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\section{Couldn't even say her name}


My knees felt weak under the weight of my body. The room started to
spin. My heart pounds and feels like it is about to burst. The music
is drowned out by the ringing that fills my ears momentarily.

It is true that your life passes past your eyes as you die, although
in my case, it was just my recent life, because that was all that I
had done that was really important to me.  Everything else just
seemed... seemed, well, unimportant after all that happened.

Forgive me if I tend to wander, its hard to keep your concentration
in a situation like this. Look, let me start from the beginning.

\subsection{The Meeting}

It was all my fault. I guess it has to be, right? I was in this swanky
nightclub, you know one of the ones where everything is way too
expensive, just because they can and all the beautiful people hang out
there. I hated those places, yet there was the `old me' and I guess it
was my subconscious that took me there. Anyway, there I was standing
in the smoky haze.

Thats when I saw her. She was sitting at a table with a middle
aged man in a suit and short haired woman of similar age, deep in
conversation. Julie, as I later learned her name was, looked about
25, but had the poise of someone much older. Her looks were perfect,
like those of some model, chiseled in sharp, bright, clear, colors,
everything perfectly manicured. Her blonde hair had that ``I just came
out of the hairdressers'' look. Naturally, she was dressed in what
must have been an expensive black dress that finished the whole image.
Trouble: black widow. Perfect, I was in love.

I felt I had to talk to her, magnetism drew me over. As I approached
the table, Julie lent forward, put her hand every so gently on the
woman's arm and laughed. Caught in a pause in the music, it pushed its
way through the shouted conversation in the club. Those people nearby
who heard, turned and looked over. It was an astonishingly laugh:
deep, rich, full of feeling but restrained somehow. It was lost in the
laughter of the other two and the drone of the music.

The laughter was ending as my approach to the table ended. She had a
grin on her perfect face. The short haired woman was talking,
"... not that it works all the time."

My throat was dry, my brain spinning, unable to think straight. I
blurted out "Wanna.... um, I mean, can I interest you in a drink or
a dance, umm, or somthin'?". Immediately I blushed what felt like a
flaming red. Great, well done Mark, great way to impress a woman. The
man at the table flashed me an annoyed look, while the short haired
woman game me a contemptuous side glance. The Julie, on the other
hand, just ignored me. I felt stupid, clumsy and embarrassed. I waited
for an answer, any answer, any sign on recognition, standing there
waiting to be crushed by one of the Beautiful People. Why did I do
this?

I waited, feeling more and more stupid. After and age, I decided to
cut my losses and leave with what dignity I had left.

Not a lot.

I started to turn, when she turned to look at me. Our eyes met and I
felt as though she was flipping through me like a book. Julie held my
glare for another eternity, her face showing no hint of her thoughts.

After it seemed she had taken a few days to read me from cover to cover,
I blinked and drove my eyes down to stare at the floor. I felt about
half my normal size and a clumsy idiot. She was playing with me, making
me look like an fool. Doing a great job I may add. I blurted out some
form of apology and started to back away. "Uhh, look sor.."

"That would be nice." her voice rich and sweet. She turned to the
other couple and made her apologies, "Excuse me. Thank you for the
company.". The short haired woman looked annoyed and the irritation
on the mans face was plain.

Slowly she stood up and after me as I beat a hasty retreat. As we moved
away from the table and over to bar, I felt lots of attention on me.
"Uh, maybe we should go somewhere quiet for a drink? That all right
with you?"

"Fine. You do seem a little nervous".

As I said, like a book.

We pushed our way out of the club, past the bouncers and the queue of
people that I had to wait in and that she probably didn't. It was hard
to think and I was trying to remember where I parked my car when I
realized that Julie was still at door talking to one of the bouncers.
I stopped, surprised and started back toward the club. Another bouncer
moved to cut me off from reentering the club. I stopped, defeated,
staring like an idiot, probably with my mouth open. Julie turned
and smiled sweetly for another age. I tried to guess what she was
thinking, but I just couldn't concentrate. Then she walked toward me,
and past me. I turned as she walked to the passenger door of a black
BMW and stopped. The man who drove it walked around and opened the
passenger door. She slid in, in one fluid motion. He closed the door,
and she disappeared behind tinted the window. The doorman tossed me
the keys and and shook his head slightly. His expression I could read:
'lucky bastard'.

I started and moved round the drivers side. Sod the parking ticket
on my car! The door opened under my hand and before I knew it I was
sitting in the drivers seat. It still had that new car smell, and a
couple of thousand on the speedo. As I put the keys in the ignition,
the CD player started up and some classical music filled the car.
It was sad, lonely music. Her hand slid out and dropped the volume,
"I know a nice little place just near here, Byron's Cafe. Just off
XXX-fill-me-in-here street."

My memories fade as the pain from my bursting chest takes over. That
same classical music fills my ears, this time played on a piano.
My legs give way and I crash to my knees on the floor. I close my
stinging eyes, full of tears. All the pain starts to fade, replaced
by an inner warmth. My heart no longer feels like its going to burst,
my knees no longer feel the polished wooden under them. The warmth
engulfs me, just like it has these past months.

Months of happiness. Like that first night. We stayed at the cafe
until about 4AM talking, or, I should say, she listened while I
talked. About 4, she asked for the bill, which we split and we walked
back down to the car.

"You must think of me as some ogre? In the club, I get the feeling you
expected me to refuse you."

"I guess.. it's just I don't see why you would accept anything from
me. What can I offer you?"

Julie just smiled.

I walked her to the car and as she got in, she turned to me. "See you
outside Byron's tomorrow 8?"

"Eh? Yeah! Sure, sure!"

\subsection{Falling Under the Spell.}

I couldn't concentrate at work, time seemed to drag. I was there
at 7. Probably too early. At 8, she appeared walking down the street
with a expensively dressed man of about 50. She left his side
and came over. That night we just walked through the city.

Julie loves cities, especially the big modern ones, alive at all
hours. I must admit, I never really thought about it, but walking
round at night, without the traffic and the crowd, the city did seem
special. Towering monuments to what people could build.

That was when I had my first hint too. We were walking up a small
side street, towards a set of green traffic lights when, just as we
approached the corner, Julie started to pull me back. Not slowing, I
pulled her forward toward the green light, not wanting to miss the
walking light. She tugged back and I pulled away from her.

"Mark...", she barked. She didn't shout, but their was such force in her
voice that I stopped. Stunned by the sudden force in her voice. That
instant, a young skate-boarder raced past from round the corner. I
turned to ask her how, but she just smiled and it seemed like a stupid
question. I shook my head and we continued.

It was about a week later when we went back to her flat one night.
Her flat was stunning. The impression is hard to convey in words. You
are immediately struck by the dark beauty of the place. It is painted
in dark colors, with the only obvious illumination the down lights
breaking the darkness. The lights draw your attention to the statues
and art-works on the walls and the shadows seem to hang above all the
classic artwork giving them an eery life, like they are about to come
to life and fade into the darkness. The classic art-works, spotlighted
in that light can not help but grab your attention. Its more like
the flat is some work of art, rather than a home.

It took me a while to get used to walking round in with only indirect
overhead light, but Julie seemed to have no problem. After I kicked
the furniture a couple of times, she turned on some overhead lights
and dimmed them down so I could make my way around. At first I felt
uncomfortable, but then we got to talking, lounging on the leather
sofa, and everything seemed better.

Over the next few weeks, we spent more and more time together.
Naturally, I got less and less work done. Soon, I knew I was going to
get in trouble with the boss. Up all night, a few hours sleep and then
work. Julie noticed too and asked me to move in with her. I don't know
why I accepted at the time, but now, with hindsight, I know.

No, thats not true, I would have in an instant, then, or now.

I gave up my job and moved into Julies flat. She had no problem with
money and was happy for that. I didn't want to live off her, so I
took a part time job and she and I would spend the nights together. I
was in heaven, we were so in tune with each other, she was a perfect
friend, a great companion and an unbelievable lover.

No matter how much I asked she would never tell me about herself,
which I found that annoying. Julie was like a magnet, she pulled in
information and no-matter how much she spoke, she actually said very
little. I tried to get information out of her, but even after we
talked all night, I never actually learned anything from her. She
seemed reluctant to answer any questions that I asked, which annoyed
me, but eventually I became used to it.

I did try to get close to her, to understand her. I asked her about
herself, her flat, her friends, her past and her tattoo.

Yes, her tattoo! She has a tattoo of a snake on her back, on the left,
behind her heart. Its coiled body was burned into her skin, the only
mark on her otherwise perfect body. A snake coiling upwards, fangs
and forked tongue extended. Someone had tattooed color onto the rough
burned skin and added the fangs and tongue. I asked her about it when
I first saw it and felt its rough texture, but only she said it was
something from her childhood. The idea of that burn disturbed me and
Julie obviously didn't want to talk about it, then or anytime since.

She never said where her money came from, either. I never saw her
receive a cheque in the mail, visit in ATM or anything like that. She
just always had cash or a credit card. The same with the flat. I never
saw a bill or any indication of where she got it.

Soon, I just didn't really care. We were together.

She had some odd friends. One night their was a knock at the door. I
answered it and their was a tall imposing woman and a gaunt man.  The
man smiled, as if shown some secret joke, the woman looked in his
direction and smiled too.  Before I could say anything, the man reached
out, grabbed my jaw and twisted my head to one side. He studied my face
before releasing me and with a dismissive wave of the had, declared
"Southern English stock, three, maybe four generations I would say?".
Stunned started to answer, but before I could, Julie came in, threw me
the car keys.

"Mind going for a drive?", she said as she guided me for the door, my
mouth hanging open, my eyes wide. Julie had one of those `thank you for
playing' smiles, said "Thanks so much" and closed the door, while I
stood outside, mouth hanging open, keys in my hand.

Some nights, people would come round and Julie would give me the keys
to the car and tell me to take the night off. Others, I would watch TV
and serve drinks which they ignored, while they stared at tables of
figures and papers.

We had some odd times. We watched Orlando, the story of a man who
becomes a woman and lives for four hundred years, on her huge TV (and
the most expensive sound system I have ever seen!) and Juliet burst
into tears at the end when Orlando had a daughter. She was really
disturbed and cried on and off for the rest of the night while I held
her in my arms in her huge bed. The next day, she seemed fine and she
didn't say anything about it, acting as if it never happened. I knew
that it would be pointless to ask.

We played squash and although she said she had never played it
before, she thrashed me. I was never able to get a ball past her. She
would move to where I was going to hit it as I hit the ball, which
would distract me and half the time, I missed the ball myself. When
ever I did this, she would always just have that knowing smile and
shrug her shoulders. "Lucky, I guess." It was the same with most of the
games we would play. She generally beat me and those times I did win,
I had the feeling she was letting me. Bitch. I was starting to hate
that smile, that meant `I knew what you were thinking'.

She made me watch lots of videos and explain them all to her, `just
in case she missed anything'. An odd request, but I was more than
happy to oblige. We would sit on her leather couch with a huge bowl
of popcorn and she would ask me questions. It was like an exam. "Why
was he `cool' in that film?", "Why did the woman fall in love with
him? He was an idiot!", "Why did they do what he suggested and not
do that?".

I don't know what the idea was, but I kind of liked it. Julie
sometimes seemed to know everything, but sometimes she seemed,
innocent and naive, I guess. She really listened to what I had to
say at those moments and it felt so good to be able to answer her
questions.

She was great at being just what I needed. The closer we got,
the more I noticed she did it a lot with other people, listened if
they were talkative, talked if they were shy. Everyone loved her,
especially me.

One day, the weather report said it was going to be about 30. I
ran into the living room, as she was watching some program on SBS and
fell to my knees in front of her.

"Beach! Beach, beach, beach. Have to go swimming tomorrow!". Her
forehead crumpled as she regarded me with genuine puzzlement. She
protested that she prefered the night, and that such adventures were
doomed to failure, but after much nagging, she finally just smiled, a
warm smile, and relented.

Naturally it was cloudy. I wore a T-shirt and shorts, she dressed up
as a goth, in flowing black. I complained that we would be laughing
stock. A goth on the beach?! But she insisted. As we went to leave, she
threw me a hat and pulled on a large brimmed hat herself. "You won't
get sunburn today!", I protested as she took the sun block into the
bathroom.

As we left, I complained even more. "You HAVE to get sun-burned
at the beach! Otherwise it just isn't a trip to the beach!"

She put her arms on her hips, "I have sensitive skin. No touching my
face today, I will have on lots of sun block and makeup and I don't
want it messed up, it takes ages to get right. Anyway, I'll meet you
down there, I have some shopping to do." I sighed, gave her directions
and left.

After I had been there for half an hour, she arrived and set up a
towel and umbrella in the shade. She sat down with a book and started
to read. She had brought a picnic of fine foods, which we had for
lunch and then she watched as I swam. 

"Its not as warm here as it is in the Hawaii. Brrrr. My poor boy! Look
at you, you're almost blue. How can you swim in that anyway? It
smells!"

I just sighed.

Most importantly, we had just had some fun times. One night I was
attempting to explain that Terminators didn't actually exist and 
Julie argued that she had seen one. "Look," I cried, "one of us must be
an idiot then!". She ran over to the bar and pulled out a soda sprayer
and chased me round the house, spraying, heedless of the paintings,
the electronics or anyones belongings.

I escaped into the laundry and filled a bucket with water with one hand
while holding the door closed with the other hand. After her struggling
to get in stopped, I took the bucket and opened the door, she backed
away and put on a pleading face. "No. I'm sorry. Come on put the bucket
down. Please, I don't want to get wet.", she pouted.

Forcing all mercy out of my mind, I approached with an iron will. She
had to pay! She put her hands together and pleaded. "Ok, I deserve
it.", she said, head lowered, defeated. I smiled, putting down the
bucket and hugged her. At last! She had given in! "Lets go to bed!",
she suggested. Now I was really smiling.

As I rushed off to the bedroom, the surrounding furniture and I, were
suddenly soaked. Betrayed by my own bucket! Part of me hated that, that
she always won. But mostly I was just so happy to be with her, that I
didn't mind.

Julie was a great cook, although she always wanted to make food that was
complex and time consuming. I protested that their was only so much
gourmet food a person could take, but she insisted. I think she started
preparing it while I was at work so I would have no recourse but to eat
it when I got home.

I was sitting at the table one day, telling her she shouldn't have
bothered when suddenly stood up, grabbed the tablecloth and ripped it
out from under the food. I winced, but I swear, nothing on the table
was actually disturbed. I stared in shock and started to laugh. She
smiled, bit her bottom lip with her pearly white teeth and lunged
forward onto the plates of food, covering herself and spraying me,
while plates smashed all around us on the hardwood floor. I slid the
chair backward, lifted my arms and looked down at my covered shirt.
She stood up, face, hair and chest covered in food, scooped up a
handful of cake and pelted me straight in the face. "Ungrateful little
bastard!", through a grin that split her face.

She made me cook for a week and each night, would taste a bit and spit
it across the room. "Phhhht! Road kill!". After that, we went out
for food. After a week, she quietly started cooking again. I didn't
complain after that.

She started painting too. It had been a while she said. She painted
faces mainly, although sometimes she would paint cities or landscapes.
Beautiful work it was. I would sit and watch, she would just paint and
paint and paint. Each time, vivid faces would appear on the canvas.
Faces that seemed to almost have a life of their own. It was the most
beautiful work I have ever seen, full of life and she did it so
easily.

I nagged her to paint me and, eventually, she agreed. I sat for her
for three nights but she wouldn't let me see it until it was finished.
I ended up with a beautiful painting of the beach, with a stick figure
standing there. I was bitterly disappointed, I felt crushed. I started
to sulk, but she lavished attention on me and soon cheered me up
again.

The next evening, she gave it to me, rolled up and tied with a
ribbon. It was a picture of me, standing on a grey city street. I was
just standing there, normal old me, but it brought life to the grey
surroundings. It was stunning, it was beautiful. "Never show it to
anyone, promise me."

I argued with her for hours, but she would not show anyone her work,
or let me show anyone. Sometimes I can't figure her out.

\subsection{The Discovery}

Not that it matters now, as I am about to die. I guess it makes a but
more sense now. Those goings on I mean. It was about a month later was
when I found out. I had been asleep in her giant bed, when I was woken
as she slipped back into bed. "Mhhf!! What's up?", I asked in my stupid,
half awake state.

"Just raiding the fridge, back to sleep", came that silky voice and I
was out like a light.

Next morning, it stuck in my mind. In the dark light peeping through
the tinted windows, I checked the fridge, staring at the contents to
see what was missing. I started to notice that only what I had eaten
was missing! I seemed to remember Julie eating, but only what I ate
was really missing from the stocks in the fridge. I checked again and
again, but I knew it was the case. Something in my brain told me I was
in trouble! I rushed up to where she was sleeping (she always slept
in the day, while I worked, recovering from her parties at night, she
said).

I burst into the room, pulled open the curtains, a spooky, tainted,
light filled the bedroom, not real sunlight. That just made me angry
for some reason. I walked over to the bed and shook her awake.
"MMmmm...". Sleepy, she twisted away from the light. Grabbing her by
the shoulders, I shook her harder.

"HEY!", I shouted.

Her right arm whipped in front of me, arching from left to right,
snapping my hands off her shoulders with enough force to guarantee
bruises. As my left hand was ripped free, it smacked into the side of
her head. She bolted up in the bed, eyes afire, burning hellish red, a
look of anger flashed over her on her face.

Fear ran through me, I felt my life hung on a thread. I sank to the
floor in terror, unable to say or do anything, like some stunned
rabbit. Instinct told me that this was one of those times that you
stared death in the face.

I watched everything in slow motion detail. The way her top lip curled
up, the way her nose twitched as she clenched her teeth, the red flame
in her eyes that seemed to rip my mind open. I closed my eyes, waiting
for some horrid fate to befall me. Part of my mind rejected what I saw,
I couldn't help but think, `Great, I have the flat mate from hell!'

Their was great whoosh as the curtains behind me whipped shut,
plunging the room into darkness. I spun round to look at her, but my
eyes struggled to adjust to the dark and I could only see her outline
in the darkness, facing away from me, her perfect figure outlined
against the wall. On her back the outline of the snake, barely
visible in the darkness. Suddenly it was menacing.

I saw her outline turn, I heard her approach, her form becoming
clearer as my eyes adjusted. I sat on the floor, my heart pumping
madly to deliver adrenaline to my muscles, but my brain had frozen
like an animal caught in headlights, too stunned to act.

She knelt next to me and smiled. Relief flooded through my body, tears
formed in my eyes. The silence was broken by my sudden inhale of
breath and my heavy panting as I gasped for air, no longer feeling
that my breathing would seal my fate. I collapsed in a heap. She held me.

Neither of us said anything. We just sat and held each other for I
don't know how long. After a while, she picked me up, with no effort,
and carried me to the bed, where we fell back to sleep.

I awoke that night and there she was, sitting in a chair, watching
me. "Penny for your thoughts?", I asked, starting to feel like a
trapped animal again.

She smiled, that smile, took a deep breath, "Just thinking what to
do...". That morning all came flooding, I pulled the sheets up,
like a little child who thinks that a blanket will protect him from
the monsters dark. "... with you.".

"What, um, was that all about." She just stared at me. "Look, you
have to tell me.... What are you, some witch? Monster? What?" I lowered
my head into my hands, "What am I talking about?" I felt like I was
going insane.

She chuckled one to herself. "Not exactly. I am as your films say, a
`blood sucking fiend from beyond the grave'. A vampire."

I pulled the sheet around my neck, then, realizing that it wouldn't
help, dropped it. "B.. But the beach! You were in the sun! I've seen
you in daylight! You eat!", then I started to laugh, but that didn't
last long, it was a weak, unconvincing laugh. "You're joking, right?". 

"No, not at all. You don't live long if you stick out like a sore
thumb. It pays to lay low."

"The beach?"

She smiled one of those, parental `you are too young for that' smiles,
and I knew she would not give me an answer. "Yes, I can eat, although
I gain nothing from it."

"So, what happens now?"

"I can leave and make you forget me. Or make you forget this morning,
although that would be more difficult, because it is strong in your
mind. Either way, I should leave. My presence will just make you
remember."

"I don't like either. Can't you stay?"

"It's too dangerous. People I get close to become involved in my
troubles. Troubles that cost dearly."

"Look, I'm want to help. I can't leave. Don't make me, let me stay."

She went silent and I just sat, in the magnificent bed, in a bedroom
filled with more beautiful art-works than I was ever likely to see
again, and all I could do was hope.

After an age, she drew breath, dropped her gaze to the floor, "I must be
an idiot." I burst into a smile.

We talked a bit about it, although she didn't tell me much really. She
was really old, had been asleep for a long time, something called
`torpor' and had a lot of enemies. I didn't ask how she fed, or what
on, I don't think I was ready for that answer.

She took me flying effortlessly over the streets. She could hide us
from view, so we took to following people and peeking into their
lives, just for a few hours. We didn't do this often, Julie said it
was too dangerous, it could attract the attention of others of her
kind and she was still weak from her torpor. `Still weak', those two
words stuck in my mind.

We hired a few of the old Hammer horror films, with Christopher Lee
as the Count. But somehow, watching them with Julie at my side, I
didn't find them quite as funny as I once did. Julie just munched
on popcorn, cheering for the Count and booing Van Helsing like some
bizarre, deadly, pantomime.

We were watching Buffy, the Vampire Slayer one night, the scene when
Buffy is training. Julie protested that Buffy was too slow and doomed
to die. Then she leapt up and began to do cartwheels round the room. I
guess it was funny, but I couldn't help but think that I didn't really
know this woman at all. Sometimes she scared me.

When she came to a graceful stop, I asked her the question that had
been on my mind ever since we met, "Julie, you could have anyone you
wanted. Why me?"

She smiled, "Life. Its been years since I have been awake. I need
someone to help me understand all that has gone on. I awake weak, like
a babe and everything has changed. You help me understand all I see,
help me ready myself for this time and what I have to do." She held
her arms out like some zombie and started walking towards me with
a blank look on her face, "And.. I must... drink... your blood...
human."

"What do you have to do?"

Julie leapt forward and rolled across the room, ending up sitting
in front of the table with the popcorn on it. She took some and chewed
for a bit. "Don't think I should tell you that. Sorry, nothing
personal. It's just my enemies can read your thoughts."

"So can you?"

"I try not to, but I can hear you think, so it's hard not to. Thats
why I like to have music on. I hear your subvocalisations" she said,
taking another handful, looking innocent and naive, "or something
like that. I hear the surface thoughts of crowds, its hard to shut
out. Everyone's thoughts chatter in my mind. Its quite distracting,
actually. But I have to try to deeply look into someone's mind."

I felt angry, like some sort of toy that she played with. Manipulated
to see how I would behave. She turned, face slightly sad and looked
into my eyes, "I'm sorrt, I can't help it." My anger faded.

I paused for a moment, preparing to ask the next question. But, she
saved me the trouble of asking.

"I've been thinking about that too. It's best for you if I left you,
and erased your memory of what I am from your mind. People I associate
with will get hurt when others of my kind realize I am awake. Either
that, or I could dig deep into your mind and secure your thoughts, but
that is, ummm, a little intrusive."

I considered those options, forget her or become programmed for my
own safety.

"It's just not safe. Can't you accept that?"

No, I can't, if you're in danger, then I don't want to run from it.
"No, I can't,...", I started to say.

"Look, people tend to die around me, ok? I don't want you to."

At least you care for me eno...

"Don't be stupid, you're just sulking and feeling sorry for yourself
now. You know love you. Look, if I made you like me, your life expectancy
would be even shorter than it is now. Most immortals I know die within
a year or two. Hardly an immortal life! I know what I am talking
about."

She was right, I guess. There was a silence as I tried to get those
feelings out of my head and think clearly.

"My enemies are beginning to look for me. They know I am awake, but
not much more, we should have a while yet." She turned and stared at
one of the statues in the room. Egyptian, I think she said it was.
"One of my enemies in particular, she will send all her puppets after
me."

But, she was wrong, for once. I should have left then, as she said,
but I figured I knew better. It couldn't happen to me, right? I even
had a taste of what was to come and a chance to run, but I ignored
it. I am such an idiot.

We were walking home from... something, its all getting blurry now,
lost in the haze as I die, my brain slowly grinding to a halt. A
dinner and night at the casino, I think it was.

The casino with Julie was a like cheating, she would whisper in my ear
the winning numbers, when the urge took her. Anyway, we were walking
home, Julie by my side whispering to me how we would pass the rest of
the evening.

Suddenly, three shapes leapt out of the shadows. One had a gun, looked
like a shotgun. It twisted in our direction. Then the shadows seemed
to dive in upon us, everything went dark, the shadows grabbed one of
the assailants. Their was a wet breaking sound to my left. My eyes
started to accustom and I saw the man with the gun in front of me,
with a sneer, he fired as a blur appeared in front of me. Julies body
was flung back by the impact and crashed into mine, blood splattering
on my face, flinging me back.

Before we had traveled back a foot, she launched herself onto the man
with the gun, who had just half pumped the next round. I heard a
ripping sound as she flung herself on him, I saw the other assailant
dive for her and then I lost sight of everything as I flew backwards,
smashing to the ground.

Immediately, she was by my side, clothes torn from the blast, face
and hands ruddy. "They are all gone now. Are you ok?", she pleaded,
obviously distraught and upset at the possibility I was hurt.

It couldn't have been more than, what, four seconds? I was too stunned
to move. She helped me up. "It's all right." Their was no sign of the
struggle. No bodies, no gun. She hugged me close and their was a flash
of light. We were back in the flat.

"What.. what.. happened?" I asked, still stunned.

Julie skipped over to the fridge, taking out a glass pouring out
whatever was in it. "Anarchs or Sabbat looking for blood. Brought
in from another city by my enemy to take me down while I am weak."
I couldn't say anything. Julie open the freezer and pulled out some
ice cubes, "Sorry I couldn't give you warning, but I didn't want
them to read it from your thoughts." She poured me a stiff scotch
and started to attend my head and back where I hit the ground, this
monster, my girlfriend, was capable of... I'm not sure what, was
gently dabbing cream on the grazes on my back.

"You knew?"

"Yeah. Convinced to leave yet? It gets worse that that, and to be frank, you
are a liability." My resolve hardened, if anything. Not that I had
much of a chance, for it happened the next day.


\subsection{Turning Point}


Work didn't quite seem the same. Not after seeing 3 people, or
vampires, or whatever, dispatched in seconds by your cute little
girlfriend. I was thinking on this all day.

Children ran through the streets, dressed up as ghosts and vampires.
It was Halloween, and the streets were actually filed with the joy of
children for once, all the normal suffering pushed aside for a night.

Julie had bought me a vampire outfit for it, naturally. She had
decorated the flat with spiderwebs and generally made it look eery.
She said we would walk around the streets as vampires, me with my
plastic fangs and she with her own fangs. But none of this was on my
mind, I was had more serious things to think about.

What could I do? Draw fire? Get in the way? Give her something else to
worry about? I guess I decided that I couldn't really help after that
day of soul searching.

I walked home, warmed in the sunlight, absorbed in my own thoughts,
when suddenly, I had the danger rammed home. I was passing a parked van
with the side door open when two burly blokes came rushing out of the
entrance of a shop, crashing me into the van, the engine kicked to
life and the van moved off.

I knew these people meant business, but I couldn't help but admire the
work. I had no chance. A third, smaller man was in the back and had me
covered with a gun. He smiled, not a nice smile and pulled me up by my
hair. I felt the van take a corner. "Happy Halloween, Mr Teller. Mr
Royston wants a chat with you."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark blur from the door as one of
the goons closed it. The door twisted in and a monstrous shadowy shape
burst into the van, knocking the goon at the door flat. Julie, clothes
on fire, leapt into the speeding van, furious look on her face. She
held her arms out at the two still standing goons. The small one near
me pushed the gun to my head and pulled me to my feet. Instantly, blue
flame burst from Julies hand into the face of the other standing goon
who had knocked me into the van. I felt the intense heat on my face
and the goon's face disappeared behind a burst of smoke and bright
blue flame.

Darkness and shadows dripped off Julies body and fell to the floor,
there it twisted into slender lines, attacking the man under the door.
Snakes! The shadows had become snakes, their eyes burning a hellish
red as they slithering straight to his face and eyes. I watched
horror-struck as one sank its fangs into his eye and his screams were
muffled as two others bit down on his neck. I felt sick.

"What's happenin' in there?", came a call from the driver.

Julie just lowered the hand she had used to incinerate the other goon,
and stared at the man holding the gun to my head. Time stood still.
I felt his arm shake around my throat. The man on the floor stopped
struggling as other snakes bit into his neck and started to gulp
blood, which rippled down their dark bodies. The man who was burnt,
mercifully, I didn't see, although the van filled with a sickly burnt
smell. Rage disappeared from Julie's face, although the rage was still
evident in her eyes.

She looked at me, her face blistered where the sun had burnt it and I
was overcome by the sadness of the look. The small man with the gun
released his grip on my neck and turned the gun on the driver. He
fired twice and the van pulled to one side and slammed into something,
throwing everyone, except Julie, forward.

I flew into her arms and she caught me with no effort, as if gravity
and momentum just didn't apply. The two goons on the floor slammed
into the metal wall behind the drivers compartment. The smaller goon
with the gun slammed into the back of the man with the snakes on him
and leapt back, terrorfied, as if waking from some dream.

Julie lent down and whispered in some language to him. He looked up
petrified and confused. She shook her head, and spat her sarcastic
words in his face, "Ok, then, this stupid language then, simpleton.
You will tell my darling William and his Queen that it was a good
guess. Oh, and Happy Birthday."

Her eyes opened wide as she stared into his eyes, "Do you understand?"
The small man nodded frantically.

She lent down, until she was inches away from his face. He stared up
into her huge eyes. The snakes slithered over my feet, back to Julies
feet and they dissapeared as the shadows returned. "Good", she replied
in a quiet whisper.

Another bright flash back at the flat.

I sat stunned. Julie, winced as she examined the burnt flesh on her
shoulders and neck, blackened and peeling by exposure to the sun. She
touched it a few times and it disappeared. She looked furious. "Are
you ok?"

I just stared. She turned to me and asked more forcefully, "Are you
ok? Answer me!"

"Umm, yeah. Fine. Are you all right?"

She snapped savagely, "No, actually, it still hurts and will do
for days. I just don't want others of my kind seeing I am hurt and
weakened." Julie stormed off to the bedroom "We will talk later
tonight." I heard the door slam and lock.

I closed my eyes and attempted to drive the images from my brain.
Snakes, flames, blood, death. I poured myself a drink and lay down on
the sofa.

I awoke to that sad classical music. I walked into the living room and
Julie was sitting at the electronic keyboard (something she marveled
at), playing in time to the the music floating from the stereo. She
got up as I walked over, met me half way and hugged me. Kissed me
gently on the cheek. I wanted to say something, but she quieted me
with a finger to my lips. She pulled her hand away and kissed my
softly on the lips.

I hugged her again and rested my head on her shoulder, she did the
same and then I felt her teeth at my neck. Electricity surged through
my body and I felt my body come alive as her teeth sliced through my
neck. She sucked the blood from my neck and my heart beat faster and
harder, attempting to suck the life back in, but it was no good.

Julie finished drinking, and walked over to the keyboard. She touched
the remote and the stereo went silent. Her fingers glided over the
keyboard and that sad music rang out once more. I could see she was
crying, bloody tears.

"Mark, I can't let you die like that. Killed in some petty brawl
between me and others of my kind. You want to stay, and I want you to
aswell, but you will die and I could not live with that. It is best
that it is like this, beautiful, quick and painless, my darling."

I wanted to say something, anything, but I couldn't. My heart starts
to burst and my knees gave way and I slammed to the ground. I opened
my mouth to call to her, but I couldn't. The words didn't come, my
throat was dry. My vision started to blur, I tried to speak, but I
couldn't even say her name.


\subsection{Epilogue}



\subsubsection{1995, William's office}



William Royston threw the glass at the man in front of him. "What do
you mean you didn't get him! Idiots! We had one chance and you blew
it! You and your stupid Ghouls. Just four! You only sent four! I want
this Mark dead! I want Juliet or whatever the hell she calls her
now self dead! Get out of my sight." The man turned and ran for the
door, quickly closing it behind him.

William smashed his fist down on the desk. It splintered under his
force, he could feel his fangs growing. I'll get even with the bitch,
he swore to himself for the millionth time. He could not control the
anger, so he let it flow through him, engulfing him.

She had betrayed him. Turned against him and abandoned him, after he
gave her his life. William felt his soul burn with the desire for
revenge. "I gave you everything, bitch! You spurned me! Tossed me
aside rather than share. When I was alive, you took all I had and I
will do the same to you now, harlot!", he shouted aloud to the night.


\subsubsection{Halloween 1995, Julie's flat}



Julie sat at the electronic keyboard, tears welling in her eyes. She
felt emotions she had not felt for decades. Centuries. She gave a sad
sob to herself as Mark fell to his knees and struggled to say her
name aloud. He didn't need to, naturally, his words, his pleading, his
thoughts, his memories, echoed loudly in her mind. Her memory went
back three hundred and something years, to a situation exactly like
this.



\subsubsection{1630, the house of Lady Juliet Randall-Stone}



Lady Juliet was playing harpsichord when her love came in, her
favorite piece. Her husband fell to his knees as the sweet music that
she played drifted through their house.

"You must make me like yourself, that I may protect you and live with
you forever. Allow me to your husband forever, my love. If you leave
me, as you suggest, I shall surely wither and die."

"Ask me not, my dear. If I did Embrace thee, you would surely die,
brutally, at the hands of those who hunt me now. All I would have
done, would be to damn your Soul to Hell."

Lady Juliet, sobbed at her harpsichord, unable to see the music
through the blood red tears in her eyes. It mattered little, she knew
it well, by now. Music written by another love of hers, one tortured
and murdered by her enemies, so long ago. She tried to be strong, to
shut them out, but her husband's pleas filled her mind.

"Then I can live no longer with the thought of your leaving me."
With lightning speed, he pulled a knife and plunged it into his heart.

Juliet gave an angusihed cry as she played. Tears flowing down her
face. "I am so sorry, but I can not give you the Dark Embrace. You
would not ask this of me...."



\subsubsection{1995, Julie's flat}



A new batch of tears welled up at the thought of that long passed
love. Her mind recalled hundred of other such companions through time.
Most ended the same way, death. The music took on an unearthly sadness
as Julie opened her heart to it, letting her emotions free.

"... if you truly loved me. If you knew what that would do to me."
She continued in a whisper, "I can not do this to you..."



\subsubsection{1630, the house of Lady Juliet Randall-Stone}



"... because I know what it will do to you. I will lose you."

Her lover knelt in front of her harpsichord, his mind begging her to
take him. She shook her head, as her husband and lover collapsed.



\subsubsection{1995, Julie's flat}



Mark fell to the ground, her name the last thing on his mind. Her eyes
stung as she rushed over to him. "... Mark. I can not, can you not see this?
Please, do not ask this of me. I beg you.".

Mark stared up at her face, beautiful and streaked with blood. His
mind screamed out to her with all the power it could muster from the
darkness engulfing it.

Unable to take the waves of emotion she was feeling and the crushing
feeling of lonelyness that engulfed her, she cut her finger and poured
a few tiny drops of blood into Mark's mouth.

Mark Teller became immortal.



\subsubsection{1630, the house of Lady Juliet Randall-Stone}



She ran from the harpsichord and gently lifted her lovers limp form,
"... William. I can not, can you not see this? Please, do not ask this
of me, I beg you.". He stared into her bloody eyes.

With a cry to the night, she cut her finger, dripped the blood and
William Randall-Stone, now William Royston, became immortal, all those
nights ago.