Standing atop the Empire State Building in New York City, a six-foot-tall, athletically built and handsome African-American man in his late thirties stood perfectly still, gazing thoughtfully at the vast metropolis. Anyone looking at him would see a tall, ruggedly handsome Black gentleman with chocolate skin, short Black hair cut into a style called a bald fade, clad entirely in Black leather. But this was no ordinary leather aficionado. This was Eric Brooks, better known to the world at large as Blade, the Vampire Hunter.
At the end of his adventures, Blade the Vampire Hunter found himself wondering what to do with his life. After single-handedly defeating Dracula, King of the Vampires, with the help of his youthful new allies Abigail Whistler, daughter of his late mentor Abraham Whistler, and Hannibal King, a streetwise, smart-mouthed Hunter, Blade saw the Vampire threat greatly reduced around the world. Daystar, the lethal anti-Vampire virus unleashed by the Night Stalkers wiped out the majority of the world's Vampire population.
What's a Vampire Hunter to do in a world where Vampires are essentially no longer an issue? There was no retirement plan for the men and women chosen by fate to battle the creatures of the night. Just ask the Vampire Hunter formerly known as Eric Brooks. Blade decided to look up Dr. Karen Jenson, the beautiful African-American female doctor who helped him in his fight against his first arch-nemesis, legendary Vampire leader Deacon Frost. It had been years since Blade had laid eyes upon Karen Jenson. Would Karen Jenson even remember him? Probably.
The beautiful, sharp-minded gal had one hell of a one-track mind. That's why Karen proved indefatigable in helping Blade bring down Deacon Frost and the cabal of Vampires dedicated to summoning La Magra, the Blood God. No, the question Blade wanted to ask himself was, would the lovely Karen Jenson want anything to do with him? After they destroyed Deacon Frost and his undead buddies, Blade wanted to have someone in his life but he knew that the fight against Vampires was far from over. Although Blade had strong feelings for Karen Jenson, he couldn't act on them.
With Deacon Frost and his blonde female Vampire paramour Mercury, along with his loyal undead henchman Quinn dead, Blade could almost convince himself that the global threat of the Vampires was averted. Unfortunately, it wasn't so. A few years later, Blade had to team up with the Vampires of House Damaskinos against the threat of the Reapers, a new breed of inhuman monsters, and their leader, Jared Nomak.
Along the way, Blade met and eventually fell in love with the beautiful female Vampire known as Nyssa Damaskinos, daughter of Vampire overlord Eli Damaskinos. After a protracted conflict during which Blade was betrayed by the elder Damaskinos, Nyssa Damaskinos perished at the hands of the monstrous mutant known as Jared Nomak, who was revealed to be her brother. Blade swiftly and mercilessly avenged Nyssa's death by slaying Jared Nomak.
Watching Nyssa's remains smolder in the sunlight almost caused Blade to shed a tear. Nyssa wasn't like other Vampires. The princess of the late, great House Damaskinos was an honorable woman, even if she was a Vampire. Yeah, Blade had never had much luck with the ladies. Although many women find him attractive, Blade seldom let them get close to him. For their own safety. Blade wasn't human. He was born half Vampire and half human. Blade wasn't normal, and he could never be normal. He didn't want to pretend to be something he wasn't.
With Nyssa Damaskinos dead and Karen Jenson probably living a nice normal life with a husband and brats somewhere, Blade found himself contemplating the grim reality that he might be alone for the rest of his days. Just how long does a Day Walker live anyway? Blade had no way of knowing. Being half human and half Vampire granted him superhuman strength, sharp senses, superior speed, and an accelerated healing factor. It also made him thirsty for blood, though the serum that his mentor/father figure Whistler invented helped Blade keep the blood thirst at bay. For now.
Decades spent finding Vampires and eliminating them taught Blade a thing or two about tracking people down. He'd gone to the New York City Public Library downtown, got himself a library card and used the computers. All too easily Blade dug up information on one Karen Jenson, working as a physician at county hospital, and living at 117 Lincoln Fields, off of Queens Boulevard. Blade staked out the place, and managed to convince himself that he was ready to see his lost love after all these years.
"Looks like I've got a stalker," said a calm, vaguely familiar feminine voice, startling Blade out of his reverie. He sat in his car, watching the large brownstone building while the late afternoon sunlight faded gradually. Blade leaned back in his chair, trying to convince himself that he was just doing another stakeout. Only this wasn't the case at all. For this large brownstone building housed Karen Jenson, his former ally, and the love of his life. The only lady who'd ever gotten the drop on him. Blade looked up, and smiled at Karen Jenson, who stood inches from his car window, hands on her hips.
"Oh hi Karen, it's been a while," Blade said casually, and Karen Jenson smiled and shook her head. Blade vaguely remembered getting out of the car, and pleading with her to bear with him. At some point, Karen thoroughly cussed him out, loud enough for young Latino and African-American folks walking by to laugh at him, and Blade thought she was genuinely pissed. And then Karen Jenson did something completely unexpected. The lady doctor threw her arms around the Vampire Hunter stud, and kissed him.
