A/N: I've read a lot of fan fiction on this site, and the AU work has stood out the most. Perfect mix of originality with established characters. I always thought a more open conflict with the vampires would make for great storytelling. The talents in the books had the potential for some epic showdowns. Since I haven't seen that out there yet, I figure I give it a try myself.

DISCLAIMER FOR THIS AND ALL FUTURE CHAPTERS: Twilight (not the Buffy one) and all its characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I'm just playing around in her sandbox.

Prologue

No one knew why the creatures decided to reveal themselves at the end of the 20th century. What was once thought to be figments of human imagination, and dismissed as mere superstition, turned out to be nightmarishly real.

The creatures attacked with such overwhelming aggression and military precision that the human world was ill prepared to respond. Humanity had grown complacent, so sure of its place as master of all. They were too focused on watching each other to see the things waiting in the dark, not until it was too late.

An untold numbers of people disappeared in the sudden flash of nuclear fire in the first attack. They used our own weapons against us, detonating strategically placed bombs across the world one after another, destroying the military might of our strongest nations. Those who survived found themselves face to face with a demonic army, who emerged from amidst the chaos to begin systemically wiping out the remaining human military resistance.

Historians now coined this period as the Awakening; when humanity realized we were not the dominant species on this planet.

By the end of the third week of the Awakening, the monsters had taken strongholds on each major continent. Those humans who were lucky enough to escape the onslaught passed on what they learned of the invaders to others. Through their terrified mumblings, they described seeing beings moving so fast that they blurred, shrugging off rifle rounds as if they were fired from slingshots, and wading through heavily irradiated areas seemingly without any protective clothing. But the most oft mentioned images communicated through trembling lips were of the features shared by all the creatures observed by the survivors – pale skin, inhuman grace, bright red eyes, and gleaming sharp fangs. And the tales of what these things did to their human prisoners…

Humanity reluctantly came to the conclusion that it was dealing with the impossible – vampires.

In the coming months, people would learn much about these vampire invaders – some of the information, surprisingly enough, coming from the creatures themselves. Contrary to myth, the vampire race were not luddites who dwelled in abandoned castles and slept in decaying coffins. They had embraced the benefits of modern advances in technology, one of the key drivers of their successful war effort. They were not satisfied with just a military campaign, but also launched a media blitz against the remaining pockets of human population all around the world. The enemy confirmed that many of the tenets of vampirism are true – they were stronger, faster, and physically more durable then the average homo-sapiens. They were immortal, and blood was their source of nourishment. A few among them possessed even greater powers – "gifts" as the vampires liked to call them. They could influence the elements, control susceptible minds, generate mass hallucinations, or cloak themselves with mental or physical shields.

Much to the disappointment of the human population, some of the myths were incorrect – Vampires were not susceptible to stakes, silver, holy water, crosses, or even sunlight. They flaunted their seemingly godlike powers through television broadcasts and online videos, hoping to spread fear and sap morale among their human viewers. Their victory seemed all but inevitable.

While striking with the sword, the vampires also dangled a carrot. They announced that they had no wish to wipe out the human race, and there was no reason we could not co-exist. Humanity had a place in their world as their servants and food supply. No one needed to die during their feedings, as blood banks would be established for their needs. Of course, there would be the occasional live feeding, but no more different then recreational hunting of deer or quail, and just as infrequent. And who knows, a lucky few favored by their masters may even be elevated to join their superior race. Many grasped onto the honeyed words and promises in the broadcasts and flocked to the established human colonies to start new lives under vampiric rule.

Some human counter media programs managed to break through to offer hope to the public. They uncovered that for all the vampiric strengths, they were not completely invulnerable to harm. Fire could hurt them, even kill them if they are completely engulfed. A vampire cannot recover from being burnt to ash. Modern weapons, if powerful enough, can stop them. They warned those enticed by the stability and security offered by the vampires by reporting on suspected mass cullings in the human colonies, where hundreds would disappear in the dead of night from their homes.

Unfortunately, that information could not turn the tide of battle. Vampiric commanders were well versed in the art of war through their centuries of experience, and easily crushed any formal opposition mounted in defense of human cities. Their stockpile of wealth from millenniums of existence fueled their war machine with seemingly endless resources. The only thing that stopped the total domination of the human species were the numbers…the vampire race simply did not have the numbers to occupy every major concentration of civilization in that short of a time span. The remaining human military were able to slow their losses and concentrate their strength in a few defensible locations throughout the world. There, we were able to mount some semblance of a defense against the vampiric advance. But that numerical advantage was being eroded as new born vampires stream out of the human colonies and prison camps to join their growing army and enlarging their dominion. Humanity was staring into the final abyss, and time was not on our side.