Thomas sat at the outdoor cafe table engrossed in a book with reading light provided by both the moon and a few lights hooked up for customers who wished to enjoy their overpriced coffee with the night's breeze against their faces. Of course he didn't need the light, with his Auspex talents reading in the dark was mere child's play, but the strain of doing it naturally, of holding the book in a certain position to maximize the light that touched the pages, reminded him of everything he had lost. It was good to remember where you came from.

He almost didn't see the girl who sat down at his table, a dark haired young woman who looked to be in her early 20's. She was attractive in way of a girl you marry, the girl who you take home to meet your mother and plan to spend your life with. The bare skin that poked from her short sleeved t-shirt bore no marks from a tattoo needle and her soft brown hair almost fell down to her large brown eyes. Young Barbara Stanwyck Thomas thought to himself as she looked at him and smiled.

"I hope you don't mind me sitting down, you just looked kinda lonely and well I'm here by myself and heck it's better that two people find some company. The last thing this world needs is more one seat tables. I'm Alana." She had a nice smile.

"Thomas, pleasure to meet you." He returned the smile.

"Interesting book, 'Classic American Hauntings', oh now that is not a book you'd expect to see someone reading in a cafe like this. This place just gives off an Oprah's Book Club vibe, either that posers on their laptops working on the screenplay that will make them rich and famous. And I go to USC so I know all about posers writing screenplays in coffee shops." The young woman's attitude was infectious and Thomas found himself drawn to her energy almost despite his previous desires for a nice quiet night alone among the masses.

"Well my dear girl I would highly recommend 'Classic American Hauntings' to anyone looking for a good read about some of the great legends of this nation. Stories about strange lights on a rural Texas highway or a lovely woman who has spent over three hundred years waiting for her ship captain lover to return to their small Maine estate, watching the waves of the Atlantic each night waiting for him to keep his vow that he would love her until the end of time." There was a small tear forming in one of the girl's eyes and suddenly she began to laugh.

"Look at me, about to cry over a ghost story. I never got this way reading Twilight." She laughs some more to avoid tearing up.

"Ha Vampire stories are nothing more than metaphor. Dracula was Victorian reason and science defeating the old ways of superstition, most other vampire stories are pure sexual fantasy and Twilight is nothing more than a sexual morality tale. Same thing with other monster stories, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Mummy, those Romaro Zombie movies, all projections of our own human fears and desires. But ghosts, most people believe in the concept of a soul so it's more real to us than all that other fiction. Besides have you ever heard of anyone ever gathering around a campfire to tell stories about abstinent vampires?" He laughed, a honest to god laugh, the first he had in a long time. Alana smiles and stared deeply into his eyes.

"You know Thomas, you make me wish that I wasn't returning to LA in a couple of days. Lets get out of here, the place I am renting is just a block away."

They both got up from the table and walked out to the street. The building wasn't far away, an older three story full of apartments, the type of place full of young singles. Alana unlocked the front door of the building and led him up a set of stair to the second floor. At her apartment door she quickly slipped the key into the lock and seem to sprint inside when it opened, kicking off her shoes in the one bedroom apartment's short entrance way. Thomas followed, closing the door behind him as Alana walked around the boxes on the floor towards the bedroom.

"Sorry most of my stuff is already packed, I hope you didn't trip over any of the boxes." Thomas didn't reply, he simply pulled the girl to him and kissed her on the mouth. Ok haven't done this in awhile, hope it's like riding a bike. Alana broke their lip lock and moved her hands to her shirt pulling it over her head to expose her bra and bare skin. Thomas kissed her again and moved behind her pulling her to him. He began to slowly rub her shoulders. "Your hands are cold." She said almost breathlessly. Thomas stopped for a second. "Please don't stop, their strong. I like strong hand." He moved his hands lower down her body and his lips began to find her neck.

Still rubbing her with his hands, Thomas began the Kiss, inserting his fangs into Alana's soft neck and felt the rush of her blood enter his throat. She moaned in pleasure and Thomas tried to focus on her pulse rate amid her excitement, he didn't want to drain this beautiful and sweet young woman. As he felt her slowly become weaker he retracted his fangs and licked the wounds to clear the mark, before softly kissing Alana's neck again. She relaxed against him and for a second he was worried he had taken too much but she simply smiled at him.

"Damn Thomas, where did you learn to kiss a girl like that?" He winked at her before looking at his watch.

"It's late, already past one in the morning and don't you have to work tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry I don't want to kick you out but I am suddenly feeling really tired now, I guess the day finally caught up with me." She smiled at him, her eyes almost closed as she yawned. He turned away and walked out the apartment door. There is stopped for a split second and listen with his Auspex ability, hearing nothing from inside but what seemed to be the sound of a woman's soft snoring. Okay so she'd only 99% perfect he thought to himself as he walked out of the building.

Once on the street he began the walk back towards.... well anywhere still open at this time of the night. Yet something in the back of his mind caused him to slow and reach into the pocket of his jeans for his wallet. He found what he was looking for, a small white piece of paper barely bigger than one of his own business cards.

"If you ever finding yourself with true feelings towards anything, remember our calling. We stand as the guards between everything we care about and True Darkness. - Rachel"

Well Alana we will probably never meet again but you've given me something more important than your blood. Another reason to exist.