Timeline: This piece is set before the events that transpire in Blade 2.

Pandemonium. The place was called Pandemonium and it sure as shit lived up to its name. The room around Scud pulsated with energy as hundreds of people swayed under the hypnotic trance of club music blasting from the sound system. Writhing bodies twisted and turned together in a flurry of dance fuelled by a potent cocktail of sounds, sex and booze.

Friday night at a club called Pandemonium promised to be nothing less than chaos.

The black strobe lights served to illuminate barely anything on the dance floor. Just a sea of people moving together like a gigantic wave gaining momentum before crashing violently down against the shore below. Scud navigated through the mass of bodies, trying to move through the wall of people with a lit cigarette in one hand and his drink in the other while firmly concentrating on dropping neither. So far it had been a failed venture. He was wearing more beer than he'd drunk. Still had his smoke through, so it wasn't a total loss. But it's not like he was here to drink anyway, he just needed to blend while he scoped the place out for B.

Blade had a hunch the new club was a vamp-run deal. A buffet for bloodsuckers to peruse potential merchandise before making their evening meal selection and feasting on the poor unsuspecting people who had come there to get drunk and get laid. All those bodies moving and grinding together like that in the dark made it a fucking meat market for the dead.

If this really was a fang-run club the dance floor would be running red with blood by morning. Clubs like that were popping up every day now. 'Blood Bank' was the name being thrown about the street. The club goers were sucked dry within weeks of either their money or their lives.

There was no way Blade could move about the place undetected. Every single vampire in the country knew who Blade was and what he did for kicks. That left Scud to handle the reconnaissance mission tonight. He'd gotten into the club easily enough – one flash of his baby blues and he'd been past the velvet rope and into the heart of Pandemonium.

There'd been a good reason Scud was happy to walk into this potential lion's den tonight. He wasn't here because he was a fighter. Scud was at the club tonight because he was a lover, and man was he looking for some loving. He figured that if this leach lead didn't pan out he might at least hook up with one of the lovely honey's dancing the night away.

His took another swig of his almost empty drink as his eyes scanned the club searching for any undead activity. So far, the night had been a complete bust. He had been in the place for two hours and despite the rumours Scud hadn't seen hide nor fang of anything even resembling a bloodsucker. Looked like B had been fed the wrong information this time.

Scud's phone vibrated from within his pocket signalling an incoming call. He shoved his cigarette between his lips and retrieved the cell, flipping it open without checking the caller ID. He didn't need to see who was calling. There was only one person who had that number. "What up B?" he answered, raising his voice to carry over the roar of music surrounding him.

"Checking in. You find anything yet?" Blade drawled.

Scud spun around on the spot and let his eyes wander over the beautiful people amassed on the dance floor. Still no sign of vampires. "Zip man. This place has zero activity tonight, you feel me?"

"You saying the intel was bad?"

"I'm saying the intel was bogus man." Scud took another drag from his cigarette, shaking his head to emphasise the point as he spoke. "The 411 on this place was wrong. Nada on the Nosferatu front."

The man on the other end of the line sighed heavily. "Fall back Scud. The Blood Bank must be somewhere else. Call it a night," he ordered.

The young man nodded his head, shaggy hair falling in his face with the action. "You're the boss B." Scud continued to scan the room while he spoke into the phone. A group on the dance floor caught his attention, distracting him from the conversation. 'Alright,' Scud thought. 'Maybe tonight's not gonna be a total bust after all.'

"Hello ladies," Scud purred into the phone, his eyes fixed on the group of three girls dancing together on the edge of the fray. He knew they weren't bloodsuckers the moment he laid eyes on them, but man, were they vamps. He'd been too enthralled watching the group of girls dancing together that he hadn't heard the last thing Blade had said to him. "Listen B, I gotta bounce." His head bobbed back and forth as his eyes followed the swaying hips of the closest dancer. "Duty calls man."

A dry chuckle answered him on the other end of the line. "I know what sort of duty's calling you. Be back by 0900 tomorrow. Oh and Scud," Blade added with a snigger. "Watch your back." With that parting piece of advice the line went dead. Scud closed the phone and slid it back into his pocket. Not that he was paying attention to what the hell he was doing. He was too busy watching the babes that could potentially be his own mini-harem for the night if he played his cards right.

The three definitely knew what they were doing on that dance floor. They moved together as if they had the place to themselves and weren't being pushed up against by every horny bastard in the room. These girls were exactly the type that some vampire would take a shine to; young, gorgeous, filled to the brim with good ol' USA DNA swirling through their veins.

Damn bloodsuckers didn't know what they were missing if they weren't using this place to find able bodies.

Even though the club was dimly lit, the strobe lights flickered in and out enough to illuminate the two brunettes and one blonde. The blonde moved with confidence and a self-satisfied smirk gracing her face. She knew every man in the room was watching the show she was putting on and she obviously savoured the attention. The first brunette had long wavy hair that trickled down her back. She held her blonde friend's hand as they danced, letting the music move her like she didn't have a care in the word. But despite how good the first two looked, it was the other brunette of the group that caught Scud's attention. She was different to her friends when she moved about the dance floor, both in appearance and presence.

While the first two wore tight, short dresses, the third girl wore a more reserved number that covered everything from her knees to her elbows but clung to her curves in all the right places. All Scud could see of her was her back. Not that it wasn't a great view; she had a killer ass tucked under that red dress. She didn't show as much skin as her friends, but that only made her all the more interesting to watch. The sway of her hips matched the thumping of the bass reverberating through the club. Her arms twirled above her head, elongating her body like a snake wrapping itself around a tree branch stretching upwards to heaven. Fuck, she was sexy as all hell without trying to be. A head of wild curls whipped around while she danced, obscuring her face from his view.

The more he watched the trio dance, the more he found his eyes drawn to the girl in the red dress. The way she moved completely overshadowed her friends. As appealing as a little three-on-one sounded, there was something about just her that spoke to him. She was casting a spell on that dance floor and Scud had been hit square in the chest with all the charms at her disposal.

Her two friends barely registered. She was the one he wanted to meet. Just her.

Screw trying to score with all three girls tonight. Scud's hand brushed over the scars littering his abdomen as he thought back to the last time he tried for a little group action.

He thought he'd hit the jackpot when he'd convinced those two girls to come back to his tent that fateful night. No sooner had they both started sliding down his body he'd already composed the 'Dear Penthouse' letter in his head. That night hadn't ended how he'd hoped it would. He thought it'd start with a little girl-on-girl and end with one of them sitting on his face while the other rode him like a horse in the Kentucky derby. His plans for the night in his tent had not included him fighting for his life while those bitches tried to make a happy meal out of his intestines.

But Blade had shown up, did his thing and that was all she wrote. Scud worked for the man himself now.

After nearly meeting his maker Scud was definitely done with the group scene. He'd learned his lesson with that failed attempt.

He smirked, watching the cutie with the corkscrew's bob and sway to the rhythm of the track playing. He had a thing for brunettes. And this one had an energy about her. A girl who moved like that would be a demon between the sheets.

The crowd shifted when the song changed and the girls were swallowed by the hungry mass of dancing patrons surrounding them. Scud craned his neck, trying to get a better view but it was no use. The brunette with the wild hair was long gone.

Shit, no vampires and no girl. This night totally sucked ass.

Scud made his way back to bar and signalled to the bartended with his empty beer bottle, motioning for another of the same. Might as well get trashed. He'd rather be back at the Batcave rocking a good buzz and chilling with the Powerpuff Girls right now than sipping on an overpriced beer, but he'd stick around just to catch another glimpse that brunette. Plus, he was burning through B's cash for the night. Wasn't like he was paying his own money for the experience.

His eyes raked over the people thrashing about on the dance floor, seeing humans and nothing else. He raised the still burning cigarette to his lips and inhaled, savouring the feel of the smoke invading his senses as his gaze lazily wandered across the heaving club. He'd make one more sweep of the area, finish his drink and still get back in time to catch some early morning toons and get his smoke on.

Fresh drink in hand, Scud turned back towards the dance floor to commence his final pass of the club and maybe catch another glimpse of the girl in the red dress. Before he could start his search something solid ran into his chest, knocking his beer right out of his hand and sending the bottle straight to the ground. He watched helplessly the alcohol was lost to the unforgiving floor of Pandemonium. Another fucking beer wasted in this goddamn place!

"Fuck, man! Watch where-" the complaint died on his lips when Scud looked down. Someone in a red dress that hid a lot of skin had run right into him. A mass of distinctive brunette curls waved before his face and he couldn't stop himself from leaning into her and inhaling the scent of her shampoo.

The dancing queen with the great ass he'd been watching before had run right into his open arms. Scud offered a silent thanks to whatever Gods up there were watching out for him tonight.

The force of the collision rocked the girl on her heels, threatening to throw her backwards and into the throng of people moving as if their lives depended on it. The panicked look that came over her face said she knew she was going to hit the ground and she was going to hit it hard. Shit, if she fell in here she'd get trampled. The dance floor would be running red with blood and it'd have nothing to do with vampires.

Scud was not going to let that happen. His arm shot out instinctively and wrapped around her small waist, drawing her hard against his chest. She collided against him with a soft thud, a strangled squeak escaping her lips at the impact.

"Thanks," she breathed, her face turning up to meet his.

"Shit," he swore, staring point-blank into the bluest eyes he had ever seen before in his life. Someone must have turned the A/C off in the club because it felt like the air surrounding them went up about 10 degrees the moment their eyes locked.

His arm tightened around her, drawing her further against his chest. "You ok?" he asked loudly over the noise of the revellers. He searched her face for any sign of discomfort or unease, but all he found was surprise.

He knew he shouldn't be holding on to her like she was some sort of life raft, but at that moment Scud had the insane thought that he might drown amongst the sea of people swirling around them if he didn't anchor himself to her. Plus, he didn't want some other guy trying to put he moves on her when he was working his magic. There was a reason he was Scud the Stud after all.

"I'm fine. You?" she answered, yelling against the music. Her voice had an edge to it, but considering where they were it was impossible not to yell without it.

"Can't complain," he grinned, unable to hide the cocky tone from his voice. He was holding the hottest babe in the place tight against his body and she was asking if he was alright? Fuck, he'd never been better! It was like all his Christmas' had come at goddamned once.

The small woman in his arms blew an errant curl away from her face and leant her body away from his. "That makes one of us," she sighed, her eyes refusing to meet his as she darted those blue orbs around the darkened room. "Would you mind?" she pointed towards the arm clamped around her waist.

Scud glanced down, realizing the position he had her in. He'd latched himself onto her like a fat kid with a candy bar. Just because he'd been watching her dance didn't mean she knew shit about him. Hell, all she knew right now was that some asshole had grabbed onto her and wasn't letting go. One look at this girl and he knew every red-blooded guy in the place would try and be all over her. All night she'd probably been dealing with bastards trying to feel her up. Scud was a lot of things, but he wasn't the sort of asshole to force a woman to do anything she didn't want to do. He was a lover not a fighter; that was his motto.

The vice-like grip he had on her middle loosened and he dropped his arm from her body, severing the contact between them. He shuffled backwards, giving her what small amount of space he could in a crowd that was packed in together like sardines in a can. "Hey…I'm sorry alright? I swear I'm not that sort of creep." Scud raised his now free hand and took a drag of his still-burning smoke, waiting for her reaction. God, he hoped he hadn't fucked it up already with that arm move.

She snickered, leaning her head closer and bridging the gap between them he had just created. "So what sort of creep are you then?" Her eyes sparkled with mirth as an amused smile overtook her face.

He dipped his head and chuckled. Man, this chick had balls. "I'll be whatever sort you want me to be Babe."

She shook her head, curls bouncing around her face like miniature slinkies. "Carol."

"WHAT?" He cupped his hand around his ear in a bid to help amplify the sound of her voice. The club was definitely too loud to try and hold a conversation.

"CAROL! My name's Carol, not Babe."

A/N: Thank you for giving this a shot (hopefully someone took a chance and read this). First off, I know, I KNOW, this is a crossover and I've uploaded it here, but I figured it was the best chance of someone stumbling over it here rather than in the Blade section. I wrote this in response to the USSCARYL prompt challenge 'AU Caryl with any of the different characters Norm had played over the years.' First I wrote a TBS Murphy/Carol piece which you can find in the crossover section here, but then I got inspired to try a Scud/Carol one too. I know it's different, but hopefully in a good way. There is another part coming, it's just taking me longer than anticipated to finish.