Water, and as much of it, whenever they want, day or night.” In theory you could turn it on and walk off, leaving the ground to soak with it, not that anyone would. The possibilities still remained.

“Hm.” It was a soft noise as Valerie’s chin lifted, contemplating Brian’s information. “I bet Hart has their systems set up the same way.”

Rumours around town labelled it a place where some, rather interesting albeit dangerous people stayed. The blonde had pieced enough together to at least draw the conclusion that it was an establishment that somewhat catered to the demonic side of life. Which, honestly, wasn’t quite as uncommon as one would think. She could hop around firing off flaming arrows until her heart was content, but after the first sound of the alarms everybody would try to leave anyway and she’d likely miss her intended target. “Well, no point wasting time on that notion.”

Valerie quirked an eyebrow at Brian, “A vampire like that would have already tipped the guards so that she can either get to us or keep us out. Getting into that building would be like walking willingly into a death trap. Even if she didn’t expect it, there would be others like her living there. Contrary to my nightly activities I’m not suicidal, but if I was, I’d try to get onto the roof and inside from there.” She paused, a very slight frown almost appeared across her otherwise blank features. “I don’t know her name.”

[brian_campo]

“What about Rhiannon? Or the other vampire in the elevator?” he murmured, draping his forearms over the handle of the cart. “Could they tell you?” If she was trying to make a name for herself, both the good and bad guys might know about the redhead.

And now a similar train of thought was skidding through Brian’s brain: he was glad that Valerie didn’t know what he was thinking, which was that torturing a vampire for information would probably work. They didn’t have much in the way of morality, so if she pushed the right buttons, they’d spill their guts.

He needed to stop watching action flicks.

“There’s a third option,” he said. “Bait.”

Just the notion of it made Brian’s throat hot.

[valerie_vause]

“I told Rhiannon to give me a call when I left the elevator, I haven’t heard from her since.” Slim shoulders lifted casually, obviously she didn’t think the brunette was in trouble, considering there had been no word from Julianna about the girl. “Guess she’s busy.” Then she turned, glanced at the other shoppers as they wandered slowly around. She guided their cart into the depths of the store until nobody could eavesdrop.

“The other vampire is called Theresa. Brown hair, my height, give or take an inch. Looks around eighteen but has been a vampire for five years. I spared her life and evidently she despises me. I attempted small talk in the elevator and got ignored, so when she tried to feign it later I pretty much told her I could see through her.” Another lift of shoulders as Valerie glanced towards the shelves without any interest. “She made it clear that she was interested in the red head, but unless she actually does something deliberate I’m not going to waste my time.”

Valerie wasn’t above torture, no doubt it would come later.
“And by bait you mean you?”

Green eyes narrowed slightly as the blonde fixed Brian with a look. “Bait can work but it can backfire. I’m not risking your life to one up a demon. There are other ways.”

She sniffed then, a short sharp sound that broke the silence.

“What else did you have in your wallet that she might have took an interest in? Family photo’s, friends?”

[brian_campo]

“Theresa.”

He gnawed on the corner of his lip. The name lit a spark in his brain, like a thumb striking the wheel on a lighter, but there wasn’t enough fuel for a flame yet.

Back to the question at hand.

“Um.” He had gotten the wallet back, along with most of its contents, but the vampire stole his driver’s license and a few bits of paper: a receipt for a stereo he wanted to return, a scrap of paper with notes for a new song, and one other thing. Brian shook his head and breathed out hard. “She may have gotten a notebook paper with a couple of phone numbers on it. I’m not sure. It’s not in my wallet anymore, but I might have thrown it away after I memorized them. No full names or addresses, no pictures.”

If the vampire had the phone umbers, he hoped she didn’t get dial-happy. By itself a number wasn’t dangerous, but a trusting person might fall for it if the redhead claimed to be a delivery person with a package.

“Wait, Theresa. Hold up.” He blinked. “Last week I was watching the Blob at the drive-in, and I met a girl named Theresa. We had a beer with a guy named Whistler. We were telling stories and said he had hit a girl with a car and her name was Rhiannon. I asked if she was alright and he said the girl got up and kicked his ass. Then Theresa said…” He tried to recreate the conversation from memory. “She said she didn’t want to meet her in a dark alley.”

His eyes shifted from the floor to Valerie.

Had Theresa and Whistler been having a conversation about vampires and slayers right under his nose, and he was too baked to pick up on it?

“If it’s the same person, she just got a job at the Dive. You don’t think she’s seeing the redhead, do you?”

[valerie_vause]

Green eyes blinked slowly as Valerie took in a slow breath and rubbed her dry palms across the sides of her jeans. Then she closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and took a moment. Several long seconds later, the blonde opened her eyes and glanced up at Brian.

“Hypothetically, if I were in her shoes, targeting anyone on the list would be a waste of effort to get attention. I don’t know these people but you do. You were attacked to get at me; a direct link. Involving people I’m not in contact with seems pointless, they have no effect on my life. Even if she had my number, I never gave Theresa my name, and never said it in the elevator either, so it would be hit and miss figuring out who I was unless you’d doodled next to my name or something.”

Valerie’s attention piqued when Brian told her about the two people he’d met at the drive in movie. Whistler came up blank in her memory bank and she let that temporarily slide to the back of her mind for later. If he knew what Rhiannon was, and no doubt did if she’d thumped him, then that meant he could know about her. Maybe not. Personally the blonde wasn’t entirely comfortable with how much so many strangers appeared to know. It had never been that way before.

The familiar territory under her feet was shifting.

“Sounds like her.” The tone held no emotion, Valerie’s opinion on the vampire working at The Dive unreadable, if she had one. “Probably.” She added with a half shrug. “She begged me not to stake her, I made it clear I wouldn’t unless she started killing. However, when things kick off, and they will, if she gets in my way or tries to aid the redhead to bring about my demise or attempt at yours…”

She trailed off, her eyes somewhat darker, colder, than they had been moments before.

“Everyone has a dark side Brian. Some buried more than others. Some much darker than estimated. When it comes to life and death against the extreme, there’s very few limits to the measures I might take.”

[brian_campo]

“I get it.”

Could he fully understand how Valerie felt? To have not only the desire to do great harm, but also the means and the willingness to carry through with it? Not really. It was one of those things, Brian knew, where you had to experience it firsthand. But he could imagine wanting it, if anybody hurt his family or a person he cared about.

“Okay. I’ll keep a low profile. Just please,” he gently put up a hand, “Just… tell me what you’re going to do first. I’m not gonna get in the way, I promise, I just need to know.” Primarily so he knew when to start worrying.

He put his hands back on the cart and started pushing.

Quickly this reunion had gone from being about them to about vampires, and he got the significance of it. This would happen a lot. Better get used to it now.

“I’ll let you know if I see anything at the Dive,” he said. “Let’s hope I don’t.”

[valerie_vause]

Valerie desired many things; safety for those who held a place in her heart, of which there were a rare few. That she could pass the calling on at a certain age, without the need to die to do so. To one day wake up old. Dishing out great harm wasn’t one of them. She could, she more than likely would when push inevitably came to shove, but she didn’t revel in it. When evil knocked on the door, or more accurately, terrorized the innocents you tried to make room for in your life for no real reason than they could, then action had to be taken.

Violence against evil was a peculiar thing. Evil in the world feared nothing save nine girls destined to face it at every turn. It wasn’t about sinking to its level, it was about rising above it. Becoming something through actions that set her in a whole other league, beyond evil.

It was on the tip of her tongue to state that she already was involving him in the planning process but she shrugged lightly and simply said, “Sure, you got it. When I know, you’ll know. Unless I can’t reach you for whatever reason.” Then she added offhandedly, “I suggest you start drinking at least a liter of holy water every day. It holds no magical properties but if something bites you, and gets a good gulp, they’ll die and you wont.”

[brian_campo]

His brow crinkled. That, he didn't get. How did the water stay... well, water? Maybe it was like garlic; if you ate enough, it came through your pores. Still, if there was a possibility that holy water would work, he'd give it a go.

"That's all I'm really asking for," he said, nodding agreement. "I want to know when." He started the cart rolling in the direction of the registers. The system speakers piped in holiday music, which jarred with the situation they were in. It got him thinking about the upcoming season, and the annual debate over whether he'd fly into New Jersey to see everybody, which led him in yet another direction.

"Your parents... they know?"

When Valerie had gotten called by the Watchers' Council, had her parents resisted? Did they know the truth? If their lives were reversed, Brian imagined his mother would've screamed, thrown heavy household objects, and called the cops on the lunatics at her door. Maybe even would've run them down with the Chrysler.

Darlene Campo was not to be trifled with.

[valerie_vause]

Though Valerie had turned her attention elsewhere, it was as if she sensed the puzzlement coming off of him in waves. “Most of the water we drink, after passing through the stomach, gets absorbed into the arterial blood stream via the bowel.”

Briefly her back tensed at the mention of her parents and for a long moment she didn’t say anything at all. When she did answer, it was a solitary, remarkably fragile, “Yes.”

Then she spun around, eyed the contents of the basket, then stated lightly, “We need to go to a pet store, and a thrift store. If you’re going to defend yourself I need to train you right, with target practice. Straw men are durable.”

[brian_campo]

He wanted to press her on the parental question, because it was probably a key to understanding her better. But it seemed like it hurt her, just thinking about it so he left it for another time when they weren’t in public. “Yeah, okay.” He steered into a line of other carts at the register. While he was standing there, he fidgeted with a tape measure that was sitting in the discount bin, tossing it in the air. “I’ve got to work from six to close. We can probably get to both by six.”

On a whim, he reached out and touched the hair near the nape of her neck, massaging it with his fingertips.

[valerie_vause]

Brian’s touch granted comfort and for a few precious seconds she allowed herself the feeling. Then she stepped away, but only after she clasped his hand lightly, a brush of her thumb thanking him when her mouth couldn’t. “While you’re at work I’ll grab everything else I think you’ll need.” Valerie, in the face of crisis, seemed at home with detached literal thinking. Whether for coping or simple default, was anyones guess. “I can swing by later to Tracks with food if you want. I’ll be out and about anyway.” It was a subtle way of checking up on him, and he probably knew it.

[brian_campo]

"That'd be great." He knew what it was Valerie needed to do and he didn't mind. But until they got this situation sorted out, he ought to ask Billie about putting him on day shifts, or at least switching up his schedule so that his routine wasn't as predictable.

Tomorrow he had the day off. He would start making his building as unattractive to undead visitors as possible, even if his neighbors thought he was a nut job.

When it was their turn, he reached into the basket and started loading their haul onto the conveyor belt. He let Valerie slip into her business mode. They had a lot of work to do.

[valerie_vause]

The elephant in the room might as well have been serving them at the check-out as silence settled over them like a heavy blanket sewn from worry. Valerie paid without so much as a flicker of a smile at the ‘have a nice day’ cheerfully given as they left. Really, if she could make sure Brian had a safe one, she’d smile then.

Bags in hand she tried to shake herself into a lighter mood, for his sake. With a casual glance up to him she carefully used her hip to bump his thigh. The height difference was comical, then again, most people were taller than her.

“So…” She began, trying to inject humour into her tone, “What do you want for dinner? Anything at all, on me.” She coaxed, absentmindedly hooking her finger into his belt loop.

[brian_campo]

"On you?" That sounded promising. He'd probably eat radishes and brussel sprouts if they were arranged artfully around her navel. He put an arm across her shoulders and squeezed. "I want the biggest cheeseburger you can find, fries, and a coke. We can eat on my roof this time. It has chairs."

[valerie_vause]

“Wha-uh-no! I mean I’ll pay for it and…” Valerie’s reddening complexion continued to brighten as she turned to glance at Brian suspiciously, “You totally knew what I meant.” Without thinking she reached out and shoved him gently, glad to feel his arm around her shoulders afterward. Despite their fumbled touching on the roof weeks ago, they had yet to see each other naked, and in the blonde’s mind wearing food was still naked. Because nobody could make a burger look sexy if they plastered themselves in it. “I think I’ll bring you a salad instead.” She wouldn’t, but the idle threat made her lips twitch with real amusement.

[brian_campo]

When she shoved him, his feet got twisted up, but he quickly recovered and kept walking.

"That's cool. I know exactly what to do with the onion rings..."