Everyone that has been following Sho, Kei and Gabrielle on their little adventure here, I give you my sincerest apology for making you wait so long for chapter 4.
Real life just gets in the way sometimes and it's never as much fun as our fantasy life
.
Addict to Fanfics: I'm really glad you like the story so far and I to love the bit of humor that's splashed around. I think Sho will have a lot of fun at her expense.
Eadwine63: Thank you so much my dear, what a wonderful review and I only hope I can live up to your praise. I can't think of Kei as being a soft vampire either, sort of goes with the territory that vamps are a bit devilish.
Well I really hope you like this chapter and the building of relationships between the three.
Rose444100: How sweet are you? You have been with me from the start and I really appreciate your reviews. I am like you in that I see a Mr Hyde (pun not intended) lurking underneath Kei's Dr Jekyll.
Now please enjoy the next chapter
X
X
X
'That tingling feeling of impending doom is running up my spine,' Sho chuckled at the thought as he tentatively climbed the stairs to their apartment.
Funny enough, the girl had seemed genuinely peeved about her little encounter with Kei. Sho could only imagine at the delightful, energizing run-in those two had when coming together in such a way.
He gave a half-hearted chuckle and quickly looked around to see if anyone in the stairwell had noticed the crazy man laughing to himself.
Brief thoughts flitted across his mind on whether or not it had been a mean trick to play on them both. He brushed the idea off nonchalantly; the excitement would do Kei the world of good.
Heaven knows, it had been a long time since the immortal had had that kind of, excitement! All the things that went with that bit of mania to should make a change to his dreary days and almost hermit type kind of life.
Yes the girl was pissed at him, Sho had no doubt in the world that his nocturnal friend would be in a similar mood, whatever payback the vampire had planned for him would be worth it…maybe?
He paused in mid-step, 'Perhaps, I should stay out a while longer and let him cool down!' The idea bounced around indecisively for a few seconds but finally, curiosity got the better of him. He just had to know what happened between them, regardless of the retribution that Kei would have planned at his expense.
Without another thought, he decided to brave his moody vampire and continued on up.
Sneaking in as silent as possible, Sho detected a rustling noise from the kitchen. In an almost comical, childlike way, he tiptoed down the hall and peered around the corner to see Kei making breakfast for himself.
Sho groaned out load, "You didn't feed her did you Kei?" keened the gunslinger. "Now we'll never get rid of her!"
The vampire turned his head slightly Sho's way and gave him a very straight-faced glare, the one that said, *you're gunna pay dearly my friend, sooner or later, you're gunna pay.*
The mortal gave him a sly smile, knowing full well that he was immune to any harmful payback from one as potentially lethal as Kei. He had a *Get out of jail free card* in other words.
"So," he said behind an uncontained grin. "She looked really happy when she left, are you two best-of-friends now?" and his smile morphed into a soft chuckle.
Kei's death glare turned back to his breakfast preparation, "oh laugh it up Sho," he said in an amused but sarcastic manner. "Your turn is bound to come."
Kei could survive entirely on blood alone, but eating normal food kept him linked into his humanity, something that he wasn't prepared to give up no matter what. Smoking, drinking alcohol and eating were the things that made him feel, well….still human. Though it benefitted him only marginally to eat food, it still made him feel a little less like a life-draining, blood-sucking monster to do it.
Sho wandered further into the kitchen to stand beside his friend, turning on his heel ever so gracefully to face the vampire while crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at the toast sitting on the breadboard, lavished decadently in butter and waiting patiently for its counterpart, the jam. His mouth watering at the sight and reminding him he hadn't eaten since last night.
"You know, she's under the impression that we're both vampires!" mumbled the mortal as the smell of the roasted bread filled his nostrils. "She told me, she hoped the sun comes out. You know what? That woman is really mean!" he chuckled at the image of her angry face and misplaced threat.
Kei gave a small smile at the thought as he slapped a large glob of jam onto the two bits of toast. "Well, she's obnoxious now isn't she?" he mumbled, which then turned into a protesting, "HEY," as Sho stole part of his breakfast. Quickly, he stuffed over half the slice into his mouth so Kei couldn't retrieve it.
"Mmm Hmmmmm, totally obnoxious," Sho said impishly round the mouthful of food. "But, she's easy on the eye, she's a cop, and…..I'm pretty sure she is on your tail Kei."
The immortal glanced at him with a quizzical look, "you mean she's on OUR tail?" he corrected his friend.
Sho stopped chewing his overstuffed mouth for a second, and with an almost painful, concentrating look on his face, he then shook his head vigorously. His auburn fringe quickly swung back and forth not quite long enough to hide the mirth in his blue eyes.
"No, I'm positive she is on your tail Kei," he re-confirmed then a brilliant smile lit up his face. "Yep, your tail for sure," he added and quickly dodged the playful swipe directed at the back of his head from the vampire.
Kei rescued his remaining bit of toast and took a satisfying bite, in similar fashion to his friend, he mumbled round a not so full load. "I swear Sho, you give that woman your key again, I'll castrate you with a butter knife," he added.
Sho chuckled at the thought of Kei furiously trying to cut his nuts off with a blunt knife, "Mmmm, sounds like fun," he said offhandedly.
Both ambled over to the large window, taking in the wonderful sight of storm clouds hovering outside and the rain leaving tiny rivers running down the glass. Kei reached up to trace one of the wavering courses on its decent while absently finishing off his breakfast.
His thoughts were miles away until a bolt of lightning startled him at its unexpected closeness and brightness, reminding him that the dangers in this life to him came in many shapes and forms. He missed his mortality dreadfully, sunlight was his enemy and it was consistent, people that found out what he was would be the enemy and there were many people on the sundrenched planet. The things that could destroy him were sometimes overwhelming; all he wished for was to be as he was before, before he became this creature.
It was probably right that everything in this world wanted him dead, he was un-natural. Feeding off precious life just to keep existing in this miserable existence. He had no right; monsters had no right to take something so amazing like the life of someone, just to survive in a place that clearly didn't want him.
It was only his dear friend standing beside him that kept him here; Kei felt a strong and deep bond with the man and knew that Sho was dependent on him for more than just his survival to. They depended on each other to be there, whether for companionship or advice it didn't matter, they needed one another to survive this time on Earth.
"What are we going to do about her?" Sho broke into the silence. He did find the cop rather intriguing but didn't like the idea of what they might be faced with. Gabrielle wasn't the kind they usually dealt out justice to; she was decent enough despite being obnoxious as Kei put it. The girl was a good-guy so to speak, Sho didn't like the thought of taking a good-guy down in the least. Even if she was a serious threat to them, their way of life, their very existence. 'Well when you look at it like that!' he thought. 'No, maybe not even then.'
Kei let out a long sigh, "Yeah, I've been thinking about that. If she is just playing out her hunch, then, she really has nothing on us. In that case we're probably safe but, that could all change if she digs deep enough and keeps poking her nose around where it's not wanted."
'Especially in my bedroom,' he thought.
They both contemplated the possible scenarios before Sho spoke. "If she did find out, do you think she would even tell anyone? I mean really, who would believe her story of vampires?" he queried.
"Doesn't' matter," Kei softly said. "If she found evidence or witnesses placing us at the scene of those murders, we'd be charged, all stories of vampires aside; we'd be on death row if she could somehow prove we killed them Sho."
The gunslinger sighed in apprehension, "well, the way I see it, we have three alternatives. Two of which I don't like and one that's risky," he said.
Kei dipped his head to the side and looked at the mortal, "so, you've got it all worked out Sho," he mocked. "Enlighten me then."
Sho went into his enlightenment mode with confidence, "well, we could shut her up permanently, which I might add, I don't feel confident in doing at all. Or, we can leave town which I really don't want to do either," he quickly added.
Kei jumped in, "by shut her up you mean…..what, kill her?" the distaste clearly etched across his face.
Sho let his eyes drift slowly closed and breathed deep, quickly opening them again to continue. "I'm just offering choices Kei; this is how I see it."
The vampire nodded in understanding, "yeah well, what's your third option."
His dear friend gave him a small smile before continuing. "We could, open up a little and let her into our lives."
Kei turned towards him fully, lips opened and face full of argument but Sho cut him off with a pair of hands, one around the back of the blonds head and the other firmly over his mouth.
"Sush, hear me out," he yelled above the muffled objection under his hand.
"We don't just blurt it out of course, we do it slowly. Feel her out; see how she handles certain aspects of our life. If you think she could handle it, if she would keep our secret. Then we let her in, if you don't think she could handle it, then we are left with the other two options. We let Toshi into our lives, he knows and he keeps our secret, you will see, not everyone is out to kill you Kei."
Sho took his hands away from his friends face to finally let Kei have a say.
"Toshi has known since he was a child just like you Sho! No, it's too dangerous….."
The mortal cut him off yet again, "no Kei, think about it. She would be more likely to keep our secret if she was our friend, like Toshi? She might do it now because we saved her life last night and she owes us, but, for how long Kei? She's a cop and I don't know what kind of cop. That girl is like Nancy Drew crossed with a pit-bull if you ask me."
Kei's brows creased together in confusion, "Nancy Drew and a pit-bull? He queried the Gunslinger.
Sho gave him a somber look and a nod of his head, "hell yeah, Miss goody-two-shoes who leaves no stone unturned and once her jaws lock around your throat she won't let go."
The blond tried to hold back both the huge grin and the accompanying laugh. His jaw ached in the attempt and he took a steadying breath before continuing, "This is a dangerous game you play Sho, not just for us but for her to!"
Sho fidgeted slightly, "yeah well, I'd rather have the Nancy-pit-bull as a friendly pet then come across her in a dark alley and find she's not tied up."
Kei nodded enthusiastically, "I told you, she's obnoxious," he warned and they both chuckled.
X
X
X
X
X
X
Gabrielle toweled herself dry as her mind replayed the little encounter with Kei. 'Gosh, did that man look good when he was angry?' was her only thought right now.
She had arrived back at her apartment and for some reason, felt a desperate need to clean it from top to bottom. 'Damn them for the clean freaks they are," she mused.
Now that it was crystal clean, Gabe opted to do the same for herself, showering away all traces of the warehouse memories. Letting them flush away down the drain and hoping like crazy that it was the last time she ever saw them again.
Wrapping the oversized, purple towel around herself she exited the bathroom, walked over to her bed and belly flopped down onto the covers. She lay there awhile as her body sunk into the feather-down cover, a safety blanket from the bad things that lurked outside her safe apartment. It felt good to be safe, in her plush towel, on her fluffy bed, in her warm apartment. Her own little Fort Knox of comfort, speaking of safety, Gabe decided she had better call her dad and tell him what had happened.
Delaying no longer, Gabrielle picked up the phone and dialed the numbers, she still had no idea what she would say to him and as Sho's and Kei's faces came to mind the young woman quickly hung up.
'For Christ sake Gabe, what the hell are you going to tell him?' she chastised herself. She took a deep, calming breath. 'OK, better off not saying anything about the two vamps just yet,' she decided. 'Just let him know bout last night.' Her hand came up to her forehead and she slapped it lightly. "Shit, what if he decides to send me home, then I'll never find out if they are bloodsuckers. Shit-shit-shit, think Gabe," went her internal battle.
'Ok, ok, don't say anything, yes, underplay the whole thing if he finds out.'
Happy with her decision, Gabrielle decided clothes were appropriate right now. What the hell was she going to do about all this? She had no allusions about the fact that she would be dead right now if it wasn't for Sho and Kei. How the hell are you supposed to repay someone from that kind of debt? 'Well Gabe, you don't let yourself into their apartment and then insult them enough to get kicked out!' the brunette rebuked herself. "Wasn't asking YOU!" she said out loud at her own defense.
X
X
X
X
The job they had planned for tonight was nearly put on hold, at the last minute; Sho rang Toshi and gave him the go-ahead.
All the way there, Kei had wondered at what tonight's activities would mean for their unsure, blossoming friendship with the young detective. 'Another broken nose for my troubles?' he wondered.
But it had gone off without a hitch, for some reason Kei couldn't bring himself to feed tonight. The thought of her being called here and seeing what he had done left an unsavory taste in his mouth.
Now that it was over and done with, the three men sat around a café table while Toshi handed over the proceeds of their deeds.
Sho was dumbfounded, "NO, this is all they had, very suspicious," he grumbled. "Kei, what do you think?"
The immortal was slouched back in his chair and had actually been thinking about other things and missed the whole conversation, "wha….." he sat up slightly as he looked at Sho.
The gunslinger pointed half-heartedly at Toshi, "suspicious or what?" he asked his vampiric friend.
Kei didn't know what they were talking about but decided to just go with Sho's side of things, "very suspicious indeed," he mumbled hoping that was the right answer.
"SEE!" Sho almost shouted.
Toshi waved a dismissive hand, "awwww screw you both, find someone else to do it then."
Sho wasn't finished with his rebuke, "you didn't use enough, they were still awake when we got there….idiot! Use more next time, we could have been killed. Hey Kei, hit me," Sho turned away from his quiet friend and held up two fingers. The vampire smiled slightly and quickly threw a cigarette at the held up fingers, missing them completely. Sho was heartbroken and Toshi laughed at the failed attempt.
"Give it time," Kei smiled at his friends whining.
"There is a big job coming," said an elated Toshi. Both of the others moaned in obvious doubt, anything Toshi had planned would be utter bullshit.
"No really, big job, lots of money, you'll see," Toshi defended himself as he got up to leave.
Sho looked over to his friend; Kei seemed even quieter than usual tonight.
"What do you feel like doing for the rest of the night?" he softly queried.
The immortal sighed in thought, leaning his head back and looking up at the array of stars up in the night sky.
"I might pay someone a visit, I've been thinking about what you said," he paused in thought, wondering if this was really the dumbest idea they had come up with yet.
When he looked back at Sho the gunslinger was sitting there with a huge grin on his face.
"Shut up Sho," Kei half smiled at his friend's devious look.
"I didn't say anything," laughed the taller man.
The vampire rolled his eyes and stood, "you don't have to, it's written all over your face you pervert." Kei gave him a gentle smack up the back of the head for his troubles as he walked away, he stopped and turned back to see Sho looking off to the side, obviously thinking some deep thought.
Kei lined him up and threw the cigarette, pleased that it landed firmly between Sho's fingers.
The gunslinger was delighted, a brilliant smile lit up his face at the neat trick that had eluded him till now. The blond giggled and resumed on his way.
"Be home before dawn!" came a concerned shout from the man and Kei turned towards his friend but kept walking backwards.
"Yes mum," he yelled back.
Sho watched him go till he was just another back in the crowded streets, he lit the cigarette Kei had thrown to him and studied it as he thought. His survival had been very uncertain before the vampire came along, the blond brought stability to his life. Kei meant everything to him and Sho wanted nothing more than to see him happy. As time went by, the vampire seemed to fall deeper into depression, occasionally coming out of it for a while but then would fall even deeper than before. Maybe this girl would be just what the doctor ordered, an elixir of life for a vampire. Though, Sho never saw his friend as such, he was just different but still, very much human.
He was determined to see this lead to something, he wanted his Kei back and he didn't mind sharing him with the girl if that's what it took. All this doomsday talk left a hole in Sho's heart, if what the vampire said was true, he would grow old and die leaving Kei to perish alone somewhere. That thought alone scared Sho more than anything.
There had been many times that Sho felt so entwined with his friend that he wished to join him in immortality, but, Kei's terrified face and ardent refusal at the suggestion of it always halted further conversation.
Sometimes Sho felt that even though Kei had let him into his life, he still kept him at arm's length at times.
He would try to move heaven and earth to see Kei have something more than the dreary existence that he'd fallen into.
If this failed and bringing the cop into their lives proved to be an erroneous decision, would either of them have the…..balls, courage, will, mettle or the ruthlessness to kill a woman?
The smoke in his lungs turned bitter and Sho stubbed it out on the table. This was a dangerous game indeed; but, he was playing a hunch and Sho was sure the young cop was more interested in Kei than she should have been.
X
X
X
X
"Do you have ANY, idea what you're doing you idiot?" said the reflection in the mirror. Long dark hair surrounded an oval face and Caribbean blue eyes looked at her in accusation.
Gabe sighed, "You're in way over your head girlfriend," she mumbled to herself and let the towel drop to the floor.
Naked, Gabe strolled over to the dresser. Pulling out a pair of plain white underpants and an overly large T-shirt to sleep in. It was very late in the night but her mind was working overtime, why was he a sudden and persistent fixture in her head now?
She felt the extreme need to get shitfaced, the bottle of Jim Beam in her pantry sounded right up her ally and Gabe made her way out of the bedroom to go find it.
She screamed in terror.
"OH JESUS MOTHER FUCKING CHRIST!" shrieked Gabrielle as she back-peddled wildly into the hallway wall. Her hand went to her heart, patting her chest desperately and trying to restart the traumatized muscle.
He stood there, Kei, that smug bastard just stood there. Leaning casually against the opposite wall in the hallway, looking far more pleased with himself than he should at having quite successfully, scared the living bejezus out of her.
"Not a nice feeling, when someone invades your home is it?" he arrogantly said. "I must say Gabrielle; I don't think I've ever heard such language coming from a lady before!"
The thudding in her chest was deafening and Gabrielle could only stand there mutely up against the opposite wall while her heart tried to get some semblance of normality back to its rhythm. Her knees were trembling and threatening to buckle at any minute now and Gabe tried to halt the embarrassing pass-out by placing her hands against the wall. She could only imagine how her startled, saucer wide eyes looked to him, not to mention her unusually wide open, but silent mouth.
With the terror slowly leaving her distressed system, his words penetrated her awareness and fear slowly started morphing into anger.
"Stick around, I'm sure you're gunna hear a lot worse real soon buddy," she huffed at him.
Kei smiled slightly and tilted his head, "Is that an invitation then?" He queried.
Her irritation growing, Gabe gave her legs a helping hand. Pushing up and off the wall, only to reach out to it again for support. What the hell had he done to her; she was a mess in his presence.
"What are you doing here, and, just how long have you been standing there?" she growled out.
The sudden alarmed thought of how naked she had been only moments before added to her already panicked state.
He just stood with arms folded over his chest an annoying smirk plastered across his lips.
"Long enough," he replied. "At least, I didn't let myself into your bedroom, that would have been just plain rude now wouldn't it?"
Gabe got the accusation but chose to ignore it, after all, what could she really say after breaking into his house…..twice?
No she didn't break in the last time; Sho gave her the key so that one doesn't count.
"H-H-How the hell did you get in?" she awkwardly stumbled through.
His eyes sparkled with mischief, "I flew in." Then mock concern crossed his features. "Oh I'm sorry, did I….scare you?"
Gabe raised her ebony, wing shaped brows at his obvious sarcasm, the failing attempt to keep his lips from splitting into a grin made her want to introduce his nose to her fist once again.
"Oh no not at all. I'm used to having weirdo's come into my home uninvited, feel free, pull up a chair!" she casually pointed down the hall to the lounge-room, her voice full of sarcasm and just a hint of anger.
Kei chuckled at her tone, "yes, I myself have had two visits from weirdoes just this past week. They let themselves in, over fed my fish and they actually insulted me in my own home? " he gave a disbelieving look at her. "Can you believe the hide of them, I mean, I know I'm not a violent man but, if push comes to shove, my bite is really a lot worse than my bark!"
Gabrielle just stood there with her mouth agape again until he'd finished. She took his words in and the not-so-hidden meaning behind them. She was so stupid, why hadn't she gone straight down to the local church and filled a spray-bottle full of Holy water or something after seeing what he could do?
Her *deer caught in a spot light* eyes were a very attractive feature Kei decided. He was really unsure as to whether or not he should put her mind at ease, or continue on with his playful innuendos at the expense of her nerves?
Visions of those dead, blood drained bodies floated around inside her head. Even though Kei was taller than her, he was by no means a huge man. Could he really kill and drain those men, some whom were quite decent in size and shape?
'Not a violent man my ass,' she thought.
Then a sobering fact hit her, if he really wanted to kill her, he'd had many opportunities to do it and yet here she still stood, barely!
The young woman fidgeted then blurted out, "Oh, you're…. just loving this aren't you?" she finished in a fluster.
Kei nodded, "totally," he replied with a satisfactory smile.
Gabe tried to regain some sort of composer. "Yeah well, you know what they say, whatever doesn't kill you mikes you stranger," she growled and hesitantly took a couple of steps towards the kitchen. That bottle of Jim Beam was looking better by the moment.
Gabe realized that to get to the blessed bottle and have a bid glass full of courage, she had to walk past Kei in the narrow hallway. Only now did she notice how god-damned narrow it actually was, who made hallways so narrow that you couldn't slip undetected past a vampire anyway? She pulled up short, not game to take on the challenge.
Kei's brows knotted together as she stopped about two steps away from him, "don't you mean stronger, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" he corrected her.
Gabe sarcastically replied, "Yeah well, not in your case Kei, you're about as strange as they come."
Her apprehension at having this supposed blood-sucker in her home was weighing heavily on her nerves.
Should she bolt for the door, should she scream, should she make a run for her gun?"
A hundred scenarios played out in her mind in a matter of seconds on the possible outcome of every tactic that came to her mind, but those disturbing images of blood drained bodies kept popping up and Gabe didn't want to end up like that.
The blond chuckled, her discomfort was obvious and Kei finally decided he should try to put her at ease. "That was some real impressive police defense skills there Gabrielle. Did you learn that one in your basic training to?" he taunted the young woman and her total lack of any retaliation to his sudden appearance.
She gave him a mocking smile but it only seemed to kick her fear up a notch at his mild disdain of her nonexistent retribution. Maybe she should just break his nose again to remind him. It sort of only hit her then and Gabe looked intently at him. Bastard's nose seemed perfect to her, not a bruise anywhere.
Gabrielle was certain that if he'd changed his mind and was here to kill her, she didn't want to be sober for it. Head down and eyes to the floor she scuttled past him, letting out her breath as she successfully navigated around his lithe frame in that fucked-up-too-small-for-comfort hallway.
As she scurried past him he caught a whiff of that enticing smell, coconuts and vanilla will always remind of him of her now. That combined with the alluring smell of fear caused a reaction that had eluded him for…..well he couldn't really put a timeframe on that almost forgotten feat now could he?
He pushed off the wall using his butt and followed the brunette. He had to begrudgingly admit, he liked her flustered red cheeks and how her heart was pounding within her chest. The fact that he could feel her blood racing along its vein enclosed course, and hear those raspy little breaths she was taking to try and calm herself was just another thing to add to his desires.
That he could easily take her was not lost on him. That he could easily end that rapidly beating heart in an instant was in the back of his mind. If he ended her here and now, would that solve all their problems?
No, Gabrielle was not the problem here, he was. How could he even contemplate killing her just to make his life any easier?
When Gabe entered the kitchen she was at a loss for what to do next, the room held an arsenal of weapons from knives, glasses, frying pans to boiling hot water. But damn it, she didn't have a ultra-violet light handy anywhere.
The nervous girl automatically went through the motion of retrieving the bottle and a glass as her mind was consumed with how his close proximity had felt. Gabe poured the golden liquid into the glass with one shaky hand while the other fiddled with her shirt in an attempt to lower the hem.
In the end, Gabe opted for sculling her drink, hoping that Dutch courage would only be seconds away with this very un-lady-like tactic.
Gabe fidgeted for a few seconds more as the burn traveled down her throat and into a very grateful stomach. No, Dutch courage hadn't appeared yet so she decided to give it a helping hand. Without any finesse, Gabe sloshed another liberal shot into her glass and after placing the bottle down, sculled the second course of her dinner for the night.
Feeling a tad bit better, she turned to see what he was up to and froze, he'd settled a few short inches behind her trembling form, looking down on her with a pure predatory look in his eyes.
Gabe didn't think her heart could take much more of him, she didn't know where she stood with this man. Was he here to kill her or just to let her know she wasn't out of his reach?
Every run-in she had had with him left her with the feeling that her life was at risk somehow. It was like being on a continuous ride through the haunted house.
Gabrielle plucked up the courage to speak, "OK, it pains me to say this but, you're right. It sucks to have someone in your house."
He raised his brows at her and gave a one sided smile, "specially the enemy," he softly added.
The girls breath hitched and she gave him a fearful, enquiring look, "is that what I am Kei?" she hesitantly asked. "Am I your enemy?"
He leaned in just a little closer, feeling every breath she exhaled and again inhaling that unique fragrance of hers.
"I don't know Gabrielle, you tell me," he was so close to her now.
She was caught in those blue depths of his and his closeness seemed to surround her, holding not only her body immobile but seemingly her brain as well.
Her mouth opened but the words eluded her and Gabe couldn't work out which one of his eyes to focus on at such close range. Her orbs flicked from one to the other and she suddenly felt like one of his bubble-eyed fish begging for food. Gabe snapped her mouth closed and cleared her throat, almost regretfully coming back to the land of reality.
"I-I'm not your enemy Kei, I told you. I couldn't care less that killed those bastards. They were all bad men, every single one of them," she said with a notable tremble in her voice.
Kei never moved from his position, his steal cold eyes searched hers as if reading for the truth in her words.
"And what if you've got it all wrong Gabrielle, did you ever consider that street kid was just taking advantage of you?" he spoke softly to her, not accusing, just enquiring.
She was squirming now at his closeness but, he noted the girl was not pushing him away either.
"I-I could have let it drop altogether, but, until I saw you the other night. You snapped a man's neck with your bare hands; I've never seen anyone capable of doing that before. The way you move Kei, I've never seen anything like that either. I'm not your enemy, you saved my life and I owe you. I-I just want to know…..who are you?"
Kei dared to put his hands on her, reaching up slowly to cup her check; she was so warm to the touch and her skin so soft. She visibly shuddered at the contact and the vampire knew why.
"What if I'm just a man Gabrielle, what would you do?" his voice was but a whisper against her lips and he was closer to her now then he'd ever been to another human other than Sho.
The immortal could feel his own blood racing; his heart seemed to buzz in excitement as both her hands came up to touch his cold appendage on her face.
"Your fingers are freezing Kei," she cupped his hand in hers and blew a strong warm breath over his skin to try and warm them up.
He was sure his heart flip-flopped inside his chest as her lips, almost by accident, touched his fingers.
His own voice faltered a little in response, "It-It's cold outside," he whispered. It was as if this moment was so very fragile and any loud words or sudden movements would destroy it forever.
His other hand found its way to her waist, gently holding her in this delicate moment, unwilling to let her move in the slightest lest it fade away.
The young woman looked back up to him, her eyes cloudy as if lost in some fog.
"I think that, if you're a man Kei it would make me very happy right now?" she answered nervously. With each moment the gap between them closed slightly, his hand on her waist, slowly moved to encircle her and unabashedly, he pulled her fully into an embrace.
He whispered, "what if, I'm your feared vampire Gabrielle?" their lips were so very close now, both breathing erratically at the promise of what might come.
Gabe's legs felt so weak, the whole situation had just unfolded too quickly and it felt like she was on a rollercoaster to euphoric oblivion. And, she wasn't too interested in getting off the ride at all right now.
"I think, as long as you're not here to kill me, I don't care Kei," she whispered. As soon as the girl finished the sentence, Kei crushed her lips beneath his. Both his hands came up to the back of her head and hold her mouth securely to his. It wasn't a feral attack of mouths opening and closing, just the simple strong pressure of longing to feel such intimate contact. He held her this way, feeling much more than just the touch of flesh meeting flesh. It was like all his pent up emotion was releasing itself into the girl through this one, passionate kiss, showing her just how he desperately needed this human connection.
The brunette moaned against his mouth and he moved her around so her back was against the wall, it was only then that he released the kiss. Both taking a deep breath while studying the response of the other.
His lips opened and he dipped his head towards her for another taste, pulling up a scant few millimeters before touching. Her mouth opened in anticipation of the kiss and they both hung there with lips open for a while before he spoke.
"What about your code of ethics detective," he queried softly. "If you have a killer in your grasp, wouldn't you want to bring him to justice?"
He ran the tip of his nose around hers as he waited for the reply; he was almost desperate for her to give him the answer he wanted. It would tear what remained of his heart out to know she could, and would, turn on him once she knew what he was.
He could feel the slightest pressure of her pulling him into her soft, warm body. This was testing his limitations of self control, but then again, he was thoroughly enjoying the test.
"Bad guys kill really bad guys; I think I can live with those ethics Kei. Not that you're bad, I mean, maybe a little naughty, misguided, freaky but not bad," she was rambling now and he couldn't help but give the girl a wide smile.
Reluctantly, he released her and backed slowly away.
"That is good to hear Gabrielle," he a slight bow of his head to accompany that smile. "Until next time then," he chuckled.
Gabe was a little shocked at the sudden parting, especially after it was getting so damn hot. Whirlwind, that's what he was. She was on a Kei rollercoaster ride, within a haunted house, while it was being tossed around inside a tornado. Yep, that pretty much summed up what being around him was like.
But she begrudgingly admitted, he was cool, calm and collected at the same time and she found that extremely tantalizing.
"Um, you're, leaving?" she managed to get out.
Kei found her disheveled hair, her uncertain eyes and the way she hadn't moved a muscle quite amusing.
"Yes my little scaredy-cat," he grinned.
"A-pffft-what? That's not funny Kei, don't you scare me like that again," she scolded him. "Next time knock will you?"
Kei tilted his head to the side in an apologetic way as he backed up further to the sliding glass doors and the balcony beyond.
"I owed you one," he said then corrected himself. "Actually, I owe you two," he chuckled and Gabe finally found her legs and took a few steps towards him.
The vampire held up a halting hand, "Stay there Gabrielle, I have a surprise for you."
The detective gave him a quizzical look, her dark brows knotting together slightly but she pulled up anyway.
"Turn around," he said, smiling encouragingly. "Turn around and face the wall."
Gabe had serious doubts about the sincerity of that smile but she didn't think he would hurt her; after all, he could have done it three times over by now if he'd really wanted to?
With a sigh she nodded her head as she turned around, "don't go doing anything weird now Kei." 'Or anything weirder then you usually do' she thought
Gabe heard him giggle, "I promise Gabrielle," he said.
The young woman wondered what he was up to, a surprise, what could it possibly be? As long as it wasn't a baseball bat around the back of the head she would be quite content.
The seconds drew out and nothing was forthcoming, she couldn't even hear him shuffling around.
"Kei, are you still there?" Gabe turned when he never responded, regardless of whether she spoilt the surprise or not.
He was nowhere to be seen, she quickly scanned her apartment. Not there either.
The detective almost ran to the front door but the latch was still firmly in place which meant he never came in this way and he most definitely never left this way.
"You've got to be kidding me," she choked out and stormed over to the balcony and looked out over the edge. Nothing!
Gabe lived ten stories up; there was no way someone could scale up and down the side of this building. Just to confirm. The girl looked up the building above her, still nothing.
"No way, just not possible." she said to herself.
It was all too much, he'd been here, scared the shit out of her, kissed her and now that Gabe thought about it, she still never got one answer out of him. "Bastard," she grumbled out load.
X
X
X
X
Sho was sitting alone in the dimly lit park just watching all the people wander past, lovers walking hand in hand, kids holding their parents hands, even old people holding wrinkly hands. Everyone, lovingly holding hands accept him.
He looked down at his own long slender fingers and wondered what it would be like to walk through the park late at night with a lovers hand entwined in his.
How long had it been to feel a warm body next to his? A very long time that's for sure. As if on cue a hand appeared from nowhere and slipped into his, he jolted upright and looked at the culprit.
Kei smiled down at his saddened friend, gave his hand a quick squeeze then sat down beside him and stretched out.
With his day dreaming put on hold, the gunslinger turned towards his friend. "So, what do you think?" asked Sho.
"I'll tell you what I think, all her police training means shit when she gets a fright," laughed Kei.
The taller man smiled, "wish I'd been there to see it. You're lucky you didn't end up bleeding again, mind you, that was funny as hell to. Never seen anyone get a hit in on you like that…..except me of course. Well, she certainly had it…."
"I kissed her…" Kei very softly interrupted, but he felt more than saw Sho turn his way.
The gunslinger gaped at his friend, "You kissed her!" he repeated totally stunned yet excited about the prospect. Then a huge grin spread over his face, "that's so, disgusting," both chuckling at the jibe.
A curious look crossed the mortals face, "is she a good kisser?" That beautiful big smile of Sho's returned and he raised his brows in question.
The mortal was sure Kei blushed ever-so-slightly before whining his reply, "I don't kiss and tell Sho," and now the game of tit-for-tat set in.
Sho nodded, "well, seeing as you think she's obnoxious and all, it must have been nauseating for you," he leant back and made himself comfortable, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
Kei retaliated, "you know, I have kissed a girl before!"
Sho shook his head in denial, "I've never seen it," he mocked.
"And you're not going to," Kei quickly added.
Sho's playfulness was suddenly in overdrive and he reached for Kei, "come on Kei, give me a kiss, just one little kiss, don't be shy now," he pulled at the immortal as the vampire tried to bolt.
"Get off me Nancy boy," squealed Kei as a full on wrestle ensured, both giggling like school boys having a playground tussle.
"Pretend I'm Nancy Drew, not Nancy boy Kei!" chuckled Sho and five seconds later the vampire had the man tied up on the ground like a pretzel, Sho still laughing despite the overwhelming loss, he mockingly yelled. "Help, rape!" to any passerby in the night.
No one paid them any head, "You wish," laughed Kei as he let go of the frisky human.
Sho untangled himself and stood, dusted off the grass while grinning at the blond, "One kiss from a girl and suddenly, you don't find me sexy anymore?"
Kei shook his head and chuckled, "I've got to get you a girlfriend," he snickered as he stood. "Come on, let's go home."
Sho wrapped his arm leisurely over Kei's shoulders as the two men slowly walked off into the night. "You know I let you win right?" said Sho.
x
x
x
x
Well there you go, I hope you are enjoying the story so far and thank you again to those that have bothered to leave me the wonderful reviews.
Look forward to hearing from you, chow for now.
