A/N: So I really should not be writing another fic, but this idea will not leave me alone at all. I promise I haven't forgotten about Until the Last Heartbeat or His Saving Grace.

Chapter One:

This was not how Henley expected her night to go.

All she desired was to kick off her shoes, grab the tub of peanut butter ice cream from her bare freezer, and settle on the couch with a nice glass of wine. Running after her damn dog was the last thing she had been planning to do.

"Come on boy," Henley called to the energetic german shepherd hell bent on chasing every squirrel in the park. "Come on Mooney! Time to go home, boy."

The overgrown pup, however, was enjoying himself far too much.

"Damn dog," she muttered under her breath, wrapping her arms around herself. "Come on boy, I'll get you a treat!"

The five-letter word did the trick as Moony came barging through the park, barreling to a stop with his tongue hanging out and tail wagging. Henley snorted as she scratched him behind his ears. He happily licked her hand, not having a care in the world. It wasn't difficult to make Moony happy. A few squirrels, a few scratches behind the ear, and you had his eternal love. A treat or two didn't hurt either.

"Come on boy, let's get home so mommy can have a treat too."

Reattaching his leash, Henley took the lead exiting the park, only for Moony to dash forward, eager to get home and to settle in his own comfy dog bed with his favourite bacon flavoured treat.

"Greedy mutt," Henley snickered, rolling her eyes as she quickened her pace to keep up with him. "Slow it down, Moony, I can't run that…Oh I'm sorry!"

She came to a sudden stop before crashing into a form, the poor teen she just barely caught out the corner of her eye as she tried to control the hurrying dog. She whistled to the dog, bringing him to a quick stop before taking a good look at the stranger she had nearly plowed into.

"I'm really sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was…" her apologetic smile was soon wiped from her lips. What she had nearly run into wasn't at all part of her night's plan.

The head of the teen snapped up, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She mentally cursed herself for not realizing it sooner. She was always warned when there was one roaming about, goose bumps rising on her arms. But it was cold out, and she had been distracted by Moony. All she had been thinking about was that ice cream and wine.

She hadn't been expecting to come across a ghost.

"Shit," she murmured under her breath. She didn't want to deal with this tonight. She didn't want to help another soul, or explain to them that they were dead. Maybe it was selfish, but Henley didn't care. She had a long exhausting day of having to help injured animals, and while she loved her job, she was tired. She just wanted to sit back and relax just for one night.

She didn't want to deal with a damn ghost.

"You can see me?" the boy questioned, his voice laced with a thick accent Henley couldn't place.

"Nope, not at all," she tried to hurriedly move around the ghost, only for him to suddenly appear a foot before her. She groaned inwardly at her bad luck. "Look, I'm sorry that you're dead but…"

"You can see me," it wasn't a question this time.

She didn't want to have this conversation. She didn't want to explain. She had gone through this routine on more than one occasion and she really did not need to do so again. Not tonight at least. Couldn't she have office hours for these sorts of things? Couldn't ghosts just figure out when she's had a bad day and just needed a breather? Where was her 'do not disturb' sign?

"I really don't want to do this," she tried moving around him again, only for him to once again appear before her. She was impressed, she had to admit. Most ghosts couldn't move as quickly as this one did, appearing and reappearing wherever he liked in only mere seconds. Most were slow with very low energy. In fact, as she peered closer, she realized he didn't appear at all like the normal, run of the mill ghosts did. Sure, they were not all Casper the friendly ghost style. Most of the time they were just transparent forms of their original selves. But this boy seemed much more real. If it wasn't the paleness and faded appearance, she wouldn't have assumed he was one of the dead at all.

"How is it that you can see me?" he wondered, his head tilting to the side as his stormy gaze raked over her curiously. "How is it that you can hear me?"

"I see dead people," Henley sighed, running her fingers through her ginger locks. "That sounds a bit too Sixth Sense for my liking, but hey, what can you do. Now if you'll excuse me…"

She didn't mean to walk through him. She hated touching spirits; it had always left her disoriented, or in the worst case, it gave her a nasty cold afterwards. They were cold, and clammy, and it was not the nicest feeling in the world. But as this ghost appeared a bit too close to her, she accidentally moved right through him. She shuddered the moment she was free from the ghost's form, trying to shake off the terrible feeling of death's clutches. She had never felt it so strongly before. She had never felt as if death himself was reaching out for her to yank her to the other side. It was terrifying.

"Don't ever do that!" she exclaimed, twisting around to face the confused ghost. He was staring down at his chest, making it obvious that he had never felt a living behind walk straight what was once a solid body. She wondered for a moment if he was fresh, if he had only just died. They were always the most confused; the most surprised that someone could see them.

They were also the most eager, and Henley really didn't want to deal with that that night.

"Yuck!" her nose scrunched up, her arms shaking as if she was trying to rid herself of the clammy cold feeling. "Y'all really need to learn not to do that."

"How is this possible? How can you see me?" he appeared before her as she hurriedly turned, hoping to get away from the pestering ghost. Her shoulders sagged when he stood in her path. She was getting fed up with this one already. "What are you?"

"I'm a very ticked off person, that's what I am," she glared at the boy. "Look kid, I'm sure you need to run off to mommy for some unfinished business or whatever, but I'm just not interested tonight."

"I can assure you I am no child," his frown deepened.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh well then, I'm so sorry. Have a good night."

He wouldn't leave her alone, however. He reached a hand out for her, as if trying to grab her, but his fingers instead brushed right through her arm.

"Seriously!" she jumped back, a growl sounded from her companion as he sensed the annoyance from his owner. "What did I just say? It's gross and creepy!"

"How can you see me?" he demanded, a sudden click sounded as two razor sharp incisors extended from his top gums.

Henley's eyes grew as wide as saucers as she drew another step back. She had never experienced this before. She had never experienced a supernatural spirit, and most definitely never a vampire before. She hadn't thought it was possible. Vampires were supposed to be soulless. They were supposed to be walking corpses. They weren't supposed to be floating around after their second death.

The universe was really throwing a boulder at her that night.

Realizing his mistake, the boy quickly retracted his fangs, his expression softening. "I apologize. I'm only curious as to how…"

"Oh I'm really not equipped to deal with this tonight," she shook her head and twisted on her heel. It would take an extra fifteen minutes, and she would likely freeze, but going all the way around the park seemed like a much better route. Moony had picked up on her frustration, and while he couldn't see the pestering form, he began a low bark at the empty air. Henley almost wanted to praise him, offering a few pats to his head for knowing her annoyance well.

"Please," he was once again before her. "I only wish to know how it is that a human can see me."

"I really don't want to deal with this right now," she shook her head. "I'm tired, and I'm cold, and I just want to go home and drink wine. Now can you please just leave me the hell alone."

"If you can see me then you can help me. You can give my child a message."

"Yeah I'm not giving anyone a message. I'm off duty. I'm out of the office. Sorry try again next time. Leave a message. Just no!" she was near ready to stomp her foot. She was a twenty four year old woman and she was moments away from acting like a common four year old. But she was just so tired. She hadn't been expecting this, not when she had tried so desperately to avoid the two spirits lounging in the waiting room this week. She just wished to be left alone, for a moment of peace and quiet, even just for a little tiny while. She wasn't asking for a lot. She knew she couldn't ignore these ghosts forever. But she had dealt with them for 17 years. She needed a break. She needed a vacation from it.

"You're the only one who can see me. You're the only one who can help me," he pleaded with her.

"I'm sorry and all, but I just can't. I'm tired of doing this. Can't you guys find someone else? Can't I just quit?" a headache was starting to form and she began rubbing the bridge of her nose to lessen the tension. "I just want one night. Is that so much to ask for? You all just keep popping up, demanding everything. I'm one person!"

She hadn't been expecting it to work. She hadn't been expecting this vampire ghost to disappear at all. But as she gazed around herself, she found she was utterly alone besides her growling dog.

"It's okay boy," she soothed him, scratching behind an ear as she peered one last time around them. "Come on, Moony, let's just get home."

The dog happily obliged, leading the way down their original intended path. Henley kept a close eye out for any spirits along the way, but they were thankfully able to make it to her small bungalow in peace. She had never felt more relieved in that moment as she hurried into the house and leaned against the locked front door. Moony was already in the kitchen, waiting impatiently by the cupboard where his treats were hidden, a whine emitting from the great german shepherd. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips as she chuckled and crossed into the kitchen to get them both a well-deserved treat.

She didn't give the ghost a second thought. She had dealt with enough ghosts since she was seven to not let a single one bother her too much. It had been difficult when she was younger, not understanding what she was seeing. But the older she became, the easier it was to not let the guilt and shame of not helping these spirits weigh on her. She didn't ask for this curse. She didn't ask to be the only who could hear or see these people. She wasn't responsible for them. She didn't have to help.

Of course, there was always a nagging voice at the back of her thoughts whenever she ignored the spirits, as if her conscious giving her a lecture. Pouring a glass of wine, however, helped Henley gladly ignore her conscious, even just for a little while.

"Nuh uh, boy, you already had your treat," Henley nudged the large puppy as he tried to knock the bowl of ice cream out of her hands. "It's my turn now."

She rolled her eyes at the whine that sounded from the dog, and moved out of the kitchen towards the living room. She had a whole week's worth of guilty pleasure television on the PVR and she was more than happy to waste away in front of the TV for the remainder of the night.

She was not, however, expecting company.

"Jesus mother of hell!' Henley jumped as she turned into the living room, only to discover the vampire ghost from earlier settled on her couch. "What the hell!"

He soon materialized before her and she cursed as she jumped again, only for her wine and bowl to crash to the ground. Moony happily licked up the dropped ice cream while the wine began soaking into the old wood floors. She just silently thanked god that she was too cheap for glass and instead had opted for the plastic wine glasses.

"Seriously?" she glared at the ghost. "Popping up in someone's ghost is not okay!"

"You're the only one who can help me," he insisted.

"Well here's a big shocker; not going to happen!"

"I have never met a being with such a gift before. You must…"

She cut him off right there, her frustration growing. "This is not some kind of gift and I don't have to do a damn thing. You just showed up in my house! There's no way I'm going to help you. This isn't my job."

"But you're gift…"

"This isn't a gift. This is a goddamn curse. Why can't y'all just get that and leave me alone!" a sudden breeze began in the room, but Henley ignored the impossibility of it. She was tired and angry and she had just had enough. "I had to die for this stupid ability and I don't want it. I don't want to help you into the light and I really don't want to have the embarrassing conversation of trying to tell your loved ones that I'm not a complete lunatic. Just leave. Me. Alone!"

He was gone before another word could be spoken, the mysterious breeze disappearing just as quickly as it had begun. A long sigh sounded from Henley's lips as she just stood there, her eyes closing as the exhaustion of the day set over her. Tears threatened to form but she rubbed them away. She had dealt with this her entire life; she wasn't going to break now because of a pestering vampire who had died one too many times.

"Hey boy," Moony's licks at her shaking hand pulled her back into her living room. Her eyes opened and gazed down at the dog staring up at her. If dog's could have expressions, she was certain he was staring at her in concern. She offered him a small smile, petting the top of his head before kneeling down and collecting the fallen dishes.

She was definitely going to need another glass of wine.