"Thank you so much for the ride," I asked, "Do you want to come in?" Time passed by really slow. It was only two. Normally, I would still be working.

She doubted, "But I have so much to do."

"The trigger is not even in Storybrooke. There is nothing you can do," I grabbed her arm, "Com'on, I have something to show you." She reluctantly agreed.

I brought her to the art studio. She saw what was on my easel, "Is that... me?"

"Yes," I showed her my sketchbook too. The first one was the one I drew the night she smashed my bike. The other three were drawn when I was zoned out the day after.

"Why did you..." She found my unfinished canvas, "Why haven't you finished your painting of Laura?"

"I don't know," I started reorganizing my organized brushes, "Ever since the night we had the accident, I can't seem to get you out of my mind. Whenever I held my brush, all I could think of was you. I can't finish Laura's drawing anymore."

Regina sat down on my daybed, "Is that what you meant when you told Mr. Gold that we were not a couple yet?"

"I don't know," I admitted.

"Do you like me?" She asked me directly.

"I like you. You make me feel the way I haven't felt for decades, but..." I wasn't sure if I should continue.

"But what?" She wanted an answer.

"But I am not sure if I am ready for love again," I looked away.

"You know what," She put her feet on my daybed and hugged her knees, "I feel the same way about you." I looked at her. "I am different when I am around you. I feel safe. I feel like I can let my guard down and I can truly be myself," She lay on her side, "I like you, but I have never dated woman." She tried to avoid my stare, "And I don't feel the same way I once felt for Daniel. At least, not yet."

I held her hand, "Would you like to stay tonight and tell me the rest of your story? You stopped after you told me you pushed your mom into the mirror."

"I don't feel like telling my story tonight," She withheld, "Why don't you tell me your story?"

"Sure, but I might bore you to sleep," I helped her get down my daybed, "Do you want to go to the living room and have tea? Or go to my bedroom and stay the night?"

"Bedroom, so soon?" Regina asked.

"Don't worry, I don't want to have sex. I know I am far too soon in the relationship to say this, but 'I am too tired for sex tonight'." I laughed, "I just want company."

I brought her back to the living room.

"So, now we are having tea? I thought I agreed to stay the night," She asked, before I folded out the couch bed.

"You ARE in my bedroom," I said, "This is my bedroom." She looked surprised as if she had never seen a couch bed before. "Not everyone is as rich as you are. I have only one bedroom in the townhouse and I used it as my art studio. I sleep in the living room." I quickly put on my baggy t-shirts pajama, "Do you need something cozy?"

"I am okay," She took off her boots and jacket, wearing only shirt and leather pants.

I sat down on my bed and assumed she would do the same, "So, you want to hear my story?" She nodded. "It's pretty long. I am old. Maybe I should just give you the abstract."

"I have no memory of my life before I turned into a vampire," I said.

"I am sorry, did my curse..." Regina apologized, but I stopped her.

"No, I just never had memory of me being a human," I said, "This was the story I was told about myself and I have no idea how much of it was accurate. Apparently as a teen, I was forced into marriage with Count Karnstein. He was in his fifties, rich and he owned an entire village. After the birth of our son, Count Karnstein was away for business. I then had a love affair with a young gentleman Vordenburg. I got pregnant and before the birth of our bastard child, I killed myself. At the end, Vordenburg cut me open to rescue our child." I did have a scar.

"That's quite a story," She grabbed my hands, "I know what it felt like to marry an older man and be in love with someone else."

"Again, I have no memory of that. I did not know if it was real or not. Maybe it's just not worth remembering," I enjoyed the feeling having my hand held by Regina, "Memory before Laura was meaningless."

"After I died, I rose as a vampire. I killed a few people. I was hunt and a wizard casted a curse on me. As long as a Karnstein was still alive, I would go in a deep sleep. When I was awake, I met an older woman, the tomb keeper. I made her my servant and I started travelling around Europe. I tried to find love. I met a few women, drank from few, killed a few and turned a few. Until the day I met Laura, she was my blood, my flesh. The first moment I saw her, I felt in love with her. Her great grandmother was the last Karnstein. By day, we were like sisters. I would comb her hair and listen to her. She would model for my painting. We would read to each other. By night, I would sneak into her room and we would enjoy each other's body. We cherished our moments together.

"Normally, from meeting a girl to killing and turning her into a vampire took no more than two weeks. With Laura, I didn't want to turn her. I didn't want her to suffer like me. I told her what I was and left," I paused. It hurt just by recalling the story.

"And?" Regina asked. She lay on her side, forming a beautiful picture.

"I returned to my tomb. I wanted to be hibernating again, but she found me. We sat in my coffin together. She begged me to turn her so we can be eternally together. She said love took courage. She wouldn't mind how people looked at us, as a lesbian couple or as vampires," I closed and opened my eyes to create the tension, "I turned her."

"Her father sent a young vampire hunter to chase us down. Vordenburg, my other blood line. They confronted us and even though Laura begged her father, they stabbed her heart with a wooden stick. I turned into my panther form and killed her father. I spared Vordenburg's life because he was my flesh and blood too." I touched Regina's face. "I hope what I am going to tell you next will not irritate you."

"Go ahead and tell me," She said.

"I made Vordenburg pay for what he did to my love. That night, I slayed every man in Vordenburg's town. I left all the women and children to witness it," Regina grasped as I told her the truth, "I cursed the town that every female child would turn into vampire on her eighteenth birthday."

"Afterward, I went into hiding, back in the Ruins of Karnstein Castle. These new cursed girls found me. They formed a new colony and I was named their Queen, even though I had no true power over them. I took care of them like sister. I tried, but I couldn't love again. Many years later, I had them put me in a coffin and buried me in the ground in order to find some inner peace. They stood guard for me for twenty-five years, until the day I was transported here to Storybrooke."

"Do they know you are gone?" Regina asked.

"I don't know," I answered, "I don't even know why I was bought here, but at least I was happy for the past twenty-eight years. No blood craving, no hiding and hunting, no lover, no backstory and no pressure. Just inner peace. Your curse made me a Buddhist hippie. I might be the only Buddhist vampire ever exists."

She yawned.

"I know you are tired and bored by my story," I jokingly said.

"No, I really love to your story. It brought us closer together," She smiled and looked at me. Her head hit the pillow and her eyes were ready to be shut, "You know what, I think I like you a little bit more than I could imagine."

It was perfect to hear that. "Go to sleep, my dear Regina. Have your much need rest and sweet dreams," I lay down next to her and caressed her with my hands. I drew her towards me. We faced each other. She felt asleep in my arms.

= End of Chapter 4 =

Borrowed a small part from Lesbian Vampire Killer, lame, but funny B-movie.

Also borrowed a bit from the Carmilla classic novella. Check them out!