“What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
Early in the morning?”

Tiana smiled. It was St Patrick’s day and the dimly lit Blue Moon bar was filled with both Irish and Irish American people alike. Several of her customers had started singing the song “Drunken Sailor” in overly exaggerated Irish accents as she passed them another Shamrock cocktail.

“Way-hey and up she rises!
Way-hey and up she rises!
Way-hey and up she rises!
Early in the morning!”

The only customer not joining in the rowdy celebrations was a man standing at the bar. All he had ordered all evening was red wine, each glass downed and then replaced one by one. Tiana, busily clearing a table where two Irishmen had passed out drunk after finishing their glasses of Guinness, looked over at him. He was tall, perhaps a little taller than her, with hair that was between mouse brown and dark blonde, and tousled. He had his back to her, but she could see, even by the dim light inside the bar, that he was dressed in black. His clothes looked expensive and she immediately deduced that he was a man who cared about fashion. She wondered whether he was in fashion himself or, if not, what line of business he was in. Perhaps...no, he looked a little too tousled to be a lawyer. Maybe something like...oh, she couldn’t tell from this angle, she decided, briskly sweeping up the glasses onto her tray. However she couldn’t quite tear her eyes away from him. There was something...something about him.

Presently, almost as if he knew he was being watched, he turned his head at a slight angle and his eyes met hers. His eyes were grey with a slight hint of blue, and intense. He was very handsome. Feeling a blush rise up her cheeks, Tiana ducked her head and went back to her work.

“Bargirl!” called one of the singers. “Another round, please!”

“Coming right up!” Tiana called back, giving them a mock salute as she swept back behind the bar and began to pull the levers that caused beer to flow free from the kegs and fill up the glasses.

“I’ll take a refill as well,” said the man she had been watching, pushing his glass towards her. “Please.”

“Sure; the same as before?”

“Yes.”

Tiana looked up at him. He had the faint flicker of a smile writ upon his face, and something about his mouth was very alluring. Her hand trembled as she took his glass and reached for the wine bottle behind the bar.

“Tiana!” The doors to the back room swung open with such a force that Tiana jumped, lost her grip on the bottle and dropped it. It fell with a sickening smash to the tiles at her feet.

“Oh, Tiana!” snapped her boss, Facilier. He was the landlord of the bar. Folding his arms, he glared down at her. “That’s coming outta your paycheck, girl!”

“Yes, sir,” she muttered, eyes on the floor as she knelt down to pick up the broken pieces.

“It wasn’t her fault.”

Startled, both Tiana and Facilier looked up at the man at the bar. His expression hadn’t changed, except for a look of cool indifference.

“Not her fault?” snapped Facilier, slamming a fist down on the bar, causing glasses to rattle. “Then whose fault is it, I’d like to know?”

“Perhaps the man who startled her by thumping around the place like a Shire horse all the time,” replied the man, coolly.

Facilier scoffed. “This is none of your business, mate! It’s between me and my employee!”

“Well, if that’s the way you treat your employees, it’s a wonder they get any work done at all, now, isn’t it?” replied the man, still unnerved by Facilier’s thunderous look.

Tiana couldn’t help but flash him a grateful smile and then turned back to Facilier who looked ready to hit the newcomer. “It’s ok, sir, I’ll handle it.”

“See that you do!” he snapped, sliding his coat on. “I trust I can leave you to lock up without any further mishaps?”

“Yes, sir.”

Facilier stalked out of the room. Tiana breathed out. “You really shouldn’t have done that. Facilier has quite a temper on him.”

The man shrugged. “I can be a monster when roused too.”

“You?” Tiana looked him up and down. “Seriously?”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Well, you don’t exactly look the type to lose your temper easily.”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

She had to admit he had a point. “Well, thank you anyway,” she said, pushing a glass towards him. “Here, it’s on me.”

“Much appreciated,” he replied, with a smile that made her feel weak at the knees.

Eventually, the bar cleared and everyone staggered home, or else dragged their friends home if they couldn’t stand up properly. Tiana set about clearing up before she too could go back home. It had been a long night and she was exhausted. Her thoughts kept going back to the stranger who had stood up for her. What was it about him that made her heart race all of a sudden? She had never felt like this with anyone before. Her sister Esmeralda had a boyfriend who was very much a heartthrob; and several boys who could easily be described as “hot” fancied her friends Belle and Megara. But this man, well, there was something different about him. He was...suave? Sexy? Alluring? She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was something, she knew.

Walking home the way she had to take to get there was always risky at night. Tiana lived at the dodgy end of town and to get there she had to go through an alleyway which was usually filled with drunks or druggies or violent nutters, as Meg liked to put it. Even so, she was used to it so she didn’t feel too scared about walking home tonight. True, it might be a night for celebration, but she wasn’t expecting anything bad to happen. So, she kept her head down and, in a dream, made her way through the dusty, dark alley.

“Hey, you!”

Startled, she turned and saw a scruffy urchin, or what some might call a street rat, coming up to her. “Yes, can I help you?” she asked.

“Have you seen a policeman around here?”

“Sorry, no.”

“Good!” The man signalled at something behind her. Turning, Tiana gasped as she saw two more men, quite muscular in build, stalking towards her. “Now, you keep quiet and there’ll be no need for violence.”

Tiana wanted to scream but the sound wouldn’t come. “What...what are you doing?” she stammered.

“Just hand over the money and no one gets hurt,” said the larger of the two men behind her.

“But all I have is my paycheck and it’s not even that much-!”

“Can it!” hissed the smaller one, thrusting his face into hers. She took a step backwards but the one who had initially confronted her caught her arms and pinned them to her sides. She struggled and then cried out as one of them grabbed her bag. “No, please! Stop! Help! Someone, help me!”

“Shut her up!” hissed the larger thug. The first clapped a hand over her mouth, pinning the arm he had let go of into his front so that she still couldn’t wriggle free.

“Hurry it up, will you?” snapped the second one as his friend rooted around inside her bag. Tiana struggled but she couldn’t break away. She tried to scream out but she couldn’t make a sound.

“Let her go.”

The three men stopped what they were doing and looked around. Tiana looked around too. The man from the bar was leaning casually against the wall. His eyes were fixed on the one holding her and he wasn’t smiling.

The larger thug chuckled and dropped her bag to the floor. “Oh, yeah? And if we don’t?”

“Then you’ll be signing your own death warrants,” the man replied, unnerved as the trio rounded on him. Tiana stared at him. Why was he doing this? What possible reason could he have for coming to her rescue again?

The first man laughed and removed his hand from Tiana’s mouth. “Well, there’s three of us and only one of you. What do you plan to do; fight all three of us at once?”

In a blink, Tiana didn’t even see him move, the man was at his side. He seized him by the shoulder, dragged him away from Tiana and pinned him to the wall. It all happened as if in extreme fast forward mode.

“That’s the idea,” hissed her saviour. The man struggled but it was as if he was pinned to the wall by an iron bar. “Now, I suggest you gentlemen let this lady go about her business or else you’ll have me to answer to.”

“Right, he’s asking for it!” cried the larger man. Tiana forgotten, he charged at her rescuer.

“Look out!” Tiana cried. Barely were the words out of her mouth, her rescuer whipped about and the next thing she knew, he had both thugs pinned to the wall in armlocks. The third turned and sprinted away in terror. Both men struggled but somehow her saviour had them both stuck there as if they were made from paper.

“I warned you,” hissed the man, bringing his face close to theirs. “I’m going to give you one more chance to do as I say. Now you’re going to turn around now, leave, and never bother this lady again, aren’t you?”

“You’re not going to get away with this,” hissed the first thug, struggling.

Her rescuer smirked, and then, to her great shock, he bashed the other man’s skull against the wall. He crumpled to the floor. His friend gasped. Her rescuer tossed him to one side like a rag doll and then pinned him to the ground. “You come near her again and I won’t hesitate to kill you. Are we clear?”

The man gulped. “As crystal!”

Her rescuer jumped back swiftly to Tiana’s side and she watched in horrified fascination as he helped his stunned friend to his feet and they both took off in the opposite direction. Tiana felt her legs buckle but before she could collapse completely to the floor, he had caught her. “You alright?” A frown of concern was writ all over his face.

Tiana fainted.

She awoke moment later on a large sofa that felt soft as silk. She looked around. This was neither the alleyway nor her house. A chill ran through her as she sat up. Had she been kidnapped? The place looked like a gothic castle; was she being held hostage.

“You’re alright.”

She looked around, startled. The room was empty, or so she thought at first. Then, looking up, she saw her rescuer perching on the ceiling rafters. Her jaw dropped. “How...what..?”

“Relax, I’m not going to hurt you.” He leapt down, landing lightly on his feet, like a cat. She stared at him.

“How do you do that?”

He smiled. “That’s for me to know and you to find out, Tiana.”

She couldn’t help but smile back at him. “Well, you know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

“It’s Lestat. Lestat de Lioncourt.”

“Very nice to meet you, Lestat de Lioncourt and I’m very grateful for you saving my life, but why did you do that?”

“Would you have rather been attacked by those thugs?” he asked, stepping up to her.

“No, but, I didn’t give you any reason to help me,” Tiana pointed out.

Lestat sat down beside her, leaning one arm over the back of the sofa. His eyes met hers. “Maybe I’m attracted to you.”

Tiana blushed right down to the roots of her hair. “Me?”

He smirked. “Yes.”

“Well,” Tiana stammered, watching him. He was looking at her as if he couldn’t quite get over her beauty. Which was pretty much the case, added to his other reason for being attracted to her. “Thank you,” she said, softly.

“You’re welcome.”

“Well, um, I should go now.” Tiana got to her feet. “Thank you for your help and it was nice to meet you, Mr Lestat.”

He got to his feet. “You realise now you owe me one; for defending you twice?”

“I do?” Tiana hated owing favours to people. “Well, um, what can I-?”

“Perhaps you’ll be free tomorrow night?” He stepped closer to her. If anyone else were standing that close to her, she would feel nervous, but somehow he didn’t make her feel like that. He smiled, warmly. “Perhaps you’ll meet me at The Lamppost for a drink at eight o’clock?”

Tiana gave him a coy smile, the kind that Belle often gave in such situations. “Perhaps I will.” Then, realising she had no idea where she was, she added, “Um, do you know how I’m supposed to get home from here?”

“Left down the road until you hit the crossroads, turn left, then right, then left again and carry on until you hit Maple Avenue and then it’s another left onto your street,” Lestat reeled off, still not tearing his eyes away from her.

“Well, then, goodnight, Mr Lestat, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I look forward to it, Tiana,” Lestat smirked as she left.