Author's Note: Here's a Blood Ties oneshot. I'm curious to see if anyone can pick up on the double meaning Henry mentions in the story. This was fun to write and I am thinking on writing at least one more. ENJOY!

Henry could not believe how lucky he was.

He had been watching her any chance he could get and she never failed to arouse his interests. She wasn't like most women, she was brave and strong and stubborn as hell. She was sensual and beautiful and intelligent. She never reacted the way he expected her to and that fact alone pleased him like nothing else.

He took great pleasure in watching her mannerisms, reading between the lines of everything she ever said to him, looking underneath the underneath to get to the heart of the enigma of Vicki Nelson. He noticed everything she did, how her heart slowed slightly when he smiled, or her eyes would flare when a challenge was set before her. How her muscles moved beneath her close as she stalked their target, or the way her hair looked in the night.

He knew he was interested in her, and he also knew that she would not and could not resist him.

He moved from the shadows, his way of telling her he had arrived. Little does she know that he had been there for a half hour before making himself known.

"Vicki, I come bearing gifts." And he had, for he had brought her favorite meal, Chinese. He loved to watch her eat. Her eyes always glazed and fluttered closed, and if it was especially good that day, she would even moan in pleasure.

"Thanks, did you find any info on our target?" Ah, she was always so professional around him. He knew it was because she was nervous and intimidated by him.

"I did. It turns out he is a newborn vampire."

She frowned, "I thought you said that vampires can't live in the same territory?"

"I did and it's true."

"Then why is there a vampire here? Wouldn't he have known that this was your territory?"

His smile was feral as he answered her, "Sometimes, a vampire will challenge another's territory to see if they can win it over." He didn't expect her to catch the double meaning in his words.

"Do they usually win?"

He took a few steps closer to her, "Yes."

She didn't notice how close he was getting to her. His movements were too subtle to the human eye. By the time she noticed, it would be too late. "Shouldn't you be worried of losing your territory?"

This conversation was going exactly the way he wanted it to. "Not at all, Vicki, The trick is to let them get a taste of it, tease them if you will, and then take it all away before they can even wrap their head around anything. They'll be driven mad with want and it will distract them, making it all too easy to come up from behind and take them."

Her eyes became wary, "You sound as though you've done this before."

His eyes were dancing, "I have, but something tells me this will be the hardest challenge yet." He knew she was beginning to see the double meaning behind this conversation and he wanted her to know that it was intentional.

She smirked, "And if you lose?"

"I won't."

So what did you think? I've never written for Blood Ties so I apologize for any inconsistencies in Henry or Vicki's characters. I love criticism and I would love to hear any comments so don't hesitate to correct me if you notice anything wrong.