An impatient foot tapped incessantly against the metal leg of a stool as Elsa, perched on said stool, hurriedly thumbed through a wad of dollar bills. The large sum of money in her hands was evidence of yet another successful night that Fangalicious , the restaurant owned by herself and her good friend Meg, had brought them since their grand opening two weeks ago.
Open solely on the weekends, the restaurant was small enough for the two of them to run the business all by themselves without needing to hire extra help. All the work left to them might have been overwhelming for anyone else, but Elsa and Meg were more than capable of handling the job quickly and efficiently. Since Elsa was more people friendly than Meg, she ran all the front end duties, which consisted of greeting and seating customers, taking their orders, and making sure anyone who set foot inside the building was overall satisfied with the service. Meg kept herself contained to the back, whipping up the orders like a boss and only venturing out to serve the meals to their proper tables.
Neither of them expected their tiny restaurant to get noticed or become as popular as it did in such a short time! That Saturday night in particular they were so packed they ended up extending their open hours to 3AM instead of the original 1AM to accommodate the large volume of people they were receiving.
While the minor two hour adjustment was a positive change for their business and pockets, the same could not be said for their personal life. For Elsa, it interfered with her usual nighttime activities. Activities that were highly important to her, and in most cases completely necessary for her to function properly in her everyday life. Right at that moment she should have been at a club or a bar surrounded by bodies in various states of drunkenness, dancing blissfully to heart pounding music, and filling her belly with that sweet, intoxicating liquid that warmed her veins and gave her life…
Instead she was stuck counting the earnings they made for the night and cleaning up the place.
Distracted by the prospect of having the refreshing, mouth watering fluid she was badly craving running down her parched throat, Elsa sought the digital clock hanging above the kitchen doorway to check the time, which currently read: 3:28.
Groaning, she glowered unhappily at the money she was supposed to be counting, and with a heavy sigh she resumed doing so. Frankly, she had no one to blame but herself for the late shift. It was her idea to stay open those few extra hours, the excitement from their incredible success making her forget about her night's plans.
"Damn me and my brilliant ideas," Elsa grumbled under her breath, silently vowing never to make the same mistake again in the future. Her tummy rumbled noisily as if in agreement, and also to remind her that she needed to acquire sustenance. The sooner the better.
Unable to concentrate on numbers, the blonde lost track of where she was and groaned again, this time much louder than before, conveying her sincere frustration at her inability to do a simple task. Dropping the money on the counter, she shuffled the bills back into one neat pile and started to recount it. Again.
Only to be interrupted by a bewildered Meg, who poked her head out of the kitchen to question, "You're not seriously still counting the register, are you?"
"Um." Cash splayed out in her hands, Elsa fanned her face with them and smiled sheepishly. "Maybe..."
"Oh for… Elsa! Really?" Meg huffed and ventured out of the kitchen, shaking her head as she dried her dripping hands with a towel. Her dark brown hair, bound into a thick ponytail with the help of a scrunchy, bobbed back and forth behind her. "It's been at least a half an hour since we closed! During that time I wiped all the tables down, stacked the chairs, swept the floors!" She gesticulated with one hand at all she accomplished and added, "I even hand washed the dishes! Hand washed! Utensils and all! All by myself! What's the hold up? I know we made a lot of money tonight, but it's not a never ending fortune like you're making it out to be. Sheesh, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're trying to stall from helping with the cleaning!" she sneered accusingly, tossing the dampened towel at Elsa.
Snatching it from the air before it could disturb the cash she had spread out on the counter and send it all flying everywhere, Elsa hurled it right back at the woman. "Technically you were the one who made the mess in the first place," she pointed out, and when Meg scowled at her with her hands planted on her hips, Elsa snickered. "I'm kidding, Meg! I'm really sorry, though. I've been a little… distracted," she admitted guiltily.
"A little?" Meg snorted and untied her apron, removing it from around her waist and hanging it up on the wall hook by the kitchen entrance. "Please. I know exactly what's on your mind." Joining Elsa behind the counter, she nudged her off the seat with a firm bump of her hip. "You must be famished ," she said, seating herself on the stool and proceeding to do the job Elsa was supposed to have done a long time ago.
"Not quite famished, but hungry, yes," Elsa conceded.
"Ironic when we have all this food at our disposal," Meg noted, arching one eyebrow and side-eying Elsa knowingly.
Elsa quipped, "I prefer leaving the leftovers to the dog."
Meg retaliated with a low, rumbling growl and stuck her tongue out at Elsa, jabbing a finger playfully into her stomach. "Listen, why don't you get out of here?" she suggested. "I'll take care of whatever else needs to be done and close up."
"You're sure?" Elsa asked uncertainly. "I mean you've already done everything as it is. I don't think it's fair to you…" Even as she said it, her eyes anxiously drifted back to the clock, her feet shuffling restlessly in place, craving to escape outside.
Taking in the antsy state her friend was in, Meg rolled her eyes and answered, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure. There's not much left to do, and you're kind of useless to me when you're like this, anyway. So go on. Shoo!" she barked, slapping Elsa on the head with a handful of cash to hurry her along.
"Alright! Alright! I'm going!" Elsa rubbed her head and deftly dodged another whack, scooping her purse up from underneath the counter. She grabbed her jacket and slipped into it, quickly shouldering her bag and heading towards the exit. "Thanks, Meg. I'll make it up to you, I promise!" she called.
"Have a good night, Elsa!" Meg shouted at her retreating back.
Elsa returned the good night and closed the door quietly behind her, stepping into the crisp, wintry atmosphere, her feet disturbing the freshly fallen white powder that dusted the ground. Her breath fogged in front of her, and though she was wearing nothing more than a thin jacket, Elsa barely shivered. The cold didn't affect her, which was good because that meant she could walk around naked without worrying about freezing to death if she wanted to. Not that she'd actually ever want to do that… Well, maybe a little bit.
Remembering she had less than thirty minutes to get to the nearest club before it closed, Elsa started to power walk down the sidewalk. Normally she'd drive to wherever she needed to go, but her car was stuck in the shop getting some maintenance work done and she wouldn't get it back until Monday. Elsa personally didn't mind walking because it was a great time to relax and think clearly while soaking in the fresh air. If she had to choose between walking or being enclosed in a small space for several miles, the former would win every time. It was a real shame driving was more convenient.
After strolling past a few blocks, all quiet and dark, Elsa wondered if there was a point in showing up at the club at this hour. Sure, she could get there before four, but the bouncers would probably turn her away. Even if they allowed her access inside, the club would probably be close to empty, and that meant her selection would be limited.
"Damn," she swore, jamming her hands into the pockets of her jacket, chewing on her lower lip. Would it even be worth checking out?
While she was considering her next step—should she head home and wait till tomorrow night or find some other source for her needs?— Elsa's ears picked up the distinct sound of crunching snow and shoes scuffing on pavement. It was so faint that she wouldn't have noticed it if her hearing wasn't so sharp.
Apparently the street wasn't as deserted as she thought. Mildly surprised that someone else was out and about this late, Elsa slowed down to a crawl and pressed close to the side of the building she was walking next to, giving room to allow the person behind her to pass by.
Except when she decreased her speed, the stranger copied her, their pace matching Elsa's exactly. Not thrilled with having someone at her back, Elsa stopped moving and leaned against the brick siding of the building, turning her attention to her purse and pretending to root around in its depths for something. Nose deep in her bag, she waited for the person to carry on.
They didn't. Once her feet stilled the ones trailing in her footsteps came to a halt as well.
Interesting . Her eyebrows furrowed curiously . Was she being followed? And if so, by who and, most importantly, why? Keeping up her oblivious act, Elsa freed her braid from its tightly wrapped bun and straightened it along her front, surreptitiously turning her head to sneak a peek at her apparent stalker.
Standing near the street pole at the corner was a small figure, and though their face was obscured by the thickness of the sturdy pole, Elsa was able to make out a distinctly feminine form that possessed reddish hair, styled in two braids. The woman was practically hugging the pole, positioned near it in a way that made it seem as if she was attempting to hide from Elsa, and she was doing a horrible job of it, which naturally piqued the blonde's interest more.
Deeming her stalker nonthreatening since she wouldn't be able to sneak up on Elsa and attack her without her knowing and being prepared for it, Elsa decided to play dumb a bit longer to see exactly how long she would follow her and whether she'd make her intentions known. She pushed away from the building and casually continued walking, humming as she went. She no longer had a destination set in mind, the club long forgotten.
The new friend she attracted quickly scampered after her, tripping over a crack in her haste judging from the soft "Oof" that escaped from between her lips.
Listening to the clumsiness of her follower was excruciatingly painful for Elsa. She really needs to work on her stealth if she's trying to be sneaky, she silently remarked, her ears perfectly attuned to every crunch of snow and every heavy puff of breath that the woman made. Her stamina was incredibly poor, too. That, or the cold was getting to her. Not everyone was as immune to the cold as Elsa was.
Elsa feigned ignorance for a few more blocks until she grew bored of the yawn inducing game. Or whatever it was they were doing. The woman hadn't gained any ground on her and didn't seem to be in a rush to do so any time soon. So as they neared the next block, Elsa took matters into her own hands and swerved around the corner, spinning on her heel to finally confront the girl and find out what she was up to.
She heard whispered swearing, followed rapidly by pounding footsteps as the woman rushed to catch up with her, skidding on a patch of ice as she rounded the corner at speed. The redhead clearly wasn't expecting Elsa to be waiting for her on the other side, so when she came into view she let out a high pitched, strangled gasp, heels digging into concrete and snow. She barely prevented herself from plowing face first into the blonde's chest. Wide, teal eyes flicked from the exquisite shape of her breasts, to Elsa's face, back to her chest, then, tanned cheeks heating up significantly, they returned once more to her face and remained glued there, gazing into Elsa's inquisitive, captivating blue eyes.
Face to face, the two stared at each other in silence.
It gave Elsa the chance to study her more closely. Elsa recalled seeing her face before, though she didn't know her name. The young woman, with sprinkles of freckles decorating the bridge of her nose and cheeks, had been one of Fangalicious' customers. The girl had visited the restaurant twice that night, and both times she ordered nothing but a cup of hot chocolate saturated with mini marshmallows. She barely sipped the drink, opting to poke and prod and stir it with a spoon instead, all the while watching Elsa as she worked.
She tried not to be obvious about it, too, forcing her eyes elsewhere whenever Elsa nonchalantly glanced her way, but Elsa was very much aware of those blue-green eyes following her around the restaurant. Elsa didn't mind it one bit. The girl was admittedly cute, especially when she wrinkled her nose adorably and blushed brightly whenever Elsa acknowledged her.
Every time Elsa asked her if she needed anything, she received a squeakily stammered out "I'm good!" in response. Elsa wondered if the results would be similar in a different setting.
Taking it upon herself to be the first to break the intense stare-off taking place between them, the blonde greeted simply, "Hi."
Blinking, the girl's mouth flopped open and closed as if attempting to say something. Eventually she managed to stutter, "H-hi, me? Wait, of course you mean me. Who else would you be talking to?" She giggled nervously, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, shifting her gaze away. "Um… hi?"
Cute. "Hi, again. Now that that's out of the way, would you care to explain to me why you've been stalking me?" Elsa asked bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Wha… wait. Hold on! I wasn't stalking you!" the girl gasped out, horrified to be accused of such a thing.
Elsa frowned, tilting her head to one side. "Were you not following me in a stealthy manner?"
"I… suppose I was." The girl blushed, ducking her head. "B-but it wasn't intentional! I mean, I wasn't planning anything malicious, I swear!" she promised hurriedly. "Unless you consider sucking your blood malicious—"
"What?" Elsa's eyebrows flew upwards, hiding underneath her bangs.
"—which I suppose in some cases it could be, but I was going to ask first!" the redhead finished defensively. She buried her face in her hands and sighed. "That was not supposed to come out like that. I was supposed to wean you into it gently." Scrubbing her hands over her face, she blew out a huge breath. "Okay, let me start over! Pretend you didn't hear anything, okay?
"My name is Anna, first of all," Anna introduced herself. She thrust her hand out and Elsa shook it. "And I know yours already, obviously. You told me when you served me… but you already know that because you served me. Yeah… um, sorry about my awkwardness. By the way, I love your name! I've never met an Elsa before and it's so lovely!"
"Thank you?"
"You're welcome! So anyway, yes, I was following you, but only because I was actually trying to gather the courage to speak to you! Easier said than done. Are you aware of how beautiful you are? Like intimidatingly so, I'm not kidding. When I saw you at the restaurant I…" Anna trailed off when she found herself heading into rambling territory. "Um, never mind. Look. I'm in desperate need of blood and you seem nice, so I thought I'd ask if you could maybe perhaps quite possibly if at all donate some of your blood to me for a good cause?" she asked hopefully, bouncing on the tips of her toes.
"Oh?" One corner of Elsa's lips curved upward and she caressed her chin thoughtfully. "So let me get this straight. You are a vampire, I presume?"
Relief flooded the young girl's face and she nodded emphatically. "Crazy, right? But yep!" She proudly displayed her fangs with an enormous grin.
Elsa leaned in for a closer look, her eyes examining the enamel Anna flashed at her. "Hm. I'm not buying it," she stated, unimpressed by what she was shown.
"What? Are you kidding me? This isn't proof enough for you?" Anna questioned, surprised, tapping a finger at one of the protruding canines.
"Nope." Elsa shook her head. "For one thing, I'd think a vampire would be more stealthy than you. You couldn't sneak up on a rock if you tried."
"Hey!" Anna growled in protest, stomping her foot indignantly. "I told you I wasn't trying to sneak up on you!" A needy whine exploded out of her throat and she collapsed to her knees, clasping her hands together and pleading, "Elsa, please, I really need your help! I'm desperate! You're completely right about me sneaking up on rocks. Maybe not rocks in particular but I tried hunting animals and that didn't work out well… I don't know what else to do!"
Motioning for her to stand up, Elsa asked, "Why have you come to me for help?"
"I... don't know, exactly." Anna shrugged. "You smelled good?" She winced at her words. "Wow… okay, that sounds kind of creepy. But it's the truth. I'm attracted to your unique smell and I can almost taste it… It's that powerful."
"Well, when you say it like that." Elsa laughed as Anna flushed with embarrassment. "I'll tell you what, Anna. You seem really sweet,"— and so innocent— "so I'll help you out."
Anna's face lit up. "Ooh, you are a lifesaver! Literally! Thank you so much!"
"But," Elsa said, raising a finger to address one point, "you'll have to work for it."
"Wait, what? Seriously?" Anna's shoulders sagged and she pouted.
"Yes." Elsa calmly set her purse on the ground and shrugged out of her jacket, folding it neatly and placing it next to her bag. "Seriously. We're going to play a game of cat and mouse. You are the cat, and I'm the mouse."
"But… well, okay. What do I do though? I don't want to hurt you," Anna said worriedly.
"You won't," Elsa purred smoothly. "I can take care of myself. Trust me. Besides, all you have to do is catch me. I run and you chase. There's no harm in that."
"That's pretty simple." Anna smiled confidently. A vampire chasing after a human was hardly a contest. "A piece of cake!"
Don't be so sure, Elsa thought deviously. "I'm going to count to three. Are you ready?"
Anna nodded and readied herself for the chase, flexing her leg muscles and cracking her knuckles.
Elsa counted down. "One. Two. Three."
Anna blinked on three and bolted forward to begin her pursuit— and immediately stumbled to a dead stop. "What the…?" She stared ahead in disbelief.
Elsa was gone.
The blonde had disappeared seemingly without a trace. Anna didn't even see her run away! One second she was standing in front of her, and then poof! She vanished into thin air. The shoe prints left in the snow and her personal items on the ground where she left them were the only signs that she had been there at all.
Stumped, Anna scratched her head and muttered, "Where the heck did she go?"
"Turn around," a voice whispered behind her, causing the hairs on the back of Anna's neck to stand at attention as warm breath breezed over it. Instinctively she obeyed and turned, or tried to. The next thing she knew, she was pinned against the wall by a pair of strong hands.
"How...?" Anna struggled, testing the grip her captor had on her. The hold was impenetrable, keeping her solidly in place. "Elsa?"
Elsa chuckled in her ear, her body pressed firmly into Anna's back. "Your first mistake was thinking I was easy, dear Anna."
Anna's eyes widened and she glanced over her shoulder, meeting blue eyes that had darkened quite considerably with hunger. "Oh," she uttered faintly.
"Your second?" Elsa continued, her lips parting into a wicked smile, unveiling a set of fangs that slid free. "Mistaking me for a human."
" Oh ." Gasping sharply, Anna rested her forehead against the rough surface of the building and squirmed as Elsa's fangs caressed the pulsing vein in the side of her neck. Shuddering from a mixture of fear, respect and awe, she submitted herself to Elsa, offering her neck completely for easier access.
Elsa accepted her offer, though she nicked her just enough to sample a small taste of the young girl's blood. Enough to determine she was pretty much a baby, at least in vampire terms. Vampire blood was a lot like wine. The older they were, the better their blood tasted, which explained why Anna had been attracted to Elsa's scent. "You've not been turned for long," she observed, laving her tongue over the minuscule wound to heal it quickly before pulling away and releasing her.
"Um… yeah. A few weeks," Anna answered shakily, rubbing her throat. She turned around and leaned against the wall, letting out a small laugh as she kicked specks of snow into the air. "Damn. That was a shocker. I'm so sorry for not realizing you were like me… I'm an idiot."
"Not an idiot," Elsa disagreed, touching her shoulder reassuringly. "Whoever turned you didn't teach you well." Or at all . And she had a pretty good idea who was responsible. "Care to share who your maker was?"
"His name is Hans."
Disgust consumed Elsa's face at the mention of that familiar name she detested with a passion. Of course she was right. Hans, or Sideburns, as she liked to call him, had a certain charm about him that women for some reason fell in love with. Elsa couldn't see it, but she had unfortunately witnessed the aftermath of many who somehow had fallen victim to him. "Let me guess, he promised you the world?"
Instant tears sprang to Anna's eyes, confirming her suspicions. "I thought he loved me…" she said sadly.
Elsa tsked sympathetically and enveloped her into a hug to comfort her. "He doesn't deserve a heart as pure as yours," she insisted. She knew her words to be true, even if she hardly knew Anna, having just met the girl. During the short time she'd been in her presence, she could already tell she was kind, considerate and pleasant to be around.
"Thanks," Anna sniffled, squeezing her back. "I really appreciate how understanding and patient you've been with me. I'm so sorry for disturbing you. You probably had somewhere important to be… I'll go now and leave you alone." Wiping her eyes, she extracted herself from the hug and turned away to scurry off.
"Wait!" Elsa loosely grabbed her wrist, keeping her there. "I can't let you out of my sight in your condition. You asked for my help. Let me help you, please." For as long as she'd been a vampire, Elsa never allowed another to drink from her. For the first time in forever, she would make an exception. For Anna. She wouldn't bare her throat to her, not yet, anyway. Though she secretly found the idea of this particular vampling sucking and nipping at her throat to drink her nectar extremely enticing. Perhaps once they got to know each other better. In the future…
The future . Unsure where her mind was going with that, Elsa offered her wrist to Anna and marveled at how the girl's face glowed as she had her fill of her essence, murmuring thanks and appreciation as she sucked away. A serene sensation of fondness blanketed the older vampire, warming her heart, and she vowed to take Anna under her wing. She would erase all traces of Hans from her system and make her hers, teach her all that she needed to know to survive and thrive.
I hope she likes dogs, Elsa thought as a sated and happy Anna finished up. Adjusting her sleeve, Elsa gathered her belongings and clasped the younger girl's hand in her own. "Come back to the restaurant with me, Anna. I want you to meet my friend, Meg."