A/N: TADA! See! I'm not dead! Sorry I've been so busy guys. I've had this lying around for months and decided to post it. Hopefully you enjoy ch1 and leave some reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, although I do own a prereading copy

I am scanning books on a shelf. The titles are all unfamiliar, and the words in a language I cannot read. A voice, a voice that I will recognize forever, calls my name, not the name I am accustomed to, but the name I have come to love and call my own, just like the owner of the voice; Lucius Vladescu. He steps closer, reaching out his hand and calling again, "Antanasia". I turn and begin to walk, the long skirt of my velvet gown brushing against the rug. I glance down and notice the stain underneath my feet, a stain on our past, a stain that will never be removed. I step back to try and avoid it, but it seems to grow as I walk. I break into a run, and soon the stain has spread across the entire rug, changing it to a thick black-red color that reminds me of the past, of this room's history. Lucius' expression becomes more urgent. He opens his mouth once again, but this time utters a different name in a much higher-pitched voice "Jessica! Jess-"

"Jessica!" I opened my eyes and pushed the pillow off of my face, only to have another one catapulted at me with extreme force. I mumbled something that hopefully sounded like "go away", and the covers were stripped off of me. Melinda Stankowicz was standing directly above me, threatening me with some kind of aerosol bottle. I held my hands in front of my face in self-defense, "Okay, fine. I surrender!" She pulled away and I got up, glancing toward the digital clock on the nightstand, "Min, it's eight AM! We're on vacation."

She already had her purse on her arm and was applying lipgloss in the tiny motel mirror. She turned to face me, "Exactly! Spring break! You cannot sleep through spring break. We're going to miss out on all the eye candy!"

The one thing I definitely wasn't looking for on my relaxing beach vacation was "eye candy". I tried to think of an excuse to skip out on Mindy's guy-hunt, but came up with nothing, "Mindy, you go. I'm not feeling so great. Give me all the details!" I forced a weak smile at this one. I hated lying to my best friend, and it wasn't just about feeling sick. No, the things I had to keep from her were big, big enough to get in the way of our friendship. I knew that her finding out the truth was probably inevitable, but how could I tell her? Hey Mindy, by the way, remember Lucius? The so-called vampire who was supposedly staked by my ex-boyfriend? Yeah, so, Jake wasn't very off base there. In fact, Lucius is perfectly fine, since he is, actually, a vampire. Oh, and here's an invitation to our upcoming wedding! Hope you can make it! And then there was the other part, the part that would change the way she looked at me forever. There was a slight possibility that she might still want to associate with anyone deludedenough to believe in vampires, but how would she feel about someone who actually claimed to be a vampire? My first reaction hadn't exactly been friendly.

As I pondered this for the millionth time since my return from Romania over the summer, Mindy mistook my far-away look for grief. She sat beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder, "Jess, it's been over a year. Lucius would have…well, he would have wanted you to move on." Her voice was hesitant. She still didn't know exactly what went on between Lucius and I last year, but she had sensed that we were closer than friends. Betrothed, actually, born to unite and rule over our warring vampire clans together.

I attempted to respond truthfully, "I don't need to 'move on' Mindy. I'm fine. I just don't want to get into anything just yet. I'm really focused on school right now." This was, in fact, true. It had been my decision to continue my education before ruling my family. After all, I had eternity to get back to Romania and fulfill my destiny. Lucius was fine with my decision. He even encouraged me, even though he was upset about having to stay apart for so long. After extensive research, I found Carpathian University, home of the country's best Romanian language program. Learning the national language could potentially help me rule an entire vampire clan.

Mindy, finally satisfied with my excuse, left the motel room. I waited a few minutes for her to move far enough away, then threw on some clothes and dashed downstairs to the front desk. The manager handed me two letters addressed to Miss Jessica Packwood. The first was from Mr. Dorin Dragomir. I opened it on the way back up:

Dear Antanasia,

How are your studies progressing? I have a feeling your Romanian must be fluent by now. After all, it is in your blood. Oh, and your vacation? How is the beach? The ocean air must be lovely this time of year. I should consider visiting the seaside myself soon. I have sent a new shipment of O negative via the methods we discussed earlier. Hopefully it will be to your satisfaction. The clans have been very peaceful lately, under the careful eye of your betrothed, who, by the way, has been extremely distraught since your departure. But no need to worry, he is ruling with the justice that you would demand. Hope all is well with you and your friend.

Yours truly, Dorin

P.S.: Would you consider purchasing a few more pairs of gloves for me? You don't seem to find the ones with those delightful patterns on them over here.

I chuckled at the last part, remembering Dorin's excitement over small things like striped gloves and coffee shops in Pennsylvania. When I reached the room again, I flopped down onto the bed and practically tore through the second envelope, being gentler with the old-fashioned parchment inside. Every word was more precious to me than life itself. The elegant calligraphy read:

My Dearest Princess,

It has been nearly nine months since your departure, and time still crawls as if it were but a moment ago. Tell me, Antanasia, how is the seaside? Was it worth the time you could have spent with your people? With me? I apologize for my cruelty. I do understand your obligation to your friend (How is Melinda by the way? Still as eccentric as in high school?). I just do not believe that I am able to spend another moment without you (This letter is beginning to sound more and more like one of your "cheesy" American romance novels. Now I understand the authors' dilemma of avoiding clichés!). This is the truth! I miss you, Antanasia. Please busy yourself with schoolwork to avoid missing me, while I attempt to remain occupied with ruling two entirely peaceful clans of vampires.

Yours, and only yours, Forever, My love,

Lucius Vladescu

P.S: Give Melinda my regards

P.P.S: Actually, scratch that. Let's not frighten off our dear Mindy with notions of the undead just yet.

P.P.P.S: Please attempt to avoid falling for any more peasants during your stay in Miami…I would not enjoy flying across the Atlantic to win you back (again!)

A drop of water blurred the last few words. I hadn't realized that I had been crying until that moment. Lucius' frustrated words hurt me, mostly because they reflected my own thoughts. I wanted more than anything to be with him, too, but we had discussed this repeatedly. I wanted to bring new, possibly more democratic, ideas to my kingdom, but first I had to learn them myself. I was taking a few Poly Sci classes for this. Hopefully, we could make Romania's undead population a little less…brutal. Still, being away from him was incredibly painful. I had not seen him since the last day of summer, when I left our "people", and there was still over a month until we would see each other again. If he would only come to America for a little while…but we'd discussed it, and he'd refused flatly. I read the letter again, and a plan started to form in my mind. It required some deception, a day on the beach, and a little bit of help from Mindy…

A/N: like, OMG, cliffy!!! (Always wanted to say that) Okay, not really, but I think you know what I'm thinking...