(A/N: Just in case some people weren't clear on it, I own nothing but the concept of this story, and the insanity that's sure to brew, so if you see anything you recognize, it's not mine, and I'm not claiming it is. So don't sue me, because I'm broke. As always. Also, the thing about acting out a swordfight with spoons? Been there, done that. Was at a friend's apartment when visiting family, and after dinner, her boyfriend and I were washing dishes, while my other friend's boyfriend played my Pirates soundtrack, and M. and I decided to get into a swordfight with the spoons we were holding. Very fun.)
I was never letting Coreen pick out a movie again, that much was certain. Yes, I did own Sweet Home Alabama, but there were only so many times a man could watch that without wanting to rip his hair out, one strand at a time. For the past hour or so, she had been slowly picking at her fourth burger, too busy staring at Patrick Dempsey to devour it as she had the first three. Even with the tiny bites she had taken, though, it was already halfway gone, as I had been leaning over and taking bites as well, wondering when she would notice. I had even bitten her finger, and she hadn't taken her eyes from the TV for a moment. "Coreen," I said loudly when the movie was over, waving my hand in front of her face until she looked up and continued eating. "I'm picking out the movie this time."
She pouted at me, but nodded, only looking down at her burger when I had gotten up to switch movies. Hearing her outraged yelp from behind me, I couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle, saying over my shoulder, "That's what you get for not paying attention." Frowning down at the many choices we had set out, I finally picked out a Tom Cruise one. I wasn't going to admit it, especially not to Coreen, but when I had lived in Hollywood, California, I had owned a home with wooden floors and I had often copied one of the scenes from Risky Business. No one was ever going to know that, though, it would just ruin my reputation, and I couldn't have that. Popping the DVD in, I moved to the floor to settle beside her again, slinging my arm around her shoulders. "I have dessert for after," I said as the first scenes of Last Samurai started to play. "We ate all of it last time, so I made sure to stock the pantry with all your favourite pastries again, and I have ice cream." Her pout disappeared instantly, and I laughed, squeezing her against me for a second. "You're so easy to please."
"Yes, I am," she admitted freely, finishing off the burger and starting on the fifth, showing no signs of stopping, now that there was a movie on in which there was no one to distract her. She continued eating all through the movie, while I sat in silence, focused on the film until the credits began rolling. I got up then as she crumpled up the last of the burger wrappers and tucked it into the bag. Setting her fries on the plate I had put out for her, she coated them in ketchup, so that you couldn't even tell what they were, then she started eating, moving to settle against my side again as he began to debate on which movie to watch next. Finally agreeing on on the Pirates of the Caribbean series, she got up and moved to switch movies, while I cleared the coffee table and went to get our desserts, setting them out carefully so that all her favourites were within easy reach. I could just get up and reach for my desserts, but since Orlando Bloom was apparently her favourite actor, she probably wouldn't be so willing to do the same. I stumbled a bit as I set the last box down, making her whirl around and look at me nervously. I never stumbled, so I can see why it made her slightly afraid. I hadn't fed in a few days, though, and for a moment her heartbeat was all I heard. Straightening up, I rubbed a hand across my forehead as she moved over towards me, instantly drawing her hair away from her neck and offering herself to me.
Shaking my head, I looked away, but immediately looked back as she lifted a sharply-filed nail to the delicate skin between her neck and shoulder and dug it in, scraping across her skin so that blood welled up on the small wound. Neither of us said a word during this exchange. I just stared at the blood hungrily, feeling myself drawing nearer to it, half from my own longing to feed, and half from the small hand on the back of my head, pulling me close to her. As my fangs drew out, I wrapped my arms around her tightly, pressing myself to her as I sank them into her neck and began to drink. I knew I wouldn't have to make her feel the sexual pleasure I made all the other women feel when I fed from them; for Coreen, this had its own sort of pleasure. The hand on my head began to stroke gently, slender fingers from the other hand weaving through my dark curls as we stood there, joined together while I fed. After awhile, I straightened up, drawing my fangs in and licking the remainder of the blood gently from her skin. She shivered a bit, though I knew it wasn't from fear. I couldn't quite tell what it was from, though.
Reaching up, I buried both hands in her hair, leaning forward and kissing her forehead gently. "Thank you," I whispered, feeling rather surprised as she wrapped her arms around my torso and hugged me gently. "You're a part of me now," I said after a few long, silent minutes. "I have your blood in me now."
Giving a small nod, she looked up at me, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her painted lips. "I know," she said simply. "Vicki told me that you could feel her sometimes, after you fed from her. It's probably just what she assumed, but..." Taking a step back, she tucked her hair behind her ears, still gazing at me. "I didn't do it for that, though. I did it because you're my friend, and you needed to feed. If you ever need to feed again, but you can't get to anyone, just come to me. I don't even care if I'm asleep. I just...I don't want to lose you."
"You won't," I said softly, moving to hold her again, wondering why her heart had pounded briefly when she said I was her friend. It wasn't the kind of pounding a heart did when a person was lying, but this...I wasn't used to having a girl so blatantly offer herself to me unless I was injured badly enough to need blood right away, like Vicki had when we had fought the windigo, and it quite honestly disoriented me. She placed her head on my shoulder, her face buried against my neck, her arms wrapped around my stomach and lower back, while mine were draped around her shoulders. Turning slightly, I started to walk, tugging her with me until we were at the window, and she looked up. Staring out at the night together, I felt a sudden connection to her, my hand moving to her hair again, caressing the thick, silky brown threads, twining them around my fingers. "You won't lose me, Coreen," I said then, resting my head against hers. "I swear it. For as long as you live, I'll always be there for you. We'll always be friends. Even if I've been gone for awhile, if you need me, I'll come back." She gave me a wide smile then, turning her head to kiss my wrist. "Come on, let's watch that movie now. We've got plenty of desserts, lots of movies, and you can stay here all day if you want, so we can watch more." Moving back to the sofa, I laid down, tugging her down with me, her back pressed to my chest as we lay with my arm around her waist, one of her arms covering mine. It felt right, laying with her like that, but I couldn't tell why. Stopping my mental debate, I focused on the movie, feeling myself laughing more freely than I normally did, even getting up and grabbing two spoons to use as swords when Coreen demanded I reenact one of the scenes with her. We played around like that for a very long time, until she finally fell asleep at about two in the afternoon, after finishing every movie we had chosen, and reenacting scenes from more than one of them. Carrying her to my bed, I settled her down carefully, draping the bedcovers over her, then I climbed in as well, falling asleep as soon as my arm had wrapped around her waist.
(A/N: Yeah, I know, it sucks. Review anyway, please? Also, let me know what you guys would like to see in chapters, and I'll do my best to make it happen.)