Disclaimer: I do not own TBBT or its characters. I merely play with them.
Rating: Mature for strong language & sexual themes. **Warning - Femslash action mentioned at the end of this chapter**
Italics are character's internal thoughts.
A/N: I'd like to just remind you lovely readers that I'm going to be playing with history here, but I figure if Hollywood can then so can I. :)
The dining room was grand and ornate. At the center of the spacious room was a long dark cherry wood dining table. Alongside the dining table were 12 equally ornate cherry wood chairs with ivory patted seats. At each end of the table rested large blood red velvet wingback chairs. On two of the walls large fireplaces burned hot with fires. The walls were decorated with black and white damask wallpaper, the floors were white marble. Hanging center was a grandeur chandelier that reminded Sheldon of the chandelier used in the Phantom of the Opera production.
Thomas roughly shoved Sheldon into the seat to the right of the wingback chair before moving to pull the wingback chair back, allowing Elizabeth to move to sit, gently tucking the chair beneath her. Penny and Leonard took seats opposite him. Sheldon looked on the table noting only he and Leonard had charger plates, but crystal goblets sat in front of each of them. Sheldon and Leonard had what he assumed, or rather hoped, to be wine. Penny and Elizabeth's sat empty. No one spoke as a woman wearing a long black dress entered carrying a tray. Upon the tray were two covered plates. She gently sat them down on the plates in front of Leonard and Sheldon. Dinner was a delicious looking medium rare prime rib, seasoned red potatoes and green beans.
Sheldon took his cue from Leonard who dug right in. Shockingly, Leonard appeared to be the most at ease around this environment while Penny's eyes stayed fixed on her lap. Sheldon placed the napkin in his lap and began to enjoy his meal.
"Penelope, may I offer you something to consume?" Elizabeth's eyes shifted to Penny, the blonde nodding her head.
"Yes, please." Her voice was soft and still very uncertain, but she knew enough to know you didn't refuse an offer from an Elder. Any decline of an offer could be construed as an insult and the last thing she needed were any further offenses.
Elizabeth snapped her fingers and a door opened, two young blondes entering. Sheldon noticed both wore black lace choker necklaces to hide what he assumed were bite marks. Their wrists also had the same style choker bracelets. He found their old Victorian attire to be intriguing. Though they lived in a very modern time, it appeared this house was decorated and held in a very Victorian era manner. One blonde stopped next to Penny, removing her bracelet from her left wrist and offering it to her. Penny looked at it unsure.
"Are you not hungry?" Elizabeth asked as she removed the bracelet from the young woman standing next to her.
"I-I normally only feed on Leonard. I've never fed on a female before." Penny looked at Elizabeth uncertain. A smile drew across Elizabeth's lips.
"Blood is blood, Penelope. Either eat or starve. The choice is yours, but know as long as you reside within my manor you will only consume blood." Elizabeth responded before turning to the wrist before her. Sheldon was mesmerized as her lips parted, her fangs clearly visible. His cock jumped when her eyes met his as she bit the young woman's wrist. The young woman winced slightly, but did not dare move. Sheldon's eyes were fixed as she pulled away from the woman's wrist and angled it so her blood drained into the goblet. Elizabeth added slight pressure to the side of her wrist helping the flow pick up slightly. When her tongue licked at the blood drops at the corner of her mouth Sheldon thought he was going to faint. He could not explain why, but everything this woman did aroused him and while he normally would have fainted at the mere sight of blood, something about Elizabeth's presence made it feel completely normal. Satisfied by the amount in her goblet, she pulled the woman's wrist back to her mouth, licking it to seal the wounds. She released the woman who immediately pulled away and left the room.
Her right hand gracefully cupped the crystal goblet, lightly swirling it beneath her nose to savor the scent. Without pause she brought it to her lips, drinking the warm contents.
"Is your meal not to your liking?" Elizabeth's question shocked Sheldon. He did not realize that he had not moved. His fork was still in his hand, the tines stabbed through meat and raised towards his mouth. He shook his head and took the bite.
"No, it's quite delicious. Thank you." Sheldon responded before turning his eyes back to his plate. He glanced up briefly to see Elizabeth repeating the biting and draining on the young woman who had offered her wrist to Penny. Penny was clearly still too shy to take what she needed. Moments later Elizabeth handed Penny the filled goblet. Penny immediately took a sip allowing her eyes to close as she swallowed the divine contents.
"Dr. Cooper, I trust you do not know who I am." Elizabeth spoke softly as she shifted in her chair to face Sheldon. He shook his head.
"No, I do not. All I know is you are Elizabeth." Sheldon wiped at his mouth before cutting another piece of meat. She smirked as she enlightened her guests.
Elizabeth, or traditionally Elisabeta, was born in 1455, daughter to Radu cel Frumos and a servant girl. Her mother was placed inside Radu's castle by his older brother, Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia. She was a loyal follower to Vlad and used her position to spy on his behalf. Her devotion to Vlad ran deep and when she fell pregnant and gave birth to a little girl, she promptly named her after Vlad's first wife, Elisabeta, before dying from blood loss. Despite his violent tendencies, Vlad was loyal to his niece. Her piercing beauty and disdain for her father formed a strong bond between the two and he often treated her as if she was his own daughter.
In the winter of 1472 Elizabeth fell ill after being bitten on the neck in the woods while scouting in Hungary. Within hours she was dying of fever. Desperate to save his beloved niece, Vlad turned to Matthias Corvinus seeking his help. Matthias was rumored to have rare abilities that made him beyond any mere mortal. He agreed and offered his blood to the young dying woman. After an excruciating transformation, Elizabeth became the first vampire.
Sheldon's eyes darted around as he did the calculations.
"Wait, Vlad III is your Uncle?" He carefully placed his fork and knife on the plate, sitting back on the chair.
"Yes. I would say time has been good to me." Elizabeth held her arms out, admiring them with a smirk. Sheldon nodded as his throat went dry. The information she shared meant she lived in the 1400's, the same time his dream took place. Her story of her bite was also eerily similar to that of his dream. He quickly grabbed his goblet and took a swig, relieved the contents were in fact wine.
"Why did your Uncle not get turned? I would have thought him to seek immortality." Sheldon asked, his voice finally calming and trying to pull his mind from the nagging thought that she was somehow connected to his dream.
"Matthias did not feel my dear Uncle would make a good immortal. He was too unpredictable, too violent. I was 17 at the time and not yet corrupted, well at least not as much as my Uncle. Matthias only felt those who would serve a purpose should be granted the gift. My purpose was to control my Uncle and his temper." Elizabeth took another long sip from her goblet, not wanting the warmth to disappear before she could finish. "I agree with him. We have strict rules that we live by. It is how we have managed to survive as long as we have. Rules to which our Penelope here has broken." Her cold silver-white gaze shifted to Penny.
Penny's hand shook as she placed her empty goblet on the table. Leonard put his fork and knife down and grabbed Penny's hand, helping it to calm. Penny's misty green eyes met Elizabeth's cold silver ice.
"Penelope, John wishes to have words with you before a decision is made as to your fate-" Elizabeth spoke calmly, before being interrupted by Sheldon.
"Wait, who's John?" Sheldon asked confused, this was the first time he had heard the name mentioned and was unsure as to why he was involved. Surely if Elizabeth was the first vampire, she would be the highest ranking one. Elizabeth turned back to Sheldon, her silver-white eyes narrowed slightly in frustration at the rude interruption.
"John Corvinus is the son of Matthias Corvinus. While not the first vampire, being the son of the first immortal he has been granted the role as High Elder of the vampires. Though he lacks the necessary skills to be considered as such and is a royal pain in my ass, he is still the High Elder." Her eyes turned back to Penny. "As I was saying, you will be kept here until he arrives. He is tending to more important issues over in Hungary so I do not know when he will return. You all will have access to the grounds. I trust you will find things comfortable…for now." Elizabeth stared Penny down. Penny nodded, as did Leonard. Her eyes shifted back to Sheldon whose jaw was agape.
"I do not understand why I must stay. I did not violate any of your laws and quite honestly you cannot keep me here against my will." Sheldon's grip tightened on his chair as he tried to be assertive. Elizabeth smirked as she drank the rest of her blood.
"I am the most powerful woman on this planet dear sir. I am the most powerful vampire. There is a pecking order if you will and Penelope has stepped from it and brought you into it as well. If you have an issue with staying, perhaps you should put your anger where it belongs." Elizabeth pushed her chair back as she stood. "You will be shown to your rooms." Without another word she turned and left the room.
Penny finally covered her face as she leaned her elbows on the table, sobbing. Leonard leaned over rubbing her back as he kissed her shoulder. Sheldon's hands hurt as his grip was not released. He wasn't sure if he was angry at Penny. Or completely entranced by a woman who despite being 558, by his calculations, was the most attractive and frustrating woman he ever met.
Ana jumped slightly in her chair as her bedroom door flew open and a frantic and exceptionally pale Elizabeth entered.
"What is it?" Ana questioned as she rose from her chair, placing her leather bound book on the table next to it. Elizabeth closed the door and leaned back against the door, tears flooding her eyes. Ana quickly crossed the room, taking Elizabeth's face in her hands, wiping at her tears with her thumbs. "What happened?"
"It's Stefan." Ana gasped at Elizabeth's explanation. It had been hundreds of years since Elizabeth had mentioned his name.
"What do you mean love?" Ana shook her head in confusion before pulling Elizabeth towards her bed, helping her sit down.
"Penelope's friend. He looks just like him. His voice, his eyes, it's him Ana." Elizabeth's shoulders shook as the grief suffocated her. She had not seen a man who even reminded her of her beloved over the hundreds of years. Ana calmly rubbed her thigh as she tried to grasp what Elizabeth was saying.
Ana knew given Elizabeth's current state, she would be unable to rationalize with the vampire, who was quickly losing control of her emotions. Acting on instinct, Ana gently pushed Elizabeth back on the bed, encouraging her to move to rest her head on the pillows. Her lips focused on kissing Elizabeth's neck softly while her right hand caressed the smooth, cold skin of her inner thigh. Elizabeth gasped, back arching as Ana's slender hand positioned itself between her thighs.
"Relax love. Don't think, just feel." Ana crooned in her ear, biting at her ear lobe.
20 minutes later Ana quietly snuck out of her room after carefully extricated herself from Elizabeth's tight grip. Ana had just brought Elizabeth to orgasm with her skilled fingers when Elizabeth finally passed out. Ana navigated the halls in search of the guests. She needed to see him with her own eyes. Never before had her mistress become so emotional, not since Stefan's funeral. Ana's hand quickly covered the gasp that escaped her lips when her eyes finally saw the source of Elizabeth's grief.
Sheldon quietly followed one of the servants towards his rooms, unaware of the immortal green eyes that followed his moves. It was true; he looked exactly like Stefan. Ana silently returned to her rooms dreading the coming days. Their peaceful and quiet existence just got complicated.
A/N: Things are going to really start picking up pace now, especially between Sheldon and Elizabeth. Buckle up kids, it's going to be a bumpy ride.