Nothing to report except that I found a hysterical Captain Jack video on photobucket. The song fits Dracula too. It's called Sex Bomb. -cracks up- Somebody should make a Drac vid to it!!

Disclaimer: I only own the stuff in the story that is OC-ish.


Chapter 9:

A Date and a Destiny


By the following afternoon, Lauren could still hear Dracula's words echo in her mind. "He wants to start over?" she thought, unconvinced. "Yeah right. He just wants to have an easier time of getting into my pants!"

Brushing her hair so that it was half up, half down, she held her blonde locks in place on her head with a brown hair clip. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she widened her eyes. From a sideways view, the hairclip reminded her of Dracula. There was no escaping him! Even when he wasn't there! Grumbling angrily, she tore the clip from her hair and used an elastic band to hold her hair instead. Once her makeup was applied, she stood back to see how she looked.

Her normally wavy blonde hair had been straightened, her ears held small silver hoops, and for good measure, she also wore a silver crucifix around her neck. Lauren was wearing a light blue tank top that was cut to give just a small peak of her cleavage, dark denim jeans that were slightly belled at the bottom, and she had her gray and pink slip-ons again. All in all, she was satisfied with her appearance.

Grabbing her purse, she locked the door behind her, and excitedly strode to her Vespa. She and Christopher were going to go to lunch, followed by a movie, and maybe just maybe a walk afterwards. Seeing that Christopher was not only a really nice and cute guy, (which was really rare these days) he also was a way to escape Dracula. In her eyes, Christopher was her new destiny, sent to keep her from being swayed by Dracula's seduction. Thank God, because she was having difficulty doing so. Everything happened for a reason right?

Starting the engine to her Vespa up ,she rode to the restaurant Christopher had suggested they eat at. She inwardly grinned. Christopher really was sweet. His lips weren't too bad to look at either. "I wonder if he's a good kisser?" she wondered. Lately the only man that had kissed her was Dracula, so it would be nice to experience a kiss from another.

Navigating about the streets of L.A., she mentally went over the directions to the restaurant. Turn right here. When I get to that corner go left, now just go straight. Pulling into the parking lot, she saw that his green van was already there. She parked alongside it and went in. Entering the restaurant, she closed her eyes in pleasure as she was met with a cold rush of air conditioning. Spotting Christopher, she walked to the table and sat down.

"Hey!" she said with a smile.

"Hey! Glad you could make it," Christopher replied with a grin. "Have you ever eaten here before?"

"No," Lauren admitted. "Have you?"

"Yeah. They have good chicken."

"Really? I'll take a look." Taking a menu, she scanned the meals offered with interest. After a few minutes of discussion, a waitress came and took their order. Once she left, Christopher started conversation.

"So," he said. "Tell me about yourself."

(Transition)

Dracula, with his arms folded tensely behind his back, paced in front of his coffin with anger and unease bubbling fiercely within his body. With every click of his boots on the cold marble floor, his fury heightened. With every step, Lauren was with that boy doing who knows what! That insolent boy, thinking he could win her! She was his triumph! No one touched what was his! No one!

Lengthening his claws, Dracula released some of his bottled rage by digging his claws into the wall, causing chunks of it to fall as dust. He had to possess Lauren in his favor, but how? He was beginning to realize that cold seduction would not work on her. If anything, it only angered her. "How peculiar," he mused. She had also said that her suitor was kind and sweet. Well, he could be kind and sweet too! And if that's how he had to win her, then so be it! He hadn't lost a woman yet, and he would not start now! Especially not to that ignorant fool that sought Lauren's attentions as well! If there was anything Dracula despised, it was losing. Especially to an unworthy opponent!

Pacing again, his eyebrows furrowed as he thought of how he could appeal to Lauren. He would have to start very soon. The boy whom Dracula could hardly compliment as being called competition, already had a head start. So he would have to act fast. But what would be the right way to approach her? She would be wary of him, despite his act of a truce. How should he do it? Should he go to her apartment and wait for her to return? If she brought that boy in with her, he'd kill him.

Making up his mind to wait for Lauren in her apartment, Dracula relaxed slightly. He would keep her guessing. He'd make her see that he was not entirely a monster, that to be with him was far better than being with any mortal!

(Transition)

The man laughed. "I can't believe that you could have ever sang that badly to the point where your bird screeched!" Christopher snorted.

"It's not that funny!" Lauren insisted defensively. "I sang the song pretty well, it was just the last high notes I couldn't get! I can sing, but I'm no soprano!" Christopher went on chuckling. "I'm sorry, but it is kinda funny Lauren." Lauren rolled her eyes. "Ok, well what say you to talking about something else?"

"Hmmm… Did you like the movie?" Lauren grinned. "Yeah, it was funny. You?"

"Of course! I live for Jim Carrey!" Christopher proclaimed vigorously. Lauren smiled. She had figured as much. Actually, as the afternoon gave into night, she had discovered a few things about Christopher Brookes. One obviously was that he was a huge fan of Jim Carrey. Another thing was that he was pretty predictable. Which in the case of Lauren's unpredictable demon-fighting life, was a good thing. Not as interesting, but he could definitely balance her life-style a bit if she was lucky.

The two walked to where Lauren's Vespa and Christopher's van were parked. Crickets could be heard despite the roar of cars racing in all directions at all hours of the day. It was the Night Music of L.A. And to make it better, Christopher tentatively slid his hand into Lauren's, who in turn clasped his hand in acceptance as they walked. The journey to their vehicles went by too fast, but once they got there and released each other's hand, they awkwardly faced each other trying to decide what to do next. It was Christopher who broke the silence.

"I had a great time tonight Lauren," he began with a shy smile. "Yeah, so did I."

"I, uh… was wondering if maybe.. if maybe you'd want to go out again.. on Saturday? For dinner? I could pick you up if you wanted." Lauren smiled and a blush colored her cheeks. "I'd love to Christopher. Thanks."

"Great! I, uh.. I'll pick you up at eight?"

Predictable, Lauren's mind sighed. Saturday night dinner at 8:00pm. "Yeah, that'd be great! I guess I'll see you then." Sliding onto the seat of her Vespa, Lauren went to put the key in the ignition. "Uh Lauren, wait a second." Lauren turned her head, still seated on her Vespa, when a pair of soft, masculine lips met her own. She almost jumped in surprise, but responded eagerly and gently placed a hand on his cheek while the other hand held her up on the handle of her Vespa. Christopher pulled away quickly, watching her reaction. He had kissed her. It hadn't been a very passionate kiss. It had been short and sweet, but a good kiss nonetheless. Lauren smiled and her cheeks were red, as were Christopher's ears, she noticed with a giggle.

"I'll.. See you Saturday," Lauren replied with a giddy smile. "Uh… Yeah! See you then!" Kicking the Vespa into gear, Lauren drove to her apartment, feeling Christopher's lips on hers.

(Transition)

Two vampires stood in the alley behind the theatre, unnoticed by all. They had watched Lauren return the kiss Christopher gave her with smug satisfaction. "You see, Richard? I knew the Count hadn't truly won Lauren DiCamillo over yet! He lied. He was wrong. He loses his touch more so every day! The time to act is now!"

"But, he is the Ruler of us all, he earned that title!"

"Pah! He did not earn that title! He kisses up to the Ruler of us all, Lucifer! Dracula has ruled over vampires since 1462! For six centuries he's strutted about, ordering demons around because he's the so-called Son of the Devil! He's ruled Europe for centuries, and now he has made his way over to America! We must not let him control us here! I will not stand for it!" Alan Barlow, the New Orleans vampire hissed angrily.

"Perhaps she only kissed the mortal so he wouldn't feel bad. It was not a very long kiss, she could still be seduced by the Count," Richard defended. He did not want Dracula controlling the entire Vampyric Network, but he was still too cowardly to actually rebel against him, unlike Alan.

"No, she feels no ties to him. She will no doubt continue to hunt Dracula, which will lead to our destruction. American Demons have had places in the Land of the Free since the beginning of time! Who do you think fueled the Civil War for so long? Pixies? Lauren DiCamillo has already brought in her sister for help, we have to dispose of them both!"

"But Dracula specifically ordered for no one to harm Lauren, if he finds out before we destroy him, he will kill us without a second thought!" Richard exclaimed fearfully. "On the topic of killing Dracula, if we kill him, won't we die too?"

"No. It will only apply to vampires that Dracula himself turned. And he did not turn us. It will only affect the vampires in Europe, and not even all of them! Dracula has cut down on the quantity of new vampires he creates since Lucifer brought him back for the second time."

"But how can Dracula be killed? We don't have that kind of power do we?" Richard inquired.

"The Count can be killed the same way he was killed last time, by werewolf venom, but not werewolf venom alone. It is my belief that injecting a large amount of werewolf venom into him at once, followed by all of the American vampires in our coven attacking him, we'll be able to rip him apart before he can even think about healing himself," Alan maliciously replied with a smirk to match.

"You really think we can pull it off?"

"But of course we Richard! We have strength in numbers here, what does Dracula have? Nothing! It is not our destiny to be ruled by some aged, European, aristocratic imbecile! He was very foolish to come here. But I suppose boredom can make even the strongest and oldest stupid. We will report this to the other vampires then make a plan."

Transforming into their hell beast forms, the duo flew for the Hellfire Resort with thoughts and plans of murder in their undead hearts.

(Transition)

Striding into her apartment with a happy spring in her step, Lauren didn't even turn in his direction when she went into the kitchen and nonchalantly called, "Hi Dracula."

Stepping from the shadows and coming up behind her, Dracula smirked. "Good evening, Mademoiselle."

"I take it you're here to find out if I agree to a truce or not?"

"I am yes, but either way, I wanted to see you," he responded with a grin.

"Really? How sweet," Lauren replied dryly. "Yes, well, I thought that after my previous… error I would ensure that you were fully healed. Besides, who would not want to see a beautiful flower such as yourself?" Dracula purred and hungrily eyed her.

"I don't know, but I do know that you're trying to seduce me again and that it won't work because I have another date with Christopher to look forward to." Dracula dropped his lustful look and clenched his fists in an attempt to control his temper. "Oh? It went well then?" he irritably forced himself to ask without snarling.

"Actually yes, thank you for asking," Lauren answered with a cunning smile. Watching Dracula blow a fuse was so much fun! She probably should stay out of his reach though, so she wouldn't have to feel a repeat of yesterday. Walking to a cabinet in the kitchen, she pulled out a potion vial that was a light gray, and tucked it along with the small piece of paper wrapped around it in her pocket.

Saying nothing in response due to the hot anger boiling rich in his veins, Dracula watched Lauren bend over to open a cabinet door. He could not help but scan his starving eyes over her body. Very little of her flesh showed, but he severely wanted to change that. Deciding that silence would not get him anywhere, he tried again to start conversation. "Are you going to agree to a truce, and have us start again, not as enemies?"

Standing up to face Dracula, she casually brought the potion and the spell out of her pocket and looked him in the eye. "I'm still deciding. But this will help my decision." Throwing the potion at Dracula's feet, it shattered as it hit him, and Lauren quickly recited the spell she had composed this morning.

Time passing

Changes all.

Life renews

In creation's calls.

Nothing is immune

Not even bone.

So take this demon

And turn him to stone!

Dracula staggered back and glowed a light gray for a moment, but with a hiss and a clawed swipe at the light surrounding him, he looked Lauren in the eye with an expression that was a cross between annoyance and amusement.

"Did I not already express to you that potions nor a clever rhyme would kill me?" Dracula asked with a raised eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Yeah, you did, but that potion and spell wasn't supposed to kill you. It was supposed to-"

"Turn me to stone?" Dracula finished with a very amused smirk. "That or turn you into a rock. Either one," Lauren added nervously. "I think I might be ready to agree to that truce now." Dracula burst into genuine laughter. "You were trying to turn me into a rock?" he asked in between laughs.

"It's not funny! And yes, I was. It worked with my cousin once. Only she turned the demon into a flower. See, since you're immortal, I figured turning you into something else immortal would have worked. But I was wrong apparently. Even the strongest of spells to just shift your appearance or being won't work!"

Dracula howled in laughter and grabbed a chair to sit down in while he laughed. "I can't believe this! Many people have made an attempt on my life, but you Lauren DiCamillo, are the most creative out of them all! Never has someone tried changing me into something else as a means to defeat me! They only thought of ways to try and murder me! Never anything else! Let alone transfiguring me into a rock!"

Lauren scowled and put her hands on her hips angrily. "Ok, it is NOT that funny! It should have worked! I wasn't trying to kill you, just transfigure you into something else immortal! You'd still live forever! But even that didn't work! You're impossible!"

Ceasing to only chuckling, Dracula responded with an entertained glint in his eyes. "Ah, but I am a very stubborn man Lauren, as you seem to insist on learning the hard way."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Ok, point well taken. Now can you please go so I can hit my head against the wall in peace because my greatest idea to be rid of you failed?"

Dracula chuckled again. "Please do not harm yourself for my sake Lauren, it really was a very creative means of disposing of me. I never would have seen it coming. You can congratulate yourself in the knowledge that you surprised Count Vladislaus Draguila. That is something few have ever accomplished."

"Hurrah for me!" Lauren responded with fake enthusiasm. "But I still have to be rid of you Dracula!"

"Oh, but must you be rid of me at all? I am liking your company more and more," he responded slyly.

"Yeah, well, tell that to my pride. I don't want to see you. So if you would please go away!"

Dracula sighed. "Very well. I suppose I can honor your wish and finish this conversation another time." Lauren looked at him with great surprise etched in every feature of her face. "You're actually going to leave because I asked you to?" Taking note of her surprise and deciding to use it as a means of gaining her trust, he nodded. "Yes, but I will not leave you for long. After this, I am more curious then ever to know more about you and how you think."

"Oh goody. There's somethin' to look forward to. But also… Well.. Thanks I guess, for leaving when I ask you to," Lauren said feeling rather taken aback and awkward.

"You are welcome. Now unless you have changed your mind, I must be leaving." Seeing that Lauren made no move to stop him, he quickly added, "Until we meet again my dear," and materialized from Lauren's apartment.

Shaking her head, Lauren went to pour herself some juice to calm her. "Dracula said I surprised him? Well he surprises me!"


Yeah, well, Drac surprises all. So how was that? Teehee, I was looking forward to writing the whole transfiguring him into a rock thing for ages!!!!

Do me a favor and make the authoress very happy by pressing the tiny button over there. That's it! You can do it!! It won't bite!! That's Dracula's job!!

-ForeverACharmedOne