Alfred Jones didn't know what he did to deserve this.

Currently he stood under a tree in the pouring rain with a pout gracing his handsome face. After finding out what he was, yet another village banished him with the threat of death if he should ever return. At least they were reasonable; the last village he attempted to reside at almost chopped his head off. Luckily enough for him he was pretty fast.

Was his existence that much of a bother? Sure, he was a vampire, and he really shouldn't be surprised that people wanted him dead. They didn't trust him. They were convinced that he would suck them dry just like every other vampire in these parts. It frustrated him. How was he supposed to be the hero now?

He sighed and hugged his cloak closer to him as the cold wind bit into his pale skin. He sighed; there had to be a place around here somewhere where he could spend the night. He only needed to rest. He'd already fed, so that wasn't much of a problem. Yes, he was still thirsty seeing as deer blood didn't quite satisfy his needs. But it would do for now.

Alfred decided that if he was going to find somewhere to stay, he would have to find it sooner rather than later. He looked up at the sky and squinted as the cold droplets fell into his eyes. The rain didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon, so he had the choice of moving now and dealing with it, or standing here all night in the cold and feeling utterly miserable. He chose the former and once again hugged his cloak tighter to himself and pulled the hood over his head, then stepped out onto the dirt road and started to walk.

He grumbled to himself for a good chunk of his journey and he stopped and stared ahead. There, in the distance, was a light. And it wasn't just any light. From what he could tell, it was a light from a window. And a light from a window meant that someone lived there and this meant that he was saved.

Well... hopefully. If they don't turn him out. Alfred picked up his pace and eventually he was sprinting towards the source of light. As he approached he could see the looming figure of a large house. It was obviously a couple hundred years old and it probably belonged to some rich business man. Alfred didn't care though. He raised his hand and took hold of the large gargoyle-shaped knocker and knocked three times. Keeping the cloak close to him, he looked out for any signs of life. Nothing so far. The house was deadly silent and he was worried he was seeing things.

He raised his hand again to knock but the door opened a crack and a pair of blue eyes looked up at him.

"Yes?"

Alfred smiled at the boy and said, "Hey... sorry to bother you at this time, but... I'm looking for a place to stay...?"

Please, please, please take pity on me!

The boy looked unsure and he shifted on the spot nervously. Alfred bit his lip. He was going to say no, wasn't he? Fabulous...

However the boy shocked him. He eventually replied with: "I'll ask my br—the master of the house..." he stepped aside and let Alfred in.

The young vampire looked around in awe. This place was huge! Well... he knew that just from looking at it from the outside, but Jesus!

"What's your name?" Alfred asked kindly and the boy glanced up at him.

"Peter, sir."

"Peter? Well, thanks for being kind, Peter. I appreciate it!" Alfred beamed. His fangs were hidden; he knew better than to just have them on show.

Peter managed a small smile in return and said, "Stay here..." he disappeared quickly and quietly. Alfred nodded and looked around the huge area. The huge staircase in front of him loomed and cast a shadow over the rest of the area. Alfred looked to his right to see a few doors leading off to different rooms. He looked to the left and saw the same thing. He looked up the staircase, which separated on both sides to form individual steps, both leading to the east and west side of the house. Alfred looked up; a large chandelier was situated above him. He wondered how anyone could light the candles from that height.

He walked around a little to notice a few paintings on the walls. Even though he took a long, hard look at them, he didn't have a clue who they were. He noticed the name plaques and they told him their names, but he still didn't know who these people were supposed to be and why they were so important to have a painting of themselves. Were they perhaps past owners of this large accommodation? He didn't know.

"Hello, I see you've decided to take a look around."

Alfred jumped and let out a tiny squeak of surprise. Even with his super awesome haring, he didn't even know this man had been behind him the whole time. How long had he been there anyway? How long had he been standing in the shadows, waiting for Alfred to notice him?

The man himself wasn't that impressive, Alfred noticed. He was a little shorter than himself with a head of messy blond hair. Above his eyes sat massive eyebrows and Alfred had to force himself not to look at them. He looked pretty normal, except for the brightness of his eyes. They were a vivid green that could rival the most beautiful emeralds in the world. Alfred felt himself captivated. He had to force himself to look away. He forced himself to look at the man's attire. It looked rather expensive, which wasn't surprising seeing as he lived in a house such as this. His shoes were black and polished, his pants were black (Alfred couldn't place the material). The man wore a while shirt under his black vest and a jacket over the top to finish. Alfred wondered if this man had a top hat too, seeing as his voice had an English accent.

"So..." the man began and walked a little closer to his guest, "Which village exiled you this time?"

Alfred blinked, "E-excuse me? I-I don't know what you mean..."

"Oh come off it," the man sighed, "I sensed you the moment you walked through my door. Please tell me you can sense others of your kind?"

Oh...

That would explain why Alfred felt to drawn to him. When travelling around different villages, Alfred noted that whenever he spoke to the people, they could never look away from his eyes no matter how hard they tried. Alfred had never met another quite like himself, so he didn't really know what he was looking for in terms of sensing them. But now he knew.

"I've never met another... vampire before..." he said with a small smile. For some reason, this man made him nervous.

The man looked surprised, "How old are you?"

"Nineteen..."

He shook his head, "How old are you?"

"...A year old, sir." Alfred said with uncertainty.

This was the answer he was looking for. The man nodded, "I understand. Now then, Peter has informed me that you are in need of some shelter for the night."

Alfred nodded, "Yes, sir..." he didn't want to piss this man off. He could easily throw him back out into the rain, and he could easily kill him... and that was not something Alfred wanted to happen.

The man contemplated for a couple of moments before coming to a decision, "Very will. I have decided to allow you to stay here for this night, and for this night only."

Alfred gave the man the biggest smile he could muster and without thinking he engulfed the smaller in a huge embrace.

The man obviously didn't know what was happening and he pushed at Alfred, "G-get off me you git!"

Alfred released him and smiled, "Sorry... it's been a while since anyone has been nice to me."

The man huffed, "If you were a human you'd already be dead. Think yourself lucky."

Alfred nodded, "I do... I really do... thank you."

The man nodded and turned on his heel. He walked away and Alfred supposed he should follow him. He hurried behind him and continued to look around.

"Hey... what's your name?" he asked. The man looked over his shoulder and stopped suddenly, so suddenly that Alfred almost walked into him.

"Oh, how terribly rude of me! My name is Arthur Kirkland," the man stated and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you!" Alfred beamed and shook his hand, "I'm Alfred F. Jones, but you can just call me the hero!"

"The hero?" Arthur asked with a slightly amused expression and removed his hand.

"Mmhm!" Alfred grinned happily and took back his own hand. Arthur decided to humour him.

"Well, Mr. Hero, if you would like to continue following me, I shall show you where you'll be staying tonight."