A/N: This chapter is a fluffy filler and well no flashback because I'm running out of them :P it's also slightly shorter than the two previous chapters.

Hope you all will enjoy the shopping trip!

Thanks to Ibskib for beta reading!

Listening to: Avatar Soundtrack


Eleven

- Simple rules apply. If it walks, talks and acts like a werewolf - It's most likely a werewolf-

(July 12th)

"What about this one?" I asked and held up a red number. Most of the fabric was half see-through but it had lots of pretty stones.

"Yeah sure," Ivy said dryly. "If you were going to a bachelor party, as the girl coming out of the cake."

"Really? I think it's kind of classy." I looked over the dress. It wasn't that slutty. Ivy was blowing things way out of proportions, it was a nice dress. I glanced at the price tag, not that out of my price range. This was the first shop where I had found stuff that didn't cost more than all of last year's rent, but that was mostly my own fault because I had let Ivy pick the district we were shopping in.

"That's the precise reason we are on this little trip. You have a totally warped sense of style." I guess my face fell because she added. "Not that I don't appreciate the wide assortment of colors, patterns and materials in your wardrobe, I just doubt Rynn would like the red and blue leopard print spandex dress I know you have hidden away."

"Fine," I muttered and hung the dress back. "But it doesn't have leopard print on it. Its zebra striped."

"Yeah," Ivy said raising an eyebrow as if to tell me that was just as bad. Maybe it was…but I hadn't been planning on wearing it to a black tie event when I bought it. "Come on, this isn't the right kind of store."

I followed her out still a little bummed about the red dress, but all the brimstone I had let Ivy pump me full of made me feel jittery. That was saying something about the amount of Brimstone I had consumed, since Ivy claimed Medical Grade Brimstone couldn't get you high.

Maybe the brimstone also was the reason I was feeling paranoid. I had felt watched ever since we left the church and as soon as we got out on the street, the skin on the back off my neck prickled again. Swallowing I couldn't help but to look around. No one was watching me. At least no one I could see…

The store across the street Ivy wanted to check out next smelt of vampires and besides clothes it had a ridiculous amount of crystals lying around. There was also flute music playing.

Ivy was quickly attacked by a sales lady and soon the middle aged blonde was crooning to my vampire about how fabulous any of the dresses would look on her. The blonde seemed only slightly bummed out when Ivy told her the dress was for me. There was an annoying cheerfulness about her. Maybe that was because her name was Molly; at least that was what her name tag said. In my whole life I have never met a Molly who wasn't sickeningly upbeat.

"Well then dearie," Molly looked me up and down. "We should go over here. It's the section for girls with slimmer frames." Geesh, thanks, but at least she didn't say the section for girls with tiny boobs.

"We need something for a formal event," Ivy said as she saw me glance at a short bright purple gown with feathers. I guessed it wasn't what she had in mind.

"Of course you do," Molly said and stopped us in front of a section we had walked right past as we entered the store. "I'll be back and check on you in a moment."

"This one is nice," Ivy said thoughtfully as she held out a white lacy thing. I was glad Molly had left us to our own business because I thought the dress looked like it was from another era and made a face.

Reaching forward, I too began looking through the dresses. There seemed to be no real order in which they had been hung. Not by color and not by style. Not even by size because all the dresses in this section seemed to have been made for people with bodies like mine. I tugged out a long silky black dress. This could work.

"Holy shit Ivy." I grabbed her hand tugging her to me. "This dress is 1400 dollars."

"Don't look at the price tag," Ivy moved my hand away from the handwritten number. "Look at the dress." I did my best to do just that but I wasn't paying 1400 dollars for a dress. No way.

"Ivy, you know I can't afford this, right?" I told her in a whisper.

"You should try it on," she said, totally ignoring my horror at the fact that even if I maxed out all my credit cards I wouldn't be able to afford this dress. "Rachel if it's a matter of money…"

"I'm not going to let you pay for it. And you can't lend me the money either, because I'll never have enough to pay you back," I grumbled and hung the dress back up.

"Here," she said sourly and handed me a brown dress with green stripes. It was almost pretty, in an ugly way."That one is just 200 dollars." She crossed her arms over her chest. It took me a second to realize she was offended, that I wouldn't let her pay for my dress.

"But it's kind of revolting, don't you think?" I quickly looked away from her. I wasn't going to let her pay for my dress. I was okay with a lot of things but her buying me ridiculously expensive things was not one of them. Money stuff tended to fuck up relationships. At least I heard someone say that. I usually managed to fuck them up anyway.

"I don't know," she said, uncrossing her arms. "I think maybe you could pull it off. Dirt brown is such a good color on you." The sarcasm she managed to add to those few words was impressive.

"Ha,ha. Very funny." I grabbed the dress from her and headed over to the counter and Molly.

"Excuse me but do you have any other dresses in this price range?" I asked holding up the 220 dollar dress and its tag to her.

"Shopping on a budget today?" Molly asked her tone conspiratorial. I would hardly call 200 dollars budget but compared to the rest of the stuff in her store I guess it was.

"Yes," I said while Ivy looked pained. Maybe she hadn't ever asked for the cheapest thing in a store before. Or maybe it was because I was fairly certain the clerk had realized who we were. At least who Ivy was, if the suddenly overly interested looks she was giving Ivy was any indication.

"I actually have a dress that was returned after being altered," Molly held up a finger to her temple. "Grayish blue, I think it would work on you. The girl who wanted it wasn't very chesty either. I'll give it to you for half the original price."

"What's the original price?" I asked, trying to keep the strain out of my voice.

"Don't worry, it will be less than that one," she whispered still sounding conspiratorial. "Come along, you'll have to try it on. I'm not going to sell you something that won't fit, when I won't have time to modify it. You are cutting your shopping a little close aren't you?"

"How.?"

"-did I know you were going to Rynn's dinner? Aren't everyone?" she laughed before she disappeared through the back door of the shop into a dark large area filled with dresses and if I wasn't mistaken even more crystals. She came back out with a dark garment bag.

"Most of my best dresses were gone weeks ago, just after the invites went out. Now come along," she waved us to the dressing rooms in the back while she kept talking."Terribly exciting isn't it? Tell me Ms. Tamwood, is it you? It's been such speculations on who will be Rynn's new-"

"No comment," Ivy said looking at the little dressing room and the flimsy curtain with interest. I suppressed a chuckle and mimed no comment? Behind Molly's back. Ivy could have just given the poor woman a little gossip. It wasn't like it was a secret, Ivy wasn't going to be Rynn's scion. At least I didn't think it was. "Could you give us some privacy?" Ivy asked sharply.

That looked like the last thing Molly wanted to do. She looked like she wanted to question Ivy on every juicy detail she might have about this upcoming affair. I hadn't known it was such a big thing but clearly it was. After another second Molly's face fell and she handed me the garment bag and went back to the front of the store.

"Exactly how many people are going to be at this…dinner?" I asked as I closed the curtain and zipped open the bag. The dress was pretty but plain. Overly simple, unlike most the dresses I owned, and without anything interesting about it. The bodice was a knot-like thing that I imagined would either look totally stupid or really pretty.

"About five hundred give or take," Ivy said from behind the thin curtain. I felt my stomach do a little surprised flop. That many? Were all of them vamps? Just the thought of that many vamps all simultaneously sending out pheromones made my knees weak and my middle warm.

"Why all the fuss?" I asked, slipping out of my sweater trying to ignore the sudden worry, and the pain taking my top off had caused my wound. "I mean when you…Piscary never did all of this, did he?"

"No," Ivy sounded thoughtful. "I guess Rynn is use to doing things in a big way," Ivy's voice was slightly darker than before.

"Yeah. Okay." I zipped open the dress. I frowned. It probably had two skirt parts to get tangled in, so stepping into it would be easier.

"Is it wrong that this is turning me on?" Ivy suddenly whispered right outside the flimsy fabric and I felt myself turn bright red. Perhaps sensing my surprise she added. "Don't worry. I know better than to make out with people in dressing rooms. Me and Kisten actually broke one once," she said stepping back from the curtain.

"How the heck did you break one?" I asked, before I could stop myself. "Wait, don't tell me."

"We were doing a whole lot more than kissing, that's how," she said while I zipped up the dress.

"God Ivy, that's just wrong," I mumbled while I wondered just what that would be like. If Ivy was in this little room with me, only the curtain separating us from everyone else, her mouth on mine and her hands…

"But it felt oh so good," she whispered. I swallowed and pushed the curtain and images of her to the side to show her the dress.

"What you think?" I asked swishing the skirt of the dress a little.

"For that price you won't find a better dress," she told me as she leaned back against the wall.

"I'm not sure." I looked in the mirror next to the dressing room. "Doesn't the knot look kind of weird? And the color is sooo boring."

"Buy the dress Rachel," she said sounding exasperated.

"That'll be 180 dollars," Molly said with a smile. I wanted to do everything but smile as I pulled out my credit card. She took it and ran it through the machine.

"This card only has," she looked closer at the screen. "86 dollars and five cents on it."

"Could you use those 86 dollars and charge the rest on this card?" I asked. I could see that Ivy was itching to pull out her own wallet as the second card I offered only took eleven dollars off the price. "Let's try this one." I smiled and handed over the third piece of plastic.

"There you go dearie," the blonde smiled, relieved, as the third card took care of the remaining 83 dollars and handed me my three cards and receipt before folding the dress for me.


"Be thankful she didn't charge you for the bag," Ivy whispered as we left the shop. I looked at the exclusive white paper bag my new dress now was in. "I bet they normally charge you two bucks for them."

"You think?" I asked frowning up at her.

"Maybe even five," she said with mock seriousness. "I really wish you would have let me pay," she added after a second. "You wouldn't have needed to buy it if it wasn't for me, so it would only be fair if I paid for it."

"That only makes sense to you, besides, I invited myself." I took her hand and squeezed it. The uneasy feeling of being watched completely disappeared as we walked past a frozen yogurt and ice cream shop. My mouth watered and the sweltering sun was suddenly much too hot.

"No candy or sugar, Rachel. If you're hungry I brought rice crackers," Ivy's words stopped me right in my tracks.

"Please can we have ice cream Ivy!" I begged, feeling like a child. I was so over this not eating anything good. I was taking my hospital chocolates back too. Ivy brushed her hair back, trying to look stern. "Ivyyy," I whined.

"We'll get frozen yogurt," she muttered. "After we buy shoes."

"I already have shoes," I argued as I looked longingly at the people coming out with their colorful paper cups and spoons.

"Please," Ivy said with a snicker. "I know the shoes you're thinking of, but they're a size too big. You'll look ridiculous."

"They were on sale," I defended myself. "If I wear socks in them, they're perfect."

"Well you're not going to be wearing socks, now are you?" She took my bag and headed off down the street. "I know a good shoe shop. They got bags too."

"They better not be expensive," I called after her.

"Don't worry. I got you covered."

"I'm not going to let you pay for anything," I told her firmly as I caught up with her.

"We'll see," was her only response. After we found shoes my head started to hurt and the itching feeling of being watched came back. All things that made me glad that Mica's Shoes and Accessories was close to the parking lot.

"I promised you yogurt," Ivy said as we left the shop. "You still want it?" I had to stop to think about it. The car was so close, but a cold treat still sounded very tempting.

It was while I was licking my lips, considering if it was worth walking the whole way back to the ice cream shop, I first heard the scream. Both Ivy and I turned to see what it was all about.

A fully changed werewolf was racing down the street, in broad day light, heading straight for us.


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