Disclaimer: I am not Mercedes Lackey and while I like to think that I can do her justice, yeah. She's so much better than me! I'm just playing in her world. I do own Sabrina, Erika and the various people that you don't recognize. Please don't steal them!

AN: Okay. This is a little out there. It's a cross over with Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, although I don't use any of the BtVS characters. I'm just using the ideas that the wonderful Josh Whedon created.

Chapter 1.

Sabrina

Sabrina ran down the dark street, her red hair flying over her shoulders as she darted around parked cars. She quickly glanced over her shoulder as the sound of running feet began to move closer. She grinned quickly as she turned into an alley behind an office building and quickly caught her breath while waiting for her attacker to arrive. She pulled a wooden stake from her boot and stood in a defensive position.

The vampire growled as he turned the corner and stopped in shock when he saw her waiting. She grinned. "Surprise! You see moron, you messed with the wrong girl. I'm Sabrina. The vampire slayer." As she finished her sentence, she quickly caught him with a roundhouse kick and ducked his right hook as retaliation.

The fight was short and intense. When it was done, he was nothing more than a pile of dust on the wet street. She smiled and prepared to leave when a bright light blinded her. She covered her eyes as she walked towards it. She heard a horse whinny just as she reached the light. She started to turn around to look for the horse, but tripped over a board and fell into the light.

When she regained consciousness, she looked up to see two pure white horses with blue eyes and a white deer with slender horns standing beside her. Okay…Where the hell am I?

Then she felt a voice inside of her head. :Child. You are going to be needed here. But forget who you were for now.: She felt a sensation a little bit like regret in her mind and then she blacked out again.

When Sabrina woke up, she had a slight headache but could not remember how she got into the meadow. She looked down to see if her dress was messed up, but luckily it was still fairly clean. I've been on the road for what…Two days now? I hope that I get to Haven soon, she thought.

Sighing, she got to her feet and looked around for her mule, but saw no sign of him. Gingerly, she touched the back of her head, looking for a lump. Frightened at her lack of memory, she sat back down in the clearing, trying to piece the puzzle together. Slowly, her memories began to return to her.

Sabrina was walking down the road, gently leading the recalcitrant mule. She sighed in her loneliness. Her mother had just passed away from a brain storm and her father had left them soon after she was born. With no money, she was forced to leave her small village by the Sorrows, to try to locate her aunt, Elish. She knew that her aunt lived in Haven, but beyond that, she had no clue on how to find her. So she had packed all the belongings that the mule could carry and began on her journey.

She was two days into her journey, when a snake had frightened the mule. It had taken off, with Sabrina running behind it and disappeared into the meadow. She had followed it, only to trip over a fallen branch and hit her head on a rock.

Sighing, Sabrina investigated her head with her fingers gently, surprised to find that there was no lump. She decided that she couldn't do anything, so the best thing that she could do was to walk to the nearest village and she if someone would help her out.

She walked for several marks on the road and finally arrived at a fairly large village. It was full of bright houses and even boosted a guard post. The people walking around the village seemed to be very content and it was evident they were not impoverished.

She walked into the village proper and looked around. It was bustling with activity. Realizing that she needed provisions, she walked up to the first inn she saw, The Companions Rest. She walked into the inn, looking for the innkeeper and noticing that it seemed to be in good repair. It was of middling size, with well kept tables and benches. In the far corner there was a good sized fireplace, perfect to hold a pot of porridge.

"Can I help you?" asked a female voice from behind.

She turned, startled. She studied the woman, who was sturdily built with rich auburn hair. "Yes, I'm looking for the innkeeper."

The woman studied Sabrina. "Well, you found her," she said in good humor. "I'm Erika."

"Hello, Erika. I'm Sabrina. I'm curious to see if you have any positions open. I'm traveling to Haven, but I've run out of supplies."

Erika looked at her, seemingly surprised at her bluntness. "What do you know how to do?"

Sabrina smiled. "Just about anything. Before my mother died, she owned a small inn. She couldn't afford to pay for help, so I was it. From the time I was a little, I helped her out."

Erika nodded, seemingly pleased. "Good. I do have a serving position open. It doesn't pay much, but you also get a small room and three meals a day."

Sabrina nodded in agreement. "That is more than fair. When do you want me to start?"

Erika tossed her a clean rag. "Right now, if you don't mind. My last serving girl left to follow a Bard on his journey and I've been short handed for several moons."

Sabrina laughed. "I understand." She turned and began to wipe down tables and clear off the few dirty dishes that were lying on them.

Sabrina worked diligently for half a mark when inn was suddenly inundated with a large group of people. She worked steadily; making sure all the customers got their food while it was still hot. A couple of times, she had be extra cautious and ignore the veiled offers for her services. But all of this, she did with a smile and all the customers seemed satisfied.

After the dinner rush was over with, she helped Erika clean up once again. "Wow," she said. "Is it normally that busy?" She looked over her shoulder as she carried the dishes back to the kitchen.

Erika smiled as she followed her. "Business has picked up the last couple of moons. It is really good to have help again. I noticed how you brushed off the more lecherous men. Very nicely done, childing."

Sabrina smiled. "Mama taught me well."

Erika smiled at her and gestured to the stairs. "You'll find a bathing room up there. Do you have any clothes?"

Sabrina shook her head slowly. "My mule ran off with everything that I own, so no."

Erika walked to a small cupboard under the stairs and pulled out some clothes. "Here," she said handing them to Sabrina. "These are some things that have been left here. You may have them."

Sabrina nodded shyly as she made her way up the stairs. She opened the door to the bathing room and looked around in shock. It was very modern, with a boiler to heat water in and an indoor water closet.

She quickly mixed the hot and cold water to the perfect temperature and sank into the hot water gratefully. The hot water got rid of her remaining aches and pains from her tumble in the woods and as her muscles relaxed, the faint headache that had been present also disappeared.

She lay in the tub until the water had cooled, then quickly dried off and put on the clean clothes. After she had dressed, she quickly cleaned up the room and deposited the wet towels and dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

She walked out of the room to find Erika waiting patiently for her. Erika looked at her cheeks, reddened from being scrubbed properly and realized how young she looked. "Childing? How old are you?"

Sabrina yawned, the long day catching up with her. "Fifteen. I'll be sixteen in a couple of moons."

"Do you know how to read, write and do your sums?" she asked.

Sabrina looked at her in surprise. "Of course. Mama was very strict about me learning all of that. She didn't want anyone to be able to pull the wool over my eyes, so she drilled me even after I got back from the Temple and the old priest's lessons."

Erika sighed in relief. "Great," she said as she turned and led Sabrina to a door. "Here is your room. It's yours for as long as you remain here."

Sabrina looked at Erika with a smile on her face. "Thank you so much. I promise to do my best."

"That's all I can ask for. You best get to bed. Morning starts before the sun comes up around here."

"Yes, ma'am," Sabrina said as she turned the doorknob. She walked into the small room, barely big enough to fit a bed, to find clean sheets on a comfortable straw filled mattress. There was a small fireplace on the opposite wall, an unexpected luxury. Smiling, she crawled into the bed after blowing out the candle and sank into the most comfortable sleep she'd had since her mother's death.

~M~L~M~L~M~L~M~L~M~L~M~L~M~L~M~L

AN: Okay guys. What'd ya think? Please read and review. I'd love to hear some feedback!