The Most Important Rule

"I'm absolutely terrified of falling in love," I said.

The silver-eyed vampire smiled in satisfaction.

"That can be arranged," he replied.

-_-_-_-

I woke up with a start. The flashback lingered in my mind’s eye and sent shivers down my spine. I somehow knew that that was the last one—but whether that was a good or bad thing, I was not so sure.

The one good thing about this morning was that I was back in my own bed. Rustan, Foster and I had returned to our apartment in New York just last night, and it was a relief for us to be separated into our own rooms. D.a.r.c. had finally realized that Foster wasn't a threat at all - well, except to my virginity.

The last week of being stuck at HQ was pretty much torture. Foster continued to act like a fifteen-year-old and he spent most of his time hitting on me or trying to get into my pants. Let's just say he wasn't afraid to express his feelings. Honestly, I have no idea where his perverted-ness came from.

Rustan, on the other hand, remained to be a complete mystery. He was always cool and collective and his expressions were always unreadable. The only time he spoke was when he was insulting me or making fun of me.

He and Foster were friends now...well, kind of. They always teamed up to tease me, but other than that they tried to have nothing to do with each other. Foster spent too much time focusing on me, and I could tell Rustan got agitated every time Foster flirted with me.

So basically I have a werewolf that never stops hitting on me and a vampire-mix-thing that hates my guts.

Boys are, without a doubt, really really weird.

"CHASE!" screeched Foster from the other room.

I groaned into my pillow. "First of all, I'm sleeping, so shut up," I called to Foster. "Second of all, next time you scream like a girl you're sleeping in the dog house outside."

Foster ignored my comment and barged into my room. He looked either really worried about something, or really excited. He jumped on my bed, crushing me with his weight. "Wake up wake up wake up," he chanted, as if I was actually going to listen to him.

"No."

He hit me in the shoulder.

"Don't touch me," I said.

"But Chaysie, there's something really important going on!" Foster protested.

"I don't care," I replied. "Sleeping is definitely more crucial."

"I'm not getting off until you agree to wake up," Foster said stubbornly.

"Foster, you're like four hundred pounds. If you don't get off soon I'm pretty sure I'm going to die."

"So then wake up already!"

"Ugh. No."

"But this is urgent!"

"No."

"If you don't wake up I'll do something perverted."

"Okay! Okay, I'm up," I said, instantly opening my eyes. I shoved Foster off of me, and he fell off the bed and onto the floor. "This better be as important as you say it is," I growled, kicking off the covers and rolling out of bed.

Foster didn't reply. He was just...staring. At me.

"What?" I demanded, and then looked down at my pajamas...Or lack thereof.

No, I wasn't naked. But I was only wearing a too-tight tank top and boy shorts. Which, I guess according to Foster, showed a lot of skin.

I smirked. "You might want to wipe your mouth, dog-boy," I said. "You're drooling."

Foster scowled at me, blushing slightly. "Come downstairs," he said, ignoring my comment, and grabbed my hand. I wasn't really a match for his werewolf strength, and frankly I was too lazy to protest, so I allowed his to drag me downstairs.

We were halfway down the steps when I stopped in my tracks. I could see Rustan in the kitchen. He was working by the stove. And it was lit. And there was food out. Actual, edible food.

It took me a moment to put all of these pieces of information together.

Rustan was cooking.

Rustan. COOKING.

And that's when I fell down the stairs.

I had tried to take a step forward, but unfortunately my mind was still trying to process that there was a vampire, in my kitchen, cooking. I missed the step, and I was sent flying down the stairs headfirst. I landed at the bottom of the stairs, literally on my butt.

I tried to ignore Rustan and Foster cracking up, and I stood up. "Owwww," I muttered, completely embarrassed, and I rubbed where it hurt the most. Which happened to be my butt.

"Did you just - Did you just rub your ass?" Foster managed to choke out in-between laughs.

"Yes," I said, frowning. "It's painful, okay?"

This sent the boys into another burst of laughter.

"Attractive, Chase. Real attractive," Rustan commented.

"Thanks, wanna see me do it again?" I asked sarcastically.

Rustan smirked from my anger, and Foster nodded enthusiastically.

"I was kidding!" I snapped at Foster, and his face fell.

"Don't be so angry, Chase," Rustan said. "We're laughing with you, not at you."

"I'm not laughing."

"Oh. Okay then. I guess we are laughing at you."

"Normally I'd kill the two of you right now," I said, "but curiosity has gotten the best of me. Now, Rustan, would you so kindly tell me as to why the hell you are cooking?"

Rustan just shrugged, as if he cooked all the time. "I felt like it," he replied casually.

"What?" I asked. I was officially very confused.

Vampires eat humans. Not omelets and toast and bacon, which was what Rustan had on the stove right now.

That's when I realized it.

"Aww, are you cooking for me?" I asked, a smile working its way onto my face. "That's sweet Rustan. Really, I didn't know vampires could be even remotely nice."

Rustan and Foster exchanged a look. "Uh, sure," Rustan said hesitantly. "We'll go with that. I'm nice."

I frowned. I glanced from Foster to Rustan, and then back to Foster. Rustan's expression was cold, as always, but Foster had a definite look of guilt on his face. "Hang on, you guys," I said slowly. "Something's up, isn't it?"

"What? No, nothing's up," Foster answered, a little too quickly.

"Nothing at all," Rustan confirmed, nodding.

"Why would something be up? It's not like we did anything. In fact, we did nothing," Foster said.

"Absolutely nothing."

"We just made you breakfast. Because we're nice. Right, Rustan?"

"Right."

I raised an eyebrow. "You two made breakfast for me because you did something wrong," I said. "Something that would get me really, really mad. You made me food so I would go easy on you, am I right?"

The boys looked at each other, and then at me. "Um...no?" Foster said.

"Fess up!" I demanded.

"Alright, alright," Foster said, finally giving in. Rustan sent him a hateful look. "But you have to promise not to kill us."

"Maybe."

"You have to promise."

I sighed. "All right, fine. I promise."

Foster looked satisfied enough. "Well, um, while you were sleeping..."

I frowned. That is never a good way to start a confession.

"Okay, so this might sound really weird. Um, see, I sort of...uh..."

"Spit it out!" I snapped impatiently.

"I took your underwear," he said very quickly.

Silence.

"Um...what?" I said. I didn't even know what to do right now. "What did you do with it?"

"Nothing perverted, I promise," Foster said earnestly.

"I'm not sure if I can believe you. So let me get this straight, you went into my room, while I was sleeping, and raided my underwear drawer?"

"...Yeah."

I took a deep breath. Stay calm, stay calm. "So what exactly did you do with it? Can I get it back?"

"Um...not exactly..."

"And why not?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. I was staying ridiculously calm right now, which was surprising for all three of us.

"...Uh..."

"He sold it," Rustan announced happily. "Isn't that right, Foster?" Apparently he loved it when I was angry at Foster.

Foster glared at Rustan.

"You sold my underwear?!" I yelled. The calmness was wearing off. "Rustan, why would you ever agree to this?!"

Rustan just shrugged. "If it makes you miserable, I'm game," he replied coolly.

I shot Rustan a death glare and turned back to Foster. "Where did you sell it? And to who?!"

"Ebay," Foster confessed.

“EBAY?!”

“Um, do you remember when I said that you were practically famous as an Agent? Well, um, the guys back at G.h.o.s.t., where I used to work, know about you. And they know about your...well, your hotness."

I was just staring at him. No words could express how angry I was right now.

"...Uh, and a while ago I lost a bet to them, and they said that since I lost I had to do this thing that they dared me to do. One part of it consisted of stealing your underwear and selling it online. "

"WHAT KIND OF SICK PEOPLE DO YOU WORK WITH?!"

"Sorry! I'm sorry! But I lost a bet and promised to do it, and I always stick to my word, so I had to follow through with it," he said in a voice that was a mix between an apologetic tone and a whiney one.

"Foster, you have to get my underwear back NOW. Screw your damned bet!" I hollered.

"I can't exactly get it back. The guys already bought it all..." he said in a small voice.

"You. Must. Be. Kidding."

He looked like he was about to cry.

"Foster?" I said in a dangerously soft voice. "I'm going to have to break that promise I made earlier. I'm going to kill you now, okay?"

Foster panicked, and then did the smartest thing I've ever seen him do. He ran away.

I went to go and grab the pistol from the weaponry closet, but a firm grip on my arm held me back.

"Just let him go," Rustan said. "At least he's gone now."

"Fine," I huffed. Normally I would have killed foster right on the spot, but I'm not really sure if Thez would be too happy about that. Besides, I was hungry. I sat down on the kitchen counter, and Rustan handed me the food he had made. I took a bite out of it ravenously.

"Rustan?" I said with my mouth full.

"What."

"This is absolutely terrible."

Rustan let out a short laugh. "I've been a vampire for the last hundred years. Sorry, I haven't really needed to cook much lately."

I glanced at him from the corner of his eye. If he was over one hundred years old, he sure didn't look it. His raven hair framed his pale face, casting ghastly shadows under his eyes, and his icy blue stare was directed right at me. As soon as we made eye contact I looked away quickly, fighting a blush.

"...Can I ask you a question?" I asked in a small voice. I couldn't bring myself to look at him, so instead I focused all of my attention on my piece of toast.

"Sure."

"Why do you...How come every time Foster flirts with me, you seem, well...angry?"

I finally looked up at him. He was gazing at me, not curiously or offended, but just as unemotional as usual. "Are you asking if I’m jealous?" he asked in his smooth, almost silky voice.

"Yeah."

Rustan snorted. His eyes finally betrayed an emotion: amusement. "Please. That's not anger or envy - it's disgust."

"W-What?" I sputtered, choking on the piece of toast and sending half-chewed bread crumbs flying across the kitchen.

He smirked. "I just don't understand why Foster would desire someone that looks like you."

"Hey! What's wrong with the way I look?"

"You're a freak of nature."

I rolled my eyes. There goes Rustan again, being an ass. I shouldn't have assumed he'd act any other way.

"Sure, Rustan, disgust. I'm sure that's exactly what it is," I sneered, standing up from the table and pushing the plate aside.

He raised his eyebrows. "You think it's something else?" he inquired, clearly entertained.

"I'm a girl, I can see right through these sorts of things," I replied. "I can tell exactly what you're feeling."

Rustan stood up from the counter as well, and took a step towards me. "Oh really? Well then, Dr. Phil, care to analyze the situation for me?"

"All right. You're jealous of Foster because he has the guts to express his feelings and you don't."

"That's funny, Chase, really. I had no idea you had such a witty sense of humor."

"I'm serious, and you know I am," I said, taking a step towards him. "You just wish you could hit on me like Foster does. But you're too chicken."

"Like I'd ever be interested in someone like you," he scorned, also taking a step towards me.

"You know what, Rustan?" I said, taking yet another step. "You're a complete asshole."

"Ouch, that one hurt," he mocked. "At least I'm not a self-absorbed brat like yourself."

"You're an arrogant bastard!"

I took a step towards him again.

"Whiney little human."

He took another step. Now we were only a few centimeters apart, our noses almost touching, and we continued to scream into each others' faces.

"Jerk!"

"Prick."

"Fuc - "

Suddenly, Rustan grabbed the back of my head and crashed his lips onto mine. The swear I was about to call him was cut short because one, I couldn't exactly speak at the moment; and two, I was in complete shock.

Rustan was...kissing me.

Holy shit.

He slammed me into the wall, one hand entangled in my hair and the other firmly gripping my arm; he was holding me in place, as if I was about to break away from the kiss. Strangely enough, though, I didn't try to fight him off. I kissed him back.

He was passionate to the brink of roughness. I, being as stubborn as I am, wasn't about to let him have the upper hand; I kissed back just as roughly, throwing my arm around his neck and deepening the kiss. I felt him smirk and, in return, he removed his vice grip from my arm and secured it around my waist, pushing me towards his chest. I was breathless - literally. I pulled away from the kiss.

But Rustan wasn't finished yet, and as I broke the kiss he dove in one last time and planted a soft kiss on my lips. Just one last taste. A cherry on top.

Our lips separated and we just stared at each other, panting heavily.

I was in shock of what he just did - of what I just did. I couldn't think of anything to say; my mind was completely vacant of all reasonable thoughts.

Rustan just smirked. "How's that for expressing my feelings?"