Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood!

A/N – Finally! An update! *Wipes sweat off brow*

Chapter twenty-eight! ~

I looked down at the skin-tight, low-cut pink cocktail dress in obvious disgust.

"I can tolerate dresses, guys, but this…" I shook my head in horror, "This is ridiculous." How could the triplets possibly think I'd go to a party tonight wearing this hideous thing? Well, it might not have been so hideous to the prying eyes of other men, but I felt like the queen of sluts wearing it. And it didn't help that I was wearing six inch glittering pink heels.

I wiggled my big toe, which was just peeking out the little slit at the front of the goddamn shoe. "I refuse to wear this," I ordered firmly, crossing my arms. It might have been bad to show up in this, but wearing these heels…I was on a one way trip to faceplanting the ground.

How the hell did Sookie wear these things?!

"You look sexy," Alex spluttered. "How can you possibly say that?" Audrey nodded in agreement, and even Amber gave a shy little nod. "The men will be following you like flies, darling."

I twirled around in front of the wide, foot-length mirror, cringing at my appearance. My ass was practically hanging out the dress, all I needed to do was bend over – and you get the point. My bare legs were on full display, the heels making them look longer than normal. The v-cut at the front of the dress was beyond slutty – it left nothing to the imagination.

Why did I get the feeling that Godric bought this so only he could see me in it? Eugh. Perverted fucking vampires.

"I don't look sexy," I argued. "I look like a prostitute."

"Nonsense!" Alex practically screamed. "You look fabulous!" My eyelid twitched.

"Alex," I said slowly, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Where exactly did you find this dress?" Alex seemed to falter a moment, before mumbling a reply.

"In, um, the same drawer as your…nightwear…"

"Oh, really?" I asked with mock surprise. "And I wonder why! Why on earth would a whorish dress like this be in with the bed wear, hmm? Why would Godric put it there? It sounds as if this was meant for a certain activity –"

"Okay, okay!" Alex shrieked, covering her ears. "You're right, it's definitely too slutty." The others nodded seriously. Pah.

Suddenly, before Amber could make a move to grab another dress from the collection, the bedroom door burst open. A rather flustered looking Rory stumbled into the room.

"Uh, ahem, ladies," He coughed, gathering whatever pride he once had. "…Godric says that he wants to see Rosalie before she leaves…" Rory's strange, purple eyes fixed onto me, and they widened.

I smiled sheepishly, giving him a one-fingered wave. "'Ello, Rory," I greeted awkwardly. Rory's widened eyes didn't leave me. In fact, they did a rather long sweep across my body.

"What…in god's name are you wearing?"

Alex jumped in front of me, laughing nervously. "Don't get your boxers in a twist. She isn't wearing that."

"Thank god," Rory let out a relieved breath. "Godric would have my head."

"Why would I have your head? What is my Rosalie wearing?" A familiar voice asked. Godric waltzed into the room behind Rory, a curious gleam in his bluish-grey eyes. Almost automatically, three other bodies jumped in front of my scantily clad body. Godric stopped in front of the four of them, a perfect eyebrow raised.

"Ah! No, get out!" Audrey shouted. "Rosalie is…er, she's, um –"

"She's naked!" Amber finished much to my surprise. "S-so, you have to leave, Master Godric, b-because…"

Godric chuckled. "Girls, it would make my day if I walked in on my beauty nude," He tried to look over Rory and the triplets, but they blocked his view.

Wait. Woah. Hold the fucking phone. What does he mean that it would make his day if he walked in on me nude?! That's kind of creepy and perverted…

Rory's face twisted in horror. "Okay, Godric, I didn't need to know that," He shuddered visibly. I watched as Godric's eyes landed on Rory, and his smile pulled down into an angry frown.

"If my Rose is naked, why are you in here?" He snarled.

Uh-oh.

I pushed aside my temporary bodyguards, and stepped in front of Godric. It was rather amusing, actually, to see his jaw drop in utter shock. "I'm not naked," I stated bluntly. "And I would have kicked his ass if he came in here when I was naked." Rory grimaced, and Godric nodded contentedly. I fixed a fierce glare on him. "Same goes for you, you pervert," I scolded. "I will sure as hell kick that cute little ass of yours if you do that."

All the occupants of the room shivered.

"Anyway, I will certainly not allow you to wear that," Godric said, although he was eyeing me appreciatively. "At least not in public." I sent him a dry look, and he winked at me.

"Ah, jeez. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up," Rory chanted, covering his ears. I stifled a laugh, watching him prance around like a monkey on drugs. I almost forgot – the king of all perverts gets embarrassed when people mention sexual things. Aye.

"Should I throw the dress in the bin, sir?" Amber asked timidly. Godric's eyes widened considerably.

"No, no. Keep it," He ordered. I scowled at him. Just as I thought.

Horny bastard.

"…No, Godric, you can't."

"It would be better this way," The ancient vampire insisted, easily keeping up with my hurried stride. After a rather large debate, Audrey had chosen a perfect dress. It was a skin-plastering dress that hugged every curve, but it wasn't a dress made for sluts. It was sexy yet modest all at once. The dress was black and blue, and stopped just above my lower thigh. It was sleeveless – and the v-cut at the front only dipped a little. Of course, after mainly Alex and Audrey's insistence – I'd decided to put on a pair of black heels.

My hair was done up beautifully – courtesy of Amber, whom I had no idea was the master at hairstyling. My once wild, dark brown hair had been tamed. My ruffled hair had been straightened to perfection, and it hung down my back in gentle, glossy waves. Audrey had done my makeup – she'd been slightly huffy when she realised I didn't need any concealer or foundation, as my skin was impossibly smooth and blemish-free, (I couldn't exactly tell her I was a half-elf, soon to be full-elf, so I just mumbled something about genetics – which wasn't entirely untrue). She'd grudgingly applied some mascara for me, causing my deep, brown eyes to stand out even more.

Alex had rummaged around her side of the room, finding a pretty heart necklace to go with my attire. All in all, I thought I looked fabulous.

"…Rosalie, are you even listening to me?" Godric sighed, waving a hand in front of my face. I rolled my eyes.

"What is there to listen to, Godric?" I grumbled. "No, you can't join me at this party. Not only is it a human party, it is also a party you aren't even invited to. No offence," I added hastily.

"None taken," Godric said dismissively. "But, surely –"

"And," I cut him off quickly. "I know you only want to go so you can keep an eye on me. Godric, I'm going to a high school senior party – there's bound to be lots of horny boys –"

"My point exactly," He hissed, flinging his hands up. "No man or boy should even be laying their filthy gaze on you! I demand that you wear less revealing clothes!"

I sighed deeply. Nothing was simple when you had an overprotective, ridiculously jealous mate-boyfriend who just happened to be a vampire over two-thousand years old. Yep. What luck I had.

"Listen, Godric," I started, trying and failing to fast-walk away from him. "I'll be fine. I won't let any boys touch me. I can't stop 'em from looking, and that you'll have to accept. I have no possible control over that."

"That is why I insist that I come! I can glamour them into my submission," He said darkly, and I winced.

"Okay, enough of the creepy vampire shit," I ordered. "You aren't coming. That's final." The ancient vampire huffed indignantly, and I stomped away from him – well, as much stomping as you can do when you're in a pair of black heels.

Before I could make my hasty exit, a pair of muscular arms wove their way around my waist. I felt a hard chest press up against my back. Godric leant down and nipped my ear playfully. "When you come back, I will be waiting in my room…" He trailed off suggestively, and I felt a burn in between my legs. His lips trailed down to my neck…

"Whoa, holy shit…" I looked up to see Rory, standing horrified at the front entrance. "Why do I always walk in on you two? Why? It's like you're there when I'm there, and –" The chauffeur rambled on incessantly, his cheeks tinged a light pink. I rolled my eyes, chuckling.

"Rory, I'm ready to go now," I said, and Rory snapped his gaze up to mine. He grinned sheepishly, and backed quickly out the door. I giggled, turning round in Godric's embrace. "I seriously wonder how that boy's gonna get a girlfriend…"

"Don't we all," Godric mumbled, pressing a kiss to my jaw and lips.

"Well, I'll see you later tonight," I promised, wriggling out of his grip. However, his grip tightened suddenly, leaving me trapped against his chest. I sighed irritably. "Come on Godric, I gotta go."

"Just stay with me for a minute. Please…" He trailed off, and snuggled his head into my shoulder, breathing in my scent deeply. I chuckled.

"Honey, I'm not going to just disappear. I'll be back before you know it."

What I didn't know – what I should have known – was how utterly wrong I was.

"Hmm, fancy house," Rory commented, parking the car on the other side of the darkened street. The moon was out, shining eerily up in the inky night sky. Streetlights illuminated the thin road, but the light was nothing compared to that of Luke's house across the road.

Neon lights danced erratically across the lawn, and almost every light was switched on in the house. Music blared from inside, and I could hear the boom even from here. I knew that it would be jam-packed with teenagers in there – all sweaty and close together, dancing and grinding like there was no tomorrow.

Oh, god. I sounded like an old woman. I needed to get out more. That is, if Godric let me.

Christ, when did I lose all my freedom?

The house itself was big. Luke's parents were pretty rich – apparently, his Dad owned a couple of small-time businesses, and his Mum was a doctor. Naturally, his family would be making bucketloads of money. I snickered, thinking of Sookie and her ten-bucks-an-hour-job plus tips…

I scowled suddenly. I wouldn't have known any of that if my friends hadn't kept babbling about it all day at school. I seriously wondered how I survived through their lectures. I sighed through my nose. To be honest, I wouldn't have even called them friends anymore. After the fellowship of the sun…after meeting Godric – becoming involved with vampires – my life had changed drastically.

Hell, I knew more about vampires than I knew about daily school life and fashion trends. I often wondered why my friends even tolerated me – much less invite me to a party with a host that I'd barely even glanced at before. I think it was safe to say, that Audrey, Alex and Amber were my friends now. Heck, I knew Rory better than the gathering of squabbling schoolgirls I'd familiarized myself with – and that was saying something.

"Nervous?" Rory asked teasingly, glancing at me sideways from the steering wheel. I pursed my lips, cocking an eyebrow up.

"Me? Nervous? Yeah right," I scoffed, even though I was feeling the slight fluttering of butterflies in the pit of my stomach. Don't get me wrong – I'd been to plenty of parties before. But that didn't mean I didn't get nervous before every one, though. What would people think of my dress? Would they accept me into the party? Or would they kick me out for looking shabby? Those kinds of silly things ran through my overactive brain.

Rory shot me a knowing look, and shooed me out of the black tinted SUV. I rolled my eyes, nodding as he told me he'd be back at around ten or so. With that, I swivelled round and headed off to the booming house. I silently thanked the gods that Luke's house wasn't near any other people – and that he had no neighbours. I didn't feel like being involved if any people were to call the cops.

My heels clacked noisily against the road, the only other sounds the slight twittering of grasshoppers and the muffled sound of music. I made my way across the trimmed lawn, hastily avoiding any piles of dirt or upturned grass. I noticed a few broken beer bottles here and there. I saw a packet of cigarettes lying unused near the towering fence, and…was that a condom?!

I shivered and walked away, making a face as I passed. Guess some people preferred the outside to -

No. No. Yuck. I would not bring those lovely mental pictures to mind. Gross.

"Rosalie!" Somebody yelled. I stopped, watching as a few girls pounced outside, cocktails in hand. I noticed a good number of them were tipsy, some even being slur-the-words drunk. Great.

An arm was slung across my shoulders. I looked sideways to see the grinning face of Arianna Summers, who looked rather drunk. "What took 'ya so long?" She blubbered. "We've been waitin' for ages." A few girls nodded, giggling.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I'm here now," I offered. Emily, who was somewhat sober, came up to analyse me. She nodded in satisfaction, apparently deeming my dress worthy.

"Fuck, is that a designer?" Emily gaped, eyeing my dress in admiration. I shuffled nervously, not liking where this was going. "Hell, did you win the lottery or somethin'?"

I cleared my throat, already starting to regret coming here. "…My boyfriend…he's, um, kind of…wealthy." I sighed mentally. Wealthy was an understatement. Godric made the Matthew's fortune look like a pile of dusty old coins. It was rather terrifying, actually, how much money the two thousand year old vampire had acquired over his time. I mean, I wouldn't know what to do with all that money.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Arianna slurred drunkenly, "You never told us you got hitched." I sighed irritably.

"I said he's my boyfriend," I bit out, exasperated. "I didn't get married, for god's sake. I'm sixteen." The girls exchanged glances, before they all burst into fits of tipsy giggles.

Holy hell. I haven't even stepped into the bloody house yet, and I'm already fed up.

Suddenly, Emily grabbed my arm, and started yanking me towards the front door of the Matthew house. I stumbled clumsily in my heels, cursing myself for wearing the damn things. Loud music spilled openly out the front door, and I winced when Emily pulled me inside the deafening house.

Before I knew it, I was surrounded by the throng of dancing teenagers. I felt someone push me further into the crowd, where I was abruptly yanked in by a couple of boys. Before I knew it, they were dancing around me like idiots, trying to grab my ass and my waist. One guy had started to dance behind me, grinding against my back, his hands worming towards my waist.

I didn't like this at all. And it didn't help that I had a threatening boyfriend who would smell these guys all over me later tonight. I winced slightly when I felt that familiar tug on the bond – it was as if the mating bond knew I was near other guys when I shouldn't have been.

I tried to move away from the sweaty crowd – especially the group of teenage boys who'd involved me in their 'dancing'. Luckily, it was too dark for them to really notice I'd slipped away. I quickly glanced around – Emily and Arianna were nowhere in sight. I sighed, deciding to sit away from the suffocating crowd.

I headed towards the kitchen, where a couple of girls were loitering about, chatting and giggling. I approached them cautiously, hoping they weren't crazily drunk like everyone else. One girl with fiery hair noticed me, and she beckoned me over, grinning.

"You want a drink, sweetheart?" She asked, winking. "I think you need to loosen up a bit, eh?"

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't refuse. The girl immediately set to work, mixing up alcoholic drinks to make a cocktail of sorts.

Elves don't get drunk.

I jumped about three feet in the air, and looked around wildly. Had someone said that aloud? No-one was beside me. Had I imagined that?

No, you idiot. I'm your conscience.

"Oh, great. I'm hearing voices in my head now," I muttered sarcastically.

It's not a bad thing if I'm telling you sensible stuff: Elves don't get drunk, the voice repeated firmly in my head. None of the alcoholic beverages here will.

"What do you mean?" I mumbled quietly. "I've gotten drunk once or twice before," I said, remembering another party my friends had forced me to.

Elves are highly resistant to alcohol. Not immune. Resistant. The petty drinks here are not enough to get you that drunk.

"Duly noted. Now get out of my head," I ordered. "I'd rather not hear a disembodied voice all night."

I'm actually rather helpful.

"Go away," I hissed through my teeth. "You're annoying."

I'm you, you know. You just insulted yourself.

"Seriously. Go away. Come again another day."

Fine – but I should tell you, Rosalie. Not everything is what it seems tonight.

"What do you mean?" I sighed irritably, quieting my tone when the girl came over to hand me my drink. I sipped it, letting the flavour wash over my tongue. I felt the familiar sensation of alcohol burn the back of my throat. I smiled gratefully at the girl, and she simply giggled, prancing off back to the kitchen. I manoeuvred my way back to the dancing area, but stayed a good couple of feet away from the throng of teenagers.

Look around, my conscience whispered urgently. Does anything seem…different?

"Different?"

Yes. Use your magic. Supernaturals can suss out other supernaturals.

"Are you saying there are others like me at this party?" I asked unsurely, sipping more of my fruity cocktail. The voice laughed all shrilly-like.

Not quite. See that boy over there? The one with the weird buzz-cut? Yeah. Him. Concentrate your magical energy over in his direction.

I shrugged, but did as the crazy voice asked me to. Briefly closing my eyes, I concentrated as hard as I could over in his general direction. I wasn't sure if I was doing it right – was I pushing this magical energy properly?

As if my silent question had been answered, a throbbing pain erupted in my left temple. My eyes flew open, and I immediately clutched my head, wincing at the sudden pain. I noticed the buzz-cut guy turn around, and we caught eyes.

Werewolf.

The glass in my hand slipped and crashed on the floor, splintering into a million fragile pieces. The pinkish-red liquid spilled and formed into a puddle, but I paid no attention to that. My eyes were fixed on him.

His eyes seemed to widen, and he called over a few other guys, gesturing over at me. I looked at all of them, and I knew straightaway that they were all werewolves!

What were wolves doing at a human party? Wasn't it only supposed to be kids from our school? I was pretty certain there were no werewolves at our high school – I would have known, after all. The agonizing throbbing in my head told me so.

I turned away, and fled round the corner when they started to advance towards me. Now, I wasn't making assumptions that all werewolves were bad – but the last couple I'd had the grace of meeting had tried to kidnap me, so you can see why I was cautious.

I glanced behind me, and was relieved to see that they weren't in sight. I made a mad dash for the stairs, and clunked as quietly as possible up them. I just hoped Luke didn't mind that any guests came up here.

Once I reached the top, I slowed my pace. There were a lot of rooms up here, and I contemplated whether I should hide in one of them. I kept walking down the corridor, wondering desperately what I should do, when suddenly, I bumped into something.

I reeled backwards, but an arm shot out to wrap around my waist. I was brought very abruptly into someone's chest. "Are you okay?"

A boy's voice. I stepped back, careful not to trip on my heels. I blushed furiously when I realised who it was – Luke Matthew. I'd only glanced at the jock a couple of times before, but it wasn't hard to forget his face. He was handsome. Incredibly handsome. Luke had dark brown hair, which swept over to the side in a kind of side fringe. His eyes were a clear azure, and he had a strong jaw and high cheekbones.

Luke was wearing a white top, along with a leather biker jacket. Dark pants hung loosely around his hips. I noticed he was checking me out, too. This is bad. I should leave –

Before I could turn away, he'd caught my arm again. "Rose…Rosalie Stackhouse, right?" I nodded in confirmation. "Can I call you Rose?" I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Sure," I said, "Everyone calls me that, anyway. Most of the time, at least…" I shuddered, thinking back to Luke Mcdonald, and his annoying habit of calling me 'Rosie'. I mentally scolded myself. Luke Mcdonald was dead – and I should respect the dead, even him.

I suddenly realised where I was. A blush spread across my face. "Ehehe, sorry, upstairs is out of bounds, right? I'll leave. Sorry, Luke –"

"It's fine," Luke insisted, his blue eyes sparkling. "You're the one I've been looking for all night." I frowned at him, skeptical. Suddenly, a though lit up my brain. Had that been why my 'friends' had invited me to Luke's party? Don't tell me they were planning on 'hooking' me up with him. Hadn't I told them I had a boyfriend?

"Here, you look worn out," Luke chuckled. "I'll show you to my room. It's way less hectic in there." He tugged me along the narrow corridor, towards the room at the end. I sighed mentally. I didn't like where this was going. I should have left when I had the chance…

Before I could try to mentally kill myself, Luke had yanked me into his room. He pushed me lightly into the darkened space, and I tripped and fell onto something comfy. His bed.

I heard the door shut quietly, and the lock turn with a click. I gulped nervously.

"Luke, why did you lock the door?" I asked, rolling over so my back was on the bed. I propped myself up, and squinted in the darkness, trying to see the host's bulky figure. I squealed when I felt a hand brush against my lower thigh, and an arm encircled itself around my waist.

Suddenly, I was falling backwards onto the bed, with a very horny Luke Matthew on top of me. His hand travelled up, towards my inner thigh, where he squeezed the soft skin roughly. A low groan rumbled from his chest.

"Luke, get off me," I snarled venomously. The jock seemed genuinely surprised at my anger. He looked down at me curiously.

"But you came here tonight for me, didn't you?" He asked rhetorically. I shot him an exasperated look.

"What? Who told you that?" I certainly didn't come here for him! I came here to have a good time…sort of.

Luke sighed. "Arianna told me you had a thing for me," He said, his voice husky and deep. His hand reached up to stroke my cheek. What? Why would Arianna tell him that?! Luke swallowed. "I – I've had a crush on you since fourth grade."

I groaned deeply. Fabulous. "Look, Luke, whatever Arianna told you is a lie," I said softly, trying to soften the blow somehow. "I have a boyfriend." At this comment, Luke stiffened considerably.

"What?" He asked angrily. "When did you get a boyfriend? I would have known if you had! I've watched you all these years…"

I felt my blood freeze up. Watched me all these years? "Luke," I sighed exasperatedly. "Don't – please don't tell me you've been stalking me since fourth grade!"

Luke shrugged. "Yeah. So?" He asked uncaringly. His next words were laced with venom. "All the girls want me. All of them. They fall at my feet like pathetic dolls! Yet you – you hardly even glance in my direction. The one girl I want doesn't want me. But I'll change that – tonight."

As soon as those words left his lips, the bedroom lights snapped on. I didn't get much of a chance to say anything else to him, as Luke Matthew was suddenly yanked off of me, and thrown carelessly to the side. I watched in horror as he slammed against the wall, causing it to crack. He slid down to the carpeted floor, unconscious.

I bolted upright, only to come face to face with the werewolves I'd seen earlier. I heard someone snarl angrily. "He won't be changing anything. Rosalie is mine."

The group of werewolf-boys parted like the red sea. Somebody stepped through. My jaw hit the ground at the familiar face. Somebody who I never, not in my wildest dreams, thought I'd see here.

"I've finally got you," He said, a triumphant smirk plastered across his face. "You're finally all mine. It's good to see you again, Rosalie, my dear."

I gulped, suddenly very, very afraid. "Aaron..."