Welcome, readers, to my very first Blade fic! As a devoted fan of Norman Reedus, this fic is definitely about Scud more than anything so if you hate Scud (for some reason I cannot comprehend!) or hate when people veer from the movie's original plot (why are you reading fanfiction, again?) then this story is not for you so please don't be hateful in the reviews because I warned you.

I do not own anything. All characters (with the exception of my original characters) within belong to the writers, producers, actors that portray them, etc. I am getting nothing out of writing this except for the satisfaction of freeing these words from my mind onto...screen.

XXHaveATokeOfTheSmokeXX

What the hell, people? No respect!

Someone had cut power to the radio right in the middle of the guitar solo in Stairway to Heaven and it really pissed off the mechanical genius who was currently hanging upside down in the rigging he'd contrived to fix that dang skyroof Blade had insisted on having. It WAS a good idea though, open it and sunlight would flood the warehouse, bye bye suckheads.

"B, that ain't cool, man!" he hollered as he let himself slide down from the ceiling, at the last minute he flipped himself upright and hung there in the rigging with an accusing look on his face. "What's in the bag?"

Blade didn't even acknowledge Scud's complaining and just as easily ignored his question as he walked right past and into the holding room. Scud rolled his eyes, unclipped from the ropes, and followed.

Blade laid down the large body bag and unzipped it without any flourish at all, Scud was leaning on the doorpost to the room lighting up a joint, but watching with interest. His eyes widened when the bag parted to reveal the pale face of a young woman, but he immediate recognized her as a vampire, it was easy to tell when you're around them a lot. Scud shook that thought from his head with a shiver and stepped forward.

"B, I mean, I know you're half vamp and all but...can't you just get a normal girlfriend for once?" he teased as he stood next to the knocked out vampire in the body bag...at least he assumed she was knocked out.

"Captured her," Blade said simply, "Didn't recognize the glyphs. Must be a new group coming to settle here."

"Oh, joy, new neighbors," Scud teased as he leaned over for a closer look. "You sure gave them a warm welcome, I see."

"Shut up, shitbrick," Whistler's voice made the hair on the back of Scud's neck bristle but he hid it well, suave and calm as ever...because that's what it took to work an inside job. "It's a bad idea, Blade. I've seen some bad ideas in my day too, but this one is beyond fucking ridiculous."

Scud kept quiet and took a long hit from the joint between his lips as he studied the vampire in the bag. He eyed the glyph on the left side of her jaw and rubbed his bottom lip absentmindedly, a habit he picked up since he'd been given a glyph tat of his own, but it wasn't one he recognized. She was pretty, he mused quietly, her hair was a light brown color and her eyelashes were long, her lips were soft looking and pale pink and...smiling?

Funny how the moment he noticed this and leaned down a little closer to investigate those lips twisted into a wicked smile and Scud found himself being held firmly against her by her arm around his neck, using him as a shield. Blade and Whistler were both pointing weapons at them and Scud felt a jolt of panic when he realized her arm was so tight around his neck that he couldn't breathe and he began to try and wiggle out of her grasp.

"Put down your weapons," his captor hissed behind his ear, "Or I'll break his neck! It wouldn't be very hard at all, like breaking a toothpick."

Scud sucked in a breath as she shifted her arm to turn his head slightly, putting an uncomfortable pressure on the vertebrae in his neck.

"B, W, guys, c'mon," Scud yelped, "Maybe you should try and talk this over."

"Go ahead and kill the little fucker," Whistler challenged and Scud narrowed his eyes at him. If I make it out of this alive, I'm gonna knock your teeth out someday, old man.

Scud felt the arm on his neck relax slightly and he was able to both breathe and turn his head back to the front.

"You don't even care what I do to him?" the vampire asked, sounding disgusted, "You humans...all of you, what a worthless species."

Scud wanted SO badly to say something sarcastic but he assumed it should probably wait until he was out of her grip.

"Do I look human to you?" Blade asked darkly, his eyes flashed and Scud felt his captor stiffen.

"You...you're...you're the Daywalker," she whispered in disbelief. Scud felt himself pushed forward roughly and he stumbled into Whistler then quickly moved away, brushing himself off as if the old man's annoyingness was catching.

"Shit," he muttered, rubbing his neck where she'd held him. There was probably gonna be a bruise there.

Blade was gently moving towards the vampire who had now backed away and was looking much less aggressive than she did fearful. Her golden eyes were wide as she stared at him and Scud wanted to laugh at her obvious discomfort. Bitch.

"Yeah, that's what they call me," Blade said calmly, still advancing toward the now frightened vampire chick. "Do you know why I brought you here?"

"No," the vampire replied angrily, "I don't even know where here is!"

"You're in the real world now," Blade stated matter-of-factly, "I brought you here."

Suddenly the vampire ran out of room to back up and she bared her fangs with a frightening hiss that made Scud jump a little bit and side-step to put Whistler in front of him. She moved like lightning as she made a run for the door but Blade had obviously been prepared for her to bolt and he turned easily. aimed, and shot her with a tranquilizer, bringing her down.

"Tie her up," he said calmly, reloading the tranq gun. Scud stepped aside while Whistler caught the rope Blade tossed him and began tying her arms and legs tightly to prevent her escape.

"Yo, B, what did you bring her here for?" Scud asked, chewing absentmindedly on the joint in his mouth. Blade and Whistler tied the vamp up where Whistler himself had been tied not long ago.

"She could be a tremendous asset," Blade said without any further explanation as the vampire began to move slightly at the tranquilizer wore off. That tranq was enough to kill a human being, Scud noticed, but it had barely kept her at bay for five minutes.

They all stood around watching as the vamp slowly came back to reality and as soon as she did, her eyes flew to Scud and he hissed angrily at him, making him take a nervous step back. She smiled a mean smile at him before focusing on Blade.

"What's your game, Daywalker?" she asked, her voice dripping with hate. "Why have you brought me up here?"

"What do you know of the world up here?" Blade asked easily and Scud noticed the vamp's anger falter as she considered the question, "You've been told stories your whole life, trained to kill without question, but what do you REALLY know?"

"I know that you're our enemy," she hissed back, but Scud thought maybe there was a bit less venom in her tone. "And I know humans are our enemy as well."

"You know nothing of humans," Blade said, almost sounding...sorry. "All you know is what you've been told by your trainers, by your own kind. Have you ever met a human?"

The vampire was glaring up at Blade but then she lowered her gaze and shook her head slightly.

"I want to give you a chance," Blade continued, and he opened the windows of the room to let the moonlight flood in, "You have tonight to decide if you will take my offer. If you accept it, I'll let you out of here before the sun rises, but if you choose not to take my offer this whole room will flood with sunlight and I will feel no regret in letting you burn to a crisp."

With that, the discussion was over and Scud backed out of the room to allow Blade and Whistler to exit. He glanced back at the bound vampire with interest. He had no idea what was going on but this was definitely a time to keep his eyes and ears open for anything he would need to report to Damaskinos. That thought sent a jolt of regret through him and he chewed his thumb as he glanced at Blade. The man had saved his life, treated him right, let him be himself and use his talents. It wasn't that he disliked Blade or that he wanted to hurt him...but he knew with Damaskinos' new breed of vampire being created at this very moment his best chance at remaining alive was to be a pet instead of a rebel.

Suddenly, Blade turned around and Scud almost ran right into him.

"Be listening for her," he said as Whistler handed him his serum injection. Reminds me of a heroin addict. "If she decides to talk, come and get me. If not...let her burn."

Scud and Whistler both nodded in agreement as Blade took his leave and headed to his room.

"So...what is B's deal with this vamp chick?" Scud asked as he scuffed out the butt of his joint on the cement floor.

"I don't know," Whistler replied honestly, "But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Scud gave the old man a grin, putting on his best happy stoner attitude, and went back to his rigging to finish working on the roof. He'd keep his head down and stay quiet, that's what he was good at, and he would find out the answer eventually. Hell, Blade would probably just tell him soon enough.

XXHaveATokeOfTheSmokeXX

"HEY! IS ANYONE OUT THERE!?" Scud lifted the welding mask up and squinted down from the ceiling, it took him a moment before he remembered the vampire in the lockup room. Sighing, he lowered himself down to the floor and unclipped from the harness again and walked to the metal door across the warehouse.

"Yeah, what do you want?" he called out, leaning on the door and crossing his arms.

"I don't want to talk to you," came the hostile reply, "I'll speak to no one but the Daywalker."

"Whatever, babe," Scud couldn't really care less, "I'll go get him."

He knocked on Blade's bedroom door a few minutes later.

"Yo, B, your vamp is asking for you," he said when Blade opened the door.

"Good," was all Blade said before he brushed past Scud and headed to the holding room. Scud followed on his heels quietly, his curiosity suddenly flared up.

"Stay out here," Blade ordered when he opened the door, blocking Scud from entering behind him.

"You're the boss, B," Scud replied with a sloppy two finger salute as he stepped back. He leaned against the wall and waited patiently for Blade to come out and lit up a joint in the meantime.

After a very large amount of time the door opened and Blade came out with the vampire in tow, her head was hung and she didn't even acknowledge Scud's presence as they passed. Scud shrugged and followed along behind them into the "living room" area, which was simply a couch in the middle of the warehouse with a tv in front of it. Blade sat the vamp down on the couch and she kept her head hung.

"Scud," Blade said quietly, making Scud look up in surprise at being addressed, "I'm making it your job to show her the ropes."

"Whoa, B," Scud put his hands up and laughed nervously, "I hardly think I'm qualified to babysit a vampire."

"She won't hurt you," Blade said simply, "You will show her what we do here, tell her anything she wishes to know, and watch out for her."

"I..." Scud was about to argue, but instead he shrugged, "Whatever you say, B. But I have no idea what's going on here."

"She'll tell you soon enough," Blade assured him, "We've had a long talk and I've told her you can be trusted."

That statement made Scud rub his bottom lip nervously. Blade trusted him...shit, why did this have to be so damn complicated?!

"But," Blade continued seriously, threateningly, "You will keep your hands, mouth and everything else off of her, do you understand me?"

"Got it," Scud replied with a nod, "I've learned my lesson about that."

Blade nodded.

"Alright then," he said as he began to walk towards his room, "She's your responsibility now."

Scud watched him go in confusion, not knowing what the hell he'd just been thrown into. He looked nervously back over at the vampire who was still sitting on the couch with her hands clasped on her knees. Scud chewed his thumb nervously and then slowly, carefully started to walk in a large arc around the front of her, looking her over.

"So..." he ventured to say, she finally looked up at him with those unsettling golden eyes. "I, uh, I'm Josh...but everyone calls me Scud."

"Lea," came the quiet reply, barely above a whisper. It was a start.

"Lea," Scud repeated, slowly making his way closer. "So, Lea, um...welcome aboard."

And that remark earned him a tiny, yet genuine smile. Progress. A little at a time. Towards what goal, Scud had no idea, but hopefully she would be able to shine some light on the situation.

XXHaveATokeOfTheSmokeXX

So, this is my start. I have a plot in mind and I hope you all give it a chance! Let me know what you think of it so far :)