Disclaimer: This is a story in the Blood Ties universe. LaCroix belongs to TriStar and Methos belongs to Rysher. All other characters are original and belong in the 'Blood Ties' universe, which was created by me and a few others.

I wrote this about six months ago. Then, I decided to get it out recently and polish it up. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks to Denise for beta-reading!

Side note: I'm actually the comedic writer of the Blood Ties universe. However, this is one of my serious stories...

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

by Ninjababe

"So, how was your vacation?" Lauren asked from where she lounged on Stephanie's bed.

"It was fun," Stephanie replied while sorting her luggage. After a pause, she added, "Well, mostly."

"What do you mean by 'mostly'?" Triona asked as she entered the room.

"Triona!" Stephanie exclaimed before running over and giving her sister a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. And don't dodge the question," Triona replied with a stern look.

"It was nothing, just a little unpleasant incident that happened one night. But, I took care of it," Stephanie said with a shrug of her shoulders before changing the subject. "So, anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing much," Lauren said as she rolled over so her head was hanging over the edge of the bed. "Tell us everything that happened. Was London really foggy?"

"It was. And rainy. And I had a blast. But, next time, I'm going in the winter. Most of the tourist stuff closed before sundown. But, I did have fun club hopping," Stephanie replied with a grin.

"Well, we'll hear more later. You probably need time to finish unpacking," Triona said as she pulled Lauren out of the room.

"Oh, thanks *so* much," Stephanie replied sarcastically, alternately glaring at her luggage and the backs of her retreating sisters.

A few weeks later, things had settled down again and everyone was back into their normal routine. LaCroix was off in New York on business, and Methos had gone off on his own again, muttering something about boy scouts.

It was a quiet evening at home for everyone else. That is, until Stephanie ran from the living room, grabbed her coat, and yelled, "Just remembered something I need to do!" She then disappeared. Sarah and Terese exchanged a look before shrugging. Just another normal night at home.

An hour later, a silver cylinder flew through the window, shattering the glass and the peace Sarah, Terese, Triona, and Lauren were enjoying.

"What the hell?" Sarah asked as the cylinder started to hiss gas into the air.

"Let's get out of here!" Triona yelled as she ran for the door. However, she and everyone else were unconscious a few seconds later.

=====

"Everyone all right?" Triona asked the other three.

Sarah, Terese, and Lauren all nodded in reply before looking around their cell. It was pretty obvious it was a cell, as it was made of four stone walls with a wooden door that had a grilled window.

Terese moved to get up when she noticed her ankle was shackled to the wall. "What the...?" It was soon apparent that all four women were shackled to the wall.

"Ah! The sleeping beauties awaken!" a male voice exclaimed.

Everyone glared at the red headed man who had entered the room.

"You won't get away with this," Sarah growled out.

The man laughed in reply.

"What do you want with us?" Triona asked calmly.

"I already have what I want with you. You're just the bait," the man grinned in reply before introducing himself, "My name is Charles."

"Bait? For what?" Lauren asked.

"The murdering bitch you live with, Stephanie," he spat out.

"Stephanie?" Terese asked, confused. "She's not a murderer."

"Tell that to Callista. My beautiful Callista. Stephanie killed her, with no provocation," Charles ground out before turning on his heel and slamming the cell door behind him. "We'll see how well she likes it when her loved ones show up dead," he added through the cell door's window.

The four looked at each other, wide-eyed.

=====

"I'm home!" Stephanie shouted as she entered the foyer of the mansion. "Hello?" she yelled when no one answered. "Okay... Since when are we playing hide and seek and no one told..." Her mutterings stopped mid-sentence when she saw the living room. "Oh shit."

She wandered around the room, the smell of gas teasing at her. That's when she saw the note pinned to the desk by a large knife. She pulled the knife out and read the note.

"Dear Stephanie,

I'm sure by now you've noticed that your home has been broken into. I now have in my possession your four friends. Call it retribution for what you did to me. But, don't worry, you should be receiving instructions on how to free them any day now.

Oh, and I wouldn't go to your master about this. I may just kill them all.

Ta-ta for now!

Charles"

"Who the hell is Charles?" Stephanie asked aloud.

"I don't know, but you really shouldn't have a party this bad and not clean up afterwards, Stephanie," a male voice replied.

Stephanie whirled, ready to attack, stopping as she realized the voice was Methos.

"Don't *do* that!" she exclaimed.

"What's with you? I shouldn't be able to sneak up on you. And how did the window get broken? And where is everyone else?" Methos asked, concerned.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some stuff to take care of. I'll tell the staff about the window," Stephanie replied before stomping out of the room, putting the crumpled note into one of her jeans pockets.

"What's going on, Stephanie?" Methos asked as he followed her into the hall.

"I'll take care of it," she  replied with a glare.

"What's on the piece of paper you put in your pocket?" he asked, not giving up.

"Methos, I don't want to talk about it!" she shouted.

"Fine then. I'll just call LaCroix. Maybe he'll know. He'll at least know where I can find Triona and the others," Methos replied, starting to stalk off.

"No! Wait," Stephanie exclaimed before sighing.

He stopped and turned. After watching Stephanie stare at the floor, knawing at her bottom lip for a minute, he sighed. "I'm waiting."

"I... I came home to the living room as you saw it with this note stuck to the desk by a knife," she replied as she handed the crumpled piece of paper to Methos.

He  uncrumpled it and read the note. "Who's Charles?"

"I don't know! I've never met anyone named Charles!" Stephanie exclaimed.

"Well, think damn it!" Methos roared in reply.

"There is no need to yell at me," she said icily.

He crumpled the paper again. "I have every reason to yell. Someone has kidnapped the others and you are the reason. So why did this happen? Who did you drain lately?"

Stephanie's eyes widened as she replied, "I can't believe you'd even think that."

"Believe it. So, who was it?" Methos ground out.

Stephanie ignored the question and walked by him towards the stairs.

"We're not finished!" he exclaimed as he grabbed her arm.

Wrenching her arm out of his grasp, she glared at him. "If you ever touch me again, I'll break your neck." Stephanie then became a blur and disappeared up the stairs.

=====

"We've got to get out of here," Sarah said, pulling at her ankle shackle.

"Yeah, but how? None of us have lockpicks. And none of us are strong enough to break them," Terese replied.

"Now, ladies, I should warn you I can hear every word you say. It's one of the advantages I received when my love made me a vampire. So, I'd stop with the escape plans," Charles stated from the door.

"Now what?" Lauren spat out.

"I need to send a message to Stephanie. I think you'll be a good messenger," Charles stated, grabbing Lauren and tearing the chain from the wall.

"Let me go!" Lauren screamed as she struggled.

"Now then, my dear, don't worry. This won't hurt... much," Charles said while he dragged Lauren from the room.

"Leave her alone!" Triona yelled as the door was slammed shut.

=====

Stephanie sat on the couch, staring off into space and wondering what would happen next. It had been a day since she had gotten the note, and no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find her sisters. She hadn't received word about what she had to do to free them from this 'Charles' person either.

That's when she heard the knock on the front door. She rushed across to the door and opened it to see Lauren's body. "LAUREN!" she screamed as she picked her sister up and took her into the living room.

Methos entered the room and sharply drew in his breath when he saw Lauren. "Is she...?"

"Her head's still attached if that's what you're wondering. She's been staked through the heart. And a note's attached to her sweater. How about I read the note, you get the stake out?" Stephanie replied, her voice frigid. She was still pissed from the day before.

Methos nodded and got to work while Stephanie read the note to herself.

"Dear Stephanie,

How do you like my gift? I know it isn't what you really wanted, but this is just the beginning.

Unless you come to the location I specify two hours before sunrise, I'll kill your other three friends. I think I'll turn them into vampires and let them burn in the sun. Or maybe I'll just behead them and stake them in the heart, like you did to Callista.

I do hope you'll see things my way. An eye for an eye and all that.

Remember, I'll call two hours before sunrise.

Charles"

"Lauren should wake up in a few minutes. What does this one say? Does it remind you of who you killed?" Methos asked.

Stephanie just handed him the note and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Methos exclaimed.

"To get ready," she replied before disappearing.

He stared at the note, then at the doorway Stephanie had left through.

Lauren groaned as she woke up a few moments later. "Methos?"

"Lauren! How do you feel?" Methos asked.

"I'm okay. What happened?"

"We found you on the front step with a stake through your heart and a note pinned to your clothes. Stephanie read the note then disappeared. What's going on?"

"I was going to ask you that. We were gassed. When we woke up, we were in some sort of cell, prisoner of a vampire named Charles. He started raving on how Stephanie is a murderous bitch. Then, later, he said I was going to be his messenger. Last thing I remember was him coming toward me with a stake," Lauren replied.

Methos handed her the two notes Charles had left for Stephanie and waited for her to read them.

"What did Stephanie have to say about this?" she asked.

"I don't know. We never got to that," he replied, a pained look on his face.

"What happened?"

"We had a disagreement," he replied.

Stephanie snorted from the doorway. "That's one way of stating it. How are you Lauren?"

"I'm fine. But what is going on?" Lauren asked.

"Well, I..." Stephanie was interrupted by the phone. She rushed over and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Stephanie?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Yes, this is she."

"This is Charles. How did you like my gift?"

"You bastard. Let them go!"

"Uh uh. I'll trade their lives for you."

"I'm going to kill you," Stephanie ground out.

Charles laughed. "Please child. We may both be vampires, but I am two hundred years older than you. And this time, you won't be able to surprise me like you did Callista. The only reason you were able to kill her was because you snuck up behind her like a coward."

"I don't know any Callista. I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Have you killed so many vampires lately that you don't even remember my love? Then it is a good thing I'm taking your life. I'll be doing the Enforcers a favor. Meet me at the warehouse on Fifth and Lawrence in Toronto as soon as possible if you want your friends to live to see morning."

Stephanie stared at the phone in her hand, thinking.

"Well?" Lauren asked.

"I'm to go to a warehouse in Toronto as soon as possible. Or he'll kill them," Stephanie replied.

"Then let's go," Methos stated, pulling Lauren up off the couch.

"You don't understand. I have to get there *now*. At vampire speed," Stephanie replied, still staring at the phone.

"Fine, we'll do that," Methos stated.

Stephanie looked up from the phone, startled. She knew Methos wasn't very comfortable with vampiric abilities. "All right. Whenever you're ready."

"Let me change my shirt and grab my sword," Lauren said before running from the room.

Soon, the three were on their way. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the warehouse Charles had specified. Stephanie went through the front door while Lauren and Methos snuck around to the back.

"Don't move," a male voice stated from the shadows.

Stephanie froze and watched as a red haired man stepped in front of her.

"So this is the murderess of  my master, Callista. You'll soon be joining her. But first, I want to know why you killed her."

"She was hunting humans in London, and being sloppy. It was getting noticed by mortals. I tried to warn her, but she wouldn't listen. Said I was too young to know what I was talking about. I had to stop her," Stephanie replied with a shake of her head. "Where are my friends?"

"As soon as you are dead, I will let them go," Charles replied. "Even though I should kill them. It is too bad that you never learned that they are nothing but food for us. You will not live to see tomorrow night."

"Promises, promises," Stephanie replied with a feral grin.

"You really think you can beat me? I have had two hundred years experience in comparison to your paltry few years," Charles replied, throwing his head back in laughter.

"Ah, but I know something you don't," Stephanie replied.

"And that is?"

"This!" Stephanie exclaimed as she kicked Charles in the knee with all her strength, causing him to stumble and fall to his knees. Not waiting for him to get up, she then kneed him in the face, sending him sprawling.

=====

Lauren quickly unlocked Sarah's shackle while Methos worked on Triona. Terese was working on her own, having gotten a set of lockpicks from Methos.

"Where's Stephanie?" Triona asked.

"Keeping Charles busy," Lauren replied.

"Did you find out who this Callista person is?" Terese asked.

"Stephanie has been quite uninformative," Methos replied as the five went down the hall toward the fight between Charles and Stephanie.

They stopped and stared at what they saw. Charles was rushing for Stephanie with a stake in his hand and screaming, "Die you bitch!"

Stephanie stepped out of the way at the last moment and calmly kicked him in the arm, sending the stake flying through the air. Charles growled and leaped for the younger vampire. She fell to the ground and kicked out with both legs, sending him through the air to hit the wall with a loud thud. Grabbing the stake from where her adversary had dropped it, Stephanie ran over to the dazed older vampire and rammed it into his chest.

"Stephanie, are you all right?" Sarah asked as she and her sisters ran over.

"I'm fine. Can I borrow someone's sword?" Stephanie asked in reply.

"Why? Isn't he dead enough?" Methos asked.

"Better safe than sorry," Stephanie replied with a cold stare.

Lauren handed her sword to Stephanie, who quickly decapitated the dead vampire.

Stephanie handed Lauren her sword back and told everyone, "I have to go. Dawn is coming. If I hurry, I can make it home before it arrives."

"Stephanie! Wait!" Triona yelled, but it was too late. Stephanie had already disappeared.

=====

After calling for the chauffeur to come pick them up, everyone speculated over what happened. An hour later, when the limo arrived, no one had any clearer idea than before.

The chauffeur brought protective clothing into the warehouse for Triona, then helped everyone into the limo.

A few hours after leaving the warehouse, everyone was home, safe and sound. And they all had questions to ask Stephanie when she reappeared.

Stephanie and entered the library an hour after sundown to find her sisters, Methos, and LaCroix, who had returned from New York, waiting for her.

"So glad you could finally join us, my dear," LaCroix said. "I've been regaled by tales of your adventures while I was gone. I wish to hear your version of events now."

"It started in London," Stephanie replied, staring off into space. "I was out club hopping, having a good time. While I was in the Nights Wing, a dance club, the owner, who is a vampire, came up to me to ask some questions. How long I had been in town, what was my business, stuff like that. It turned out that someone in the community was killing humans indiscriminately, and everyone assumed it was a new vampire. Well, I discovered who it was by chance. I caught her at it. Her name was Callista, a five hundred year old vampire, and not some fledgling like everyone though. She wouldn't listen when I tried to warn her that she was being careless, so I took care of the situation, then continued my vacation. End of story, or so I thought."

"So, her lover, this Charles, tracked you here, kidnapped your sisters, and used them to get to you," LaCroix stated.

"Yes," Stephanie nodded in reply. "He 'killed' Lauren and left her on the doorstop with a note. He called, and I followed his instructions. When I, Methos, and Lauren arrived at the warehouse, I kept Charles busy while Lauren and Methos freed the others. Then, I killed Charles."

"So, you're saying you killed a vampire who was killing humans, then killed her lover before he could kill you," Methos stated.

"Yes, it is," Stephanie replied coldly.

"I don't know if I should be angry at you or proud," LaCroix said, looking at his child pensively.

"Sir?" Terese asked.

"She kills a five hundred year old vampire and doesn't tell me, which means we were totally unprepared when Charles showed up for revenge. Yet, by killing Callista, she brought an end to a situation that could have risked the community. She also destroyed a two hundred year old vampire. Killing two vampires, both at least five times as older as her, is impressive," LaCroix replied.

"I had no idea that Callista had a lover. I thought the situation was taken care of. I told the local community what had happened, but I see from now on that I should tell you about every vampire I kill. Is that right?" Stephanie asked stiffly.

"We'll discuss this later," LaCroix replied, giving Stephanie a quelling look before shooing everyone but Methos out of the library.

"I'm proud of what you did, Stephanie," Triona said, giving Stephanie's arm a squeeze as the two left the study.

Stephanie smiled slightly in reply. "Thanks."

the end

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