Disclaimer: Xena, Gabrielle etc belong to MCA/Universal and Ren Pics, and anyone else who has an interest in Xena Warrior Princess, not me.
Copyright ©2000: The characters in here belong to me. All rights reserved. No part or whole of this work may be copied or used in any shape, form, or manner whatsoever without the author's express written consent. If you want to use them, all you have to do is ask … nicely.
Violence disclaimer: Little bits and pieces, but nothing that’s really in yer face yucko.
Love/Sex warning: This story depicts a love/sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state or country in which you live - move along, move along, nothing for you here ...
Major vote of thanks to my ever patient beta reader ForevaXena for taking valuable time out to read this. Without her, I am eternally grammatically and spelling stuffed :-)
Survivor
By
J. Falconer (jfishmael@hotmail.com)
PART THREE
“Well, well, well, and how are we this evening, my succulent young charge?” My voice was just loud enough to carry over the noise in the hot and smelly nightclub. Her warm body settled against mine with the ease of gentle familiarity. I pulled her in close, relishing the chance to feel her warm, living body against my cold, dead one.
“Fuck, Crow, what are you doing here?” Bronwyn was clearly drunk as a skunk, and her eyes were bloodshot as the she shook her head, obviously trying to clear out some of the cobwebs.
It was far too close to dawn for my liking. I had to get under cover in very short order, so my patience was just a tad strained.
“Brat. I was looking for you to take you home.” My eyes bored straight into hers and she unconsciously slipped closer into my cold embrace and held me tight as we whirled around the dance floor in time to the noisy music. Her face rested against my chest and I felt the breath of her sigh against my skin.
We had been living together for just over three months. It turns out she lied when she told me she only had two months of school left; it was much closer to four. She was not eighteen, but almost so – in another month or so. I didn’t really care. We got on extremely well for the most part, and she tried to behave herself. I found out what drove her parents nuts – she was prone to taking off for days at a time, neglecting to tell me of her whereabouts. The second time it happened, struggling with unacknowledged jealousy, I quietly told her that if she insisted on making me her unwilling parent, then I would behave as such. I also asked her if she knew how to take care of herself properly, much to our mutual discomfort. It did not take someone with the senses of a vampire to figure out that she wasn’t picky and spent virtually most of the night getting fucked stupid by anything with a pulse. She promptly told me to fuck off and mind my own business and stormed off.
Despite her more lewd and sometimes surly habits, I genuinely did like her. She really did have a spirit that matched mine. We went riding through the city on dark nights on my bike at decent speeds, and she stood up on the rear footpegs, holding tight to me with her knees, arms outstretched, laughing wildly into the wind. She gave me long stemmed red roses at midnight, I gave her diamonds mixed with Swiss chocolates at dawn. I took her into the city with me, normally to the worst parts, so I could quietly feed. She did not yet know that I was a vampire, but did think I was slightly deranged for pursuing such an odd pastime. She stayed close by me, trusted me to bring her through the darkness and back home again. We rode to beat the devil and never ran out of breath, laughing like loons the whole time.
“I don’t want to go home.” She glared at me, eyes unfocussed, and hiccupped uneasily. I wondered with a quiet sigh whether she was going to throw up again. I was quite sick of watching mortals do that.
“Untrue. Yes, yes you do. Remember our bargain? You do what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it.” My tone and fierce eyes allowed no room for argument. “Don’t you remember you have exams starting on Monday? You need to study.”
“Yes mum.” She looked down at my clean shirt and grumbled softly, forgetting how good my hearing was.
“You have your whole life ahead of you to do this sort of shit. If you want to go out and get laid, I don’t care, but do it after your exams.” Actually, I was lying. I cared very deeply about who she was sleeping with. I took her hand and led her out of the club, trying to avoid the stranger’s fingers that always tried to touch me.
“Why don’t you care Crow? Why don’t you care about me?” Beseeching teary green eyes stared up at me. “I love you.” I gently wiped the tears from her eyes as people bustled past us on the still busy street.
“Actually Bronnie, I think you’re drunk as all hell and a pole would look like a good score if it had the right pointy bits. Besides, I never said I didn’t care. I care a lot about making sure you’re all right.” There was no way in hell I was going to tell her I really hated it when she got laid. Coupled with that, why did she get all mushy on me when she was drunk?
“Why won’t you get it Crow? I really do love you.” She pulled herself from my grip and turned away from me. I looked at her despairingly. Why couldn’t she get past the ridiculous idea of loving me? If she really meant it we were both in big trouble. If she was asking for sex, it wasn’t working, and wasn’t the best approach to use on an adult anyway. An inkling of an idea came into my mind. Perhaps it would be best to show her who I really was, to knock some of the sparkle off my armor, so she could see past beautiful features and arresting blue eyes to my true, dark nature.
I gently reached out a hand and touched her shoulder but she tore away from me and began walking down the street. Heaving a deep sigh, I tried to calm my emotions, and quick as a flash I was standing in front of her. All around me the world began to wake. I had to get back to my basement, safe from the morning sun, fast as I could.
Blindly, she walked right into my chest and grunted. I caught her, and kept my arm around her shoulder, steering her towards my car before she had a chance to realize what was really happening to her.
“Bronwyn.” My voice caressed her. “We have to talk, but we can’t do it here. I have to get home now. Come with me.”
She looked up at me, defiance in her eyes, and I willed her to see my unease. I could see a war going on behind those normally calm green eyes. She was so close to telling me to fuck off again and meaning it, but the enamored part of her heart wouldn’t let her. Finally she heaved a deep sigh and waved a hand. “Fine. Whatever.”
It was with a sigh of relief that we finally made it back to my car. Bronwyn stood sulky next to the passenger side door and waited for me to unlock it with uncharacteristically shaky fingers.
Suddenly the hair on the back of my neck began to prickle as a deep man’s voice sounded behind us. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the cunt who keeps kicking over my bike.”
I turned, Bronwyn’s eyes wide as she hid behind my back and fumbled with the car door, quickly climbing into the vehicle.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the fucking idiot who keeps parking his half arsed excuse for a motorcycle in my path.” I mimicked his tone exactly, while my spirits sank. It was Allenby the biker whose Harley I had first kicked on the night I’d met Bronwyn twelve years ago. Well that wasn’t the first and last time I’d done it. I’d been doing the same thing on and off to him for twelve years. I hated him – the ratty brown eyes were psychopathic and dangerously intelligent. I wanted the pleasure of seeing him grow old and frail. I would kill him much later on in his life when he was completely defenseless, just so he knew exactly how it felt to be picked on by a stronger opponent.
Something about him had changed, but in my anxiety to be undercover before dawn, I could not see what it was.
His hand snaked out and grabbed my shirt front, and I looked down with mild alarm when I saw the knuckles. I had not expected such speed from a mortal. From a mortal. I studied the hand with rising shock. The knuckles gleamed with their alabaster skin, the hair clearly outlined on the back of the hand. Following the white hand up the white arm to his equally white face, I looked deep into unfathomable crystalline brown eyes, shining gently in the predawn hour, the lustrous graying dark hair.
Oh my deary me. He was one of us now. A vampire. What idiot had been responsible for that?
“Okay, so you’re one of us now.” My voice was cold as I leaned forward to glare at him. “Remember this: You are but a fledgling and I do not have time to waste on you. If you ever come near me again I will kill you.”
Faster than they eye could catch, my strong fingers were around his throat and he convulsively swallowed as I picked him up and hurled him against the nearest brick wall. There was an ugly crunching sound and he slid down the wall to collapse in a crumpled heap at its base.
From behind me, I heard Bronwyn scream and fumble for the car door. Quick as a flash I was behind the steering wheel and on my way out into the traffic, looking anxiously up into the brightening sky. Cursing, hoping I was going to get home in time, I took a quick look at Bronwyn.
She was curled up in the seat as far away as possible from me.
“Bronwyn?”
“You killed that man.”
“Actually, no I didn’t.”
“Oh really? So what was that back there?”
“Something I never wanted you to see.” It was true. I was a killer and did enjoy drinking blood, that was true, but did not enjoy doing it with an audience. I also realized I had lost her, whatever regard she may have had for me, and that hurt like hell.
“When were you going to kill me?”
I cast an anxious eye at the ever lightening sky, struggling to remain awake. I put my foot down on the accelerator and turned to look at her. “I’m not going to kill you Bronwyn. That’s the truth.”
She stared at me, face inscrutable. “Oooh yeah, right. You never wanted me around anyway.” It took all of my considerable restraint not to flinch at the sarcastic tone.
“Bronnie, I don’t really have time for this now, but I will answer all of your questions tomorrow evening.” I was most of the way towards being unconscious, and was losing my coordination. Before I could cause a massive accident, I pulled over by the road, next to a park that was almost a wilderness.
“Hey! Crow, what are you doing?” Bronwyn stared at me, alarmed despite herself. She reached for me, but I avoided her grasp.
I staggered out of the car, leaning heavily back in the window, distress clear on my features. “I don’t have time to explain now. Wait for me this evening at home. Please?” I was begging. I didn’t want to lose her.
Bronwyn stared at me, green eyes suddenly sober, clearly fighting herself. “How does it feel to have the tables turned on you? Why does my opinion matter to you so much Crow? Ask yourself that.”
She was right. Why didn’t I want to lose her? Was it because she was a friend? Was it because I could finally say to someone what I really was? “Please Bronwyn? Wait for me? Please?”
Bronwyn smiled a cold smile. “I still owe you one for taking me in, I suppose. All right, then, I’ll wait for you.”
“Thank you Bronwyn.” Never had my words been more heartfelt, and I let everything I was feeling show in my eyes, and as she held my gaze, I saw her eyes widen in surprise. “This evening.” For once she had seen me at my most vulnerable. Now I could only hope that she would keep up her end of the bargain and be waiting for me … alone.
I stumbled into the bushes, barely functioning, as the first rays of dawn lit up the sky. I allowed my pure animal instinct to take over, and I dug myself into the forgiving earth before sleep claimed me.
~~~
I woke up the next evening with a groan, and quickly clawed myself out of the ground.
It’d been quite some time since I’d been out under the stars far away from civilization, trying to sleep like that just to see if I could do it.
Now I remembered why I didn’t like doing it.
I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. Pulling myself to my feet, I stretched and looked down at my dirty clothes, nose wrinkled in disgust.
I slowly walked to the edge of the road and took a good look around. Traffic was light, as I suspected it was going to be. Exactly why I’d chosen this route. Of course, it wasn’t the most direct route home, but if I ran I could make it back there in about half an hour.
Resigned to my fate, I began to run down the road. My body settled into a comfortable rhythm, stomach loudly mentioning it’s neglect.
About ten minutes from home, I stopped off for a quick bite to eat. It was a homeless man, and I made sure people would think he’d had a heart attack.
As I approached my house, I began to feel a slight tremor of apprehension. Would Bronwyn have called the police? What would be waiting for me when I got home? The question that really twisted my gut was whether Bronwyn would still be there. Would she give me the chance to explain? Had I lost my young mortal friend?
It was time to face the music. With a steady hand I put my key in the front door, twisted the knob and opened the door.
“Bronwyn?” I heard the unsteadiness, the aching question in my voice and cursed myself for my weakness. “Bronwyn?”
There was no sign of life, I realized after I’d cleaned up and quickly checked the house. Her bed had been slept in and some of the clothes were missing from the wardrobe. It was odd; even after I’d brought her stuff in she still insisted on wearing my clothes claiming she’d always said she liked mine more than hers. That thought brought a wry grin with it, and I shook my head.
I walked out to my garage. The car was in it and the engine was cold.
She’d taken off.
It didn’t really surprise me. In one evening all her illusions about me had been shattered.
Why did that hurt so much?
I sat back down on the comfortable recliner sitting in my living room, trying to calm my emotions. I liked Bronwyn, that was certain. Did it go any further for me? My heart shied away from the question. It didn’t matter one way or another for a number of reasons. First and most important, I was one hell of a lot older than her. Second, I was dead and she was alive. Alive. That brought such an unexpected stab of pain that I winced. She couldn’t love me and I certainly couldn’t love her.
In the distance, I could hear the front door open and close and I took a deep breath, trying to calm my jangling nerves.
“Bronwyn.” My voice was soft and gentle, and I’m afraid it was the most heartfelt word I’d ever spoken. So much emotion betrayed me.
I could feel her move up beside me and touch my face.
I opened my eyes and looked up at her, only to find myself ensnared in her pained green gaze. Her hand left my face as she moved closer to me and suddenly I found my senses teased by the smell of this warm, feminine mortal as she drew me in close and I buried my face in her chest. I took a deep breath, pulling the clean scent of her clothes, the dim fragrance of her perfume and light sweat into my lungs.
It was the most wonderful thing I’d ever smelt.
It was a moment or so before she spoke. “Crow.” I pulled away and looked up at her allowing all the sorrow I felt to show in my eyes as her gentle gaze reassured me. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“Where were you?” Had she gotten the police?
“I keep telling you I love you Crow and I still mean it. Why won’t you believe me?” She sighed. “I went for a walk after I had my dinner. No cops. This is about you and me.” She sat on my lap so we were eye to eye. My arms slipped around her waist.
“It really is, isn’t it?” I smiled slightly and took a deep breath. “Why do you insist on saying you love me? You hardly know me.”
A small wry grin teased her red lips, and she shook her head. “You would have to keep asking that wouldn’t you? One day you’ll get it. Start talking Crow – you owe me an explanation.”
“Okay, okay.” I matched her smile. “There is no easy way to say this and not sound stupid. I’m a vampire.”
The eyes twinkled with mirth. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
A black eyebrow arched. “Huh? What do you mean? How on earth do you know?”
A finger traced the eyebrow. “I’m not stupid Crow. You’re always cold. Your skin is hard as stone. You can’t stand sunlight. For God’s sake Ms Undead, half the time you bloody well forget to breathe. Last night just took me by surprise. I assume you were tactfully trying to tell me he was a vampire as well?”
I had to laugh. Busted. “Okay and yes.”
“Now I’m going to strike terror into your heart.” She grinned as she saw me look at her in real alarm. She laughed. “Relax.” She ran a finger down my throat and onto my chest, eyes soaking up the view. Her next words were a whisper. “So unbelievably beautiful. My living statue.” Her gaze met mine, raw emotion pouring from her and through me. “Us Crow. We have to talk about us.”
Inwardly I winced and sighed. She looked at me, dazed, as she suddenly found herself cradled in my arms. I held her soft gaze as I gently put her on her feet, and her arms slipped around my neck.
“Sorry kid, that’s not a phrase that strikes terror into my heart. That only works on the unfaithful.” I could not bear to tear my eyes away from her beautiful face. “Yes, we do need to talk, but I want you to come with me first. I have to show you something. You game?”
She pulled away from me and slipped her small hand into my larger one. “I’m game if you are. Lead the way.” She gestured before us.
It took every ounce of will power I had not to kiss her as I led the way to my car.
PART FOUR
“Where the hell are we Crow?” Bronwyn’s nose wrinkled in disgust as we pulled into the parking lot of what looked like a private hospital.
I looked at the building in front of us. She was right – it was pretty gross, but it was a facility with an outstanding reputation and an equally outstandingly stupid name: Sunnybank Nursing And Aged Facility. Why the fuck couldn’t they just call it an old people’s home and be done with it?
“Just come with me.” I gestured and led the way towards the doors, feeling her hand slip into mine and I squeezed it reassuringly. “It’s okay Bronwyn. I’d like you to meet someone.”
I walked through the front doors. Most of the facility was deserted, and the ultra clean antiseptic smell hit my senses, almost making me gag. Bronwyn’s nose further wrinkled in disgust as she surveyed the barren hallways around us. Sure there were crepe paper streamers hanging on the walls, and there were kid’s crayon pictures amongst them, but it did not look as though they had been hung there thoughtfully. It all had the look of trying to instill almost desperate cheer with scrounged charity supplied on short notice.
Steeling myself, I led the way into a small ward, towards a hospital bed. I glanced at Bronwyn to make sure she was really watching.
In the bed was a wrinkled figure, sleeping soundly. Her wisps of white hair had been carefully brushed away from her forehead. Her flannelette nightgown was sensibly done up all the way to her ancient wrinkled neck. Her liver spotted hands lay on the greenish hospital blanket, sheets white and starched. With the utmost care, blinking back tears, I took the frail, arthritic hand and once again looked at a well loved face. There were so many feelings in that once glance. I remembered everything, all that she had been to me: mother, teacher, friend. There were so many good times and all so long ago.
Once again I drank in every feature – the almost non existant white eyelashes, the paper thin skin, sparse white eyebrows, wrinkled lips. I could still see her as she was so long ago; the red hair shining in the sunlight, red lips, twinkling blue eyes, white teeth as she flashed her smile. I sat there for the longest time until Bronwyn’s hands found my shoulders as she gave me a reassuring squeeze. The blood tears slipped almost unnoticed down my cheeks as I leant down and kissed those soft lips.
My voice was a whisper I knew would never wake this old woman. “I won’t say goodbye. Until we meet again.”
I was shocked when the lips moved to form words, and I put my ear close to her to catch them. “Thank you. Until we meet again.” The pain of just hearing her tore through my dead heart and I felt myself break a little more.
Tears ran down my face unchecked as I nodded my head. “Indeed.”
Bronwyn slipped her arm through mine and gently led me out of the hospital, since I was incapable of finding my own way. I was still crying when we hit the parking lot and Bronwyn was quick to pull me into her arms to comfort me. Quite frankly, that just made things worse.
I didn’t want to hurt my mortal friend, so I gently disentangled myself and got back into the car. “I need a moment. We’re going home.”
“Okay Crow.” She sat with her hands in her lap, looking forward at the road in front of us, sensing I really needed my space.
What to tell her? How much to tell her? Had I fallen in love with Bronwyn? What to do next? The questions consumed me right up until I pulled up into my garage.
Wordlessly we got out of the car, and I felt her fingers slip into mine as she virtually led me into the house. Pushing me back into my chair, she sat on my foot stool and made sure we were eye to eye.
“Crow, who was she? Why did you bring me to meet her?”
The silence stretched out as memory teased me. “Rose Carter McDonald. She was my best friend when I was a child and we became lovers just after this happened to me.”
Bronwyn stared at me, gobsmacked. “Huh?”
“As I’ve been telling you all along Bronnie, there’s a lot you don’t know about me. I have been a vampire for more than fifty years. I am now at the time when all my friends are dying of old age all around me.”
Bronwyn said nothing, just stared at me, realization starting to flood through her eyes.
“I am a vampire and I will not age. There are so few things that could kill me – and no, a stake through the heart won’t do it – that I’m virtually immortal. I will never change. I do not have a human body, and not breathing is only where the fun begins. Let’s just say that I did love you.” That was the hardest thing I ever forced from my lips and it was a struggle to continue. “Let’s also say that we became lovers. Do you really want to watch me stay the same while you grow old? Do you really want to see me dying inside every moment knowing that you are but an eyeblink in my life? If you really loved me, would you want me to take up the same death watch with you as I’m doing with Rose? Do you want me to show up at your death bed with a new lover?”
She tried to look away, tears beginning, but I cupped her face so she was forced to meet my blazing blue eyes. “Can’t handle it, can you kid?”
Abruptly Bronwyn snarled and pushed me savagely back, her two hands on my chest. Then she grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me forward so I had to face her furious green eyes. “Then make me one of you!”
I lost my temper.
With the speed born of fury and increased exponentially because of my vampire’s reflexes, she suddenly found herself pinned against the wall by my white knuckled hand grabbing her by the lapels of her shirt, my body holding her in place. “Have you learnt nothing mortal? We are unchanging in a changing world. We are emotional creatures. Of necessity we live a solitary life. You know why that is? It’s because a relationship between vampires is truly forever, much longer than any mortal marriage. Okay, so you want to be a vampire because you love me. Fine. But what happens in fifty years time when you decide you’re sick of me? Everyone you knew and loved will be either dead or dying. You can’t form any other relationships with mortals because they are just that – mortals. You’ve met a bunch of other vampires and after such a long association they make you sick as well. What are you going to do? Make more vampires? I hate to tell you this, but we tend to keep clear of one another because we fight and kill each other. Think human with an endless life span. It’s a ruthless and lonely life Bronwyn Hunter.”
She punched me in the ribs, and the fight went out of me and I put her down. What an arsehole I was. I could have been much more gentle with her. What made it all so much worse was that I thought I was starting to fall in love with her, against my better judgment.
She sat against the wall, knees pulled up to her chin, face cradled in her hands. “So that’s it – friends or strangers. Fine, I chose strangers. I’ll leave you to wallow in your own loneliness after next week.” She glared at me, studying me with cold, angry eyes. “I don’t care. I know that you love me every bit as much as I love you, you stubborn fuck.”
She levered herself to her feet, and stalked off leaving me standing there all alone in my living room.
Why was she moving out next week and not sooner? Her exams were finishing at the end of the week.
Searching my mind, memory neatly came up with the answer. Her formal was next week, and I’d agreed to go to it as her partner. She didn’t feel like taking a male escort. Besides, I was looking after her and it was up to me to make sure she was okay, right?
Right.
Bugger.
I didn’t really want to go to the thing, but I’d promised her.
Even then, my feelings for her were beginning to go beyond my control, slipping out from under my firm grasp to invade my every thought and action.
I was alone for the rest of that night, and alone for most of the week. I did my best to avoid her as each of us was locked in her own private hell of misery. I went out in the evenings, looking for trouble and drinking it all in. I even went looking for Allenby for the sole purpose of beating the shit out of him and his accursed bike. As I did so, I could feel her green eyes boring into my back, waiting for me to come home. I could feel her almost tangible sigh of relief when I walked through our front door unscathed. She went out drinking, and I would sit up waiting for her until dawn, wanting her to come home before the sun forced me to ground, but she never did. I often wondered if that evening would be the last evening, but it never was. She contented herself with torturing me, teasing me with her just out of reach presence.
I had time to think. Lots of time. Did not telling someone you loved them mean you loved them any less?
Finally, it came to being the evening of the formal. I waited for her just after sundown. She had asked me to wear a top hat and tails and I’d laughed. I thought they made men look ridiculous and certainly did nothing for me. We were already late as I waited at the bottom of the stairs for her to come down. It was the first time we’d spoken since that night when I’d taken her to the nursing home.
I hadn’t feasted due to our time constraints as we had to get to the venue before she technically graduated.
I heard her footsteps at the top of the stairs, and made the fatal mistake of glancing up at her. She was dressed in a long, black evening gown, electing to leave her hair down because I think she knew I loved it that way. She had worn only the slightest hint of makeup and for that I was grateful. Normally when she went out she tended to look a little like a raccoon and that had always annoyed the hell out of me in some formless way. After all, why cover such natural, unconscious beauty with war paint?
The whole effect was designed to drive me wild, and that it did. I made sure she didn’t know how wild, because I don’t think even she would have been prepared for the consequences. Unfortunately, I think the whole vampire thing got in the way of her really being able to see another facet of me: I was a grown woman, young in body, and just because I sometimes didn’t follow through on my urges didn’t mean I didn’t have them and didn’t want to do something about them.
“Bronnie, you look stunning.” I was quiet and awed and the easy familiarity slipped out past my tight defenses.
“Thanks Angel, you look pretty hot yourself.” She smirked at me. She must have known what she was doing to me.
I looked down at my attire and snorted. “Well, at least it doesn’t show too much skin.”
She laughed and took my arm and our bodies touched. “Well Crow, let’s make this evening memorable since it’s probably going to be our last one.”
I struggled to hide the bolt of pain that thought caused. “Okay, fine, let’s be on our way. But I have to stop for a quick bite before we get there.”
She smiled up at me, pulling me to a halt. Almost unwillingly, one of her hands came up to trace my cheekbone, and my flesh betrayed me as I swallowed convulsively. She smirked at me. “Sure gorgeous, whatever you say.”
Well, two could play. I leant down and nibbled her ear, pulling her in close to me. I carefully planted a small kiss on the soft skin under her jawbone. “I say.”
It was her turn to shudder and wriggle out of my grasp. I struggled to hide my triumphant smirk.
Nice to see a crusty old shit like me still had it in her.
On the way out the door I scooped up my hat with a flourish and she laughed gently.
~~~
“C’mon Crow, we don’t have all night.” Bronwyn leant by the side of the car and tapped her foot impatiently. She glanced at her watch.
“Okay, okay, I’m here.” I emerged from the bushes, giving myself a quick check to make sure I still looked all right.
“You look wonderful as always, sweetie. Now can we go please?”
I had to grin at her. The blood was making me feel light headed. I have no idea what that young man had taken before I took him, but I could already see this would make for an interesting evening. Well, if worst came to worst I would just go home and sleep it off while Bronwyn went to her after formal party. “Patience youngling, we’ll get there.” I wagged a finger in her face and smiled.
She smirked back at me and gave me a kiss on the end of my nose. “What was in that person’s blood? You look very strange.”
I shook my head and kissed her back on the nose. “I have no idea. Just pull me out of there if things get well … you know …” My voice trailed off as my mind took off on another track.
She giggled. “Okay Crow, I think I can do that. But you better let me drive there.”
“Well, you know where the keys are.” Lucky for me they were in the ignition and not my pocket.
“Okay Angel, get in the car.” She opened the door for me. Much to my embarrassment, my feet didn’t quite understand what I was asking them to do and I tripped forward and fell into her arms. Her arms tightened around me for a moment, then she helped me to my feet, grinning evilly the whole time. “Yeah, good on ya Crow.”
She helped me into the car and we set off.
~~~
“Shit, they’re starting to hand out the diplomas!” Bronwyn strained her neck over the throng of people to see the snakelike line of young people in the upper gallery. They went up one set of stairs, all along the top down the other set of stairs. The master of ceremonies had reached the D’s and was rapidly heading towards the H’s. Bronwyn grabbed my hand and tugged me towards her schoolmates.
“Oop, sorry,” she gasped and apologized the kids around us as she found her place in line. I sauntered up behind her and seated myself comfortably on the railing, arms crossed.
She sidled up to me. “What the hell are you doing?”
I looked down at her, wondering what the fuss was all about. “I’m sitting down. What’s the problem?”
“What happens if you fall?”
I shrugged and threw my hands into the air, balance wobbling slightly. “So I fall. So what? I can play dead quite well, so they take me to the morgue. I bust out. Case closed.” I smiled at her, thinking quietly to myself that she was amazingly beautiful when furious with me. Her classmates tried not to stare at me.
“Has it ever occurred to you that I might not want - ” She shook her head, threw up her hands and turned away. “Never mind. You sit there.”
I slid off the railing, turned her to face me, standing so close to her our bodies were almost touching. “Look at me.” She refused to do it, studying the buttons and smooth white of my shirt with intense interest. “Look at me.” I lifted her chin with my forefinger so I caught her anguished green eyes and held them. “That’s better. I’ll be fine. I’m a survivor.”
She drew in breath to answer, and had just opened her mouth, when a tall, pimply boy with carefully brushed dark hair ran up to us. “Bronnie. I’ve been looking all over for you.” His anxious puppy dog blue eyes stared soulfully at her.
“Robbie.” Bronwyn was clearly wishing she were somewhere else, both of us silently letting him know his intrusion was not welcome.
“Bronnie, I just wanted to say you look terrific. Will you dance with me later?”
Bronwyn sighed, clearly struggling to find something nice to say that would get rid of him. Then she gave up. “Robbie we broke up months ago. Get over it. And no, I don’t want to dance with you.”
“Just once.” The pleading in his voice was terrible, and the other school kids were giving us more attention than I really wanted. “You don’t really mean it’s over. Couldn’t we just try again?”
She looked at him, clearly about to give in to him. I felt an unexpected stab of intense jealousy go through me. For this one, final evening, Bronwyn Hunter was mine.
I leaned forward, around Bronwyn’s back, touching her gently. “Look. I hate to tell you this, but her dance card’s full.” My voice was gentle but my eyes were not.
Bronwyn had come to recognize and know that tone all too well, so she turned to me, brushing me with her body and put a restraining hand on my chest. “Why thank you. Of course I’d like to dance with you.” She turned back to Robert. “Sorry Robbie, looks like I’m taken.”
Robert turned to me with hatred in his eyes, and glared at both of us. “So you’re one of those are you?”
Since I’d won this round, I could afford to laugh and did so. Now the other kids were openly gaping at us. “Kid, just go back to your place in line.” We shuffled up one as another person’s name was read out.
“Just who the hell do you think you are pervert?” He stood so he was almost nose to nose with me, glaring at me, shaking a finger in my face.
“Move your finger son, or I’ll bite it off.” My voice was silken, and he paled slightly as he began to realize I was serious.
“Don’t tell me what to do.” It was a battle of half wits and he was not going to give up so easily.
I heard Bronwyn’s name called and she looked at me anxiously. “Don’t hurt him.”
I shook my head. The boy was a kid. Did my loose morals really look that bad to her? “I’ll meet you on the other side.” I took her arm and led her down the stairs as Robbie fumed behind us. “Don’t worry about him and no I won’t hurt him.” I smiled as I gave her hand a quick squeeze and took off around the other side of the dance floor.
When Bronwyn had her diploma, she marched up to me, lips pressed in a straight line. “Outside. Now.”
I allowed her to take my hand and tug me outdoors. Out in the smooth blackness of the night, she shoved me back and poked a finger in my chest. “For fuck’s sake Crow, what the hell are you playing at? You already told me I’m a free woman. If I want to dance with him and try to resurrect my relationship you can’t stop me.”
God that hurt. The fact that it was true made it hurt worse. “Look Bronnie, he’s an idiot. You can do better than that.”
“Yes, well I tried. And that didn’t work.” She turned away from me to hide her pain. An expressive person, she clearly didn’t realize that the tense set of her shoulders said more to me than anything else ever could. I reached out and touched her, watched her melt and turn around to look at me. She was bravely struggling with her tears. A feather light touch to her beautiful green eyes made her smile gently.
“We have one night. One night.” I reached for her, but she was already in my arms, warm body against mine, heart aching in time with mine. I was grateful she couldn’t see me. I closed my eyes, not allowing the outside world to see the love I had for her, a love that could never be.
“One night, Crow, is all I ever asked for. No promises from you – I’m not stupid. I realized that early on in the piece.” Her forlorn voice was muffled against my chest as she breathed deeply of my nonexistent scent.
We stood there for the longest time holding one another, simply basking in the warmth of our shared existence. I drew in breath to speak to tell her we had to talk, when suddenly the music started. It was the dance of the debutants.
Bronwyn pulled back and stared at me with carefully masked features, though I could still see the turmoil inside her, felt my own. It was shredding us by slow inches. “That’s our cue Angel.”
I smiled ruefully and gestured towards the brightly lit room with all the laughing people. “Lead on MacDuff.”
She slipped her arm into mine, and we made our way to the dance floor. I made sure the people parted before us, but it didn’t take much effort on my part. Most people couldn’t take their eyes off us – we did make a gorgeous couple. Ebony and ivory, carefully entwined. The fact that we were also both women certainly didn’t hurt.
We took our place, gazes locking as all others around us disappeared. We were more natural a couple than the schoolgirls and school boys with their mothers and fathers all around us. We knew each other in a way that none of them ever could.
I led her around the dance floor, and she held me tight. I can say I genuinely enjoyed the experience, even the partner changes that had me stuck with a whole load of gangling, uncoordinated school girls who got even worse when I held them. All through I watched her and could not take my eyes off her.
Finally, the music stopped and she caught my stare. I’m afraid my eyes may have said much more than I wanted them to because when she walked towards me, it was as though the entire world around us faded away and it was just us together.
Together.
I liked the sound of that more than I cared to admit.
The energy between us fairly crackled as the music started up again and we began to dance.
Some time later, still touching, I led her outside. She was breathing hard, and I made sure I was remembering to do at least that for her.
Outside, in the welcoming darkness I led her to a dark corner and took her into my arms. I had loosened my tie and undone the top button on my shirt and she stared at my alabaster skin, hesitantly touching it, drawing her finger down the parts she could see.
“You haven’t even worked up a sweat.” She felt the tip of her finger with her thumb, then made the fatal mistake of glancing into my eyes.
I knew there was raw desire blazing in them, and couldn’t hide it. “It’s something you don’t want to see. When I sweat, I sweat blood.”
She laughed gently and put her palm to the side of my face. “One night.” Her voice was a whisper.
My arms betrayed me as they tightened around her body, pulling her ever closer, head bowing almost against my will as I kissed her, long and deep.
I think it was shock that caused the second’s hesitation in responding to my touch. When she did it drove me wild and I ran my hands over the bare skin of her back and she moaned softly as her hands reached up to tangle in my hair.
She was breathing hard when we broke for air. I gazed at her, love shining bright in my eyes. “I really want to get out of here.”
“We never even found our table.” Her voice was wondering. We’d been so wrapped up in fighting one another that we hadn’t bothered observing any social niceties. Just the way I like it.
“So? Do you really think either one of us truly gives a rat’s arse about trying to be nice to human adults?” I laughed. “Let’s go.”
“I love you Crow.”
I kissed her hair and sighed, loving the clean scent, the slim body, the warmth and fire of her. “You ready?”
She kissed the exposed skin of my chest, tasting it, and nodded.
“Okay, then let’s go.” I pulled her in close and took off at a dead run for the car. We were there so fast she gazed at me, eyes unfocussed.
“Faster Crow, faster.”
The ride home was pure torture for her and for me. She could not keep her eyes or hands off me, and I did my best to reciprocate. When the car pulled to a halt at our house, we got out and she was in my arms before I had a chance to blink. I was smiling when she kissed me, and fell back against the car as her starving hands roamed my cool body.
“Slow … easy … ” I stilled her hands and scooped her up into my arms before claiming her lips in another deep kiss. Her response left me struggling to co ordinate myself properly as I took her downstairs to my basement hideaway.
I put her back on her feet, and pulled away from her, but kept a gentle hold of her hands. “Are you really, really sure about this?”
She smiled, eyes radiating passion and uncontrollable longing mirroring my own. She did not answer my question with words but with her hands as she slowly and deliberately pulled my jacket and pants off. I reciprocated by pulling off the annoying dress that hid her from my view. Her hands traveled up my body, under my shirt, cupping my breasts. Sighing, she undid the last buttons of my shirt and gazed at what had been teasing her so mercilessly over the past months. “My God, you are so beautiful. So beautiful.”
My skin had always been pale, despite my jet black hair, and death had given it an almost incandescent glow. I had taken care of myself in life, and all muscle I’d built up over the years stood out in gentle relief beneath my smooth woman’s skin. The full breasts and sculpted features had been courtesy of my long dead mother’s genes and I thanked them nightly for making it so easy to find prey. The shining crystalline blue eyes and snow white teeth had been the gift of my father.
I looked at her mortal, living perfection. Although I had never admitted it to myself, the creamy skin, green eyes, shining blonde hair, gentle swell of her breasts and pervasive femininity had always driven me wild. Sometimes I’d found myself wanting more, but the impulses were swiftly denied and stifled. “So are you.” My voice was no more than a whisper.
She moved to me and I felt her lips on my nipple. With a soft sigh I gently pulled up her head and cupped her face, claiming her beautiful lips once more. “Oh no, young one, me first.”
I pushed her back into the bed and slowly worked my way down her entire body, gently nibbling and kissing every inch of exposed skin I could find. I paused with a grin to tease her womanhood with a feather light kiss, while she moaned softly and begged me to end the torture.
I can honestly say I used every tool in my arsenal to tease her: skin, lips, teeth, tongue, hands, body. I had her every way I could dream up. She rode me savagely and I tasted long and deep of her as she called my name into the benevolent night; she begged, demanded and forced her releases from me. As we lay tangled together, temporarily sated, there were gentle admissions of love from her lips.
For her, at least, it was fantastic.
We lay back in the bed, and I held her, idly running my fingers through her pubic hair, teasing her as she stiffened with the aftershocks of her most recent orgasm.
Breathing heavily, she turned to kiss me, nibbling my lips, tasting herself on me. “Why Crow? Why now?”
I smiled gently, the anguish in my eyes causing her to pull back slightly. “I can’t help myself. You were right.”
She smiled. “You were right too. I don’t want to be a vampire either.”
I could not stop the single blood tear that trickled down my face. “An eye blink.”
She brushed my tear away with gentle fingers. “We have to work this out. You know perfectly well that if we split up neither one of us will be able to live with it. Besides, who’s to say you’re not going to get sick of me in a couple of years?”
I hadn’t thought about that. The problem was, what I felt for her was different to what I’d ever felt for anyone else. I wouldn’t get sick of her in a couple of years, just like she wouldn’t get sick of me. Somehow this was much deeper than any school girl crush or vampire’s flight of fancy. “As long as you live Bronnie. As long as you live.”
It was the first time I’d been completely honest with her, and with those simple words promised so much more than I had done for Rose. I knew she too was going to get old and die, and that thought brought such pain with it that my mind immediately shut down from the prospect of it.
There were tears in her eyes as she cupped my face with a hand. “Ask me about immortality in a few more years. I can’t bear to be without you Crow. I love you.”
I closed my eyes and leant into her touch. When I peeked at her again, she was looking directly at me, such a gentle expression on her features. I smiled and met her eyes. “I love you too Bronwyn Hunter.”
The pure joy in her eyes was incredible, and she rolled over to kiss me gently. It was not designed to ignite, but to share love. When she pulled back, the grin became feral. “Now it’s my turn.”
There was a stab of pain and I couldn’t hide the sorrow in my eyes. “Not breathing is just where the fun begins.”
Her eyes widened as truth began to seep in. “You mean you can’t - ”
I shook my head and smiled ruefully. “No, I can’t.”
“Are you sure?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you’re most welcome to try.” I gestured elegantly and lay back with my fingers entwined on my stomach, teasing grin on my lips.
Taking it as the challenge it was, she reciprocated and kissed her way down my body, pulling my nipples into her mouth causing me to arch my back, tangle my fingers in her shining blonde hair and sigh at the almost forgotten sensation. It was with intense satisfaction that she paid close attention to every centimeter of my body, just like I’d done for her. I finally allowed her to part my legs and taste me.
She glanced up at me. “You’re not - ”
I shook my head, rueful grin again appearing. “No, I’m not. I can’t do it anymore.”
“The problem is, I still want to taste you.” The feral grin was back as she made good on her words.
Startled, I couldn’t help but draw in a breath as she did exactly what she said she was going to do. I laughed softly and growled as she suddenly found herself flat on her back my face a bare inch above hers. “You mean like this?”
I tasted her thoroughly, and as she came she cried out and collapsed back onto the sheets heart hammering. I lay next to her cupping a breast and idly playing with a pink nipple, head resting comfortably on my free hand. “This is why this is so much worse for me. It’s all about emotion since sex doesn’t really enter into the equation anymore.”
She looked at me and gently chided me. “Hello, Crow? Hello? It works the same for me. I’m so desperately in love with you that it almost scares me. I know what you’re like now. You like teasing people with that beautiful body of yours. How do I know you’re not going to do that to anyone else?”
I was stung. “Hey, I’m a vampire. It goes with the territory. But I’m not that shallow and I’m also not that easy to get rid of. What about you – you’ve taken every opportunity you can to go into the city for a quick tumble with strangers. How do I know you’re not going to do that anymore? I hate to tell you this, but I’m the jealous type and I won’t take kindly to sharing you.”
She glared at me. “God Crow, you’re such an idiot. The reason I took off from my parents’ place so much was because I was looking for you. When I finally found you, I thought you didn’t want me, so I tried to get on with the rest of my life. I tried to make you jealous, but it didn’t work.” Her voice thickened as her eyes filled with tears. “It didn’t work.”
I pulled her close and she fought me. I kissed her hair as her struggles slowly ceased. “Yes, I’m a complete idiot, but no, I’m not stupid or blind. I also hate to tell you this, but it did work. It used to drive me nuts but I would never admit it.” I pulled her face up so she was forced to meet my eyes. “You own me body and nonexistent soul. I’m not going anywhere. And I think we’ve just proven I’m not expecting you to be a nun – just don’t do it with anyone else apart from me.”
Despite herself, she grinned. “Idiot. As if I would want to.”
She kissed me until her breathing went ragged.
We lay back in my bed, and my body began to feel it was almost dawn. I looked at my young lover anxiously. “Bronnie, it’s almost dawn. I’m going to sleep.”
“I want to see you sleep.”
I winced and sighed. “Please remember I’m really and truly dead. You don’t want to see this, believe me. Above all, don’t freak out on me.”
She cupped my face in her hands and gently kissed me. “Oh ye of little faith! Actually lover, I do want to see this. Trust me. I want to know you. ALL of you.”
I cursed under my breath as sleep began to take hold of me. My last thoughts were sorrowful ones. I really didn’t think she could handle this. I could only hope I didn’t accidentally kill her while I slept.
Looking back now, I have to say we were incredibly stupid to think no one would notice and that this would just work.