Chocolate Chip Shanshu: Seven
by Poison Pen
Every night he patrolled, watching and waiting. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but he was confident it wouldn’t be long before it found him.

Night after night there was nothing. Nothing of significance, anyway. A random vampire or two here and there, which were easy to identify and easy to avoid.

He felt like a coward, running from the things that went bump in the night, especially when he spent better than two centuries as one of them. Once upon a time he would have walked up to one or a dozen with a smirk and a snarl, and dusted the number without breaking a sweat. Now he was weak. He was prey. And though he worked out vigilantly, keeping his muscles and his senses strong, he knew even the most fledgling and awkward of demons posed a mortal threat. Without his preternatural strength, speed, and dexterity, he was . .

He was human.

His new, human body also fatigued easily. As a vampire he slept because he wanted to, most of the time, not because he needed to. Now, after only a few hours of walking the dark streets surrounding Nina’s neighborhood, he was drained. Hours before dawn his body forced him to bed, his muscles screaming, his bones filled with a dull ache.

Morning, and the necessary, but discouraging, job hunt always came too soon.

A week passed, and then another, and the time brought with it a dull, established routine. From eight to five he pounded the pavement looking for a decent job, giving himself an hour off for lunch at noon. At six, he had dinner with Nina. From seven to nine, he worked out and practiced Tae Chi. After his shower, he hit the streets again, looking for answers. Looking for a reason for being.

Sometimes they had sex before he left. But as the weeks graduated to a month, sex with Nina dwindled to a rare and obligatory occurrence.

He realized he was avoiding her.

When he came back at night, he slid into bed next to her slowly, often holding his breath, his muscles rigid, praying she wouldn’t wake up.

When he dreamed, he dreamed off Buffy. He spent his nights holding her, making love to her, fighting with her, pleading with her, begging, being accepted and rejected, and, through it all, feeling more alive than he did when he was awake.

He still lived for the night.

But morning always came, filling Nina’s cozy bedroom with golden light, and leaving him hollow.



This story archived at: The Slayer\'s Fanfic Archive
The Slayer\\\\\\\\'s FanFic Archive - http://www.slayerfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=6608