My Guardian Vampire

I woke up smiling, for the first time in a while. I felt the cool air coming from the AC blowing on my face, highlighting the tears on my cheeks to my senses. I sniffed once, opening my eyes slowly. I winced and closed them again, as there was a soft light illuminating the room from one of the small unbusted lamps. It seemed much less harsh than it had the day before.

"Finally up?" Billie said. I simply groaned in response, pulling the blankets over my head. Billie laughed softly, pulling them back down. I sighed, opening my eyes to hazily look up at Billie, barely able to keep my eyes open. He chuckled again and softly touched my face, wiping off the remnants of the tears with his thumb.

"Why are you such a freak?" he said in a joking tone. I turned into the pillow and groaned.

"It's too early for this," I said, making him laugh again.

"Someone isn't a morning person..." Billie Joe commented, and I half-heartedly pushed him, too tired to make an effort. He was still topless, his skin cool. I should have been used to the whole cold skin thing, but it still surprised me slightly. I turned my head, more awake now.

"It's not morning..." I said, yawning slightly. Billie Joe laughed, kissing me on the head once before getting up. My heart did that strange little half-jump, nothing extreme, but an improvement. Billie stretched slightly before grabbing a shirt, walking out of the bedroom as he shrugged it on.

"Mehhhh," I groaned, turning my head back into the pillow and trying to go back to sleep—something I knew I wouldn't be able to achieve.

I eventually got up and stretched, walking to the door. I had my hand on the door, about to open, but paused—I could hear a guitar being strummed every once in a while and then some muffled talking. I put my ear up to the door to hear better.

"I thought you said you'd ‘never stoop so low,’" I heard, recognizing it as Mike. The guitar was strummed a little.

"I did say that. But this one definitely isn't the same as regular humans. Plus, you know I can't resist a challenge," Billie Joe said.

'Nice. Real freaking nice.'

"Really now. Anything besides the obvious?"

"There was something I saw before, a memory when she was passed out."

'Woah. What did he see?!'

There was silence.

"Is it really just a challenge?" Mike asked after a moment. There was more silence for a moment, surprising me. If he did care...

'Yeah. Seriously doubt that. And, even if he does (which he doesn't), I'm not going down that whole love path that easily again...'

"Yes, it is. You know me Mike, I'm not sinking low as some human."

"Whatever, Billie."

More silence once again.

"Ok... I see your point. I think I'm going to get her ass up now."

I eeped in alarm, quickly sliding into bed, putting my face into the pillows, and quickly sliding the covers partly over me before pulling my face into a mask of peace. I heard the door open and Billie walk in silently.

"Uppity up up!" he said cheerfully, suddenly flipping the mattress over with me on it.

"Ah!" I yelled, now on the floor. I didn't move from my position, just snuggled with the soft cover.

"C'mon lazy ass," Billie Joe said, nudging the mattress. The mattress was still partly on the bed, creating a small shelter from the lamplight.

"Noo its dark now I want to sleeeeeeep," I whined, and Billie Joe laughed. He then pulled me out from under the mattress by my foot.

"Noo!" I protested, trying to take the mattress with me. I couldn't get a good enough grip on it and let go as Billie Joe dragged me around the bed and through the door. "Wait!" I said, and turned onto my back instead of being dragged on my stomach. "Ok, continue."

He laughed and dragged me down the hallway into the living room, me holding onto the comforter and snuggling into it as I was dragged.

"Hi Mike," I said from the floor, and put the comforter over my head. Billie had dragged me to the TV and couch area, setting me in front of Mike who was sitting on the chair. He then took the comforter away, making me pout.

"Sup?" Mike said casually, nodding to me while Billie put the comforter over himself.

Tré then came running in.

"Hey Billie, bad news. Some new prick is tearing up the west section of the fishing market," Billie looked at Tré, thoughtful for a moment. I got up off the floor and sat on the sofa next to Billie.

"Ok, Mike, you and Tré try to reason with him. If you can't, then do the usual."

"Reason?" Tré said, glancing at Mike for a moment.

"Yeah, like with words, then force," Billie said, a little testily.

"Words then force. Got it," Tré said quickly, flashing out of the room with Mike.

"What was that?" I asked, looking at Billie. He stared at the TV.

"New vampire. Usually they aren't bad, but for some reason some become crazy, eating whatever they see. So we deal with them when no one else can."

"Why do you deal with them? And why didn't you go with Mike and Tré?"

"Sometimes they’re hard to deal with. And that's because they didn't need me to go with them."

"But you were ordering them around..."

"Yeah, it's because I'm better than them," he said. I laughed, but his face was serious.

"Better?" I asked. "That's a little cocky..."

"It's what's true. I'm more powerful than they are."

"Oh... Kay..." I said, feeling awkward. "That doesn't make you better..." I trailed, my mouth not able to just let it go.

"Really?" he said, looking at me now. "Because I certainly feel a hell of a lot better than them when they take orders from me, come to me looking for answers."

"It still doesn't mean you're better..." I said weakly, looking down at my hands.

"Sorry Ali, but I'm not buying it. I'm not saying I would, but if I wanted to, I could kill Mike or Tré with ease—and they're pretty strong. They know this, and it's just accepted. I'm better than them in every possible skill we know, and therefore I am superior," he concluded, taking my hand. "Please don't think of it as a bad thing, it’s just all we know here; it's what makes life work. They rely on me as a leader, and I would always be there to protect them—they're my family." He leaned over and kissed me on the lips, but I didn't respond, thinking about this. He drew back after a moment, aggravated.

Before he spoke however, I intervened.

"Does this mean I'm better than you?"

He looked like he wanted to laugh, but held it back.

"Better than me? Ali, no offense, but we're 'monsters' for a reason. You are the prey. You don't have the same abilities as we do, you're only advantage being you can stay out in the sun."

I thought about this for a moment.

"But you're not better in everything..." I said, and he looked at me slightly disbelievingly. "Well, I can't technically do it at all, but..."

"But what?" he asked, curiosity tinting his question.

"But you can't read my mind..."

'Oh, snap. Take that, let it soak in for a while.'

He looked at me for a moment, thoughtfully.

"I can read it some of the time..." was the only lame thing he could come up with. I smirked.

"Mm-hmm," I hummed, arrogantly raising my head slightly and turning to the TV. There was a moment of silence as I let the glory sink in, glad I had something on him.

"You're totally aggravating, you know that?" Billie Joe said, turning my face and kissing me. I pulled away after a moment, staring at him, thinking about what he had said earlier to Mike. Unsure, I decided to not bring it up for now—but to not trust his intent.

"You know what that lead to last time..." I said teasingly, smirking.

"Oh come on, you know you think about us finishing what we started all the time," he said, smiling though I could tell he was slightly annoyed.

"No, I don't," I said, staring at the TV.

"Liar..." he muttered, leaning against the arm of the couch. Out of the corner of my eye, I then saw him smile.

Suddenly, an image flashed in my head, consuming my senses. Billie Joe and I were back at the school grounds, kissing with him on top of me again and shirtless like he had been before. I tried to push away and ask what was going on, but a wave of lust hit me and I ignored it, letting Billie Joe take my shirt off. He kissed the base of my neck and I moaned, sitting up slightly to let him take my bra off...

And then it ended, and I came dragged back to reality, back on the couch and breathing heavy.

"What the fuck was that!?" I yelled, my eyes flashing open.

"What was what?" Billie Joe asked, looking at me, his angel face innocent.

I didn't buy it for a second.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! What the hell was it?! How the hell did you do it?"

"I haven't the slightest clue of what you're talking about," Billie Joe said, grinning.

I pinned him down, making him smile more.

"Well isn't someone aggressive?"

"What did you just do?" I asked, ignoring him.

"Just call it a little special gift of my own..."

"Special gift? What special gift?"

"Care for me to demonstrate it again?"

"No!" I yelled, my eyes going wide. He smirked.

"Well what then?"

"Well... Just don't do it again..." I said, getting off of him.

"And if I don't?" he asked, and then paused. "Wait, better yet, what do I get if I do?"

I hit him.

"Nothing."

I then got a brief flash, him and me moaning-

"Ahh make it stop!" I yelled. Billie Joe laughed and suddenly grabbed my hips, and in a flash he had flipped us, now with him pinning me down.

"We could always just do it and get it over with..." he suggested, kissing my neck tenderly.

"How about no," I refused, trying to squirm out of his grip. He sighed, raising his head up warily.

"Fine, how about a drink?"