The Wizardess and the Vampire, Chapter 4 by patricia51

(One change to the WoWP canon. It just doesn't ring right to me about Juliet's age. Whether she's frozen at her age ala "Interview With a Vampire" or "Buffy/Angel" or we're supposed to believe it takes two thousand years for a vampire to pass from teen to adult it just doesn't play out to me. I prefer her as a teenager going through teenager things regardless of whether she's a vampire or not. So that's how it's going to be here.)

Juliet Van Heuson knew something was wrong. She had known it since she had climbed out of her coffin. She was restless, irritable and really not in the mood to put up with her parents.

Her Mother she could placate. Just tell her she was on her way out to wreak havoc on innocent mortals and her Mom was satisfied. Juliet wanted to scream sometimes at that. She didn't wreak havoc. She might be a vampire but she was one with a soul. That gave her feelings. And those feelings told her that hurting innocents was wrong.

Her feelings also told her that something was wrong with Alex. She had surreptitiously checked her phone a dozen times. No calls. And while her Father pestered her about sneaking out to meet some boy or another she could hardly make a call. When she told him to go back to dead she almost could have wished it to be true. Not that she didn't love her parents. But sometimes they drove her crazy; her mom playing the pipe organ and her Dad with his over-blown theatrics about horrible destruction to be rained on this person or that one. Fortunately they got intro an argument over her Mom calling Daddy a "little vampire piggy" and their attention left her.

Finally she made her escape up the stairs and out into the city. She looked around. The street lights and the building lights cast their bright illumination almost everywhere. She thought of her drawing on the wall down stairs. She wondered, as she often did, what it would be like to see the sun, walk about in daylight. She never had and she supposed she never would.

What would it be like to feel the warm rays on her face? To lie out on the beach? To walk hand in hand with someone and watch the sunrise from the time the horizon only hinted until the yellow ball was fully in the blue sky? She closed her eyes and for just a moment she could feel the sun and there definitely was someone's hand in hers. She smiled. She knew who that someone was.

Speaking of that; she shook her head and opened her eyes. Her uneasy feeling returned, replacing the wistful one she always had when she thought of the sun. Right now she needed to find Alex. Something was wrong. She concentrated. She could feel Alex and she was near. She rounded the corner and saw her.

Juliet's heart didn't beat, but it leapt at the sight of the other girl. Then it stilled again because its owner realized that Alex was crying. Using her vampire speed Juliet closed the distance between the two girls in seconds.

"Alex! What's wrong?"

Alex dashed the tears from her face as Juliet wrapped her up in her arms. She returned the hug and the girls stood for long moments simply holding each other. With a deep sigh Alex disentangled herself from the other girl and sat down. She gestured to the other chair at the small table.

"Sit down."

Juliet did as she was asked. Her fingers stretched across the table and were met by Alex's. That was a good sign the vampire teen told herself. If Alex was holding her hand everything was going to be okay. And then everything wasn't okay when Alex continued.

"My parents have forbidden me to see you."

"Oh NO. How did they find out?"

"I gave it away when we were arguing about something else."

"what was that for goodness sake?"

"I was telling them that not matter what Justin had found out that you were a good person and that I was in love with you."

Juliet was torn completely in two. That Alex loved her was precious beyond any price. But she got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. What had Justin, whoever he was, found out and about what?

Alex looked right into Juliet's eyes. "I know you're a vampire."

"Oh my God."

"Juliet? I don't care."

"You don't?"

"No. Regardless of who you are I still love you. And I trust you."

Juliet rubbed her face with her free hand. Oh this was getting wild.

"Alex, let me tell you a couple of things. First, I have a soul. I have feelings. I'm not evil. And I could no more hurt you than I could stand in the sunlight. Second," she took a deep breath she didn't need, "I know that you're a wizard. Or is it a wizardess?"

Alex's mouth dropped open. "How can you tell?"

"It's your scent." Juliet went on to explain about vampire's sense of smell and a good bit more about her, her wishes and dreams.

"Speaking of scents, there's been a guy in the Late Nite Bite several times who smells like a wizard. Could he be the Justin you mentioned and what is he to you?

"He's my older brother and yes, I understand he's been in there a couple of times. In fact it was because my parents thought you might recognize him that they sent me."

"I might have figured out his spying. I had noticed him. After all," Juliet pretended to leer, "He IS quite sexy looking."

Alex playfully swatted her. "Hey now. I'm the only Russo you better think is sexy."

"Oh I do," admitted Juliet. She leaned over the table and the girls exchanged a long lingering kiss. The teen vampire looked thoughtful. "What if I met with your parents? Would that help?"

"I don't think so. At least not until things calm down a bit." It was Alex's turn to furrow her brow. "I wonder, what if you AND your parents met with mine?"

"I'll have to tell them about us," replied Juliet." But I can't imagine it being a problem."

"Speaking of calming down, I better get home before anyone notices I've slipped out. If it's Justin it would be okay. He's on my side. I don't know about my little brother Max." Alex giggled and blushed at the same time. "He might be okay with it. I think he's doing the almost-teen thing and imagining us together."

"BOYS!"

"No kidding."

The girls stood and held each other for a long time. Kisses were exchanged. Kisses that grew passionate and caused hands to start roaming. Finally Juliet managed to push herself away.

"Things are getting to be anything but calm. Now go. And Alex?" When the wizardess turned and lifted an eyebrow Juliet blew her one more kiss. "Catch!"

The girls hurried home. Alex levitated to her bedroom window. Hastily changing clothes she banished the illusion she had created and slipped into bed, a happy smile on her face.

Juliet in turned bounced down the stairs only to find both her parents waiting with their arms folded across their chests. That didn't bode really well. Juliet searched her memory for anything she had done recently that would call for looks like that and came up empty. She mentally shrugged. She'd probably find out in short order.

Her father leaned forward and sniffed. "Just as I thought, Cindy. The girl positively reeks of a wizard." He looked accusingly at her. "You've been sneaking out to see that Russo boy, what's his name?"

"Justin" replied Juliet automatically.

"You see?" her Dad looked triumphantly at her Mom. "I told you. I am going to wreck terrible destruction on that urchin."

"Oh stop it Daddy." Juliet took a deep breath. "I've not been seeing Justin Russo. I've been seeing Alex."

"Alex? Who is this Alex guy?" asked her Mom.

"Alexandra is her first name. Alexandra Russo. But everyone calls her Alex."

Her Father still looked confused. But Juliet could see a light dawning in her Mother's eyes and she didn't like the glint of that light at all.

"Alucard, pay attention! This young woman, I can't think of calling her our daughter, has just confessed that she is dating another girl!"

"Is this true?"

Juliet lifted her chin up and looked defiantly at her parents. "Yes. Yes it is. And not only am I dating Alex Russo; I'm in love with her."

Her Father started to speak butt was, as usual, cut off by her Mother. "Not in this house you don't. We don't allow such disgusting things."

Juliet could hardly believe her ears. "Mother, we're vampires! We drink blood. And you and Daddy sometimes drain people completely. And you say 'disgusting' about me being in love with another girl?"

"We're vampires. That's what we do. And you have been lucky that we have spared your precious sensibilities about how we sometimes have to get blood to live on. But what you are doing is completely unnatural!" Her mom shook her head and tried to control herself. "But what's important is that under our roof you live by our rules. And one of them is no deviant behavior, which dating another female certainly is."

Tears threatened to blind Juliet. She couldn't believe this. Well, if that's what they wanted. "Fine then!" she nearly shouted. "In that case I won't live under your roof." She stormed up the steps and out the door. As it closed behind her she heard her Father protest.

"Cindy! Was that necessary?"

"She'll be back before daybreak."

Had Juliet not been so emotionally stricken she might have caught the pronounced uncertainty in her Mother's voice. But she didn't.

Hours later the Eastern sky was beginning to lighten. Juliet walked once more to the same house she had passed a dozen times during the night. A light was on in the kitchen. She knocked on the door and waited. She heard someone cross the kitchen floor and unlock the door. It opened and she looked up at the person standing there outlined by the light from behind.

"May I please come in Mrs. Russo?"

(To Be Continued)