"Sure thing," I call as I drop my floor squeegee against the case, hands grasping the ledge of the full fryer, pulling with all I can to move it away from the wall for the woman with the hose.

It moved with less effort after the initial first few yanks. I let out a squeal of a laugh as the fresh grease, still cool, splashed up and got my hands and a few specks on my face. The lady laughed too, more controlled than my out burst of a laugh.

"Oh come on. That was rather unexpected, but hilarious. Not as good as the bucket," I laugh as the lady sprays behind the fryer. She says nothing but laughs again, a bit harder this time.

"Excuse me."

I give a yelp, whipping around, eyes a little wide with the surprise. It turned to a smile before I was even looking at the person, eyes twinkling with my usual happiness.

"Hello," I greet in a chipper tone.

The male was a bit taller than my four feet and nine inches , broad of shoulder, short dark hair, pale skin. He looked so blank. I lean on the counter, barely missing the handle that swung toward me when I stepped on the bottom of it. It slapped my shoulder as I held in my laugh at my clumsiness.

"I have to get through, Kathy," the lady says, interrupting the male.

"Sure thing, sorry 'bout that, Margret." The lady wasn't quite rude, but brisk. I turn back to the man after dancing out of the way of the hot hose. He stood in the same place, eyes looking over the bubble covered floor. I smile brightly at him and lean a bit more toward the counter, resting on my folded arms. "My favorite part," I admit like it was a secret, a playful wink.

John, the guy working the pallet for dairy sent me a curious look, shaking his head as he turned back to stocking the eggs. The male though had a faint smile, just the lift of the corner of his lips. It was enough for my smile to brighten.

"See, I knew you could smile," I tease, reaching up to take my glasses off to wipe the grease off. I stared at his position, not able to actually see him clearly, but not making it noticeable. He gave me a new look, I couldn't see it, but I could just tell. When I got my glasses back on he was back to blank. "What can I help you with, sir?"

"What are your hours?"

"Well," I start, drawing out the word with a smile, eyes giving a mischievous glint. I give a sigh as I hear Margret clear her throat. "I'm not sure when we open, but it's usually nine pm for deli side, and eight forty-five for the hot case. On Fridays and Saturdays it's ten on deli end and nine forty-five on the hot case. Did you need something for a later time? You could make the order and we can have it ready for you to pick up after those times, until eleven or so usually."

"KATHY!"

I jump, tripping on my squeegee in my rush to the yell of my name. I stumbled into the steel table, launching away from it quickly as I slid across the floor with a clumsy grace learned from many nights on the slick floor. I slammed into the swinging door without notice to the pain. Margret was bent over the sink, short gasping breaths, pained, blood staining the metal sink.

I was quick to work on her. She let me use the thick paper towels to cover the wound, putting pressure on the gash and one arm around her shoulders.

"Shh, Margret, Shh. Think of something else. Think of your grand daughter," I say in a soothing voice, serious for once as I led her out of the way I had come in, the man still there. "JOHN, call a code white!"

Margret's footing was lost in the bubbles without warning. I gave a loud girlish squeal as I felt here pulling me down. I was quick to not fight it, forsaking my rear and hers to keep the pressure on her hand. The fall was stopped though. The customer had surprisingly caught Margret with one arm, the other catching me. I gave a sigh of relief as I pulled her hand closer, rewrapping the palm of her hand. She was making pained sounds as the male helped us out of the deli area and toward the management talking to another employee by the entrance to the back of the store.

"ALEXIS! Get a call out to the ambulance dispatch!"

The female in business attire flew off to the office, ordering things into the radio as she went. I gave the male a thankful smile. I smiled at Margret.

"Come on, Margy, get your mind off it."

"How can I?" she snaps, shooting her anger at me. "Sheryl left the knives in the sink without draining it!"

"So," I start, eyes flashing over the store in thought as we walk. "How was that date with.. was it Rodney?"

"Shut the hell up, Kathy," she snarls. "Not all of us can be as perky as you are while bleeding out."

I give a frown, before looking away. "You're just hurt, thus upset. You'll regret it later."

"Oh, get a life, Kathy," she snarls as I set her on the bench outside of the doors to the back.

I shrug. "Who needs one? I don't mind mine."

She shoots the foulest look at me.

"Kathy, what happened?" Alexis asks as she rushes back out, first aid kit in hand.

"I'm assuming she grabbed a knife left in the sink by Sheryl. The water must have been covered with bubbles, cause Margy doesn't reach into the sink when she knows there are knives."

I step back, taking the kit since I still had gloves on from working in the deli, blood already on them and my apron. I was quick to snatch her hand, removing the towels to show Alexis and to get a better look at it.

"She'll need stitches," I mutter, looking over the wound. "Make sure the doctor gives you a shot, Margy. You don't want to risk anything. Alexis, can you get the can of sugar from the back room?"

"Sure thing." I sit next to Margret, putting pressure on the gash again as I glance over my ruined apron.

"Is everything alright?" a female asks as she comes over, too well dressed for a simple Wal-mart. She was of Spanish origin, the smallest accent in her voice. She was talking to the male customer who had followed us.

"Everything is fine, Isabel," he says to her. He was so calm, so peaceful. I give a thoughtful frown before Margy cries out, jerking in my hold.

"Shh, shh," I order quickly, eyes snapping back to her.

"What happened?" Alexis asks as she rushes over with a canister of sugar.

"I twitched, sorry, must have pushed too hard on her hand," I lie smoothly, eyes on the wound again as I pour the sugar on it.
The sugar helps to clot and slow the flow quickly. The paramedics were there as I set the can to the side, gently rubbing at Margret's back and whispering soothingly to her. They took her to the hospital without hesitation.

"Toss the apron, Kathy and finish up please?" Alexis asks with an apologetic look.

I flash a bright smile at her. "It's fine, Alexis. I know how it works."

"Thanks," she smiles back before rushing off to do the paper work for the injury.

I turn and notice the male still there, looking at me curiously. I give a smile before ripping off my apron and throwing it in the can by him, my gloves following it.

"Thank you, saved us from hurting her hand further. I could open a slicer if you need some meat or cheese cut," I offer.

"That would not be necessary."

"It's no hassle at all, sir. I only have to sanitize the floor and sink and I can get it all together for you."

"We just need to place an order."

I smile brightly at him, motioning with my hand toward the way we had come. "Then let's get that set up for you."

"Do you not sell True Blood at this store?" he asks as we pass the stock for where it should have been.

I glance at the case. "We store it in back. We had a group of 'Fang-haters' come in and destroy the stock once, so they thought it would save a bit of trouble from the group." I face him as I reach the counter where all of our forms were, books stacked quickly out of the way. "I could grab some from the back for you if you would like? We have all blood types they sell."

"That will not be necessary, Kathy."

I nod, ripping off the hair net that hid my hair from the world. Blue and purple locks fell around my shoulders and shoulder blades. He didn't seem as shocked by the colors as the female did. My grey eyes seemed to reflect the colors in my hair, my pale skin looking paler.

"So what would you like to order?" I ask, not really looking at their reactions as I pulled out a pen and the ordering items. I slide the open order book toward him, quickly filling in the date and store number along with my name.

"We are having a gathering," he says in his calm, even, patient voice. I glance up at him, cursing at the calculator next to my hand started fritzing. I was quick to toss it into the basket away from me. His eyes were not blind to the actions. I flash a smile as I stand up straighter. "I have not ordered for a group of humans in a long time."

He was honest about that. I do not flinch at the thought that this man was vampire, I lightly touch his hand on the ordering book, holding myself in check as I did so. I locked my eyes on his, thankful other associates were not around.

"It's understandable, sir. I'll help you." He looks down at my smaller hand on his for a second then at my own eyes. His lips gave a flash of a 'smile', another vague lift of the corner of his mouth. "Now it all depends," I say while leaning down on the table, my hand pulling away to flip to a new page in the book. "How many and what you would like to offer them. What is the age group, setting, et cetera, et cetera."

I let out a light laugh, twirling the pen in my hands, eyes flicking up to keep an eye on my area. A man was standing with a lost expression in front of the salad case, looking around it for something.

"The pre packaged salads are on that wall over by the pizzas, sir," I call to the man motioning to the wall in question before tapping the pen to my cheek in thought, back to the book.

"I did not think they allowed such colors of hair within this business," the female speaks up as I think over the book.

I blink for a moment, coming out of my thoughts as I glance at her over my slipping glasses. I give a bright smile, nose lifting the glasses a bit for me to see out of. "They don't usually but their allowing wigs this month due to the coming holiday, I just dyed. Can't say anything about it if they wanted to either way. The rule changes at the end of the month to allow the different colors."

She takes in the color again as I sigh, chewing on my lower lip. "So how big of a group is it?"

"About twenty humans," the male says as he watches me.

I give an exasperated sigh, shifting to look up at him with my hand holding my chin. "How are you so blank? Smile, it's good for you and it brightens days for others," I tease, the light in my eyes and tone making it obvious that I was just lightening the mood. He didn't say anything as he looked at me, I couldn't read him, nor did I care. I let out a giggle before blushing a bit as I shift my position again, not liking to be still too long. "So I'm going to say a veggy tray, and meat and cheese tray. I'm not sure how well a hot tray will go over so maybe this sandwich tray if you think it's worth it. And you can send what's left over home with them."

The man had not looked away from me since I made my teasing remark. I look up, thinking he was offended by the remark. "I'm sorry if I was blunt or rude with my comment on smiling. I just like to lighten peoples moods and try to get smiles out of people, bad habit." I look down, embarrassed. "I'm rambling."

The woman behind him cracks a warm smile, saying something in Spanish to the male before me. I jump up quickly as a call over the intercom catches my attention.

"Kathy from Deli, call on line 2. Personal call on line 2."

I shoot a worried look at the door to where the phone suddenly rang. I glance back at the two, an apologetic look flashed at them.

"We have time, go ahead," he says with a motion of his hand at the steel door.

I rush off, slamming against the door again as I slip on the floor, again. I laugh softly before picking up the phone, not realizing that the window on the door allowed them to see me.

"Hello, this is Kathy."

"Kathy! Where is my beer? You hid it from me again!"

"Daddy-" I start, voice not so chipper now as I use on hand to hold myself up gainst the wall, head tilting as emotions rushed over me. "I don't know what-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME YOU WHORE! WHERE IS THE BEER!" the voice made me wince, one hand brushing my hair out of my face absently, smile completely gone, biting my lip again.

"Dad, you're drunk. I can't talk to you when you're drinking-"

"You shut the fuck up you worthless slut. I want my beer here in half an hour!"

"I can't do that, Dad. I'm working. And the house is-"

"HALF AN HOUR OR ELSE!"

The line went dead in my hands. I lower the phone, hands shaking a bit as fear fills me along with sorrow. I swallow, blinking the tears away as I rub at my face. You're a big girl, Kathy. A big girl. I smile testing, letting out a deep breath before turning back to the door and pushing my way to the group, not falling this time.

"So," I say as I return to my slouching position again, gathering my pen and order form again. "What will it be?"

I smile up at the man, not a strong this time, weaker due to my recent call.

"What you think would be best, Kathy."

I brighten at his calming nature. I hardly noticed the calculator next to my hand, the screen flashing away. I do notice as it explodes suddenly. I let out a shrill cry, jumping back and falling flat on my rear. The couple didn't even budge, plastic bits every where. I was blushing madly now, rear end soaked as I stood again, crouching to gather the bits fast.

"I don't know what happened," I say, lying, as I drop the bits on the counter away from me.

I quickly fill out the order, a veggy tray and sandwich tray, glasses getting pushed up into my hair like a hair band as I read the form for what they make on them and choices.

"What's the name or group for the order?" I ask as I glance up.

"Isabel," the female speaks up, "Or Hugo."

I nod as I fill it in quickly. "Can I get a phone number and city?"
"Dallas," the male says as he watches my hand form the chicken scratch on the paper. He gave the number out as soon as I glanced at him for the next information. "We will have somebody gather in around ten in the evening tomorrow."

"I'll get it made myself," I say with a bright smile. "Would you like anything else readied?"

"Is there anyway you could have a few cases of True Blood ready with the order?"

"Sure thing, how much?"

"About sixty bottles worth, a variety please."

"Sure thing."

I hold out my hand to shake. "I'm Kathy by the way, night shift."

He shakes my hand after a long moment, gentle as if he feared breaking me. I laugh as I clasp his hand tight and give a good shake. "If you ever need anything, I'm here." I lean in as I remove my hand, voice lower. "The other girls are all sticks in the mud so don't let their attitudes get to you." I pull back as quickly as I had leaned in. "And have a wonderful night, you two."

They give me another unreadable look before leaving me, the female looking back once or twice as I returned to working.