city_limits Going One Better
The days might have got warmer, but the nights were still cold and impersonal, like a relative you see every other Christmas and avoid every Thanksgiving.

Thankfully, as a Chicago native, Kris knew the temperamental weather and dressed accordingly in a thick hoody, a warm pair of jeans and boots. She just hoped that George was not late, but would not put it past him to stand her up, altogether. He sounded panicked on the telephone.

She closed the doors of the gymnasium after herself and crossed the road, heading towards the lit basketball courts. There was no sign of another figure on the courts, there was still time and she was early, like always.

Kris let out a slow breath, watching the way in which it formed mist in front of her, indicating just how cold it was. She hunched up her shoulders and rocked on her heels, casting her eyes to her surroundings. "Come on," she muttered quietly. "I don't have all evening." Kris had plans which involved a patrol with her girls and had to swing home to grab her weapons, as she had left them at home, not wanting George to think she was there to hurt him when she just wanted to talk to him.

Hopefully, get everything sorted out. Hopefully.

Two hours... One hundred and twenty minutes. More than enough for a professional killer to prepare.

One had to appreciate just what a Slayer represented to the undead. For some, they were unheard of. For a few more, just mythical warriors, thought up to scare away their lesser counterparts. For many, Slayers were something to avoid; retribution for the sin of murder they so naturally enjoyed.

Then there were those like Katherine. Revenants who found themselves taking on the inverted path of the Slayer, itself; constantly on the search for the next bridge to cross - the hardest obstacle to smash. That neon sign on the approaching horizon, promising to end their days. Las Vegas had been one big search to find and take one down. Katherine was no blow hard; she had not only achieved that goal, but done so more than once. There was a reason why the legendary Angelus had told William the Bloody that his first Slayer kill was akin to an official blessing of joining the ranks of those considered deadly at their game.

The only way to go one better, was by repeating it as often as possible.

Close up, Kris Michaels looked almost exactly like Katherine remembered her. The same model-like good looks, mired only with the same grim look of determination, making her seem more like someone who would rip off a guys' balls, rather than pleasure him. To Katherine, she was more than just a target. Kris was a worthy adversary. Someone who had proven it through personal confrontation. This was not just somebody who talked a goof game. This was someone she had fought, up close and known the strength of.

This was the girl she was going to kill.

Katherine could tell this, because the rifle scope allowed her several degrees of magnification. One pull of the trigger and she could end it all. Kris would die by her hand. It would be over. But like most vampires, Katherine would not be satisfied by such a result. Pragmatism was one thing, but such was the curse of the hedonist. Simply ending the young woman's life would not be enough. Not after all this time. She needed a climax.

"Tell me something..." Finally emerging from the surrounding dark, Katherine dropped from the altitude of roof to land with the recoiled suspension of feet on the court's ground. "What's it like meeting me, again and knowing there's not a damned thing you can do about it?"

Because the bulky rifle might have been discarded where the vampiress had been observing her, but the handgun Katherine unveiled would make a very nasty mess of even a Slayer. The red pinpointing mark of laser playing over the younger brunette's chest for toying effect.

Kris' head turned at that all too familiar voice, a voice she had hoped never to hear again. She should have known better. Kris cursed the fact she had no weapon to hand, nothing wooden with a sharp tip in particular, but supposed her fists would have to do. The Slayer turned on her heel and came face to face with a vampire she had fought with on several occasions in the dry, dusty Nevada desert.

Katherine was not your regular, run of the mill vampire - she was sadistic and intelligent with it. It just made her more dangerous and someone to be wary of. Kris had and would have been, if she had any idea the woman was in town. There was something to be said for knowing when that was. Katherine seemed to go out of her way to make killing Slayers her personal crusade and the worst of it was that she managed to be quite successful. Kris knew this vampire well, had taken the time to learn her and she knew exactly what she was capable of.

She swallowed a little at the presence of a gun, knowing there was little she could do to stop a bullet. One well-aimed shot and her life could be over. As much as it sucked at this particular moment in time, Kris had no desire to die, especially at the hands of this vampire. "Where's George?" She asked, ignoring Katherine's taunting question and trying to figure a way out of this. Kris' chest rose and fell beneath that red mark, giving it a viable target beneath flesh and bone. "It was you behind the rumours, wasn't it?"

"Some," Katherine smiled. "I just added a little fuel to the fire... Training up your own little army? Man, you gotta' do that shit ninja-style! You go putting the word around and fuckers like me get wind of it. Think all those lions and tigers'd just let you go on safari? Hell, I could've fire-bombed that place with you still in it... But that just wouldn't be the same, y'know?"

Usually, one might get the impression Katherine was a 'full steam ahead and damn the torpedoes' type of vampire, but it was at times like these when her wits came into play. She had practically dismantled the Slayer's major Ace in the whole, by using the one adversary a Slayer tended to swear off hurting: Fellow human beings. Albeit, fairly paranoid ones.

Keeping the gun levelled, arm held straight out, there was no shaking. Katherine's grip was as sure and rigid as any spirit level. She was taking to a slowly-pacing circle around her quarry, keeping a safe distance. Not for the value of intimidation, but to check her opponent out for anything which might be considered a potential weapon. A Slayer's hands and feet were bad enough, but give one so much as a knife and things could get dangerous: You could have all the eternal life you could want, but getting stabbed in the eye would still render you blind. Katherine had no intention on testing whether her kind could heal from something like that.

"Your buddy's waiting to get labelled as a John Doe, as we speak. Poison. Don't worry, I made sure it was painful."

Kris' eyes followed Katherine's movements, looking for an opening to dive in and wrestle the gun out of the vampire's hands. "Fucking bitch," she muttered, voice thick with obvious disdain. "So, what's the plan? You gonna' kill me?" She shifted her weight, easing it onto the balls of her feet as she moved faster that way. "Never figured you'd use a gun. Always figured you'd try to take me down the old-fashioned way."

She took a slow breath and then turned with Katherine, beginning to mimic her movements so she was moving the same and finding the rhythm in it, it would help her figure out the perfect time to attack. "You scared to take me on in a fair fight, Katherine?" Maybe if she said the right things and riled her, then the vampire might react and give Kris a chance. "You know I should feel flattered that you cared enough to try and ruin me, but I can't say that's the first thing which springs to mind."

The Slayer's hands curled into fists and she rocked her weight, finding a pattern in the sounds Katherine feet made against the asphalt.

"I like the personal touch, Kris, but I ain't stupid... It's fun taking the Crocodile Dundee approach and all, but then someone turns up with a chainsaw. Stakes and fangs? It's just 'Rock/Paper/Scissors' with benefits. I like finding new ways to kick over the table and start a whole new board game."

Having measured the Hispanic warrior up and judging her less than a match, Katherine gestured with a wave of the gun at wrist, making the universal sign to turn the other way. "Hands behind your back. Lemme' put these on," the vampiress commanded, fishing out a pair of plastic cuffs. The modern kind used in battle and law enforcement, alike. A Slayer was capable of breaking them, but not without applying a good deal of strain. At least enough to give sufficient warning sign to pull a trigger. "Do it or I'm shooting your in the foot. Then the knee. Then some other place it won't kill ya'. We're going on a journey, you an' me."

Kris eyed the gun and did as she was told, turning on her heel to wait for the inevitable application of plastic around her wrists. She might be following Katherine's orders, but was not about to wait for the cuffs to go on before she made her move. She just needed Katherine close enough.

Kris waited until the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end before she shoved her elbow up sharply, meaning to knock into the arm holding the gun. Kris twisted at the waist and brought her hand up, closing it into a fist that she drove directly into Katherine's face.

Her next move was to grapple the wrist holding the gun, trying to twist it out of Katherine's grip.

A shot rang out, but not loudly. Katherine had come prepared and the silencer would not slow a round's velocity enough to prevent a kill. Just make it quiet enough to do what she needed without the authorities being called in. A part of her would have been disappointed if Kris had not tried anything, of course, but that made it no less annoying and expression creased into one of angered frustration, as the pair of them grappled for control. Even the laser was dangerous; one look directly into the lens and someone could potentially go blind. A to and fro scuffle was breaking and one in which Kris was gaining the upper hand; the barrel of the weapon was getting awfully close to her opponent's chin. Bullets might not be able to kill vampires, but giving one brain damage was a definite posibility.

If Katherine lost motor co-ordination, got paralysed or worse, it would buy Kris valuable time to-

CRACK.

Quite whether that was the sound of bone snapping or the nature of something hard meeting Katherine's steel base of booted heel, the vampiress had made a sharp move with foot, aiming either to break the Slayer's shin or stamp on her foot. It was difficult for any would-be casual on-looker to tell, such was the evening darkness, but in any case, was hoped as the ideal distraction to grab ahold of Kris, twist her around and hold her up against the nearby fence from behind.

It had hit her shin and was with such force that it almost crippled the Slayer; a hairline fracture already forming along the bone. That much, Kris was sure of. She grunted her way through the pain and attempted further escape from the vampire, as she was slammed up against the fence. The pain in her leg was hard to ignore, but Kris pushed through it and strained to slam the back of her head into Katherine's face.

She sure as hell wouldn't be as pretty as she was, once Kris was finished fighting for her freedom.

The gun had been dropped a few feet away, but that left the vampiress a hand free to grab a forearm, twisting it behind Kris' back, until the pain of dislocation would force her to comply. Skulls audibly knocked together and as dazed as it made her target, it also earned Kris a vicious yanking back of that long hair of hers, forcing head to remain arched back. If Katherine was bleeding, then it was out of Kris' peripheral vision. The elder brunette practically had her pinned against the honeycombed metal latticework.

The sound of shifting bone and muscle would tell Kris all she needed to know: Her throat was exposed and the predator had just grown fangs.

Fangs which had killed others, just like her.

"You know... How I said... We were going on a journey...?" Katherine reminded, pausing only to reinforce her grip on the one now struggling for dear life in her grasp. Only one of their hearts were beating and it was going strong. Loud. "I know one way... To make sure you'll... Do what you're told..."

Kris let out another grunt, refusing to scream or do anything else that would give Katherine the satisfaction of knowing she'd caused the Slayer pain. Her shoulder was screaming in agony and her shin could barely support her weight, she wouldn't be surprised if the bitch had broken the surface of her skin as well as fracturing her bone.

"Fuck you," she managed through gritted teeth, still struggling despite the fact she was trapped.

She recognised the sounds from behind her and a deep rooted sense of fear quickly overcame her, causing that heartbeat to jump until it was the only thing Kris could hear hammering in her ears. There was no way she was letting this vampire bite her let alone turn her but as it was she had very little choice, pinned the way she was and with her shoulder dislocated the way that it was, not that it stopped her from drawing up her good leg and forcing her foot down towards Katherine's.

Kris needed to get free, she needed to get away, she couldn't be turned, she couldn't.

A grunt of pain was heard from behind and Katherine swore aloud. That the vampiress had been exposed to pain, training herself to ride it out, for longer than Kris had been alive, did not mean it could not affect her. It hurt, but that only meant anger with a need for somewhere to go. In this case, twisting Kris' arm just that little bit closer to breaking point. A hiss of fangs close to ear. There could be little doubt of what was in store now. Katherine had spoken before that she was intrigued with the idea of turning herself a Slayer. Having one at her beck and call. Seeing what the change would do to them. Had even challenged Kris, once, to wager that fate.

Now was her chance to make it happen.

Only a fool would imagine Katherine would do something so idiotic as passing up this chance to drain her of that sweetest of elixirs. Kris Michaels was going to join the ranks of the undead. She was going to get fangs and show gratitude for Katherine choosing to make her the one.

She was going to treat her sadistic new teacher with all the respect a sire deserved...

"Say goodbye to free will, honey," the victorious Katherine gloated, reminding Kris of her impending fate with a savouring grin. "Now who's the bitch, huh?"

With that, the enforced arch of Kris Michael's neck was renewed, granting her nemesis the exposure of throat craved for years. Katherine Williams would be the one to do it... She was going to make the Slayer hers. Not even a second wasted, before sinking those fangs deep into waiting flesh. Had waited a long time for this... Now was the time for taking luxurious pleasure in murderous sin.

Kris continued to wrestle against Katherine's vice-like grip, trying to free herself, so that she could put some distance between herself and those fangs. "I'll kill you, myself," she promised in a growl which had nothing less than the full extent of Kris' anger. Her fight was valiant, but given the situation, there was no way she could have ripped free, not without taking an artery right along with her.

The worst thing imaginable had happened. Kris had allowed herself to be bitten and what was worst, she knew what was coming next.

She squeezed her eyes shut, continuing to try and pry herself free, feeling the warmth in her body seep away with every new pull of Katherine's mouth on her skin. After a while, it got harder to think, let alone pull air into already struggling lungs. Her legs were the first to give, buckling under the sway of blood loss and knocking against the fence. After that, everything else seemed to follow.

Kris gave one last attempt at fighting free, before unconsciousness welcomed her with open arms.

The struggle was some of the best part. so long as a victim was held secure, a large portion of what Katherine most enjoyed about the killing act, was not even exclusively the nutrition she would gain, but the sensation of the bite. Her bite upon an arching throat. That was why she preferred female victims or young males; they were always so much softer, tender and gave her that much more a feeling of empowerment.

This, though... It was second only to being able to do just the same thing with Rhiannon - and even then, only because of having more encounters. She had hunted down Kris in Nevada, but it was here she had finally secured victory and the vampiress aimed to enjoy every passing moment of it. the girl's heart was slowing, blood pressure lowering, but Katherine wanted more. She was literally owning Kris with a bite, drinking the Slayer in for all she was worth. Having to stop would come too soon. Even when the movements stopped, Katherine was reluctant to do likewise. It reminded her of the theory why so few slayers had been turned; it was almost impossible to force oneself to end it, once the feast had begun. It gave her kind a high, like nothing on Earth. Made her feel like she could take on a hundred more and then some.

But she needed to and, turning Kris Michael's slumped form around in arms to face her, it was time for the next phase. Kris was as good as dead. Katherine could end it now, sever her head and add a second Slayer's skull to match her other preserved trophy of bone.

Yet, she did not want that. Not right now. Not when she could make Kris her personal property. Not when she could make a legacy which would last. Shifting her hold on the girl, cradling head up to the light to get a better, more admiring look at her, it was time for Katherine to make her latest victory a little more permanent than most. She needed to hurry before death set in, but one thing was a certainty.

Kris would look good with her own pair of fangs...