I stared distastefully at the jeans, t-shirt and white coat that I was sporting, longing for my corset and frock. “I hate these modern outfits.” I muttered to myself.
   “They suit you.” I spun around, recognizing the creamy voice. A chill crawled its way up my spin.
   “Dr. Blackwood. I thought you worked in surgery.” I adjusted my lab coat and took in the handsome man in front of me. His deep blue eyes were hidden behind dark, round sunglasses, giving his pale face and almost milky white color. His neat, curly, raven black hair framed his face and bounced around his neck. The frock coat, high collared shirt and Victorian style neck tie from a few nights before had been replaced by modern surgical scrubs. In his hand he held a white hair net that he twirled gently around his fingers.
   “Just because I work in surgery doesn’t mean I can’t see you.” I could sense the smirk in his eyes without being able to see it. This man sickened me. His dark manner and almost flirtatious personality seemed to have the ability to rub me the wrong way.
   “And why would you want to see me?” I asked, exiting the empty lunch room and heading down the hall towards my office. The hall was a dreary gray color that seemed to stretch on forever. Offices lined the walls, which, if you went further, would end up turning into hospital rooms. Hospital rooms filled with injured, dying, sick patients, all of which I had worked with at least once. Being a nurse meant visiting each patient once, whether it be with medicine, needles or just to be there to keep them calm.
   “Is it a sin to feel attracted to the opposite sex?” He raised an eyebrow as he followed me down the hall, his comment filling me chest with fear.
   “You know very well it is. And if Montague finds out-“
   “Now, what can Vlad Montague do about one man’s feelings?” I turned around to face him.
   “You know very well what.” A shadow seemed to cross Dr. Blackwood’s face. A shadow that did not seem to want to leave.
   “Of course I know. But that cannot change my heart.”
   “Then use your head instead.” I snapped. I continued down the hallway, desperately hoping he would get the message. I did not want to be bothered. Especially not by him. I had heard too many stories about him, and not all of them good.
   “What would a man be if he followed his head hm?” I clenched and unclenched my hands. Was there any way I could remove this man? Or was he going to stick to me like a fly in a honey trap? He grinned, his elongated canine teeth revealing themselves momentarily.
   “A much wiser one. And, might I ask you, do you believe yourself to be a man?”
   “I am man, just as you are a women. Being a Vampire has nothing to do with this.”
   “Are you sure?”
   “Yes. I am. Or are you telling me that you are not a women?”
   “Of course I am!” I hissed, frustration bubbling inside me. He was pushing me. I could tell. He wanted to know how far I could go, and he wasn’t afraid to use all his strength.
   “Then I am a man.” I stopped in front of my office and turned to Dr. Blackwood.
   “I must thank you for the… lovely conversation.” I swallowed, trying my best to stay as polite as possible, showing him that I was stronger than I seemed. “But now I must excuse myself.” I slammed the door in his face and sat down at my desk. I leaned back and sighed. Why I had taken his offer, I had no idea, maybe it was the desire. The desire for blood that he had promised to quench. I shivered as I remembered his hot, blood drenched breath on my neck.
   The cold chill was soon replaced by a burning sensation on my bare face. A screech buried itself in my throat as I threw myself at the window by my desk. I dragged the blinds down, fear rising slowly in me. My body collapsed back in the chair, trembling furiously. No wonder we were called the children of darkness. We couldn’t stand the light. The only light I could bare being around were the faux lights the mortals had created. I stared nervously around my now dark office, making sure that no other windows were open. Without the light of the sun pouring in, my office looked dead. Dark. Lifeless. The way I liked it.
   I looked down at my watch. One O’clock. I snatched a clear plastic bag from my desk and opened my door carefully, hoping that Dr. Blackwood was no longer there. I breathed out the air I didn’t realize I was holding and walked down the hall, the bag of medications in my hand.
   Tyler Halliday was a cancer patient that suffered from heart problems. Every day for the next two weeks while he was on chemotherapy I would have to take him his heart medication. Generally I didn’t like a lot of the patients, but Tyler, he was different. He was quiet and kind, his heart far older than he actually was. When I’d bring him his medication he’d always want to talk to me. He’d tell me about his family, friends and the travels he had been on. But sadly, the chemotherapy wasn’t working. The thirty five year old didn’t have long to live. I didn’t want to tell him. I couldn’t bring myself to.  But he knew. You could tell by looking in his eyes. But, he didn’t seem to fear death like the other mortals. The ones that would scream and cry when they found out. The ones whose blood I always longed for. On the day that he had finally realized I found him looking out his hospital room window, his eyes sad, yet quizzical at the same time. “I wonder if I’ll be remembered for the good things I did. Not the bad things.” Was all he said.
   I stopped in front of his room, the medicine bag growing heavy in my hand. I bit my lip and knocked on the door.
   “Come in.” I pushed the door open and put on a smile. It was a sad one, but at least it was a smile. After the incident with Dr. Blackwood I had begun to wonder if I’d be able to smile at all.
   “Hello Tyler! How are you feeling today?”
   “Tiered.” The man in front of me answered. He was lying in a hospital bed, his skin a sickly yellow color. His dark brown red hair was falling out in small patches from the chemo, but his blue eyes still sparkled. They never seemed to lose that sparkle.
   “Would you like me to get you a coffee later?” I asked him, taking out the bottle of pills and pouring two of the round objects into his hand.
   “I think I’ll be fine.” He reached over for a glass of water that was sitting on his side table and stuck the pills in his mouth. He motioned for me to sit down as he put the cup to his lips. I sat on the chair next to his bed, but I knew I couldn’t stay long. He had his blinds open and I could already feel the heat stinging my skin. “You look stressed.” I nodded and sighed. “What happened?”
   “Dr. Blackwood.”
   “Blackwood?”
   “Yes, he works in surgery.” Tyler nodded.
   “Is he an old lover?” I shook my head with disgust. Tyler laughed silently. “I have a feeling I know what happened.”
   “Oh?”
   “He tried to hook up with you.” It took me a minute to figure out what “hook up” meant, but once I did I nodded.
   “And he doesn’t seem to understand that I don’t want to be ‘hooked up.’” Tyler chuckled and used a remote control to sit his bed up.
   “He seems like they kind of guy who won’t give up ‘till you give in.”
   “That’s one way to put it.” I put a cold hand to my bare cheek, trying to stop the burning sensation.
   “Well, why not give him a chance?” Tyler asked, taking another sip of his water, his grey-blue eyes never leaving my own. I opened my mouth to say that it was forbidden, but stopped myself. Tyler was a mortal, not a vampire, and he probably wouldn’t understand. So, I gave him another truthful answer.
   “I’ve heard stories about him, and not all of them good. Well, most of them were horrible.”
   “But stories are just stories. Not necessarily true, but not necessarily false either.” I nodded, my mind wandering momentarily. Then the burning sting on my face grew stronger and my mind snapped back into reality. I groaned silently and touched my cheek. “Are you okay?” Tyler asked, concern lacing his voice.
   “Y-yeah. I’m just sensitive to the sun.” I said through gritted teeth. “I need to get back to my office. I don’t work tomorrow, but I was wondering if maybe I could come and visit?” I asked, standing up and heading for the door.
   “Of course! And I’ll make sure the blinds are closed.” Tyler said, smiling. I grinned and left. As I walked down the hall his words kept replaying through my head.
   But stories are just stories. Not necessarily true, but not necessarily false either

 I rolled over in bed, wide awake. My black sheets lay in heaps around me, keeping me warm yet cool at the same time. I looked over at the many Victorian clocks decorating my bedroom wall. It was two o’clock in the morning and I hadn’t slept at all. Thankfully I didn’t have work. I slid my pale legs off the side of the bed and let my toes feel the cold floor beneath them. I stood up, shaking the blankets off my body and pushed my bedroom door open. My white lace night-gown swished against my legs as I walked past my neat living room into the kitchen.
   The apartment I lived in was small, which meant my kitchen could only fit a refrigerator, oven and microwave along with a few drawers for silver ware and cooking supplies.
   I opened the refrigerator and pulled out a large plastic bag filled with red liquid. Using my teeth I ripped off one of the corners and put my mouth over it. The fresh blood spilled in, coating the inside of my mouth and dripping out the corners of my lips. A part of me felt glad that I had taken the job that Dr. Blackwood had offered. It had been too long since I had tasted blood, and now that I was being paid in it, it felt like I couldn’t get enough. I slid down against the drawers, the bag still hanging out of my mouth. I couldn’t drink it all now, but I wanted to. I desperately wanted. I let more of it dribble out of the bag and fill my mouth. If I didn’t put it down now, I wouldn’t be able to put it down until it was empty, and I couldn’t wait another week for more of it. I set the bag down on the floor and wiped the corners of my mouth, red staining my white sleeve. 
   My head lolled sleepily to the side and I decided it was time to go back to bed. I put the bag back in the fridge, standing it up right so that nothing would spill out the hole. I stood up, swaying from tiredness and trudged back to my bedroom. I wasn’t even able to open the door before I passed out completely.
                                                               ***
   My eyes fluttered open as I sat up. I was laying sprawled out in my hallway, my night gown a wrinkled mess. I sat up slowly, careful not to hit and limbs off of the walls. I brushed my night gown off, trying to straighten the wrinkles and got to my feet. I stumbled half-asleep into my bedroom. It was eleven thirty! I had over slept by a lot! And I still needed to visit Tyler! I dashed towards the mahogany dresser next to my bed and started to rummage through the drawers, looking for something to wear. I would have loved to wear my frock, but I knew that mortals no longer wore those kinds of clothing, so I saved them for certain occasions. I yanked out a long black skirt and white blouse. I slipped my night-gown off over my head and let it drop in a heap to the floor. I put the skirt and blouse on quickly. I put my black hair up in a bun and headed to the kitchen for some brunch (Considering the fact that it was too late for breakfast and too early for lunch). I opened the fridge, my eyes wandering greedily to the blood filled bag that sat before me.
   “No.” I whispered to myself. “You drank almost half of it this morning. You have to make it last.”
                                                                     ***
   I pushed open the large double doors to the hospital, the familiar scent of medication and hand sanitizer filling my nose. I made my way to the front desk, trying to avoid the small groups of visitors. Some of them crying loudly, others laughing and smiling, almost unaware of each other. “I’m here to see Tyler Halliday.” I told the elderly, plump woman behind the counter.
   “Ah! Miss Lovett! Of course of course! You can go right up! I don’t think he should be too busy!” The woman smiled kindly and handed me a bottle of hand sanitizer. “Just in case.” I took the little container and squirted some of the strange smelling ooze onto my hands. “You do know which room is his, right dearie? Of course you would! He’s one of your patients! Sorry, this old mind is getting forgetful! Off you pop! I’m sure Mr. Halliday would like some company!” I smiled kindly in thanks and steered my way through the crowds. I had never expected a hospital to get crowded yet here was one, packed to the brim with people. I couldn’t figure out whether humans were getting sicker than they used to or not. I walked up a flight of stairs and into the patient wing.
   “Miss Lovett. I though today was your day off.” I spun around to face a man. He was almost as tall as Dr. Blackwood but not quite with slicked back raven hair and high pale cheekbones. His eyes were a haunting, emotionless mix of blue, gold and green. Vlad Montague. If evil ever had a physical form, I had no doubt it would be this man. His whole being just shouted darkness. Evil or not, he was my employer, and if I didn’t give him the level of respect he felt he deserved, I would be fired, and possible left to die with a knife through my heart.
   “Mr. Montague. I was just coming to visit one of my patients.” I said, forcing a smile across my lips. His eyes narrowed.
   “Male or female.”
   “Female.” I lied. His face inched closer towards mine, till I could smell the blood staining his breath.
   “I can smell lies like a bloodhound smells its prey. Do not lie to me. If I find you’ve been-.”
   “He’s just a friend Mr. Montague. Nothing more.”
   “Very well.” He straightened his posture and turned his back to me, his thin frame walking down the hall. I let out a sigh of relief as I watched him leave, glad that evil man was out of my sight. I felt cold air on my neck and without turning around I knew who I would find behind me.
   “Montague giving you trouble?” Dr. Blackwood whispered, his voice syrupy and sweet, sending chills up my back.
   “No. I’m afraid Dr. Blackwood is though.” I hissed, a sarcastic smile forming its self across my face.
   “Oh dear. Well, maybe he can give you some more trouble. That is, if you wouldn’t mind.” I could sense the smirk in his voice.
   “I would very much mind.” I said keeping my head high in the air. I shouldered the purse I was carrying with me and marched down the hall.
   “You really don’t like me, do you?” Dr. Blackwood commented, following me down the hall.
   “Not overly, no.”
   “I never thought a delicate beautiful creature like yourself was capable of hatred.”
   “I’m capable of a good many things Dr. Blackwood.” I said, my voice laced with venom.
   “Well, are you capable of having a drink with me tonight?” He asked, keeping the distance between himself and I at a minimum.
   “I must decline your offer Dr. Blackwood.”
   “Call me Elliot, please.”
   I stopped at the last patient room and knocked on the door. A small “Come in.” answered.
   “If you’ll excuse me Dr. Blackwood.” I turned the handle and stepped into the room, shut the door quietly and was immediately met by a friendly face.
   “I’m guessing that was flirtatious Dr. Blackwood?” Tyler joked, chuckling to himself.
   “Yes, it was.” I sighed and sat down.
   “I made sure the blinds were closed,” Tyler said, motioning to the covered window. “So I could talk to you longer.”
   I smiled, still amazed by the amount of kindness in one soul. One man. “Thank you.”
   “So, tell me, what did Dr. Blackwood have to say today? If you don’t mind if ask…”
   “Not at all! He asked if I wanted to go out for a drink tonight.” Tyler sat forward excitedly.
   “Did you say yes?”
   “No… and isn’t this a kind of conversation women normally have?” I pointed out, trying to keep from laughing.
   “What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic.”
   I couldn’t hold the laugh in anymore and let it come bubbling out in a wave of joy. “Why does that not surprise me?” Tyler smiled and shrugged.
   “Maybe I can get you to change your mind about him?” He said, his eyes sparkling the way the tended to when he was going to tell a story. A story from his past that he didn’t want forgotten.
   “I don’t think that’s possible.” I said, still grinning.
   “Well, we’ll have to see, won’t we?” He leaned back a little and folded his hands in his lap, his eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly.
   “I ought to buy you a pipe.” I thought aloud. Tyler chuckled quietly.
   “I don’t know how well that would go with lung cancer… Anyway, around… wow! Eighteen years ago,” He sighed. “I feel old! Yeah, so, around eighteen years ago when I was in grade twelve there was this girl in my English class. She was pretty plain looking. Not gorgeous, but not ugly either. I never really noticed her until she came up to me one day after English class and asked me if I wanted to go see a movie some time. Back then having a girl ask a guy out was rare. Almost never happened. And I personally thought she was kind of weird for doing that, so I turned her down. I didn’t really have much interest in her anyway.
   “Well, the next day she asked me if I wanted to study for this huge test with her. Again I declined, and was starting to find her a little bit annoying. For a month she would ask me on random dates, whether it was studying, going to a movie, she even asked me if I wanted to go blueberry picking once! What kind of a date is that?
   “Finally one day, just to get her off my back, I said yes. So, that night, we went and saw Flubber. Not really sure why we chose Flubber, but we did, and all I can say is that it was one of the best nights of my life. Seven years later we got married. About seven years after she was in a car crash and died.” I could see the tears fighting to fill Tyler’s eyes, but he held them in and swallowed them back inside. “If you give Dr. Blackwood a chance, you will either get him off your back, fall completely in love with him, or nothing might come of it. You might go on a few more dates and then have nothing happen. I think you should give him a chance.”
   I pondered over Tyler’s words, still unsure of what to do. Should I give him a chance? Just to get him off my back? But what if I fall in love? I couldn’t let that happen. Ever. “Fine. You’ve persuaded me. I’ll accept his offer, but only to get him off my back.” A huge smile plastered itself across Tyler’s face.
   “Thatta girl. Now, I told you a story, you tell me one this time.” I raised an eyebrow, a little shocked that he had asked me to tell him a story instead of me asking him to tell the story. I bit the inside of my lip, trying to think of a moment in my life that wouldn’t give away the fact that I was a vampire and had been around for a lot longer than I looked.
   “A few years ago-and no I will not tell you how long ago-I decided to go to New York…”
                                                                 ***
   I noiselessly closed the door, trying to wake Tyler up. He had fallen asleep around the end of my story and I had figured that was my cue to leave.
   “Did you have a nice visit?” I turned around to face Dr. Blackwood.
   “It’s seems you like to do that a lot.”
   “Do what?”
   “Walk up behind me and start talking. And yes, I had a very nice visit.” I bit my lip, remembering what I had told Tyler. “And by the way, I changed my mind. I accept.” Dr. Blackwood’s eyebrows scrunched together slightly, his facing showing confusion, yet still a look of dark flirtatiousness lingering.
   “Accept what, Ms. Lovett?”
   “A drink.”

“I’m glad you could join me tonight, Ms. Lovett.” Dr. Blackwood took my hand gently in his and pressed his thin lips to it. A chill shot itself up my arm and wrapped around my body. I fought back the urge to recoil and spread a false smile across my face.
   “I’m glad I could join you as well.” I lied through my teeth. If it was going to get him to leave me alone then I would lie as much as I needed. He motioned for me to sit down and I did, tucking my dress skirt carefully underneath me.
   “So, what made you change your mind Ms. Lovett?” Dr. Blackwood inquired, taking his black sunglasses off, revealing a pair of blue-green eyes that, for a moment took my breath away. They looked like ice, yet held a certain manner of warmth that I had never expected. As he shifted in his chair, his eyes turned to a sparkling grey, then back to a color that I couldn’t figure out if it was green or blue. I pulled myself away from his gaze.
   “A long conversation with a dying human.” I answered truthfully, yet unsure of how he would react. He c***ed his eyebrows, a look of curiosity crossing his face.
   “And what did this dying human tell you which caused you to change your mind?”
   “He told me his words of wisdom.” I said as a woman in a long black dress walked up to our table. Her eyes flashed between us suspiciously.
   “What would two like to drink?” She asked us, her eyes narrow.
   “I’ll have O positive and she’ll have AB negative.”
   “Will that be all sir?” The waitress asked politely, although the look she was giving us certainly didn’t match her tone of voice.
   “Is there anything you’d like?” Dr. Blackwood asked me, his piercing eyes making contact with my own.
   “No thank you.”
   “That will be all then.” He told the waitress. She nodded and we watched her leave.
   “Don’t you think this is dangerous?” I whispered, keeping my voice low.
   “What is?”
   “Inviting me like this. If people end up getting too suspicious…”
   “Then they end up getting too suspicious.” I c***ed my eyebrows uncertainly at him. “Were they suspicious last time we were here?” I sucked in my cheeks and shook my head.
   “That was also on business don’t forget.” I pointed out.
   “And the difference is?” Dr. Blackwood folded his slender hands under his chin and stared at me, his blue-green eyes boring through me. I sighed and shook off his comment. If I was going to do this just to get him off my back, I might as well have fun doing it.
   The waitress from earlier walked over, the suspicion still lingering in her eyes. She set two small glasses in front of us, each filled almost to the brim with thick, red blood. She pursed her pale lips together, bowed slightly and left. I cupped my glass in my hands and took a drink.
   “Is it good?” Dr. Blackwood asked, smirking. I set my cup down and blushed, realising that I had red pouring out of the corners of my mouth. Dr. Blackwood picked up a white handkerchief from the table and gently pressed it against my face. I could feel the heat from his fingers through the cloth, making my face burn. For the first time, I didn’t recoil from his touch. I accepted it. I found my eyes avoiding his and staring at the table instead. His delicate fingers moved their way across my mouth from underneath the napkin, wiping up the blood. “There.” He put the napkin down and chuckled lightly, a sound that I was slowly starting to feel myself more and more attracted to, although I wouldn’t admit it to myself.
   “T-thank you.” Was all I could get out, my normally polite yet cold composure melting.
   “Do I make you uncomfortable?” Dr. Blackwood asked, a look of uncharacteristic concern crossing his face.
   “No.” I cleared my throat and straightened my back. “No, you don’t.” He stared at me for a few seconds, the concerned expression never fully leaving his face. “And, even if you did,” I continued. “Why would you care?” I froze as I noticed the hurt in his eyes. A hurt that killed me on the inside. My whole outlook on him changed within a few meager seconds. In front of me, instead of seeing the cold, flirtatious, disgusting man I had always seen, I saw a lonely, sad man. A man who wanted nothing more than to be loved, and to love another. A man who had put up a façade, hiding behind it, unwilling to show his true colors. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” I stuttered, my heart aching with a disgust for what I had done. “I should leave.” I stood up, turning to run out the doors, leaving my hatred for myself behind. Fingers wrapped themselves around my wrists before I could leave.
   “No. Please stay.” I turned around to face the man that was no longer the cold Dr. Blackwood, but Elliot and swallowed. “I want you to stay.” He looked like a boy who had just lost his dog. I nodded slowly and sat back down, avoiding his gaze. “Thank you.” I lifted my eyes up to his, a light dancing across them. His lips curled at the corners forming a beautiful, heart breaking smile. Slowly his lips parted, broadening the smile and showing his white teeth. I couldn’t help but smile back, causing his eyes to sparkle even more. I had never seen a happiness as genuine as his. He slowly let go of my wrist and picked up his drink, taking a sip. “I’m sorry for coming across as rude earlier.” He apologized, removing the cup from his thin lips. I held back a laugh, covering my mouth with my hands. “What?” He looked taken back, like he wasn’t sure how to handle my reaction.
   “Sorry, it’s just that you never really seemed like the kind of person who would apologize for something like that.” He looked down at his glass, biting his bottom lip.
   “No, I guess not.” He looked back up at me from under his eyebrows, giving me the same puppy-dog look he had earlier.
   “Why the façade?” I questioned him, stirring my drink.
   “I don’t know…” Elliot looked around the bar, his eyes wandering aimlessly around. He finally wandered back to me. “We live in a world where being who you really are, isn’t accepted. Especially for us,” He motioned to the other vampires around the bar. “We are forbidden to love, and be loved.  We are expected to be cold, heartless creatures that want nothing more than blood. It’s disgusting. That’s not who I want to be. I want to be able to fall in love. But that’s not who I’m supposed to be. So I built a wall up around myself, swearing that I would never fall in love. If I came across as flirtatious, no one would care because it would just come across as dark, almost hatred. Causing someone to distance themselves from me. So that’s what I did. I would choose a victim and sweet talk them. Disgust them. No one cared. I never actually thought I would fall in love with one of my victims.” I recoiled, his words slowly seeping into me.
   “You’re… in love with me?” I whispered so no one would hear my outburst. Elliot looked me square in the eyes.
   “Yes. In every way possible, I am in love with you.” My face paled, then flushed. I didn’t know how to respond. Love was forbidden. He had said so himself. He could die because of it. We could both die.
   “D-Dr. Blackwood I-I can’t… I don’t want you to end up dead. I can’t… I can’t return your love.” Elliot’s eyebrows turned upward in a look of sadness. I felt my whole body melt. I couldn’t stand him looking at me like that. It made me feel guilty. It was like a slap across the face. Painful, yet understandable.
   “I understand.” He muttered, avoiding my face.
   “If the rules were different-" Elliot held his hands up, motioning for me to stop.
   “It’s fine.” I swallowed.
   “No Elliot. It’s not fine. These rules are preposterous. They don’t make sense.” I stared at him, trying to choose my words carefully while completely distracted by his face. “And I don’t mind braking them.” Elliot’s lips parted in a gasp and part of me expected the whole bar to grow quiet, the members waiting to slit our throats. But the room stayed decently noisy, blocking the sound of our conversation.
   “A-are you sure?” Elliot stuttered in happy shock.
   “Not in the least. But would be the point if I was?” I smiled, still not entirely sure why my sudden change of heart. I froze as Elliot’s head shot to the side. A few pairs of eyes were slowly making their way to our table. Elliot grabbed my wrist, his fingers momentarily brushing up against my bare hand. We weaved our way through the darkly lit bar and into the even darker night. The cold air hit my face like a wall, chilling through my body. Elliot gently dragged me away from the bar and to an abandoned street. The street was almost pitch black with no signs of houses or other living beings. There were no street lights and I could barely see a foot in front of me. We stopped in front of an old building, Elliot placing himself in front of me. His pale skin stood out against the dark, so that almost all I could see of him was his thin face and blue-green eyes.
   “Aurelia, you’re willing to risk your life? Just because I was foolish enough to fall in love with you?” I nodded, my inside growing hot from embarrassment.
   “Elliot, I want to get to know you. Tonight I discovered that you’re not the man I thought you were. You’re more than that, and I want to learn about you. And, from just learning as much as I did tonight, I can tell you that you weren’t the only one foolish enough to fall in love.” Pouring those words out took so much strength from me, yet they made me feel stronger. I studied Elliot’s face looking for a reaction. Tears were sliding down his face and his lips were twitching in a small smile. He wrapped his arms around my frame and pulled me to his chest, his hands mingling in my hair.
   “Thank you.” He whispered, pressing his lips quietly to my head. I could hear his heart beating rapidly in his chest, the small sobs escaping his body. I snaked my arms around his waist, pulling him closer until all I could feel was him. We never kissed that night. We never did anything like that. All our emotions were let out in this one hug. All our thoughts, feelings, love was poured out in this one connection of bodies.

I wanted to see him. I wanted to hear his voice, feel his breath against my cheek. I sucked on the blood bag, remembering the events of the day before. His arms around my body, his lips pressed against my head. Just that much had been dangerous, life threatening, but I didn’t care. I was in love. I had fallen hard and quick, and I knew I would never be able to let him go. I set the bag down and dragged my mouth across my black cardigan. There were some days that I didn’t mind wearing modern clothes, and it was one of those days.
    I opened the refrigerator and put the bag on the top shelf. I shut the door slowly and walked over to one of the windows that I had covered. I hated the sun. It burned my skin and stung my eyes. But I loved the view from my small apartment even more than I hated the sun. I pushed the blood red curtains aside gently and stared out at the world. Mortals walked the streets below, rushing from one place to another, phones in hand. The world hadn’t always been like this. There hadn’t always been cars to pollute the air. There hadn’t always been cell phones for people to be slaves to. The world had been simpler. But, times change. People change. They grew older, they died. Sometimes I wished I could die. Living forever wasn’t as perfect as it sounded. Sometimes it was too much. Seeing so many eras pass, it wasn’t always easy. I shook my head and closed the curtain. There were too many things in life I didn’t understand, and too many things that I did, but didn’t want to.
   A soft knock on my door slammed me back into reality. I walked over to the door cautiously and opened it slightly, my hand gripping the handle. “Elliot?!” I threw the door open in shock, staring wide-eyed at the tall, handsome man in front of me. I certainly wasn’t expecting him to come to my apartment, and wasn’t sure how to react.
   “May I come in?” He asked quietly. Something wasn’t right. I could tell.
   “Uh, of course.” He slipped inside and closed the door softly.
   “Aurelia, I need to talk to you.” I nodded and led him over to the dark red sofa that took up most of what I considered my living room. He sat down at the end, clasping his hands together. I sat next to him, noticing the tension in the air. “What you said last night, did you mean it?” I stared at Elliot in shock.
   “Of course! Elliot, I’m falling for you hard and fast. I need to be with you.” I said, pouring my whole heart into these words. Elliot gazed into my eyes, searching. He put one of his pale, slender hands against my face and kissed my cheek gently, his lips grazing the corner of my own. A blush crawled its way up my warm face, and I silently prayed he wouldn’t notice.
   “Thank you darling. Those words mean so much. But, it’s dangerous.”
   “I know. You didn’t care before though. And I don’t care.” He sighed.
   “I know I didn’t care, but I thought about it. I don’t you to end up dead.”
   “I won’t end up dead. I promise.” I reassured him. The promise though, we both knew I couldn’t keep it.
   “We can’t let Vlad find out. No one can know.” I nodded, only imagining what the dark minded Vlad Montague would do to us. I cringed slightly and cradled my head in my hands. I looked over at Elliot through the curtain of my black hair. He had his head turned to me, his eyes staring at the covered window next to the sofa. He looked so beautiful sitting there, his raven, curly hair framing his thin cheeks and strong jaw, his long eye lashes rimming his bright blue eyes and popping off his pale complexion. Why did this sad, gorgeous man love me? I wasn’t anything special. I was just me. I mentally slapped myself. I sounded like a teenager. A lovesick teenager. But I couldn’t push away the thought. He was so… perfect. I wasn’t. I jumped and turned my head away, realizing his face was turned towards mine, his eyes staring deeply at my face. I blushed and let my hair fall around my visage, hiding my embarrassment. Long fingers brushed up against my cheek, pushing my hair behind my ear. Elliot’s cold, bare hands against my warm cheeks sent chills through my body. He rubbed his thumb gently across my cheek bones, causing my body to stiffen. He drew his hand away. “Sorry…” He muttered, looking down at his lap. I swallowed and shook my head.
   “It’s fine.” I was in love with him, I had to admit it, but I could tell he was going to be kind of touchy-feely. I would have to get used to it. But I could also feel nervousness from him. Like he was scared to hurt me. I shifted closer to him and snuggled my head against his chest, his heart resonating out of his tight dress shirt and red and black vest. The thumping in his chest sped up rapidly and his body went tense with surprise before he relaxed and pulled me closer, his long arm wrapping itself around my shoulder. I closed my eyes, our breathing slowly joining rhythm together, and the smell of his blood sweetly filling my nose.
                                                                ***
   “So, how did it go?” Tyler asked, his sickly yellow face lighting up as I sat down. He rubbed his almost red, stubbly beard with anticipation.
   “How did what go?” I obviously knew what he was talking about, but it was sometimes fun to tease the hopeless romantic. He rolled his eyes and leaned forward, clasping his hands together, his eyes sparkling.
   “You know what! Now tell me. I want all the details.” I smirked.
   “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were an old widowed woman looking for gossip.”
   “Hey, give a sick man a break. I’m stuck in a hospital bed most of the day. You are the most exciting thing in my life right now.” I chuckled and sighed.
   “I guess there’s no avoiding this. It was… wonderful.” My eyes wandered blankly around the dark hospital, my mind replaying every moment I had spent with Elliot.
   “See? I know things.” I threw my head back and laughed.
   “I guess you do.”
   “Well, I’ll have to meet this Dr. Blackwood and make sure he’ll treat you good.” I rolled my eyes and sighed dramatically.
   “Yes dad.” Tyler was the one person I felt I could joke around freely with. I know I could make a weird joke and he’d take it completely fine. Tyler made a humming noise in the back of his throat.
   “Dad. I like that. How about I be your stand in dad.” I raised my eyebrows, really hoping he was joking. He smiled at me and I knew then and there, he was not joking.
   “Fine. But if you’re going to be my dad, I think I deserve an allowance.” I said, holding back a laugh.
   “No.” He said flatly. “Although, I definitely need to meet your boyfriend now. And do my job as a father and scare him to death. Deal?” He stuck out his hand, his eyes gleaming mischievously.
   “Deal.” I gripped his hand. “Just, don’t scare him completely scare him to death.”
   “I’ll scare him as much as I want.” He folded his arms stubbornly and pouted slightly. “Anyway. Tell me, what did you guys do? You better have kept it clean. No kissing.”
   “Yes dad, we kept it clean. We had a drink. It turned out that he wasn’t the disgusting flirt that I thought he was. He’s one of the sweetest men I know.” I stared dreamily at the curtained window. “He’d put up a façade, and, well, he let me break it down. We left the bar, and he led me down to an abandoned street. And we just talked. He means so much to me.” I looked over at Tyler who was smiling at me. He looked to almost be in tears.
   “See? You just needed to give love a chance.”
   “Yeah.” I looked at my folded hands and smiled.
   “How about tomorrow you bring Dr. Blackwood with you when you come. Then I can meet him and try to be a dad before I die.” A lump formed in my throat.
   “Don’t say that Tyler! You’ll make it!” I exclaimed, tears forming in my eyes.
   “Aurelia, I know I’m gonna die. I’m not stupid. You know I know that I’m going to die. And if I’m going to, I might as well make the best of it!” He smiled sadly, reaching over and whipping the tears away from my eyes. I sniffed and nodded. I had seen humans die many times. It is one of the burdens of being immortal. But it had never really bothered me. I had grown to love this mortal. Not romantic love, but a friend love. I didn’t want to accept that this pure mortal was going to die. “Hey. If you keep crying I’m gonna start crying.” Tyler said quietly, giving me a look that was filled with humor, but sadness. I bit my lip and swallowed, forcing the tears to stop. “There. Next time you cry I might tear your eyes out of your head!” I giggled.
   “That’s a pleasant thought!” I looked down at my watch.
   “Time to leave?” I nodded and reached over, wrapping my arms around Tyler. He pulled me closer and snaked his arms around my waist. “Remember, tomorrow. Boyfriend. Here. Don’t forget!” I smiled and pulled away.
   “I’ll try my best. Just as long as he’s not busy.”
   “I don’t care if he’s busy. You two better come.” I stood up and walked over to the door, sticking my tongue out playfully.
   “I’ll see you tomorrow Tyler.”
   “Dad you mean?” He smirked at me as I opened the door.
   “Okay.” I sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow dad.”
   “That’s better.” I grinned and closed the door. I headed down the long, drab hallway to my office. My heart skipped a beat as I caught a glimpse of Elliot walking towards me. Then I saw his expression. Cold, dark, almost emotionless. Was he mad at me? Had I done something to upset him?
   “Ms. Lovett. May I talk to you in your office?” He questioned, his eyes hidden behind his dark sunglasses. He was wearing green surgical scrubs, his dark hair held back with a blue hair net and a green mask hanging around his neck. I nodded, my body stiff, yet shaking at the same time. I led him nervously to my office, worried about he wanted to talk to me about. He seemed so distant. I hated it. I put my hand on the silver doorknob, the metal suddenly feeling cold and clammy in my touch. I twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open with dread. I let Elliot step in first before I followed him in and shut the door. Before I could even turn around to face him his arms were draped around my neck, hugging my back close to his chest. He dragged the side of his face across my cheek, his lips trailing across my skin. I sunk against his chest and let him hold me, all worry and dread melting away. “I needed to see you so bad.” He whispered, his silky voice sending chills through my body.
   “You scared me Elliot. I thought you were angry with me.” I said quietly, my face resting gently on one of his soft, bare arms.  
   “I’m sorry my love. I promise I’m not upset with you. We just have to be extremely careful here. Especially here.” I smiled, my cheeks flushing violently. This was the first time he had referred to me as his love, and I quite liked it.
   “I know. It’s just so hard.”
   “It is, and I hate it. But we don’t have a choice. I’m sorry.” I snuggled against his chest.
   “Don’t be sorry Elliot. It can’t be helped.” His body shook slightly as he chuckled, his voice deep.
   “I love it when you call me Elliot.”
   “Well, I love calling you Elliot.” I could hear the smiling in his breathing.
   “Say it again.”
   “Say what again?”
   “My name. All of it this time.” He said, his breath hot against naturally cold, pale skin.
   “Doctor-"
   “Without the title.”
   “Elliot Blackwood.” I said, my voice coming out quieter and smoother than I had expected. Elliot made a humming noise in the back of his throat that made me giggle.
   “It sounds so much nicer coming from your voice.”
   “I don’t see what the difference is from my saying and someone else saying it.” I said, feeling just a little puzzled.
   “Having someone else say it isn’t you saying it. I like you saying it because it’s you saying it.” He spun me around and looked into my eyes, a smile teasing his lips. I reached my hand up and dragged my knuckles slowly across his soft, pale cheek.
   “Then I’ll say it as often as you want.” He took my hand in his and dragged his lips across it, kissing every inch or skin.
   “Say it forever. Never stop saying it. Never stop calling Elliot.” I smiled and placed my head against his chest, the scrubs rough.
   “I wasn’t planning on it.”
   “Good.” My heart was beating so fast I was scared he would be able to hear it. It felt like it was going to rip itself out of my chest. I just wanted to sink my teeth into his pale, flawless skin, marking him as my own. He let go of my hand and turned around, looking at the clock on my office wall. “I’m sorry my love. I need to leave.” He picked my hand up once again and pressed his thin lips to the knuckles. “Meet me outside when you’re done working.”
   “I will.” I promised. He smiled widely and left me alone in my dark office, his smell lingering in the air.
                                                               ***
   I snatched my purse from my desk and speed walked down the hall. I hurriedly sad goodbye to a few of the staff and jogged down to the bottom floor and attempted to dodge through the normal throng of sobbing people. All I could smell as I weaved through was blood. Fresh, sweet blood. I pushed through the door and took a gulp of fresh air. If I had stayed in that huge group of people any longer I would have found myself drinking my fill from someone’s neck. I glanced around, looking for Elliot. Off to the side, away from view of most people was his familiar frame. I rushed over, trying not to fall in my heels. I rushed into his arms as he planted a kiss on my cheek. I smiled and kissed his cheek back.
   “I missed you.” He whispered, grinning back at me.
   “It’s been three hours since I last saw you.” I said, silently glad that he had missed me, no matter how much time had passed.
   “Every second away from you is torture.” He took his sunglasses off and stared at me with his deep blue-green eyes. “Now, come with me.” He took my hand and hailed a cab. A large, black, ugly looking car pulled up beside us, and unlocked its doors. Elliot opened one of the doors for me and I climbed in, sliding across the dark seat to the other side. Elliot slipped in after me and closed the door. He muttered something to the driver, who nodded and started driving down the street.
   “Where are we going?” I asked, staring out the window as buildings flew passed.
   “I’ve been to your apartment, so I thought it polite that you see mine.” He said, squeezing my hand a little. I grinned and nodded. He never ceased to amaze me with his never ending charm and quirky chivalry.  “You don’t mind, do you?” I shook my head and smiled at him.
   “Not at all.”
   “Although, I thought we could get a drink first?”
   “I don’t drink alcohol.” I explained, hoping he wouldn’t mind. A mischievous glint filled Elliot’s eyes.
   “I wasn’t talking about alcohol. Driver, stop here for a moment please.” The car slowed to a halt and Elliot pulled me out. We had stopped at a quieter corner of town, only a few people roaming the streets. Elliot glanced quickly at the cab driver, as if making sure he wasn’t looking, grabbed my hand and dashed down the street. The wind whipped at my face and blew my hair in odd directions. Elliot looked over his shoulder at me as we ran down the street and grinned, his elongated canine teeth poking over his bottom lip. He looked back ahead his stuck in place. In one swift movement he had his hands around the waist of a tall, pimple-faced teenager.
   “Whoa! What the-" Elliot pressed his hand against the teenagers temple and pushed with all his might. The teenager’s eyes rolled into his head and his body grew limp in Elliot’s arms. Elliot raised his eyebrows at me as he pushed the young man’s t-shirt neck hole away. I could feel the saliva forming in my mouth.
   “I haven’t done this in ages.” I muttered, suddenly feeling nervous.
   “I haven’t either. Are you ready?” I nodded, trying to steady my heart. I put mouth against the boy’s neck and bit, my teeth sinking into his skin. The sweet taste of blood filled my mouth and trickled down my throat. Next to me Elliot had his mouth attached to the boy as well, the corner of his lips gently touching my own. I closed my eyes and sucked, filling my mouth with as much sweetness as I could. Fresh blood. Nothing could beat it. Drinking it from a bag was nothing compared to drinking it from a living person. I pulled my teeth back slowly from the young man’s neck and sighed, savouring the left over taste in my mouth. Elliot pulled away also and smiled at me, his blue-green eyes tinted with red. He dragged his tongue across his thin lips, licking up any stray blood. “It’s always better from the source, isn’t it?” He asked, sounding quite a bit breathless.
   “Always.” I replied, breathing slowly as the last of the savoury taste left my mouth. “Will he be okay?” I motioned towards the young man that was crumpled in Elliot’s arms.
   “Yes. He should wake up soon.” Elliot groaned as he dragged the teenager over to a bench off to the side of the street and dropped him onto it. I glanced nervously around the street. Had anybody seen? The only people who could have possibly seen was the cabby man, and an old woman hobbling around with a cane. I didn’t think the woman would be a problem, but the driver, that might be another problem. Before I could mention anything to Elliot about it, he grabbed my hand and led me back to the cab. The driver stared at us, wide eyed with shock. Elliot rapped on his window and the pale, trembling, bald man rolled it down. Elliot shoved his hand into his pocket and fished around for something. He pulled his hand back out and handed the driver a fifty pound note. “You didn’t see anything.” He warns, giving the terrified driver and glare that looked like it would kill a lion. The driver nodded quickly, snatched the note and rolled the window back up, the terror never leaving his eyes. Elliot and I climbed back into the back seat and the car started up, driving speedily and rigidly down the road.
   “That was… exciting.” I say, still breathless after our little ‘drink’.
   “What’s the point of life without a little excitement?” I shrugged, contemplating his comment. Was there much to life without excitement? I supposed not. Then I quickly looked back on the past hundred years or so of my life and realized that the excitement had been kept to a minimum. Yet I was here, in forbidden love with the man sitting next to me after drinking fresh blood in a place where almost anyone could see. Within meager days it seemed my whole life was changing.
                                                                  ***
   Elliot pushed the door to his flat open and I immediately felt embarrassed. Everything was laid out neatly. The floors were almost spotless, and the couch off to the side had a deep red blanket spread delicately across the top. My flat looked like a barn compared to his. “It’s so… clean.” I gaped, trying to take everything in. It looked pretty expensive too. Elliot blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, his dark curls bouncing over his fingers.
   “Yeah… Um… Would you like to sit down?” I followed him over to the couch in his living room and sat down, snuggling into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer until we were almost sharing air.
   “Do you think I could bribe you into cleaning my flat?” I asked him, inhaling his cologne.
   “As long as you’ll be there.” I grinned, a laugh creeping its way to my throat.
   “I was just kidding.” I said, chuckling lightly.
   “I wasn’t.” I closed my eyes against his chest. And listened to his heart beating rhythmically.
   “I love you.” I whispered, hoping he would hear, yet hoping he wouldn’t at the same time.
   “I love you too.”