Vanessa was beginning to believe that neither Steven nor the vampire were going to show up. It was nearly two in the morning and Faith had long since fallen asleep. Vanessa curled up in the bed with the gun in her hand and wrapped her free arm around her daughter's tiny waist.

She was just drifting off to sleep when she heard voices outside.

"You can't go in there, sir. These ladies are under police protection."

"That's my damn daughter in there. I have every right to go in there. What kind of man tells another man he can't see his daughter." Vanessa groaned inwardly and stood from the bed. She stuck the gun in the waistband of her jeans and opened the door.

"It's okay. He can come in." she said to Tyler. Then she looked at Steven. "Faith is asleep and after the night she had last night, I would like to keep it that way."

"Of course you would." Steven replied with a snort and she could see the red, sleepy look in his eyes that proved he was high on something. It had been a long time since he hadn't been high. Just a little over three years. "You never let me be a real father to her."

"That's because you're a drug addict." Vanessa whispered angrily as he walked in and she shut and locked the door. Scout barely looked up from where he was sleeping beside the bathroom door and Vanessa rolled her eyes at the useless bodyguard.

"I am not an addict." Steven replied harshly and Vanessa shushed him. "I have to have drugs to deal with your ass."

"Oh yes, it's always someone else's fault whenever you do something wrong."

"Shut-up Vanessa. I can't believe I was ever married to you." Steven said flopping himself down in the chair next to the bed. Vanessa crossed her arms over her chest and nodded.

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual." she replied. She watched Steven as he looked at Faith in the glow of the lamplight and she felt a moment of sympathy for him when she saw a mixture of love and regret in his blue eyes. There had been a time when he had been a pretty good man. He had always been lazy and had always refused to take responsibility for anything but he hadn't been a drug addict and he had been a good dad.

Then their little Matthew had died one night of SIDS and Steven had gone off the deep end. She had tried to stick with him but he had refused to get help and she hadn't loved him enough to hang around. She had taken Faith and left him and she and her daughter had been on their own ever since.

"Did you ever really love me?" Steven asked quietly and Vanessa realized he was looking back at her. She was caught off guard by the question and bit her lip as she thought about her answer.

"Yes." she replied honestly. "But not enough and the love I did have has been dead for a long time." Steven nodded and then looked back down at his daughter. Faith had her father's blond hair and pointed nose. She was really the perfect blend of the two of them.

"Can I stay here for the rest of the night so I can see her when she wakes up? I'll sleep right here in the chair." Vanessa wanted to say no but she knew Faith would be disappointed if she didn't get to see her daddy so she nodded. Besides if the vampire did show up, Steven would be one more thing she could throw at it as she ran away.

***

Tyler couldn't stay awake any longer. He looked at his watch and saw that it was four in the morning. Only two more hours until dawn but it was more than he could do. He sat down on the sidewalk and leaned his back against the rock wall of the motel. He closed his eyes and was just nodding off when he felt something rush past him.

His eyes flew open and he looked around the parking lot. He couldn't seen anything in the fluorescent glow of the motel sign. He laughed nervously and cursed himself for being too on edge before closing his eyes again.

His heart began pounding and he began shaking when he felt cold breath on his cheek. He cracked open his eyes and screamed when he saw the vampire crouched beside him. It had glowing violet eyes and his lips were pulled back in a snarl revealing long fangs.

"Are you ready to die?" it asked in a voice so cold and eery it seemed to freeze Tyler's blood in his veins.

"N...No." he gasped as tears filled his eyes. The vampire smiled and then reached out with one hand and closed his long slender fingers around Tyler's throat. Tyler closed his eyes tight and waited for death.

Steven, Vanessa, Faith and Scout all jerked awake at the sound of Tyler's scream. Steven was on his feet and running for the door.

"No!" Vanessa yelled but it was too late, he jerked open the door and ran outside.

"Get off of him!" Vanessa heard him yell. She grabbed her gun and her daughter, whistled for Scout and ran for the door. She stopped in the parking lot just off the sidewalk to see the same vampire from the night before snarling at Steven and Tyler who were both standing there staring at it.

"Are you gonna look at him all day or are we leaving!" she demanded. The vampire turned and stared at her and she felt her blood freeze. She saw him open his mouth to speak but didn't give him time before aiming her gun at his head and pulling the trigger. She saw his head snap back as blood sprayed across the light stone wall of the motel and he screeched in pain.

The gunshot seemed to break Tyler and Steven from their trances and they ran toward Vanessa who was busy running to her car.

"The monster came back mommy! The monster came back!" Faith screamed.

"I know baby. But we're leaving." Vanessa replied. She was almost to her car when she tripped and fell to the pavement. She turned her body at the last second so she landed on her back with Faith cradled safely in front of her.

"Steven!" she screamed when she saw the vampire recovering from her first shot and coming back toward her.

"Let me help you up!" Steven said trying to grab her hand. But Vanessa knew that the vampire was coming too fast. She tossed Faith into her daddies arms.

"Get her out of here!" she said sternly. Steven nodded and clutched Faith to his chest even as the girl screamed for her mommy.

"I am not going to kill you, love." the vampire hissed as he stood over her. Vanessa raised up on her elbows and scooted backward away from him but he moved his feet slowly and deliberately and remained over her. "I am going to take you home with me. I have never met a mortal brave enough to fight me. Always before they have screamed and cowered and been easy to kill. You excite me and I want to keep you as a pet." Vanessa felt panic rise within her. She would rather he killed her than make her his 'pet'.

She looked behind her and saw the gun several feet away where it had landed after falling out of her hand when she had tripped. She looked up at the vampire and knew she had to do something quick. She kicked her leg out and caught him in the groin. She hadn't been sure if it would hurt him or not but he doubled over and groaned in pain and she realized that it had. She jumped to her feet and ran for the gun but he grabbed her by her hair and threw her back down to the ground.

She cried out with pain as her cheek scraped across the asphalt.

"Stupid mortal woman. You will pay for that!" the vampire hissed. "You think you can escape Vincent? I am over one thousand years old and you will not get away from me!" Vanessa looked through her tear filled eyes and saw that Steven, Faith and Scout were safe in her car but the keys were in her pocket. Steven did not have a car and had probably walked here. She was about to make another break for the gun when the sound of gunshots filled the air.

The vampire, Vincent, was forced backwards as several bullets found their way into his chest and he snarled with pain. Vanessa saw Tyler standing beside his squad car with his gun drawn. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her own gun as she ran to her car. She felt Vincent's hand close around her arm and she placed her gun on his wrist and pulled the trigger, causing him to let out another howl and release her.

The air shimmered beside her as she was pulling her keys from her pocket and Kaylee was suddenly there. Kaylee delivered a well placed, round house kick to the Vincent's head and he stumbled backward.

"Dog!" he hissed.

"Tick." she growled. Vincent turned his attention back to Vanessa.

"I will find you, love. You will be mine." he promised and then the air shimmered and he was gone.

"Faith!" Vanessa jerked the car door open and Faith jumped out and into her arms. Vanessa hugged her tight and buried her face in her blond hair. Steven got out of the car as well and wrapped an arm around Vanessa's shoulders.

"I thought you said he wouldn't come back after us!" Vanessa demanded of Kaylee. Kaylee gave her an apologetic look.

"I said I didn't think he would. Obviously I was wrong." She turned to Tyler. "Get back to the station and start to fill out a report. The forms are in my desk. I'm going to get them somewhere safe and then I'll be there." Tyler rubbed his bruised neck and nodded. He had thought for sure he was going to die when that vampire had grabbed him but Steven running out had distracted the monster.

Kaylee turned her attention back to Vanessa, Faith and the man who had his arm wrapped around them. She could tell by his scent that he was Faith's father.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him. Vanessa moved away from his arm and distanced herself from him before replying.

"Faith called him and he came out." she replied. She was shaking and she knew that soon the tears she was holding back were going to come pouring out. Two near death experiences in two days were more than her nerves could handle.

"I'm scared, mommy." Faith whimpered. Vanessa nodded.

"I'm scared too." she replied honestly. "You told Tyler you were taking us somewhere safe. Where is that? It seems to me like he can find us anywhere."

"There is one safe place." Kaylee replied.