[ WP ] You take a break from vampire hunting and go on an awesome date ... who just may be a vampire .

The knock on the door came three minutes and twenty-six seconds later than the agreed upon time. Not that I was counting or anything. It's just a habit I've picked up over the years, being aware of my surroundings. Never know when a crucial little detail would make the difference between success and spending the rest of eternity as an enthralled, soulless menace to humanity with a taste for hemoglobin. I'll confess, though, tonight I was n't quite as on the ball as I'd have liked to be. Three days straight on stakeout ( Heh. Sorry, old vampire hunter joke ) *and* the prospect of the first date I'd have since... well, a really, really long time ago were knocking me off my game. 
 
 Knocking! Right, ca n't keep her waiting. A few bounding steps down the hallway to the front door of my apartment later, I took one last deep breath and glanced around my apartment, making one final instinctive check for anything that might be objectionable. I'd arranged some of the flashier antiquities I'd collected over the years on my mantle, thinking they'd be the perfect conversation pieces. And consigned some of the more grotesque ones to the deepest depths of my closet. Content that everything was in the proper place, I pull the door open... and proceed to feel my jaw go slack. 
 
 This was not the girl from the museum. Well, no, it was, but she'd traded in the modest ponytail, heavy sweater, and thick glasses of yesterday afternoon for a slinky black dress that hugs and lifts in all the right places. It took me a few seconds to find my way up to those sapphire-blue eyes that were so much more striking than I remembered. From the little smile she's sporting I'm pretty sure she noticed me looking, but no woman dresses up like this to *not* be looked at. `` Hey there, Richter,'' she says, `` I hope I'm not late.'' 
 
 `` Hi Sasha. Nope, right on time.'' 
 
 We stood there in an increasingly awkward silence for a dozen interminable seconds, her hand self-consciously reaching up to tease at an auburn lock of hair. `` So, are we going out somewhere, or...'' 
 
 `` No! Oh, no, I mean, uh, come in!'' I stammered as I backed away from the threshold to let her pass by. She swoops in and as I closed the door behind her she took in the room, letting her eyes fall on the strategically positioned artifacts. 
 
 `` Fascinating,'' she muttered, more to herself than to me as she picked up a panther figurine, chiseled from a single block of onyx thousands of years ago. `` Mayan?'' 
 
 `` You have a good eye,'' I said, trying not to let on how thrilled I was that my little gambit was paying off. `` Of course, I should have known you'd recognize it, given how taken you were with the Pendant of Sanguinar the other day.'' That was where I'd spotted her for the first time, studying the carving on the amulet through three-inch thick security glass. I'd watched her frantically scribbling down notes for nearly an hour before I managed to muster up the nerve to approach her. In a suave and not at all creepy sort of way, of course. 
 
 `` Well, the Pendant is such a fascinating relic in its own right. Even given its somewhat bloody history.'' Her thumb flicked at the corner of her mouth, wiping at something. `` Something smells delicious.'' 
 
 `` I hope you like lasagna,'' I said as I turned to the kitchen. The table was all set in advance, and after a quick glance to make sure Sasha had gone back to examining the figurine I pulled the entree and side from the oven where they were warming. Then I went for my trump card and took out a bottle of Merlot, a fairly nice one at least by the standards of what one could afford on a vampire hunter's salary, and poured two glasses while trying to ignore the way my hands trembled with nervous excitement. I plated two portions of the lasagna with a hunk of the baguette on each, and carried the whole thing out towards the dinner table. 
 
 `` Looks good,'' said Sasha. She came up behind me and leaned over my shoulder to take a deep whiff. Only years of honing my reflexes kept everything I was holding from going toppling to the floor, at least long enough to get it all onto the table. 
 
 `` A toast?'' I offered her one of the glasses, but she made no move to take it. 
 
 `` Oh, sorry, I should have said something earlier. I never drink wine.'' 
 
 The hopeful smile nearly slipped from my face, but with a gallant effort I kept it from slipping too much. `` There's pop and juice in the fridge, if you'd prefer. Help yourself.'' 
 
 `` Thanks.'' When she disappeared to replace her drink, leaving me with two glasses that I guessed I'd just be consuming on my own, I took the opportunity to light the candle on the center of the cheap cedar table. The many grooves and notches it had picked up over the years were well hidden by the linen tablecloth I'd gone out and purchased earlier that morning. `` Like you were saying,'' said Sasha as she returned with a plastic cup full of tap water. The cartoon tropical fish adorning it were n't exactly adding to the romantic motif I'd been going for here. `` Cheers.'' 
 
 Our glasses tapped together, and we both sat down. As soon as the first mouthful crossed Sasha's lips she let out a yelp and dropped her bread. `` What's wrong? Too hot?'' 
 
 Sasha clenched her eyes shut for a few more moments before she answered. `` Is this garlic bread?'' 
 
 `` Yeah. Too garlicky? `` I briefly wondered if garlic was really the right thing to be serving on a first date, or if it made the wrong impression. I really was rusty at this dating thing. `` I can scrape it off or something.'' 
 
 `` No, it's... great,'' she said, even as she moved it as far away from herself as she could, leaving it teetering half off the edge of the plate. `` You know, the funniest thing happened to me today.'' 
 
 `` Oh yeah? What was that?'' 
 
 `` Well...'' she began. With that she launched into a long, detailed account of her day. For the first minute or so, I mostly focused on nodding along and throwing in an encouraging comment or two. But as she went on, it got harder and harder to think of anything to say. Harder to think about anything, really, as I just focused on her presence and her eyes. Even as I distantly registered that she was speaking to me, the words themselves slid over and through me. Not thinking about them was easiest. The flickering flame of the candle caught my eye and I lost myself in it, just staring and drifting peacefully along with her voice and- 
 
 Sasha snuffed the flame between two of her fingers, snapping me out of it. The candle was nearly burned out entirely, a pool of hardened wax around the base of the candlestick. Something was wrong. This feeling was wrong. I looked up at Sasha with her predatory grin and opened my mouth to call out for- 
 
 `` Stop worrying,'' she said, and just like that I did. Nothing to worry about. `` That was easier than I expected. Why do n't we move this to your couch and get comfortable?'' She took my hand, her grip surprisingly strong, and led me to the overstuffed leather couch in my living room. Reclining across it with an elbow propping her up on the armrest, she lowered me down to rest the back of my head against her breast, fingers massaging at my temples. It felt divine. `` Now, I want you to answer me with the complete truth. What do you know about the Pendant?'' 
 
 `` It...'' the memories that were so distant a second ago popped up bright and clear in my mind. `` Legends say that with the right magics... turns holy water into blood. Rumor has it someone's trying to steal it.'' 
 
 `` So much for subtlety,'' she muttered. `` All right, then. Why did you approach me at the museum? What tipped you off?'' 
 
 `` Tipped me off?'' 
 
 `` Drew you to me. Attracted you.'' 
 
 I blushed. Even through whatever she was doing to me, my mind struggled against telling her. You just do n't say that sort of thing on the first date. `` Do n't wan na tell.'' 
 
 `` I command you to answer the question!'' 
 
 There was n't much hope of arguing with that. `` I saw you, and I think I kinda fell in love with you.'' 
 
 Sasha went quiet for a good while after that, while I took the opportunity to sink deeper into her embrace. `` That is n't possible. You do n't even know the first thing about me.'' 
 
 `` I do, though. See, I notice stuff other people do n't. Nothing gets past me, no ma'am. I saw that you were hiding who you were. And I talked to you, and... I think it's actually something pretty good, even if you do n't.'' I glanced at her face to try to read her reaction, and even through the thick haze that had settled over my mind one other detail jumped out. `` You're blushing.'' 
 
 `` That's literally impossible,'' she said with a huff, but turned her face anyway. 
 
 `` S'okay. I know you do n't want me to see it, but I notice stuff. Nothing gets past... did I say this already? Anyway, you tried to hide it, but I think you're actually really... I do n't know. Pure.'' 
 
 `` That's not a word anybody's used to describe me in a very long time, Richter,'' she said. Then she sighed. `` Damn it. This was n't supposed to get complicated.'' 
 
 The haze kept growing thicker by the second, and even forming coherent thoughts was becoming difficult. `` Just gon na rest my eyes for a second. If you want, I made tiramisu for dessert. It's in the fridge.'' 
 
 `` That's okay, I'm... not hungry?'' Why did she sound so confused as she said it? 
 
 `` Good night, Sasha.'' I closed my eyes. 
 
 ``... Good night, Richter.'' The last sensation I felt before I drifted off was the gentle pressure of a kiss against the side of my neck.
