Will

London 1880

April…

William had nightmares that night and the next. Visions of golden eyes and fangs loomed in front of him, causing him to wake up in a cold sweat. By the third day, he'd made up his mind.

He returned to Council headquarters, ignoring the surprise he saw on the faces of the Watchers he passed, and headed for Adams' office. He knocked lightly on the door and waited for the muffled "Come in" before entering. Adams was seated at his desk, with his nose buried in a book. He glanced up as William shut the door softly behind him. Adams leaned back in his chair when he saw who had entered.

"Ah, Pratt. How nice to see you again. To be honest, we weren't expecting you back so soon, if we saw you again at all. It's not often people recover quite so quickly from a night out with the Hunters. After the ordeal you had, I would have expected it to take twice as long to shake off the experience. Heading hasn't returned yet."

This news didn't surprise William, but he kept those thoughts to himself as he approached the desk.

"Oh, please, do sit down. What was it you wanted to discuss? Are you ready to return to work or are you leaving us?" Adams asked, pleasantly, clasping his hands in front of him on the desk.

William sat in the proffered chair and adjusted his spectacles, preparing himself for what he was about to say.

"Well, yes and no," he began, raising his head to look Adams in the eye, his tone serious.

Adams frowned and leaned forward a little bit, tilting his head slightly.

"I'm not certain I understand what you mean, Pratt? Yes you are joining us, or no, you're not?"

"I am ready to return to employment, yes," William clarified.

Adams relaxed a little, the crease in his forehead smoothing out.

"Excellent. Well then—" he began, but William cut him off.

"But not with the Council, or rather, not with the Watchers."

The frown returned instantly. Adams opened his mouth to ask a question and then changed his mind, choosing instead to tilt his head even further, his eyebrows almost meeting in the middle as he gave William a puzzled look. He resembled a dog who'd been utterly confused by an order that he couldn't comprehend. William took a deep breath and explained.

"Well, you see, I decided I don't have the makings of a Watcher—"

Adams scoffed, interrupting William.

"Now, Pratt, there's really no need to have that attitude. Everyone is a bit discouraged by the field experience. All it means is that you probably won't be as suited to guiding a Potential as others may be. We can easily find you another position. There are plenty of opportunities to serve the Council in research or, perhaps not magical studies, but—"

"No, I mean…" William ran a hand through his hair nervously then straightened up in his chair and tried again. "I wish to become a Hunter."

There, he'd said it. He relaxed a little and waited for a response. Adams simply stared at him for a moment then blinked and coughed.

"Em, Pratt, I don't quite see where this is coming from. You're expressing a desire to join the Hunters, like the men you met the other night? You wish to slay vampires and other demons as part of your job?" Adams spoke slowly, as if to be perfectly clear he wasn't misunderstanding the man in front of him.

"That is correct, yes."

"Pratt, is this because you staked one? Because as I understand it, that was really more luck than anything else. I don't know if you've forgotten, but you aren't exactly what one would call a skilled fighter. The general assumption is that Hunters are mindless brutes, more brawn than brain if you will, half crazed. Many believe they chase after demons for a thrill, but it doesn't mean that what they do is easy. They put their lives in danger, Pratt, every second. You must understand that."

"I do. It's why I desire to become one."

Adams leaned back in his chair and scratched his chin. He seemed to take a few moments to process this information, studying the man sitting before him a little more closely. William was more determined than when he'd announced he wanted to be a Watcher. He'd already made his mind up about it. Adams seemed to realize this.

"Well, you're a curious one, that's certain. All right, if that's what you want. I'm not certain I understand, but I can arrange for you to meet with them again. You'll be placed under their supervision and they'll be responsible for training you. The only conclusion I can come to is that you've gone mad, in which case, you'll fit right in, won't you."

William relaxed at the news that he was going to be allowed to meet with the Hunters again. Now, he just had to prove to them that he was up to the task. Adams shook his head and let out a low chuckle. When William nodded, and made to stand up Adams held out a hand.

"Pratt, I admire your—enthusiasm, or whatever this is, but I really hope you understand what you're involving yourself in here. Don't do anything stupid, understand?"

"I'll try my best, sir," William answered, rising and making his way to the door.

He nodded once more as he left, closing the door behind him gently, catching sight of Adams rubbing his head and exhaling heavily as he did so.

Just through the door, William could hear Adams muttering "Mad bastard." William smirked.

"Why are we here again?" Hobbs asked Gray, as he took another gulp of whisky.

"I told you, I don't know. Roth said to meet him here. He has some interesting news for us," Gray answered, eyeing the door.

"It had better not be more Council trainees. We've filled our quota of those for the week."

Gray didn't bother answering Hobbs, as at that moment he spotted Roth shoving through the crowd. There was someone behind him, but Gray couldn't make out who it was in the throng of people. Roth reached them at last, a wry grin on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" Hobbs asked, irritably.

"Oh, nothing, just have a surprise for you is all. Certainly been a surprise for everyone else," Roth answered, ignoring Hobbs' fed up glare.

"Care to elaborate?" Gray asked, curious.

"Well it seems these little training sessions aren't a complete waste of time after all. Got someone here who wants to join you boys, become a Hunter."

"What?" both men couldn't help asking.

Roth stepped to the side. His grin got even wider as he took in their stunned faces.

"Boys, meet your new recruit. I trust you'll train him up good and proper, get yourselves an expert Hunter in no time, won't you?" Roth said winking.

"Willie-boy?" Gray asked astounded.

Hobbs was gaping like a fish. William smiled nervously and nodded at the men, straightening up a bit.

"Hello again," he said.

"You want to become a Hunter?" Hobbs asked, deadpan.

"Yes. I know it's unusual, but—" William started to say when Hobbs scoffed.

"Bloody right it's unusual! You mean after everything you saw that night, after nearly being killed by a vampire, you want to learn to be one of us? You want to go out and battle those things every night? Are you insane, or just bloody stupid?"

"That's what we've all been wondering. It's probably both," Roth said, lowering himself onto a stool.

"I told you there was a bit of Hunter in him," Gray said, slipping back into his casual demeanour as quickly as he'd been startled out of it, turning back to his drink.

"Oh, so this is you saying 'I told you so' is it? As if you expected to see him again," Hobbs replied, gruffly.

Gray just smirked then kicked a stool out towards William and nodded at it.

"Well, sit down then. Let's hear all about this decision of yours to become one of us, so we can get down to the business of training you." He grinned at William as he sat down.

"We'll probably be needing a drink for the telling of this story," Roth suggested, innocently.

"Or perhaps two," William added, with a grin.

Hobbs rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, ordering another round for all of them. Looking at William, he actually offered a grudging smile when William asked for whisky. Gray caught William's eye and winked.

William did his best to ignore the odd fluttering sensation in his stomach, caused by nerves and excitement, as he breathed in the smell of wood and hay, along with the pungent odor of horses. They were in an empty stable, hidden away in one of the poorer parts of town.

"All right," Hobbs' voice echoed into the rafters, "You want to be a Hunter, so today you're going to learn how to fight like a Hunter. This will not be easy. It will be painful, it will be hard, and it will make you want to give up. What's more, I'll be doing my best to make you give up." Hobbs said, as he removed his coat then his waistcoat, followed by his shirt, so he was standing in his undershirt and trousers.

Hobbs sat on a wooden stool to remove his shoes and socks, while Gray and William leaned against a stall. Gray glanced at William and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Come on then, let's get this started."

William removed his glasses and coat, and proceeded to remove clothing until he was also in just his undershirt and trousers. He walked to the centre of the room with Hobbs, where the two proceeded to face off.

"Now, the first thing you need to learn is—" Hobbs said, then darted forward and punched William solidly in the gut.

Gray winced as William bent over double, clutching his stomach and gasping for breath, his face red and tears stinging his eyes from the shocking pain crippling him. He looked up at Hobbs, his vision a little blurred, still choking for air.

"Always expect the unexpected, and always be prepared," Hobbs finished, as he stared down at William, flexing his fingers. "You never know when one of those creatures will sneak up on you or what attack they'll use. It won't always be fangs you'll have to fend off. Vampires are excellent fighters, as are most demons, and they're a great deal stronger than I am, so you'll be wanting to avoid hits like that. They're also sneaky bastards, and tend to spring an attack when they feel you're unprepared. It's your job to make sure that you're never unprepared."

When William could breathe again, he straightened, wincing as the effort pulled at his tender stomach. This was most definitely not like the Council training, where each move was given a name and announced before being practiced methodically, with plenty of padding between a Watcher and the weapons. This was brutal and violent, and exactly what he needed to learn. He adopted the fighting stance he'd been taught, keeping his guard up with his fists, legs spread a little, and faced off with Hobbs again. The other man began to circle him slowly, bouncing a little on his feet. William moved with him, turning to keep him in sight.

"Demons use strategy, like any good fighter. The problem with you is, you've been trained with nothing but strategy. All those fancy moves they describe to you aren't much good unless you know how to use them. You have to learn about power, when to use it, and how to avoid it, before those techniques will be much good. Otherwise—"

Hobbs darted in again with a left hook aimed for William's jaw. William moved to block it, only for Hobbs to kick William in the side with his right leg, tilting him off balance. This was followed with a left punch to the face, hitting William in the nose and dropping him to the ground. He tasted blood and spat it out, squeezed his eyes shut at the throbbing pain, then rose to his knees slowly, blinking to clear his focus before shakily standing again.

"You'll be put down easily with the basics."

William wiped the blood away from his face and stared back at Hobbs again, readopting his fighting stance. Hobbs smirked and looked William up and down then advanced again. William didn't move. Hobbs raised his fists and aimed a right hook at William. William dodged and threw a left punch of his own. Hobbs caught his fist and brought a knee up, connecting with William's gut again. William was forced forward by the blow. Hobbs grabbed him by his braces and tossed him across the room where he slammed into one of the support beams.

He leaned against the beam, dazed, before shouting in pain as Hobbs landed a punch to his kidney. His fist was like a hammer. William tried to elbow him in the face. Hobbs dodged, grabbed William's arm and pulled back, spinning him round. William stumbled backwards, but regained his balance. Hobbs advanced on him quickly. When William tried to punch the man again, he was caught by an uppercut to his jaw. In the next instant his legs were swept out from under him and he hit the ground hard. He coughed, and spat out more blood. His body was aching all over.

"Had enough yet?" Hobbs asked.

William just lay there, feeling the pain overwhelm him. He'd never been in a proper fight before, and now he was very glad of that fact. He could never have suffered through a beating like this before, which was one of the things he needed to change. Hobbs turned to Grey who was observing them silently.

"Reckon he's got an idea what he's letting himself in for now?" he asked, grinning.

Grey opened his mouth, then stopped and smirked, looking over Hobbs' shoulder.

"What?" Hobbs asked, turning.

His head flew back, teeth clacking together from the force of the punch William had thrown, a punch that connected solidly with the other man's jaw. Hobbs held his bruised jaw, eyes widening when he realized that his lip had been split. He stared at William in shock. William was bruised, bloody, and a complete mess, shaking from the effort of standing, but his face was set in hard determination.

"Always be prepared. Never let your guard down," he said, staring Hobbs in the eye.

Gray burst out laughing. Hobbs glared at him then chuckled himself. He stood up straight and approached William again, noticing the man's more cautious stance, following his every move with his eyes.

"True enough. Applies to everyone," he said, waiting, biding his time, circling slowly.

William waited tensely. He knew the hit was coming, just not when or how. Gray perked up, interested in the fight. It was becoming more enjoyable with every second. Hobbs continued to circle William slowly, steadily, then pounced. Instead of punching or kicking, he grabbed William in a headlock and brought him to his knees. One meaty arm wrapped around his neck, the other behind his head, forcing him forward, keeping pressure on his throat, crushing his windpipe. William turned purple, his arms flailing and clawing at Hobbs trying desperately to break his hold.

"That was a good move boy, but you still have a hell of a lot to learn, make no mistake about that. Luckily for you, you're going to learn from the best. I'll toughen you up and Gray will teach you all about agility, and how to dodge attacks. When you have the basics down we might consider bringing you to the club where you can really learn to fight, in the ring with other Hunters. Get you the practice and skill needed for you to survive out in the big bad world with all those beasties," Hobbs said, cheerily, never breaking his hold on William.

William spluttered and choked. The strength began leaving his arms as his air supply remained cut off. Black spots were beginning to dance and sway in front of his eyes. He could feel his muscles beginning to slacken. With a parting squeeze, Hobbs released him.

William collapsed to the ground, sucking in a huge gulp of air, wheezing and gasping, rubbing his sore throat which was sure to be badly bruised. Tears were streaming down his face and he blinked furiously to clear his vision, panting. After a few moments, he could feel the steady flow of air entering and leaving his lungs again.

Hobbs walked back to where he'd left his clothes and began buttoning up his shirt.

"Unless of course you want to quit, in which case you return home or to the Council and forget this whole crazy notion about being one of us," he said.

William crawled back to the stool by one of the empty stalls where he had left his clothes, and used it to help him sit up before proceeding to dress himself. He pulled on his shirt and coat, not bothering with the waistcoat or buttons just yet, and sat there, leaning back against the side of the stall, still barefoot and exhausted. He looked at Hobbs firmly.

"No," he rasped.

Gray grinned and headed over to the little table near Hobbs where they had left a bottle of Scotch and three glasses. Hobbs kept his gaze on William, taking in his beaten body and hard eyes.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you." It was more of a statement than a question.

Gray handed Hobbs a glass of Scotch, which the man accepted absentmindedly. He then made his way over to William. William glanced up at the glass held out in front of him then took it gratefully. Gray smiled and leaned back against the stall, sipping at his own glass. William swallowed the fiery liquid, rubbing his sore throat as it burned its way down his insides then leaned his head back against the solid wood once more.

"Quitting in this line of work means dying, and that's not something I intend to do just yet."

"Well, at least you have the right attitude. Get your breath back and recover; go home, have a rest then we can work out your training schedule. Hobbs and I will still have to patrol, and I don't think you should go out again until we're certain you can defend yourself. Fighting isn't the only skill you have to learn. We'll also have to teach you how to use contacts. There are people who know about demons and use the knowledge to keep clear of them. They're the ones who give us the information on where to find them, so we know about any new arrivals in town. There are also areas best left alone. Places rife with demons that humans should steer clear of all together, even Hunters," Gray explained.

William nodded and finished his drink.

"I know what you think of me, but I know this won't be easy and I'm not expecting it to be. I want to help people, and I can do that if I become a Hunter, regardless of the danger to me."

"I admire your choice Willie-boy," Gray answered, knocking back his own drink.

"Please don't call me that."

"What? Willie-boy?"

"Yes, that. It just sounds—condescending."

"Well, William sounds very Council like to me. Don't think I fancy calling you that either," Gray said, with a shrug.

"William is a perfectly good name," William retorted.

"Of course it is. Very proper, very gentleman-like," Gray replied, with a smirk.

"Well, then call me—Will instead," William said, irritated.

"Hmm, Will. All right then, Will it is. Welcome to the fold, Will. Oh and best get used to a few cuts and bruises. You'll have to be careful to hide the worst of that before you're seen out and about looking like you've been in the wars by anyone you know. We sadly don't get the benefits of quick healing that the Slayer does. Or the strength or the speed…bloody hell we really are mad to be doing this, aren't we, Hobbs?"

"Goddamn right we are. Will there is the craziest of all," Hobbs said, re-filling his glass.

"True enough. That's why I admire you so damn much, Will," Gray said, walking over to take the bottle from Hobbs.

"Why, because I belong in Bedlam? That's not usually something to admire."

"You chose to do this. You want to help people, and you don't think you can achieve that with the Watchers. Not many—hell none of them, have seen it quite like that before. I can't think of many Hunters who do this for the reasons you want to. They're either raised to be Hunters, or got forced into it because they had a run-in with demons and it's left them with nothing else," Gray answered, walking back to re-fill Will's glass as well as his own.

"So, what about you both? Why did you get into it?" Will asked, accepting the now full glass gladly.

Hobbs and Gray shared a sad glance, communicating silently. Gray sighed and gestured to Hobbs.

"You first, old boy."

Hobbs kept his eyes on Gray a second longer then nodded. He took another gulp of Scotch and put his glass back on the table. Resting his elbows on his knees, he rubbed his hands together before looking over at William and Gray opposite him again.

"Well, I was one of those that was raised a Hunter. My father was one. Never really found out how he got into it. He said it was something best kept buried, so I know it wasn't good. Since I was a child I've known what was out there. Heard all the usual stories of course; the ones parents tell their children so they'll behave and won't venture outside alone at night. Only my father made damn certain I knew they weren't just stories. He'd be out every night, hunting. I'd see him pack up this bag, full of weapons he kept hidden about the house, and head off outside. He wouldn't be back until just before dawn."

Hobbs cleared his throat before continuing, "My mother worried about him something awful. She fretted over me too, because she knew what was coming. He taught me to defend myself, how to fight. Normally something you'd learn to make sure you weren't bullied. That wasn't his purpose though, even if it did come in handy. About the time I turned ten, he decided to take me to one of the Hunter clubs. Secret locations where local Hunters gather to plan kills, get information on the beasties in town, and to brawl with other Hunters to keep in shape. It fascinated me." Hobbs took on a faraway look as he returned to his memories, the barest trace of a smile on his face.

"He was a brilliant fighter, he was. I told him I wanted to be just like him, and he gave me this look, like he was proud and sad at the same time. He brought me there a lot after that, until I knew I was going to be a Hunter too. I learned as much about the trade as I could. Soon as I hit seventeen he brought me out with him. Saw my very first vampire. Frightened the life out of me, but he killed it, and I realized then they're vulnerable too. We can kill them with a bit of sharp wood. I got over the fear, for the most part, made myself forget about it, and doubled my training. I was setting myself up to be a great Hunter."

Hobbs grew quiet, staring off into the distance, as if he was lost in the memory. William sat silently, waiting for him to continue, not wanting to break whatever spell Hobbs was currently under as he looked at his past. He swallowed and blinked, coming back to them, grabbing his glass again and cradling it in his hands.

"He was killed soon after. Suvolte demon got him. I swore I'd get revenge, and I did. Only thing was, the demon didn't much care. They don't really pay attention to who they kill or vendettas. I was another idiot human threatening him, 'cept this time it died. After that I made sure I would kill any demons I came across to do my father proud. I think about him sometimes, and I wonder if he would be. I keep seeing that look on his face, proud, but sad. I think he'd be sad." Hobbs coughed and downed his drink, hissing as it burned down his throat. "Well, that's me. Gray, your turn."

William watched as Hobbs brushed back whatever he'd been thinking about and retreated back to his usual gruff exterior. He wondered if he ever thought about what he might have been if hunting hadn't been a part of his life. It seemed it was all he'd ever known. Gray crossed one leg in front of the other as he leaned against the stall beside William, holding his glass in one hand and trailing a finger around the rim as he stared into its amber contents.

"I'm one of those who got forced into it by circumstance. Five years ago, I knew no more about demons than you did before the Council came to you. I just minded my own business and kept to my own affairs. I was engaged to a beautiful woman, and living in blissful ignorance with no real purpose or direction to my life. One vamp attack later and all that changed." Gray's voice got quieter and William had to strain to hear him.

"I was attending a lavish garden party at a country estate with my family and my fiancée. Typical showy event to prove how much wealthier your host was than you. Nightfall came, and so did they. About ten vampires tore through the garden, killing anyone they came across. They'd heard about the function and figured it was a quiet enough area for them to carry out a massacre unnoticed. It was like setting the wolves among the sheep. Men went for the guns in the house but they don't do much to a vampire. It was a slaughter. Hunters came then. They'd heard about the attack but didn't make it in time to save many of us. Five or six people survived when they finally got rid of them. My family were dead. So was my fiancée." Gray drank down the contents of his glass and instantly re-filled it.

William had no words. What did you say to a man who'd lost everything? The people he'd loved were gone. Taken from him by monsters he hadn't thought existed. If anything, it made William want to be a Hunter even more. Maybe there were people out there he could help, by preventing something like that from happening to anyone else. Both of these men had been through traumatic ordeals and now had no other way of living because of their experiences. He was beginning to understand why Hunters were thought to be brutal and crass. They had no reason to be polite for society's sake. There were more important things at stake.

"Wasn't anything left for me after that, so I found out about the Hunters, joined the organization, and here we are. Been performing my duty ever since." Gray finished his story, having kept himself emotionally detached through the entire telling of it.

William began to see Gray from a new perspective. The man was relaxed and casual, but maybe that was because all he had left was hunting, and he spent the rest of his time waiting to kill something. Maybe he was waiting for the day when he wouldn't be lucky, and he could join the people he'd lost, but in the meantime he'd take down as many of the creatures as he could. It gave William pause, to think the likeable man might be waiting to die.

"Will."

"What?" William looked up, realizing he'd gotten lost in his musings. Gray smiled at him.

"Go home and rest. You have a long road ahead of you and it won't do much good to start the trek exhausted and beaten."

William nodded and winced at the ache in his neck, having forgotten how bruised it was.

"Better do as he says, boy," Hobbs added. "I have no intention of going easy on you next time."

William blinked.

Going easy on me?