First Impressions

Sitting in my apartment, playing PS2, I glanced over at my girlfriend, Lia, who was sitting at the kitchen table studying. Going to college to be a psychologist was probably going to be a pretty boring job, but she wanted to do it, and as her boyfriend, I supported her fully. Often times, she would head over to my place to study, and since she had a key, there was always the known fact that I could either wake up, come home from work, or run to the store, and she'd be sitting at the table, books open, and studying away. I knew that it was something we both enjoyed because I loved having her over all the time. Most nights, I'd sit at the table and poke fun at her, by staring at her until she finally got tired of me doing that and would throw one of her books at me, or I'd kiss her on the forehead as she studied. We'd eat dinner, I'd do K.P. and she'd head straight back to the books.

But don't let that fool you, if you're thinking that my Lia is one of those girls who studies a lot and has no social life, I hate to be the one to disappoint you. Lia Watkins may be a serious know-it-all when it comes to studying, but catch the girl on one of her 'infamous' nights out, and she'll surprise you with how witty and zany she is and all the crazy jokes that she knows. She's more of a prankster than I am, actually, and that's what I love about her the most. We hooked up 'bout two years back, when I'd just gotten a new job, and she'd just broken up with this loser named Craig. Actually, it's more funny that way, most people who saw me back then considered me a loser, too.

Yeah, yeah. I know what you're thinking: Just couldn't wait to sink my fangs into sweet little Lia, right? Nope, wrong. Actually, Lia found me. At a Halloween party that was thrown by my cousin, in fact. And you know what? Even in her costume (she dressed up like Cleopatra), she was extraordinarily beautiful. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her. She was sitting with two other girls, and the three of them were just talking and laughing, having themselves a grand time. I had a really hard time tearing myself away from her, she just looked so great. Her personality was key, and she was easily the center of attention at the party. Numerous guys asked her to dance with them, and she actually did dance with a few. Where was I in all of this? I brought her a cup of punch. Well, what else did you expect me to do? I couldn't just approach her like that. And it's not even like I asked her, my cousin volunteered me by telling her that I'd bring her some.

Yeah, I guess I was a bit of a wuss back then, huh? Well, at least I got her the cup of punch she was promised. When I handed it to her, she smiled at me, stood up from the couch where she was sitting, and stepped directly up into my face. As we looked at each other, she gave me the cutest gaze, then she kissed me on my cheek and whispered: Thanks.

As I went back into the kitchen, my cousin and his girl were sitting at the table, so I kept right on going. On my way past them, he stopped kissing her for one second, just to ask me to take out the trash. All I could do was nod. I grabbed the garbage bag and went outside into the darkness to throw it in the trash. Just as I flipped the trash lid open and threw the bag in, I felt a hand grab my shoulder, and it hurt. I turned around, and standing there, was this thing. Even now, I can't even begin to tell you what it was. All I could tell you is the thing was big, hairy, mean as hell, and bloodthirsty. I looked at the this abominable creature and laughed.

"What are you laughing at, meat? I'm going to kill you, remember?" The thing thought that I was easy prey.

Easy? Prey?

Boy, was that the other way around.

As I smiled back, the thing broadswiped me with its huge paw, and jumped on me after I landed in the next door neighbor's flowerbed. Well. If it wanted to upset me, that was fine. If it wanted to kill me I'm afraid I just couldn't allow that to occur this evening. And now I'd have to prove it to my poor misinformed friend here. Not that it would upset me in the slightest, but taking his life would certainly hurt his feelings, as well as everything else. I really started to laugh as the thing ripped my shirt to shreds and was right about to probably rip my chest open too. Just as the paw swung down to hit me, I caught it with my right hand and just held it there.

Who was more surprised, the wolf or the sheep? Well, since I'm the wolf, I guess it was the sheep. The creature howled as I applied more and more pressure to the paw, right before I twisted it. Then I grabbed it by the head and shoved it away from me. As I rose up, the thing actually had the audacity to laugh. I mean, seriously. It laughed. Laughed. And at me, of all things. Was this thing stupid or what?

I stood up and started smiling while the thing nursed its paw. As it looked at me, a huge grin broke out and it didn't even try to hide its enjoyment. Had it realized the irony of the situation that it found itself in? We stood there, two opponents in a bitter stalemate. I wasn't going to attack it, and I think (honestly) that it was damned scared to attack me. Well? Gimme some freakin' action here! I stepped forward and smiled again. The creature glared at me, but didn't make a move.

"What are you?" It demanded. "Are you a vampire? A werewolf? Some type of hunter sent to rid the world of my kind? What are you?"

I folded my arms and stopped smiling. Hmmm. What am I? Well, there's always the fact that when I discover that myself, then I'll be sure to send everyone memos about it. Until then, you're just sht outta luck, I guess. But nice try anyway.

But I didn't say that. Instead, I said, "I don't know what I am. But you attacked me, and for that insult, I have to take you out of the equation."

I stepped forward again. Only this time, I was serious and dead on for fighting. The creature backed away from me. Was it scared? Could it tell that I was serious? I didn't care what was going on now. I took another step, and without warning, rushed the creature. Swinging my left fist, I was set to deliver a clean blow when all off a sudden, something discharged, and I found myself lying on the street, my back feeling like it was burning. And no wonder, as I sat up and looked for the unknown assailant, something glittered just out of my range of vision. What the hell? Did this thing have a partner?

Officially, this situation had just gotten out of hand. Officially.

I looked around again, my focus a little off, and saw someone stepping out of the shadows, coming towards me. Just as I started being able to focus straight again, I realized that this was a female walking towards me. She was smiling. I'd seen the face somewhere before, but where?

The minute she got to where I was sitting, she looked down at me, and it was then that I realized who I was looking at. Maybe she wanted some more punch to go with the one she'd just dished out to me.

Lea smiled as she leaned over to look into my eyes. Wait she wasn't dressed like Cleopatra anymore either. She was wearing a sort of black leather ensemble, and I have to admit the obvious, she looked dead azz gorgeous in it. I was impressed, and as I got up, I also realized that she was holding an impressive looking weapon in her hand. So that was what hit me? Now she really had my attention.

"So where's the big badazz I was just about to fight?" I rubbed my head, still a little buzzed from how hard I hit the ground.

"Right there. I nailed 'im good." Lia flashed a huge smile, and pointed to my left.

I looked over, and she was right. She'd shot the thing in the head. A good hit, too. Not only was half the thing's face gone, but it was definitely dead. Lia came a little closer to me and smiled again. She placed her hands on my head and looked at me in my eyes. Then she shoved me back and pulled her gun on me.

"Now that I've examined you, don't move a muscle or I'll do you like I did him." The expression on her face was unmistakable. She absolutely meant it.

"You'd shoot me? Again? After you almost killed me the first time?"

"Wasn't trying to kill you then. I was trying to stop your attack from interfering with my job. That's the truth." Placed her finger on the trigger.

"Well, ok. That makes things interesting." I looked up at the sky, and then it hit me. "Wait a minute your job?"

Lia flashed a very beautiful smile. "Yes. MY job. I'm under a Class B contract. Find any kind of creature that threatens humanity, and put it out of its misery. I'm pretty good at what I do, but there are others much better than I am. They're the ones who get the actual real jobs for dealing with nasties."

What? Does that mean that this meek, gentle young woman was capable of really being able to kick as much azz as humanly possible? This was great. As we looked at each other, I decided to let her in on a little secret. Besides, if she really pulled that trigger, she was bound to find out anyway. I cleared my throat.

"Hey, Lia? There's something I need you to know."

She looked at me, but didn't move her finger off the trigger. That was good, it meant that I had her full attention. I looked at her, smiled my sweetest grin, and on the inside, felt completely sorry for what I was about to do. If she was any good at this line of work, then she'd avoid my move and plant one on me again. There was only one way to see. And so, lights...cameras...

"Action!" I shouted, as I bounded away from her. I jumped onto the roof of someone's jeep, bounced off of it and over a fence. I heard Lia cursing as I went over. She was giving chase. I knew then that she was really serious about her job, and I didn't run that far. Instead, I quickly hid in a small enclosure and waited for her. With any luck, she was almost right where I wanted her to be. I just stood there in the shadows and waited. If she was farther than 10 feet away, then she wasn't very good at this job.

To my surprise, she showed up. Right behind me, with her gun in my back. I put my hands in the air and managed a faint smile. From her breathing, I could tell that she was either really outta shape or she was seriously pissed off. I waited for her to talk.

"What the HELL did you do that for? I wasn't going to SHOOT you jackazz!" Yeah, she was pissed.

Well then, here goes. I smiled and got ready for my finale. Since her gun was jammed into my back, I had to account for any misfires or things of that sort. I didn't want to end up killing her, just showing her what it was that she was truly up against. I'd make it up to her, if there was any way that I could. With that, I decided that she was ready to see the show. I coughed.

"Umm, Lia?"

"What? What the hell is it now? Gonna run again, dummy?" Damn. She's still pissed. Ok, then. Now or never...

I used every ounce of speed in my body as I blurred myself and with one solid punch, sent her flying twenty feet into a pile of cardboard boxes. Luckily, they broke her fall, and before she could even get up, I was standing over her, when I snatched the gun out of her grasp, and broke it against the pavement. As I turned back around towards her, I realized that she was holding another gun on me. Full of surprises, eh? I hesitated for one second, enough time to see if she was going to pull the trigger. And she did. I watched in slow motion as the weapon discharged and a ball of plasmic energy came straight at me. I stood my ground and let it hit me, full in the chest. As the energy impacted against me, I drew back and felt the charge of the plasma as it ran over my body. Then, I looked at Lia. The expression on her face was almost like seeing a person you love getting killed right in front of you. She got up as quick as she could, but I was barring her way. She still had her gun leveled at me.

"Give it up. You know that it won't work against me."

"No deal. I don't have any proof that says you'll let me walk out of here alive." She wasn't making any moves, and visibly, I realized that she was shaking.

"Look I didn't kill you a second ago. That proof enough for you?" I stepped towards her.

"Yeah, just like you sent me flying through the air like a frisbee? I don't trust the bullsht that you say." She was still holding that very insignificant weapon.

"Lia, listen to me. Your job is tracking dangerous creatures right? Well, I'm not a dangerous creature. I'm far from that." There, the truth.

She looked at me cautiously, and I knew that she was trying to figure out if she could believe me or not. I decided to let her in on the last piece of information that I'd been withholding. If this didn't earn her trust, then nothing would.

"You said that you're a Class B contracter, right? So do the math."

"Huh?"

"Damn, girl! You never in your entire life met a Class A contracter, have you? Never partnered with one?"

It was then that she realized what I was saying. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at me. She backed away from me, and let out a long slow breath. I took that as a sign that she at least believed me, if even a little. When she answered me, her voice squeaked a little.

"You? You're a Class A, then? Seriously?" She sounded incredulous.

I laughed. "No, I'm not Class A, I'm Class S. Specialized Termination Division"

She looked at me. Then placed her gun on safe, and snapped to attention. "Sir!"

Wow. Speedy response. Hadn't expected that, even though I did outrank her. I looked at her. She was standing there, all beautiful in the moonlight, and I couldn't think of anything more special at that moment than her.

"Lia." I said. She looked at me.

"Yes sir?"

"That's not necessary. Not for me anymore. I'm not a part of any unit now." I looked away from her, and started walking off. I was probably ten feet away when she called out to me. I stopped walking.

"You never told me who you are..." She said. I smiled, and as I turned around, I could see that she was smiling also.

It was then that I made a choice I will never regret. I walked up to Lia, took her in my arms, and whispered something in her ear.

"I'll only tell you if you let me get you another cup of punch."

And when I looked into her dark brown, chocolatey eyes, I saw the only answer that I needed. And it was the answer that I wanted.

She looked up at me and smiled. "You never told me your name."

I pulled her closer to me, and said, "My name is Fredrick. But you can call me F."

That night, the two of us began a bond a feeling that has been in both of us to this very day. We go out on assignments together, and even prepare each other's reports. It's amazing how little two people can know about each other, and yet, have so much in common. Lia is the one for me, there's no doubt about that. I will do anything to protect her.

And in the end, isn't that the way it should be?