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Seductive Dreams	By : SelenityJade Category: Anita Blake > Crossovers > AB/BtVS Views: 2340 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Anita Blake series, nor BtVS. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Prologue
- 2-Chapter 1: Richard
- 1
- 2
Seductive Dreams

Disclaimer: Anita Blake doesn't belong to me and I am *so* using this against Laurell K. Hamilton's permission. This is more of a tribute to her series since I want a new book! Oh, and Buffy doesn't belong to me either.

By Selenity Jade (Jadesama@aol.com)
Notes: This is done as a challenge. A challenge to myself, because I had a craving for a Buffy/Anita crossover and couldn't find one I liked well enough! Also, it's written in the style of Anita's books, first person and all that. Since I've read the books like six times... I'm sure I'm getting it close at least. I also *never* write fanfiction about books, since it seems so wrong. I don't know what it is about it. I usually like writing in my OWN style, not someone else's... but I did it in this case.
Spoilers: Up to Cerulean Sins in the Anita World. Buffy, I'm not so sure yet.

Prologue

The man facing me over the top of my desk gave me the heebie-jeebies. It wasn't the evil willies, though. He didn't feel evil, really. He just made my skin crawl, but not in the way that lycanthropes did. Maybe it was the way he was staring at me…

"Nice scars."

I shrugged. What could I say? Thanks seemed wrong for such an odd opening phrase. Get out was a little rude, even for me. "What do you want, Mr. Finn?" That was sort of diplomatic. For me, it was poetic even.

He continued to stare at me a long moment.

"You've got a problem?" I finally asked, throwing politeness to the wind. Bert would have been so pissed off.

He then smiled, almost boyishly. It was unnerving as hell with his serious, almost cop-like eyes. "No, no problem, Ms. Blake."

"Why are you here, Mr. Finn?"

"I heard that you were very good with preternatural crimes, Ms. Blake." Ah. "I would like to… recruit your help."

"What sort of help, Mr. Finn?" I asked. Suspicious? Who, me? I wondered if he told Bert what he wanted. I doubted he gave specifics. Bert wouldn't like me traveling out of town on business that wouldn't be making him tons of money. And I knew that Mr. Riley Finn was not a local man.

"Help keeping the monsters from killing, Ms. Blake. I assure you that we will pay you well."

"The pay isn't what's erinering me. I want to know why you want me. To just advise on crimes? Do you work for the cops?"

He laughed, and that laugh matched his smile. Boyish, with a twinge of naiveté. It was creepy as hell. "No, Ms. Blake."

I sighed. I was getting irritated. He wasn't telling me anything useful, and I was close to telling him to get the hell out of my office if he didn't just tell me what the fuck he wanted. But I had to admit I was curious. There was something about him that nagged at me. "Look, Mr. Finn. Either tell me exactly what you need me for, or go find someone else. I'm tired of games."

He stopped laughing, watching me almost curiously, but with an intensity that unnerved me. It was if he was studying me, inside and out. Memorizing me. "I would like you to come with me to L.A. and help my organization. As an advisor, sometimes as a vampire executioner."

I raised an eyebrow. Organization? L.A.? "Organization."

"The Initiative."

Huh? "You'll have to be more specific, Mr. Finn."

He smiled, almost condescendingly. It was a smile normally reserved for the men that would underestimate me. I did not think this man was underestimating me. Curious. "I'm not surprised that you haven't heard of us. We are an underground branch of the government. We have been researching and conducting experiments on monsters since before vampires became legal."

I frowned. "Experiments?"

He nodded, his eyes careful, weighing. "Yes. We have created artificial demons, controlled vampires, and held all sorts of preternatural creatures in our facility. That was before Addison vs. Clark, of course. Now, we can no longer experiment as we did before. Vampires have rights now, and so do many of the other creatures we once had. Now, we simply wish to observe and prevent the monsters from hurting anyone."

I didn't believe it. There was something more to this story. "I see. How do I fit into this plan?"

He smiled charmingly. "We have been having a string of deaths recently. Vampire victims, but neither the police nor the Initiative have been successful in capturing the creature."

I vaguely remember something about random vampire-related deaths in Southern California, but I hadn't realized that they could have been related. Then again, I hadn't paid much attention to them. It wasn't my jurisdiction, and they appeared to be run of the mill accidents…

"I see. And you want my help."

He nodded. "Yes. We have heard you are one of the best vampire specialists and executioners in the country. We need the best. You and one other have been propositioned for this assignment."

Typical army confidence. This man was getting on my nerves. "One other?"

He nodded. "You wouldn't have heard of her. She isn't as… public as you. But she is good. You will see if you decide to come. The Initiative will pay for your flight and room, of course. As well as a substantial sum."

I was curious, I couldn't help it. A string of deaths that appeared to be normal, vampire-got-carried-away type accidents. Of course, with as many deaths as Mr. Finn seemed to imply there were, it had to be deliberate. "I can't just up and leave, Mr. Finn. I have responsibilities."

"I am authorized to pay you and your boss a large sum, one which will please your boss enough that he'd readily agree."

So, Mr. Finn judged Bert's greed correctly. Interesting. "He's not my boss anymore. He's more of a business manager. But that's not why I'm reluctant, Mr. Finn."

"Is this about your wereleopards, the werewolves, and the Master of St. Louis?"r gap gaped at him. I couldn't help it. I knew I appeared on too many damned newspapers, but no one outside of the circle knew about my tie to the wereleopards or the werewolves.

"Don't look so surprised, Ms. Blake. We researched you well."

"I see that," I said, and even to me, it sounded grumpy, suspicious.

"I apologize, Ms. Blake, but my superiors wouldn't go for recruiting unknowns. In any case, I am authorized to invite both the Master of St. Louis, and any others – lycanthropes or vampires – you care to include. I do understand that a trip to L.A. now would occur during a full moon, and I know that you prefer to be… available during that time."

I was still gaping at him. *How* had he gotten his information? Now I was moving from suspicious to paranoid, my hand itching for my gun. I was not at my best when frightened, and this was bordering on scary.

"You could call your master now, if you wish."

I finally settled for a glare. "How did you learn things that I haven't let anyone else know? How?" It was demanding, but I had to know. I had to know who had spilled, or who spyispying.

"I'm not at liberty to say, Ms. Blake. But my information is correct."

"I noticed." I chewed my lower lip slightly. "I can't just invite Jean-Claude down to L.A. with me, Mr. Finn. For one thing, the Master of the City there would object if Jean-Claude didn't go through the usual social niceties, as well as the local lycanthrope groups."

"We have their permission."

Now I was not just shocked, I was stunned. "Excuse me?"

"We have already spoken with the leaders of the local lycanthropes, Ms. Blake. They have agreed to your presence as long as you and yours are there for police business. The Master of the City has been… killed last week, and a new replacement hasn't yet arrived, or rose to the position, as far as we know."

I scowled at him. He was making this all too easy, and I didn't like it one bit. "I don't know," I said slowly. I didn't like this job, not at all. I didn't like that I was allowed to bring whoever I wanted, Jean-Claude included. It was… too easy.

"Please, Ms. Blake. We just want the killings to stop. If you and your master as well as your pard and pack could help us, we will accept that help eagerly."

"I'll have to ask Jean-Claude. He may say no."

"Call him now, if you wish. I can leave the room if you prefer."

I nodded. "Yes, please." See, diplomatic.

He nodded, and stood. He smiled that irritating boyish smile, and left the room. I sighed and picked up the phone on my desk, dialing the Circus of the Damned. I knew the number by heart, which is how far you can tell I've fallen. I didn't call straight to CircCircus, but rather the private number that dialed straight to Jean-Claude's private phone.

"Circus of the Damned." Jean-Claude's voice tickled my skin, so sensual, erotic. He'd have made millions doing phone sex.

"Jean-Claude, it's Anita."

"Ah, ma te, te, how good of you to call." His voice had lowered, whether unconsciously or not. Why was it that men always let their voice deepen when the women they lusted – or loved – after was present?

I sighed softly, dreading asking him. It wasn't that I didn't want him to go. He and I were a couple now. Boyfriend and girlfriend, although that still made me feel like I was back in junior high. I had given in to the fact that I loved him a little, and I wasn't going to be rid of him. Why fight harder than needed?

"I had an interesting visit, Jean-Claude."

"Interesting?" He gave it that questioning lilt, but I could feel his voice flow through my mind. He wasn't thinking of my visitor. He was thinking of me. It was flattering, but distracting as hell.

"Stop that." He was always such a pain in the ass. "I have been asked to L.A., and you have been invited, as well as any other lycanthrope or vampire we feel we need."

I could almost see slo slow, sensual blink that meant he was thinking. I had always thought he did it to draw attention to his glorious lashes, but now I knew better. It didn't make it any less sensual though. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," I said, and told him about Mr. Finn's request. All of it.

"Ma petite… I do not know what to say. I cannot just leave the city for an undetermined length of time."

"I know that, Jean-Claude. He was pretty insistent and accommodating to my… peculiarities. It makes me suspicious."

"Suspicious enough that you wish to do this little trip, non?" See? He knew me.

"Yeah."

He sighed softly, and even that sound made my lower stomach tighten. I was turning into a slave to my libido.t itt it wasn't all my fault. If I hadn't let the sexiest dead man I'd ever seen near me, this w hav have never happened. Some days, I hated him for it…

Others, I didn't regret a damned thing. It scared me just a little.

"You cannot go without some of the leopards or wolves, ma petite. The ardeur still drives you."

The reminder of the curse that I had inherited thanks to his vampire marks made me angry. I had fought so long, so hard, to keep some shred of my humanity. I fought with everything to keep *some*thing human inside of me, despite my powers and my growing lack of a conscious, and I had finally turned into one of the monsteor ror real. I fed off the living now.

And I hated it. Sometimes, I hated Jean-Claude for it too. But I had only to see his eyes when he spoke of my ardeur to glimpse his pain and self-loathing for me to forgive him for it.

Even though I now fed off of living beings, I still couldn't bring myself to give myself over completely to him. I had no moral ground to spit off, and yet I still clung to that one part of myself. Although my previous experience with the vampire who had fed off me might have something to do with it. I wanted my feelings to be my own, and I was scared that they wouldn't be soon. That they weren't now.

"Ma petite? What is wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied, pushing away the thoughts. They wouldn't help me now, and could only distract me. I needed to focus on the problem at hand. "What is your decision, Jean-Claude? Are you coming with me, or not?"

"I will come, ma petite. I can do no less. And if a Master is set up in Los Angeles while we are there, it is bestI amI am there with you. I do not know who will be put there, and some masters would destroy a lone servant in their territories, especially during their initial securing of their power base."

"Oh," I said. Some master vampires could sense the marks between another master and their servant. I didn't want to tango with another affronted master vampire.

"Asher will accompany us, of course. I would have liked him here to keep an eye on things, but…" He didn't finish. He didn't need to. Asher wouldn't appreciate being left out of it, alone again. And when he was alone, he tended to sulk and examine everything. By the time we returned to St. Louis, he might have convinced himself that we were better off without him, and leave.

I didn't want to lose him.

I was falling into the darkness faster than I had thought. From chaste to a woman with more men than I knew what to do with. I loved Asher, I really did. I loved Jean-Claude too. Two vampires had stolen my heart, not just one. I was twice damned.

"Of course."

"As well as Damian. I would not want you and he separated again."

I shivered. "Me either."

"Your leopards and Nimir-Raj as well." He hesitated a moment. "I will need Jason, of course. And I think we should tender an invitation to Richard."

"What?" I was shocked. I most certainly didn't want to invite Richard. Going to L.A. for who knew howg wig with an angry, jealous werewolf was not my idea of fun. I wished that I could fix everything for Richard, but there were reasons he and I are no longer together. And not all of them had to do with him being a werewolf. At least, not anymore.

"I only suggest this because he is our third, ma petite. We may need him."

"Jason can act as our third in his proxy, Jean-Claude. And Richard will not want to come."

"You do not know that."

I sighed. "Fine, you ask him. I'll tell Mr. Finn that I accept."

"Je t'aime, ma petite."

"I love you, too," I said, and hung up. I hugged myself, sighing. Why was it that every time I spoke with Jean-Claude, I seemed to want him more and more? It wasn't just sexually. That I could have handled. I didn't mind the lust.

It was the fact that I might need him in some way that scared the hell out of me.

I shook off the mood and stood up, walking to the door and opening it. I motioned Riley Finn back into my office, and shut the door behind him. "We'll go," I said. No preamble.

He smiled, pleased. "Thank you, Ms. Blake. If you and Buffy can't solve and stop this, no one can."

I didn't know who this Buffy was, alth heh her name didn't impress me much. Who named their kid Buffy? She had probably been a cheerleader in High School. She hadn't even had a chance. She was probably a blonde bimbo of some sort.

How fun.

~~~

AN: *sigh* I wrote this last year and I'm *very* nervous about writing something like this. So be nice, and it'll all be good.

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Seductive Dreams