Alexandre had nearly worn me out.  He introduced me to his tailor, took me to a few more clothing stores where I convinced him not to purchase anything for me except a single pair of sneakers that were on sale.  He even drove through a car lot citing he was thinking of trading in the one he was driving.  After about the fourth or fifth place we stopped that they knew his name, I got the distinct impression he was showing me off.  I began dozing off on the way back home.

"One more stop."  Alexandre informed me.

"Mmm." I murmured sleepily, not opening my eyes.

"You just stay here and rest ok, I'll be back in a few moments."  Alexandre gently tucked my hair behind my ear and wrapped his jacket around me.  I mumbled an unintelligible reply.  I had no intentions of leaving this comfy seat anyway.  Alexandre chuckled and left the car.  I heard a shop bell jingle, a couple of male voices greeted Alexandre, his reply and then some more chatter.  It was sort of blending with my half-dream state, so I wasn't paying much attention to it until someone asked "Is that her?"  And then Alexandre's soft reply "Yes".  It caught my attention, bringing me into a more conscious state.  I kept my eyes closed and my breathing deep and steady, but focused on listening to the conversation in the shop.

"Poor little thing"  Came the first voice.  "Pretty too."  said the other male voice.  Alexandre snarled lightly under his breath.  "Jeez, I didn't say I was gonna try'n get in her pants or anything!  Argghh!"  His voice was cut off and it sounded like he was choking

"Speak disrespectfully about the lady again in my presence or in the presence of others and I will feed you your own tongue, dog."  Alexandre growled.  I had the distinct impression he had grabbed the man by the throat.

"Now calm down, calm down."  said the first voice in a placating tone, "No disrespect was meant, I'm sure.  We're keeping our ear to the ground as promised, and will update you as soon as we know anything.  We don't want any trouble here.  How's the little lady holding up?"

"Traumatized, as is to be expected in this situation."  Alexandre responded.  It was said almost like a threat.  I could hear a pair of footsteps leave the room.

"I'll call you if I hear anything more."  The first man said, and the bell jingled as the door opened again.  I heard gravel crunch just before Alexandre opened his car door and got in.

"You need not pretend to sleep.  You can control your breathing, but have yet to master your heartbeat.  How much of that did you hear?"  Alexandre asked, sitting quietly in the dark.  I could see him twisting the car key in his hands.  I sighed and sat up straighter.

"Ear to the ground, call you with more info, like that."  I replied.  Alexandre nodded and started the car.  The dark didn't hinder my vision much anymore, and Alexandre's face had relaxed, he seemed satisfied with my answer.

"These men are providing me with information on our serial killer 'nurse' friend.  They have ties in the criminal world, and even a few in investigative units who have access to information collected during the search for her.  Your murder was the last reported case for several weeks...  That doesn't necessarily mean she hasn't killed again, just that a more recent body has not yet been discovered.  She has a fondness for, ah, deserted locales, which means that sometimes her kills go undiscovered for lengthy periods of time.  Do you have any questions for me?"  Alexandre was not looking at me, so I softly answered no.  He nodded again and backed out of the parking spot.  The rest of the drive home was silent.

It was well past midnight when I finally plopped down on my bed.  I'd stored away the new clothes and had the new books stacked beside the bed for now, ready to read later.  Although Alexandre was used to a century of night-time existence, I still sometimes got my signals crossed, unsure of what my body wanted.  He said it faded with time.  So I lay there testing myself, did I want sleep, or did I want to do something?  Alexandre settled it for me when he knocked quietly at the open door.  His scent, old books and flowers had intensified, so he must have washed up.  I tilted my head upwards and looked at him standing by the door.

"What do I smell like to you?"  I asked him.

"Coconut."  He answered promptly  "It's quite mouthwatering."  I blinked.  That was unexpected.

"Why, what do I smell like to you?"  He asked with interest.

"A wet dog."  I replied and his face fell.  I laughed at the expression and sat up, turning to face him.  "I'm teasing!  You smell like books and flowers in a garden I guess.  The smell is familiar and... comfortable.  I always loved the smell of old books and nature, so it combines two of the things I love into a comforting mix."  I answered him seriously.  Alexandre looked secretly pleased, then cleared his throat and his expression sobered.

"I actually came here to see if you wanted to talk about anything that happened today."  He said seriously, walking over towards me.  I sighed, I didn't really feel like swimming through that emotional turmoil again so soon.  Alexandre saw my expression so he quickly continued  "I just wanted to make sure that you were ok."  He sat down on the edge of the bed, one leg hitched along the edge so he could face me.  I shook my head.

"I don't really want to get into that...right now."  I replied.  Alexandre nodded his head and stood to leave.  I leaned across the large bed to grab his hand.  He stopped when he felt me tug him and I gently pulled him back towards the bed.

"If you don't mind, could you maybe just sit here with me for a little while?  I don't really want to be alone with my thoughts either."  I requested quietly.  Alexandre glanced over his shoulder at me, and must have seen the pain in my expression because he nodded and settled against the headboard of the bed.  Completely undignified, I scooted beside him and leaned my head against his shoulder, inhaling his comforting scent.  He stiffened for a second, but then relaxed a little.  I noted he still had no trouble initiating contact, but contact from someone else seemed to catch him off guard.  Funny, of the two of us, I would think I would be the jumpy one.  My breathing began to slow and I heard Alexandre begin to hum under his breath.

"What is that?"  I asked curiously

"An old Irish lullaby I learned...a very long time ago.  It's a story for another time."  He replied.

"Can I ask you something?"  He continued.

"Umhmm."  I answered.

"Why was Dracula one of your favorite books?"  He questioned.

"Hmmm...I'm not really sure I can even explain that one to myself."  I replied with a laugh, sitting up.  I let my head fall back against the headboard, thinking.

"I mean, I even liked Frankenstein, you know.  I felt like Frankenstein's monster wasn't really a monster at all, he just wanted love, but people couldn't look passed his exterior.  That's why the blind person treated him so well.  But even his own creator or father as he call him, rejected him, mostly based on looks.  I don't know, maybe I felt I shared a similarity with the monster there, but overall, it seemed like a lesson, a rebuke of our treatment of one another, and how all of us are just looking for love, if we could just look beyond the external, and I get that."

"With Dracula, I guess I sort of felt like everyone spent all of this time treating him as this horrible monster because of the blood drinking thing, and let's not make light of it, he did tend to use people, but he was a very practical and intelligent person, and not necessarily unkind.  He would use you yes, but he would also protect you and keep you safe as long as you were useful, and then abandon you, unless you became troublesome to him, in which case he may discard you, sometimes in ruthless ways.  But how are any of us any different?  Don't we do basically the same?  So many people in the world do this every day, and people kill and murder ruthlessly, look at the politicians of the world even!  And on our own small level, we use or manipulate people all the time, whether we do it consciously or not, and we have to admit to removing people from our lives when they are no longer useful to us.  It's just that we don't go around drinking blood and being labeled monsters for it. Or..."  I said sheepishly  "..we didn't always anyway..."  I pause as I see Alexandre staring at me intently.  I blush.

"Anyway, I'm probably letting my past taint my interpretations of the books, so I'm going to just stop talking now."  I look down at my lap, twisting my fingers together.  Alexandre lays a hand on my intertwined ones.  I look up at his face.

"Never be ashamed to share your view points with me Carys.  The way your mind works is endlessly fascinating to me.  I've spent so much time viewing the world from my own point of view, that I've forgotten what it might be like to see from another's.  It's like a breath of fresh air.  Although, sometimes it's more like a gale force wind, to be honest, what with your headstrong attitude."  He chuckled.

"Hey!"  I crossed my arms.  "Stuffy old vampire."  I mumbled

"Head strong child."  Alexandre retorted.

"Ancient man baby."  I replied

"Ancient...what?"  Alexandre turned to look at me and I burst out laughing.  "Honestly does that even have a meaning, or did you make it up?"  I laughed harder.

"We're going to have to bring you into the current century."  I snorted.  Alexandre watched me while I continued to laugh with a look of confused amusement on his face.

"Right, I'm going to assume by that statement that you made it up then."  He assured himself and I had the distinct impression he would be doing internet searches later on the term.  I doubled over, gasping for breath as I held my ribs.