Friday was in the middle of a patrol with Carlee, Kella and Salena when she felt her body stop.
Dylan.
Her eyes flickered to her companions and she noted that they too had stopped.
Fudge.
*How quaint,* Dylan chuckled.
Chocolate is all so yummy.
*Uh huh.*
Malteasers are best, but you can't get them in the States. Their equivalent, Whoopers, taste like crap.
*Yes, well, I'm sure that you're finding this particular stream on consciousness utterly fascinating, Friday,* Dylan commented as he stepped into view. "Hello girls. Nice night for a patrol, hmm?"
The girls said nothing. They couldn't. Dylan grinned wickedly and picked up Friday in a fireman's hold. This did break her train of thought about chocolate for a moment, but she caught herself and continued thinking about it as loudly as she could.
"Anyway, say good bye to your friend here," Dylan went on. "Friday and I are going to have a nice, long chat."
He chuckled and walked away. After he reached the outer limit of his range, his hold on the slayers fell.
"Okay, what just happened?"
"Must be that telepathic vampire."
"What do we do?"
"Well, we can't just let him kidnap Friday. One of us should report back, while the other two follow," Kella decided.
"I'll go," said Carlee.
"We'll leave a trail."
"Right. Good luck."
**********
Dylan stood outside the tower that Medea had given him. Such a nice tower, and well worth the price.
"Have a good look Friday," he taunted her. "You won't be seeing the outside for quite sometime.
He rolled his eyes as all he got was a continuation of the mental rambling about the wonders of chocolate, and stepped inside.
**********
John looked up as Carlee returned, panting.
"Carlee?" he frowned. "Where's the rest of your patrol?"
"Some vampire - we think the telepathic one - kidnapped Friday. Kella and Salena decided to track them - they're going to leave us a trail."
John nodded slowly.
"Run down to the Paladin school and -"
"The Paladins?" Carlee repeated, surprised.
"They're been developing a method to deal with telepathic adversaries. They may be able to help," John replied, and noting her perplexed look, continued: "Carlee, there is no shame in asking for help. None of you were able to stop his from taking Friday in the first place, and trying to rescue her without being prepared is just foolhardy. I don't want to loose all four of you."
Carlee considered this, nodded, and sped down to the Paladin school.
**********
Friday was chained to the wall, and her mental commentary about chocolate turned into a design critique instead. The torture chamber was sooooo dark ages. Seriously, who used iron maidens these days? And why were they called maidens? They looked more like mishapen blobs. And what was with all the grey stone?
"Oh do shut up," Dylan glowered at her. "I do not care for your liternary."
Friday smirked at him. Now that she was shackled, he had released his blocks preventing her from moving. And thus, she continued her rambling aloud:
"Seriously, dude, you need some tapestries in here, at the very least. Or better yet, a whole new paint job. And what's more -"
**********
Eron's head jerked up.
"Friday?" he demanded. "Kidnapped?"
Carlee nodded, panting a little after all the running she had been doing.
"I'll talk to -" began Father Bob. "Eron? What are you doing?"
"Going after her," Eron called back, already out the door.
**********
"Okay, I'm offically lost," Kella said, looking around and frowning.
"Damn him for walking through the stream?" Salena suggested. "No pun intended."
Kella chuckled wryly.
"Well, we can't just stand here."
"He's bound to have left some sort of trail somewhere along the stream. We'll just have to keep looking."
**********
Dylan slapped Friday.
"Would you shut up!" he shouted at her.
"No, I don't want to, you asthetically-challenged bozo."
"Stop going on about the decor!"
"But it soooo needs to be dealt with. Really. I mean it really is pathetic."
Dylan groaned as she rambled on, then frowned to himself. Hey, he was supposed to be the one in charge here. He gave a low growl and pushed himself right up against her.
"Shut. Up."
And he kissed her.
Eww. Gross.
**********
Eron arrived at where the trail ended at the stream. Well. Hmm. Where from here?
He paused and circled slowly, eyeing off the terrain. He stepped forward tentatively in one direction, then stopped. He knelt down on the ground, bowed his head and closed his eyes.
"Heavenly Father," he prayed. "Lord, I first ask your forgiveness. I should have prayed before setting out for your blessing on this rescue mission. I ask for your blessing now, and for your help. Right now, I'm at a standstill and I know that without your guidence I will not be able to find Friday. I also know that in myself I am ill-equipt to take on a telepathic, double strength vampire. But with you Lord, but my side, I know that all things are possible. So I stand here tonight, I ask for your forgiveness, your blessing, your guidance, and your help. In Jesus' name. Amen."
Eron stayed in that position for a time, mediating on God.
Then his eyes shot open, he stood, swivled to the right and moved onward with unwavering purpose.
**********
"And now that I finally have your attention, you may have noticed that I am no longer suspetable to your sex changing powers," Dylan said smugly. "You will also note that your atom manipulation does not work on these shackles. Yes? Good."
Lousy kisser.
"Ahem. And you will keep your thoughts to yourself."
Not my fault you're a telepath. And a lousy kisser to boot. Seriously, what's with all the slobber?
"Shut up!" Dylan yelled at her. "Mark my words, Friday, you will regret turning me into a girl, and you will regret this taunting now. I'd suggest you stop befor eyou make things worse for youself. You see, I plan to keep you here, in this room, for quite some time. We're going to play some fun little games together."
He smirked at her as he trailed his hands down her body touching places they really shouldn't. His smirked grew wider as he caught her rather uncharitable thoughts about what he was doing.
"Not so cocky now, are we? Do you finally understand that you are in my power?" Dylan chuckled. "And when I'm done playing games with your living, breathing body, I'm going to turn you."
Friday's face went still and Dylan laughed as he read her horrified thoughts.
"Minion or childer... I haven't decided yet. But one way or anything, you will serve me."
"Marinated or roasted?" Friday replied.
Dylan blinked.
"Which would prefer? For me to serve you marinated or roasted? Or maybe you'd prefer fried? I know they say that fried foods are bad for you, but I always did like KFC. Although I suppose in your case it would be CFV, and I don't know that Cleveland Fried Vampire would really sell all that well."
Dylan slapped her again.
"Perhaps I should cut out your tongue?"
"That wouldn't stop me from thinking."
"No, but it would give you something else to think about. And I think I'll find your mental screams of agony rather pleasant."
**********
Eron eyed off the door to the tower, and considered it thoughtfully. He gave it a tentative push but it wasn't conviently unlocked like he had hoped. Well, fine then.
There was no lock or door handle, so Eron figured it must be the push in type and it probably had a bar on the other side. He tried peering through the gap and could just make out the bar. Hmm.
Eron looked around on the ground. There should be something somewhere he could use, that would be skinyn enough to fit through the gap and strong enough to lift the bar.
Well, assuming the bar wasn't too heavy. If it was a beam, he could be in trouble.
**********
Friday noticed a faint thump - so faint that she thought she probably imagined it. Dylan certainly didn't notice it. he was too busy putting a knife through the front of her clothes like some cheesy B-grade flick.
"You say B-grade, I say effective," Dylan responded. "After all, to take them off the conventional way would involve me unchaining you, and I can say with all certainly that's not going to happen."
"That's because you're a wuss. You won't fight me hand to hand because you know you'll lose."
"Ah Friday, this is the difference between you and me. Many are brawn, some few are brains. I am the brain, and you are the brawn. The brains always win."
"I thought it was zombies who were always after brains."
Dylan shook his head in amusement and rang a finger down her cheek.
"Let the games begin," he said smugly.
He vamped out and leaned forward to bite her.
"I suggest you leave her alone."
Friday looked up at the doorway the same time as Dylan turned around.
"Eron!" Friday exclaimed.
Dylan eyed the crossbow with the wooden bolt aimed at his chest and laughed.
"You should have shot when you had the chance," he declared closing the distance between them with vampire speed.
Abruptly there was a cloud of dust in the air which drifted to the ground in a somewhat anti-climatic manner. The keys to the shackles clacked as they hit the stone floor.
"You felt the need to warn him, instead of just shooting him in the back?" Friday asked curiously.
Eron scooped up the keys and went looking for the ones that would release Friday.
"I can't just shoot someone in the back," Eron replied.
"It would be dishonourable for you to do so?"
"I think so. I think that it would be going down to their level, and I can't bring myself to do that, even if shooting him in the back would have been more strategically sound. There," Eron said as he opened the shackles.
Friday moved her hands, and then her feet, massaging her wrists.
"Thanks," she said, and then used her atom manipulation to fix her clothes.
Abruptly, she collapsed. Eron caught her before she hit the ground and discovered that he hadn't stopped Eron before he's already sucked some blood out. He gave her forehead a kiss as he settled her into his arms to carry her out.
"I think you Lord for your protection over Friday," he said softly.
He got to his feet and began the trek home.
**********
Some hours later, Eron looked over Friday, lying in the bed in the infirmary.
"She's lost a fair bit of blood, but I think she'll be fine."
"He didn't vamp her or anything?"
"Doesn't appear to have. She'll probably be better for a good night's sleep."
Eron nodded, taking the hint. He kissed Friday's cheek.
"See you in the morning," he promised her.
On that, he stood and departed.
**********
Eron Hart XIV looked up from his chair when his son walked through the front door.
"How is she?" he asked him.
"Dylan bit her, but they don't think she got turned," Eron XV replied. "They think she'll be fine in the morning."
"That's good," his father paused, and stood and held out his hand. "Congratulations."
"Congratulations?" Eron repeated. "For what?"
"You're a paladin now."
Eron stared at his father.
"But I... I can't be... I haven't even graduated yet..."
Eron XIV grinned at him.
"My son, that is man's requirement of you, not God's. Man's requirement was put there to prevent the new and eager from thinking they knew God's Will for their lives," he said, and put his hand on his son's shoulder.
"But... the ceremony... how can I be a paladin if I haven't even taken the vows?"
"Well, you must have done," Eron XIV grinned at him. "Otherwise you wouldn't be a paladin now. Come now, Eron, you can't tell me that you haven't from time to time 'practiced' taking the vows?"
Eron XV had the grace to flush. Eron XIV's grin broadened.
"The ceremony is also for man's sake. Becoming a paladin is between you and God, not you and man. The abilities of the paladin are God-ordained, not man-given. Welcome to the Paladins of the Outer Circle."
Eron XV was silent for a moment, then gave a sharp nod.
"Thank you, Dad."