LbN: Prompt fill for JR-Boone. :)

Rachel walked through the cool night air, looking up at the New York lights. She hated it. Hated that NYADA had been so awful to her. Hated that her dream had quickly turned into a nightmare, and that everywhere she went in this godforsaken city, she was haunted by the memory of her.

She sighed and turned down a side street. She could still remember that night—the night Santana had gone missing.

"Guys, has anyone seen Santana?" Artie asked. "Brittany can't find her."

"I haven't seen her since we came down to the pool," Finn said. "She said she was going to chill in the room for a while."

"We should go look for her," Quinn said.

"I'll help," Rachel told her, climbing out of the pool.

They'd searched the hotel. Then the area around the hotel. Then the police had been called. They'd been on the news for a year and a day—grieving the disappearance of their friend. But the news had gone quiet. The country had gotten over its grief for them. No one cared anymore. But Rachel cared. And every day, she hoped she'd spot the other girl. When she went to work, the store... But she never did. She would never admit it, but it was why she hadn't gone back to Lima after dropping out of NYADA. She could get her degree anywhere now, but maybe…one day….

"Hey baby."

Rachel spun around. She took a firmer hold of the mace in her pocket and began to walk faster down the alley.

"What's the rush?" the man called. "Don't ignore me. Dangerous men out this time of night. Living all alone in this city isn't safe, baby girl…."

She screamed as he grabbed her, and tried to spray him.

He batted the canister away and pushed her into the wall. "These streets belong to us. The Darklings."

"Get off me, you freak!"

He covered her mouth, and smiled.

Her eyes went wide as she saw his fangs, glimmering slightly in the light of the liquor store's sign.

"Don't worry," he said. "It won't hurt. Much."

"I wouldn't, if I were you," another, female, voice said. "That one's under my protection."

Both Rachel and the man—the…thing—turned.

"Santana?" Rachel choked. She was dropped, and shivered on the ground as she tried to watch the fight that took place. The two figures moved in a blur. Rachel sat against the wall in shock as blood splattered onto the ground around her.

A howl went up finally, and Santana stood, trembling. The man's body lay broken next to her. She dropped to her knees.

"San—Santana?" Rachel crawled over to her, and reached out a hand.

"I'm fine," Santana said. She held a hand to her side.

"You're not."

"We need…to get off the streets," she panted. "Now."

"My apartment's close."

"ARGH!"

"Shhh…it's okay. It looks like it's closing," Rachel said as she finished wrapping the wound.

"It is. But not fast enough," Santana said. "I've lost too much blood. You need to leave."

"No, I'm not—"

"Rachel, this isn't a great time to be noble. If you didn't get it from the fucking fangs and fighting and rapidly closing wound, I'm a damn vampire."

"I…figured that out."

"Then you're dumber than Bella Swan. I'm controlling myself right now. That's not going to last much longer."

"What do you need?"

"What do you think?"

"If you—"

"No. I know what you're thinking, and no."

"Then I'll go get you…blood in the morning."

Santana struggled to pull something out of her pocket. "My credit card. Stay at a hotel tonight. Do NOT come back in here without at least a few gallons. Leave it by the door, and go out again. Understand?"

"Yes. I'll be back."

"Come here."

Rachel hesitated, then moved cautiously toward the older girl.

"Don't worry. I need to mark you."

"What?"

"So you don't have any more creatures of the night following you. Give me your hand."

"What—"

"Really don't have time for explanations, but I swear you won't die or turn into a vampire."

She held out her hand. Santana bit it.

"OW!"

"Shut up. It's just like giving blood. Now get out of here. And be careful. That mark won't work on regular old human assholes."

Rachel grabbed her purse and rushed out of the tiny apartment.

She spent a restless night in a Holiday Inn Express. At eight the next morning, she choked down so fruit from the continental breakfast, and went out.

The man running the register at the butcher's shop had asked so many questions, that finally Rachel had given up. "My friend is a vampire and she needs to eat. How much for five gallons?"

The man had chuckled nervously and sold it to her after calling her "one of them Twilight girls."

She'd left the bags just inside the door, and hurried out. She didn't go far, though. She paced the building, wondering just how long she needed to stay away. She went just down the road to the movie theater, and watched Dark Knight Rises twice and sat through half of the discount theater's Narnia marathon before deciding to check on Santana.

When she got in, all of the shades were drawn.

"Santana?"

"Look up."

"Ack!" Rachel yelled, jumping to one side. "Was that really necessary?"

Santana came down from the ceiling and smiled at her. "I guess not. Sorry. Thank you. I feel a lot better."

"Good, because you need to explain this to me before I go completely out of my mind," Rachel said weakly. "You disappear, we don't hear from you for nearly three years, and all of a sudden you pop back into my life as a vampire."

"Technically, I'm a Darkling."

"What's—"

"We're more powerful. We can control our urges better, which is why you're still alive. A regular vampire would've killed you in that alley."

"Well…thanks for not?"

Santana laughed.

"Are you…better now?" Rachel asked softly. "Or will I have to stay in a hotel again?"

"No, your bed is yours again. I'll buy you a new set of pillows tonight. I may have taken out my immense annoyance on them. I'll see you around."

"Wait!" Rachel said, louder than she intended. "You can't just leave. What…what happened to you?"

Santana sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I know you have questions, but…" she trailed off, sending a frustrated look at the wall. "How's your hand?"

"Fine," Rachel said, holding it up.

"The scars will fade in a few days, but other ones like us will be able to…er…smell me on you."

"Vampire equivalent of peeing on something?"

"Sort of. Sorry."

"If it keeps me from being eaten, I'm cool."

They stood in silence for a long moment.

"Stay with me?" Rachel asked quietly. "You can't just leave. It's daylight. Won't you fry up?"

"Not exactly, but the experience wouldn't be pleasant. I'll stay until tomorrow night. Then I have to go back."

"Back where?"

Santana was quiet.