Creatures of Habit
Summary: AU alive!Lenore is a coroner who, accidentally examines a not so dead corpse. Ragamuffin does not take too kindly to her meddling and a world of wackiness ensues.
A/N: Hello, everyone! Thank you for taking the time to look at my story. This is my first mult-chapter fic so please review if you want me to continue it. I'd love to hear your feedback! Also, I apologize for any OOC-ness that may appear, I tried to keep them as close to canon as possible.
Chapter 1- Misunderstandings
Peering behind red-rimmed glasses, Lenore Lynchfast studied the clipboard in her hand, blue eyes widening in surprise. What luck, a body with no outward signs of death! She smiled to herself, humming a little tune as she picked up the nearest scalpel. Now she could examine the corpse fully, much to her joy. She shook off her reading glasses and placed them on the silver tray along with the file.
Apparently, the body of the young man had been found lying on an empty coffin in an abandoned storehouse.
One of the Nevermore cops had taken a stroll through a back alley to finish his patrol. He hadn't expected to see a trail of blood leading up into the building. The young man as well as a brunette woman had been found dead, the woman having her throat ripped out and intestines removed.
It was a shame, she thought. While she enjoyed her job, it was always sad to see someone so young die.
'He almost looks like he's sleeping' she pondered. His chest was still covered by the body bag. Crimson stained his pale lips, a stark contrast to the pallor of his skin.
'Perhaps he suffered from some internal bleeding,' she thought. Pulling on the latex gloves, she stared at the body and frowned. Something wasn't right; she just couldn't put her finger on it.
"Oh well, time to get started." Lenore murmured to no one in particular, scalpel poised at the collarbone.
Just as she made a tiny incision into the skin, the body jumped, as if being stunned awake. Blood red eyes flickered open, boring holes into Lenore's blue orbs.
"Oww…" The supposed corpse yelled, attempting to sit up. He swung his legs over the metal gurney, the wheels screeching with age as he got to his feet. The dark-haired man held the black bag over his lithe form as he approached the girl.
Lenore clutched the scalpel close to her chest, eyes wide with surprise.
"What, cat got your tongue?" He teased, a sinister smile plastered on his face.
The girl shook her head. "N-no sir! I'm really sorry for the misunderstanding! I wouldn't have cut you if I knew you were still alive."
The man laughed. "You must be really dense, kid! I am dead." His amused tone quickly turned sinister, eyes poised at her jugular.
"Excuse me?'
"It's like I said before. I-am-not-alive. And now that you know what I am, I can't just let you leave…"
He grabbed her shoulders roughly, face twisted in a malicious grin.
"Did you hit your head or something, sir? I could get you an aspirin if you need one. Do you remember how you ended up here?"
The vampire sounded exasperated, resisting the urge to face palm. "Listen, kid—"
"My name's Lenore and I'm twenty-two years old."
The man groaned inwardly. "Alright Lenore…" He spoke her name with contempt, malice laced in his words.
"That lady you found with me, I killed her. It was me; I don't want some run-of-the-mill murderer stealing my kill."
The girl laughed, patting his shoulder gently.
"I don't believe you. The autopsy reported a wild animal as being the most likely culprit. You don't need to lie to make yourself feel better."
"Listen, kid—"
"My name is Lenore" She retorted, moving to return the scalpel to the metal tray.
"H-hey, don't walk away from me! I'm the eternal vampire scourge! The feared Ragamuffin!"
The girl did her best to suppress her giggles, muffling her voice with her hand.
"Ragamuffin? What kind of name is that?"
He let out a growl. "Shut up… my victims though it was terrifying!"
"Right, your 'supposed' victims. Are you done with this silly game yet? Why don't you tell me how you really ended up sleeping on a coffin?"
The sound of screeching metal was heard as the door to the autopsy room opened.
"Lenore, my love? It is me, your knight in shining armor!" The man shouted, falling flat on his face as he crossed the tiled threshold.
"Uh, Mr. Gosh, nice to see you…" Lenore forced the words out, grimacing all the while.
The spectacled blonde-haired man raised his face from the ground, smiling, only to have a bare foot stomp on the back of his head.
"Later, Lenore. Oh, and I want my suit back."
Ragamuffin gave what could only be thought of as a farewell glance before ducking out of the room.
"H-hey, come back, this area is blocked off for authorized personnel only!" Mr. Gosh chased after the black blur, waving his badge at the supposed criminal.
"Just another day at the office…" Lenore mumbled, returning to her paperwork.