Stranger than Fiction

Chapter 9

Several days passed before Jo and Count Fangula saw each other again. Jo was finding it almost impossible to concentrate on her classes, and the nights were torture. She could find no release with someone sleeping in the next bed, so she spent those nights tossing and turning. Her dreams were filled with feverish images of Fangula, who would make love to her while partaking of her blood, and she would wake up to find her sheets drenched with sweat.

The bite mark on her neck now looked more like a hickey than anything else, and when she awakened from those dreams the bite throbbed fiercely. She wore a satin choker around her neck during the day to hide it, so no one gave her neck any undue attention.

Fangula wasn't doing much better. Now, of course, the other monsters knew all about what had happened, and Frankenbeans was the only one to not make a joke out of it, mostly because of his limited mental capacity. His one comfort was that Little Ghoul, now in the form of a petite, if somewhat plain, human woman, was never given a moment's peace. The monsters, himself included, gave no quarter, and she was running out of places to hide from them. Her punishment was, in fact, more severe than it had sounded the night Flabber had suggested it.

In the meantime, Fang was running out of excuses to avoid Jo. Mostly he wished to protect her virtue, though he very much wanted to spend at least one night with her. In his mind's eye, he could picture himself removing her clothing, one piece at a time. He imagined what she must look like without any clothes on; not too skinny, but slender and well muscled, her nude body as exquisitely proportioned as her clothed one. He imagined himself exploring her body, and inviting her to explore his. The only naked woman he had seen in person had been his wife, and he had had no real desire to see her body. At first he had been mildly interested, but the shrewish vampire woman had spoiled the experience for him by comparing her own body to that of a goddess, and making disparaging remarks about his body. He felt that he was not…unfortunately endowed, and his wife had truly been no prize herself. And did she ever really give him a chance to try and please her? No. She had made him so nervous that his one wish at the time was to get it over with. He knew that with Jo it would be different. At least…he thought he knew. At least she wouldn't compare his penis to a twig…

He couldn't stay away anymore. He just had to see her. But what would they do? He couldn't just drop by for a booty call…and if she didn't want to make love, then they wouldn't do it, simple as that. But what could they do? Then he got an idea. He left Hillhurst, and headed into town.

* * *

Jo entered her dorm room, and closed the door with a sigh. She was exhausted. And, she thanked the powers that be, she was alone for once. Kate had a date, and he had actually shown up. She would be gone most, if not all, of the night. She collapsed on her bed, and groaned. Almost immediately, there was a knock at the door. Cursing quietly, she got up and peered through the peephole. Her heart leapt; it was Fangula. She immediately opened the door to let him in, and saw that he carried a bag from one of the two Outback steak houses in Charterville. He also clutched a fake black rose in his fist, the stem crafted of green plastic, and the petals made from black feathers that formed a tight bud, and looked quite convincing. His hand was visibly shaking, and he gave her what he hoped was a dashing smile, but was in reality a pleading half-grin. "Um, hi…I was…um…in the neighborhood, and well, uh…"

"Come on in." she said, rescuing him. She shut the door behind him, and he handed her the flower.

"This is for you." he mumbled, not daring to look her in the eye. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden?

"Thank you." she smiled, placing it on her night stand. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh! Um, well…I thought you might…be hungry, so I…Look, Jo, I'm really bad at this. I just had to see you again…I'm sorry if I…" He stammered, and Jo cut him off with a gentle kiss on the mouth.

"It's okay, really. I'm glad you came. I've…well, I missed you. I still don't know what to do about all this, but…but I can't change how I feel."

He smiled gratefully, and began rifling through the bag. "Coconut shrimp…love those things…two steaks, one very rare and one medium-well…I didn't want any sides, but I had to make a guess at yours. Is a baked potato okay?"

"Fine. It's just what I would have picked. You didn't have to go to the trouble, though."

He shrugged, and waved it off as if to say 'no trouble at all.' Jo went and got two plates, two knives, and two forks, and they sat and ate on her bed. Jo noticed that Fangula's steak was barely seared on the outside, and the juices ran red. He was essentially eating raw meat. The thought of it didn't disgust her as much as it should have, and she enjoyed her own meal immensely. They shared the coconut shrimp, having three each, and when they were finished eating he helped her clean up. She washed, and he dried.

After she stacked the clean plates back in the cabinet, Jo removed her choker and absent-mindedly rubbed her neck. Fangula turned at the sound of her sigh, and his heart gave a painful lurch, causing him to make a small, pained sound. Jo looked over, and saw him staring at her; terrible guilt marred his white face, and she wouldn't have been surprised if the marble surface were to shatter and fall like so much glass. Without a word, he reached out and gently pulled her hand from her neck. The bite looked worse than it really was. He touched it softly with one gloved hand, and shook his head slowly from side to side. "I did this…I hurt you…"

"It doesn't hurt." She told him. He took off his glove, and touched the tiny scabs with the pads of his fingers. The flesh was firm, and there was no sign of infection. Still…

"How could I do this?" he whispered, eyes filling with tears. "I love you more than words can say, and I bit you."

Jo seized his face between her hands. "That's enough, Fangula. I already told you, I'm not mad. I know that the bite binds me to you, but didn't the spell do that anyway? If the spell's irreversible, it doesn't matter what the bite means. Stop beating yourself up over one little mistake made in the heat of passion. If I hadn't thrown myself at you, you wouldn't have bitten me, but I don't regret doing it. I'd do it again, too."

She released him, and they both suddenly became fascinated by their own feet. Then, Fangula looked to his right, and said, "Um, Jo? I think you're sink's clogged."

"Huh?" she turned, and sure enough, the water had stopped draining at the half-way point. Fangula grabbed a wooden spoon, and began poking at the drain. Jo began to ask him what he was doing, when a sudden gout of soapy water and food particles shot from the drain, drenching them both. She shrieked in surprise, and the water drained from the sink completely.

"Oh, man!" Fang looked down at himself, then at Jo. The hilarity of their situation struck them simultaneously, and they both began to laugh. "How…how did that happen?" he gasped.

"Who knows?" she shrugged, flipping water from her fingers into the sink. "The building's old. Man, I've got steak bits in my hair."

"Sorry." he apologized, still laughing.

"Well, I'm going to get a shower." She announced. Then she asked, "What about you?"

He sobered up immediately "Now?"

"Well, yeah. I've got steak in my hair, and you've got sour cream in yours. Here," she tossed him a dish towel, and headed for the dresser she shared with Kate, pulling out a clean outfit. "I'll go first, then you can go, okay?"

He nodded, drying his face on the towel, and a few moments later he was suddenly more nervous than he had ever been. Jo was in the next room, naked and bathing, and at the sound of running water he realized that he suddenly had to pee! Quite badly, in fact. He glanced around the room, as if he might find some help there, and pondered. He couldn't use the sink; that was out of the question. He couldn't use the bathroom while Jo was in there; she might get the wrong idea. In suggesting that they shower, she had specifically stated that it would be done separately. He also had an idea of what he might do if the opportunity to see her naked presented itself. But he just couldn't wait!

It didn't occur to him to knock on the door and ask to use the facilities. Instead of doing that, he opened the door as quietly as possible and tip-toed over to the toilet. Practically dancing with the urgency of his need he hastily lifted the lid, and…

Jo was alerted by the sound of running water coming not from the shower head above her, but from the general area of the toilet. Although she knew what the sound was, she risked a peek and pulled aside a tiny section of the shower curtain. She was presented with the sight of Fangula's back as he relieved himself, and whether fortunately or unfortunately, she misjudged the sharpness of his hearing. His posture grew stiff, and he turned his head and caught her in the act just as he was caught. She quickly withdrew, but it was too late.

"I'm sorry…" he said quickly, still urinating, "I heard the water running, and I just couldn't wait. I really couldn't wait. I'm sorry."

"Oh…that's okay." She said, blushing furiously, though not out of embarrassment. The idea of him being so close to her while she was naked triggered something deep within her, something enormous and frightening, but enticing as well. She wanted to see him. Naked. And to have him see her. And why not? They were both adults, and it seemed that they were in this situation for a reason. Besides, they didn't have to actually do anything. She just wanted to see him and be near him. And so it was with a clear conscience that she asked him, "Would you like to come in?"

He whipped around, spraying the toilet paper, and quickly correcting his aim with a silent curse. "Huh?" he wasn't sure he'd heard right.

"Do you want to join me?" she clarified.

He finished, and composed himself. "Are you sure?" he asked nervously.

"I think so." She replied, suddenly feeling almost too weak to stand. Was this wrong?

"All…all right." he said, and taking a deep breath, he began to remove his clothing. He folded it carefully, and placed it on top of the hamper. He trembled slightly, and though he wasn't sure why, he was suddenly dizzy. He had never been this nervous with his wife! He slowly entered the shower with his hands clasped primly over his front, only to find Jo with her arms folded in a similar fashion over her breasts. They regarded each other in silence for a few moments, and slowly lowered their hands. Jo noticed, if only in passing, that Fangula was uncircumcised; she was able to tell this from having read Playgirl a few times. Fangula, on the other hand, had finally satisfied the curiosity he had on the subject of her nude body. With equal slowness and care, they wrapped their arms around each other, and Fangula admitted to her without shame, "Jo…I don't think I've ever been so scared…or so happy to be with someone…" She only kissed him, and affectionately removed a dollop of sour cream from the wilting spikes of his hair.

While the desire was there, they did not make love. Instead, Fangula watched Jo complete her bathing ritual, and then she stepped back to watch him do the same. He attended to his hair, and then rubbed the back of his neck with a grunt. He had been so uptight, and now his neck was sore. Without verbal prompting, Jo began to knead his neck and shoulders. After a brief moment of uncertainty, he folded his arms against the tiles and rested his head on them with a contented sigh. Jo, using the slickness of water and soap to her advantage, worked her way smoothly down to his upper back. Pressing her thumbs softly along the sides of his backbone, she could actually feel the tension melting away from his body, leaving him as pliable as clay. She pushed the heels of her hands up along his back to his deltoids, and he grunted. "Did that hurt?" she asked.

"No…Did you major in massages?" he asked her, not turning his head.

She chuckled, and replied, "No, I don't think that's even a class here."

"Hmm…" he shrugged lazily, "Could have fooled me. Could…could you do that again?"

"What…this?" she asked, repeating the action. He grunted again.

"Yeah…that. Wait…here, turn around." He told her.

"Huh?" she frowned as he turned to face her.

"Turn around!" he told her, laughing, and she complied. Then he began to imitate her actions, gently kneading her back, uncertainly at first, then more confidently as she leaned against the wall, just as he had done. He discovered that he enjoyed doing this almost as much as he had enjoyed having it done. The opportunity that presented itself did not go unnoticed by either of them, but Fangula didn't act upon it. His hands reached no inappropriate places, rather to her disappointment, and aside from the fact that they were both naked, he was the perfect gentleman. While his privates were at half-mast, they remained unused. Jo knew that she would appreciate his discretion later on when they met under normal circumstances, so she reigned in her desire. She noticed that he carefully avoided her neck. It still blew her mind how a vampire could feel so bad about having bitten someone. Though she didn't quite know why, Jo turned around and put her arms around Fangula's waist, resting the side of her head on his chest. She heard him gasp quietly, and then she felt him folding her almost protectively in his embrace. She was surprised to hear his heartbeat, and she noticed that it beat at about one quarter the speed of a human heart. Her own heart must feel like a bird's to him!

How long they stood like that they didn't know; all they knew was that they never wanted to leave that warm cocoon of water, arms and steam. His body responded accordingly, but he acted as if it hadn't and she chose to ignore it. Even after his body returned to its normal state, they remained where they were. Jo sighed, whispering, "I wish we could stay like this forever."

"Maybe we can." he returned, just as quietly. "Maybe…maybe what Little Ghoul did isn't so bad after all…"

"Hmm?"

"I haven't held a woman in such a long time…the first and last woman I slept with was my wife, and it was never like this. It was never so fulfilling, so…right. I could make you happy, Jo…I…"

"Shh…" she silenced him. She knew where this was going, and it frightened her as much as it excited her. But he wouldn't be silenced.

"I can't…I love you so…" he whispered, his voice husky with emotion.

"I love you too…I'm just…"

"Afraid? So am I! We love each other and we hardly even know what the other is really like. But that's something I'd like to find out. Let's find out, Jo…and if we like what we see after a year, I'd like to ask you to marry me."

Her heart leapt. "How…how about you ask me now?" she whispered. She realized how forward she was being, but damn it, she didn't care! They were standing nude in each other's arms; how much more forward could they possibly get?

Fangula lowered his head to her ear, and did as she had requested. "Marry me?"

She nodded, giving him a kiss that sent him soaring. "Yes. Next year, at around this time, I'll marry you."