by Palladian
“Brian,” Lex responded, putting her hand out to him, “my name is Lex. It's been very nice to meet you. I hope we do meet again.”
He took her hand and kissed the back of her glove. “Very glad to meet you, Lex.”
She watched him for a moment as he walked away, restraining herself from gazing too long at his leather-clad ass. Feeling a little dreamy, Lex paid the bartender and made her way back upstairs with the drinks.
Chapter 10: Moving
As she made her way back to their table, Lex studied the drink Serena had ordered. It had a strong resemblance to blood and as it fizzed a little, Lex could smell the scent of fresh fruit. A long plastic sword sat on the edge and had a blood orange slice and a fresh cherry skewered on the end of it. Lex watched as a crimson drop spilled out from the cherry where it had been poked through. She laughed quietly to herself as she put the drinks down on the table, not having any trouble hearing her friends’ soft conversation, since the music sounded much quieter on the second floor.
“Casey,” Lex broke in, taking a folded-up wad of cash and the business card out of the top of one glove, “could you hold onto these things for me? I’m afraid I’ll lose them when I start dancing, since I don’t have pockets.”
Serena had been reaching for her drink, but her eyes widened as she spotted the business card. “What's this?” she asked, plucking it out of Casey's hand. Lex watched, feeling her face grow hot as Serena read the front of the card and then the back. She laughed delightedly, handing it to Lex. “You're a fast worker! We just barely arrived!”
Lex gave it back to Casey, still feeling the blush on her cheeks. “Yes, well, it seems like the people here aren’t very shy.”
“So, are you meeting him later or what?” Serena gave a conspiratorial grin as she leaned in Lex’s direction.
Lex sighed, looking at Serena as she reached for her drink. “I explained why I wasn't ready to start up anything new yet, but he gave me his number anyway.”
“Lex! Why did you do that? You could have just slept with him, you know. Wasn't he your type?”
Lex found herself rubbing the back of her neck. “He looked good enough to eat,” she said in a low voice, “But, well, I'm just not that way, Serena. If I slept with him now, I’d probably just feel worse.”
“What do you mean, not that way?” Serena asked, her eyes narrowing as she drew back.
Lex sighed again, feeling tired. “Look, I've had plenty of friends who liked to sleep with lots of different people. I even tried dating someone I liked a lot who was like that. It just didn't work out for me, though: he dated other people and I didn't. I came to realize that people are a lot like other animals—some have a mate they like to stick with, and some choose many different ones. I guess I'm more like a wolf or a hawk; I only want to be with one person at a time like that. You and my other friends are more like migratory birds and other animals; you choose lots of mates. I don't see anything wrong with it either way, but, well, I have to be who I am.”
Serena smiled again as she relaxed back into her chair. “My poor little wolf. Try not to think too much about your broken heart tonight, though. Even you have to admit that there's nothing wrong with enjoying the company of someone you think is hot, even if you aren't planning to do anything about it.”
Lex gave a shy smile in return and nodded. “I'll try to remember that.”
Casey had been sitting and sipping her beer as she listened to Lex and Serena. She’d also been suspiciously eyeing Serena's drink, and finally asked, “What the hell is that anyway, Serena?”
“This is a Vampyre's Nest original—Sweet Blood. Care for a taste?”
Serena curled her tongue around the cherry, slid it off of the sword, and then bit into it. A little juice beaded up where her lips met, and she licked it away as she pulled the pit out of her mouth. Casey watched with an eyebrow up, and Lex laughed into her glove. Serena took a sip of her drink and then offered it to Casey.
“What's in it?” Casey asked, skeptically.
“I’m not sure. It tastes kind of sweet, but there must be a lot of alcohol in here, because I've never seen anyone be able to drink more than a few of them.”
“No thanks, I'll pass.”
Serena took another sip, and Lex noted that they had done a good job with the drink; it seemed to move thickly, like blood in a glass might. The dark red color was also convincing and nearly matched the shade of Serena's lipstick. Serena licked her lips again and stood, drink in hand.
“All right, ladies, I'm going to see who’s here tonight. I'll be back later on to see how you're doing. Casey, please try to make sure Lex doesn't get too gloomy. If she does, we should probably try to figure out who this guy is to come and cheer her up.”
Casey shook her head slightly. “All right, have fun.”
Lex and Casey watched a moment as Serena walked away, and Casey shook her head again, an annoyed look on her face. “Going to sniff around, I imagine.”
Lex shrugged and smiled. “I'm sure she's going to be finding out who's around and deciding whether she's interested in anyone in particular.”
Casey grimaced. “That's what I meant when I suggested not taking the room next to hers. I think she takes people home. A lot, if what I hear in the hallway sometimes is any indication.”
“I guess her talent makes that pretty easy to do,” Lex said, nodding to herself.
“So, she showed you?”
“Yes. What a thing to be able to do!” Lex replied, unable to stop her star-struck grin.
Casey snorted contemptuously. “Yes, and she uses it to sneak people into her room!”
“So she knows what she likes. I don't think there's anything wrong with that,” Lex said with a shrug.
“You really think all of that is OK?”
“Sure,” Lex responded carefully, looking at Casey with a little concern at her angry tone. “Serena’s not taking food out of anyone's mouth and she's not hurting anyone, she's just doing what she likes to do. What's the problem?”
“She's a slut, that's what!” Casey’s expression clearly showed her frustration and disgust.
Lex looked at Casey for a moment, trying to ignore the familiar feeling of humiliation for her friend and pick her words carefully as she felt anger creep into her chest. “I'm sure she's heard that before. I've heard a lot of people’s opinions about what I am, too. I’ve been called a fucking dyke, a frigid bitch, a stupid cunt, white trash, a lazy, worthless piece of shit, and lots of other things. Do you think that's what I am?”
Casey looked hard at Lex, blinking in surprise at her intense tone. “Of course not.”
“I know you’re not like everyone else, either, and you’ve been called some names, too. Since I know how crappy it feels, I try never to do it to anyone else.” Lex glanced meaningfully up at Casey before dropping her eyes and picking at a spot on the table. “I don’t mean to be mean, but I know this is something other people have given Serena hell about. I can’t follow your lead on this.”
Casey looked at her then, head tilted as if really seeing Lex for the first time, and remained quiet for a few minutes before responding. “I guess you're right. There’s no reason to be harsh,” she finally responded. “Serena does seem to be fun to hang out with, now that we've worked out some things. I guess the rest is really none of my business.”
Their conversation moved to other topics with only a few moments of awkwardness, both of them obviously trying to bring things back to more comfortable ground.
As they paused, Lex was quiet for a moment, sipping at her drink, the limey fizzing under her nose and the fresh taste making her smile. She listened as a song ended and then a new one began. It was a familiar beat, and she listened for a second before she recognized it fully. It had been a favorite of hers at one time that was now mixed with a gothic dance beat, and she smiled, not having expected to hear the song in this particular club.
“Casey, I've got to go dance to this song. Do you want to come along?” Lex a
sked, feeling the wild grin of anticipation that split her face.
“I'll join you in a while, after I finish this beer. Go on down without me and have fun.” Casey smiled in return as Lex virtually launched herself from the table.
Lex hurried down the stairs and walked onto the dance floor. She liked the large, open space, even though not many people had begun dancing yet. Stepping out into the center, Lex listened as the familiar words began, and started to move.
Lex half-closed her eyes as she began swaying to the beat. Although she loved to dance, she'd never had any lessons, so it hadn’t surprised her when an old friend had assessed her dancing as “more energy than art.” It did surprise her to smell a sweet, musky perfume a little later, and Lex fully opened her eyes to find that dancing people surrounded her. Smiling at the girl closest to her who’d worn a short black dress to match her closely cropped hair, white face makeup, and a large ring through her nose, Lex leaned back, losing herself in the music and thinking maybe she wasn’t such a bad dancer after all.
She noticed one or two different pieces as the songs changed and smiled at Casey when she’d looked up at one point to find the other woman dancing beside her. She recognized some of the music but just kept going through each song, known or unknown. Lex stood straight for a moment at one point, shaking her leg muscles out as a faster song slid into a slower one, a piece she recognized well. She turned as she felt something to her left and looked up to see Brian at her elbow, grinning as he looked at her.
“You didn't mention earlier that you’re a dancer. Would you dance with me to this one?”
Lex smiled at him. “Yeah, I'd like that.”
Brian's grin turned into a big smile as she put her arms around his neck, the solidity there comforting. His arms slid around Lex's waist and they leaned into one another as the slow, smoky lyrics started.
Suddenly, Lex turned her head as she heard Casey's raised voice nearby. Lex saw her friend arguing with Vinnie, so she stopped dancing with an apologetic look at Brian and grabbed Casey's sleeve to get her attention.
“What's going on?” Lex asked, the concern in her voice audible.
Casey turned, her expression annoyed and edgy. “He says he wants me to dance with him. I’ve told him no, but he’s not listening,” she said, and then belatedly realized Lex stood half in the arms of someone she didn't recognize. “Who's this?”
Lex smiled, moving fully back into Brian's arms. “This is Brian. Brian, this is my friend, Casey.”
He nodded and smiled in response. Casey looked surprised and slightly uncomfortable.
“Why don't you dance with him, Casey?” Lex asked as she and Brian began to move again, trying to show by example that everything was OK. “It's only one dance, after all.”
Lex glanced back after a few minutes to see that Vinnie and Casey had begun dancing. Vinnie looked thrilled and even Casey appeared to be enjoying herself, despite her earlier reluctance. Lex smiled at Brian then and put her head on his shoulder as they danced. She felt acutely aware of his warm hands on her back, due to the low cut of the dress, and she smiled as she breathed in the scent of cedar wood. Despite everything that had happened that day, for the moment Lex felt happy and lucky and resolved to enjoy it, even though she knew it would be temporary.
It seemed the music ended too soon, changing to another fast song, so she reluctantly backed away from Brian. He held onto her waist for a moment longer, and then let her go.
“Thanks,” she said with a smile. “You're a great dancer.”
“You, too. You still have my card?”
“Yes,” Lex replied, her smile brightening.
“OK. I won't repeat what I said earlier, but I hope you'll call me sometime later.”
He didn't wait for an answer but walked across the dance floor, looking back with a smile to see Lex watching him go. She continued to smile in return, and then turned as Casey approached.
“Come on, let's get another drink,” she said with a frown, her tone clipped.
“What's wrong?” Lex asked, worried that maybe she’d given Casey bad advice.
Casey grumbled and scowled for a moment before responding. “Well, after the dance, Vinnie asked me out. I told him I already had someone, but then he got all persistent and wanted me to take his number.”
“Did you?”
“Yes, but I'm not going to call him,” Casey groused, frowning more deeply.
Lex laughed as they reached the bar. “Oh, come on, it didn't look like you weren't having any fun.”
Casey continued to complain, but good-naturedly, as they ordered more drinks. She lifted an eyebrow as Lex ordered a ginger ale. “You haven’t been drinking all night, have you?”
Lex looked up at her a little guiltily. “Unfortunately, alcohol seems to give me migraines.”
Looking startled, Casey replied, “Sorry to hear it. I had an aunt who got those once a month or so. They seem terrible.”
Shrugging in return, Lex said, “Mine aren’t really that bad. I can usually function during them, they’re just painful.”
They went back upstairs after their drinks came and sat at the same table as before. Lex watched with interest as Casey sat very carefully in the metal chair. “What?” her friend asked as she noticed Lex watching. “I weigh about half as much as a small car. Not all furniture can stand up to that.”
Lex’s eyes widened. “I guess not,” she replied, now wondering if most of the furniture at headquarters was specially made.
After a little while of quietly watching the dance floor, Lex craned her neck and stretched over the balcony railing, the bite of ginger fresh on her tongue as she sipped her drink.
“Isn't that Serena over there?” Lex asked, pointing to the opposite side of the club, where their friend stood under an overhead light.
Casey leaned over the railing, looking in the direction Lex had pointed. She smirked and said, “It looks like she's talking to some guy down there. I bet she won't be going home with us tonight.”
“Sorry, that's not a bet I'll take,” said Lex, with a smile, her thoughts suddenly traveling to the past. “So, tell me about the first time you danced with a boy.”
Casey smiled. “Bobby Dorsey asked me to homecoming during my senior year in high school. I usually didn't go to things like that because most of the boys in school were a lot shorter than me, so they never asked me to dance. But Bobby lived a few farms away from us, and he was almost as tall as me. He wasn't the smartest guy in the world but he was completely fearless. We had a great time.”
“So, what happened to him?”
“Well, he ended up marrying a girl who graduated a few classes behind ours, and the last I heard, he's still working on the family farm.” Casey sighed. “I did like him a lot, but he wasn't really…like me. I think it’s something that runs in my family, but I also think I got a lot bigger than anyone else ever did. I remember my mom telling me to be sure to marry someone big and strong like me, but that's the closest we ever came to talking about it.” She sighed again, then shook her head momentarily and turned to Lex. “So, how about you?”
Lex went on to tell the story about her high school sophomore experience at the Sadie Hawkins dance, an event where the girls would ask the boys to attend, and the two had begun swapping stories about their first boyfriends by the time Serena arrived. Lex and Casey looked up at the couple in front of them with interest. The man had long, dark hair hanging loose over his shoulders, tight black jeans, a dark t-shirt printed with a red dragon that wound all over it, and a long, black leather trenchcoat. His face looked chiseled and model-perfect, set off by a collection of heavy looking metal rings in his ears and one through his nose, like a bull. Lex grinned at Serena as their eyes met, and Serena smirked back.
“Hey, ladies,” Serena said, “I'm going to let you find your own way home. Dan and I are taking off now.”
“Don't worry about us, we'll get a cab. Have fun, you two,” Lex replied, still grinning, while Casey nodded.
Lex and Casey continued to study the pair as they walked back to the stairs, at which point Lex took a look at Casey's watch and gasped. “It's nearly two! Do you mind if we go back home so that we can get some sleep for tomorrow?”
“Sure,” said Casey, taking a final drink of her beer. “That's fine by me. Let's get going.”
Lex found herself watching the streetlights and cars go by as the cab drove through the city. As they neared headquarters, the other cars and lights became less and less frequent, until the cab pulled up into the nearly dark street that passed by the M Agency. The squat grey building had been lit brightly enough to illuminate the sidewalk beyond, however. Lex paid the driver off, then got out and crossed over to the other side of the cab to open the door. Casey had dozed off, and Lex leaned down to her friend’s ear to call her name. Casey stirred and looked up at Lex, then smiled tiredly.
They made their way inside and up the stairs. As they each headed to their own rooms, Lex turned back to Casey. “Thanks for coming out tonight. I had a great time, and I’m glad you came.”
Casey smiled tiredly and waved goodnight as she looked back at Lex. “Anytime. I had fun, too.”
Lex felt a true weariness hit her as she stepped into her room. Carefully undressing, to protect Serena’s things, Lex quickly got ready for bed and set her alarm with plenty of time to get ready the next morning and get over to Kurt's condo before noon. She felt a stab of sadness hit her as she thought of what she had to do the next day, but once she snuggled into bed and turned out the light, everything ebbed away as sleep washed over her like a tide.
Lex woke too early the following morning and lay in bed for a few moments, blinking eyes full of grit. She tried rolling over and getting back to sleep, coughing at the taste of dust in her mouth, but after lying awake for a while, she knew sleep wouldn't return. A heavy blanket of sadness and reluctance had fallen over her during endless dreams in which she searched for something she couldn’t find, and she didn't want to get up or go to Kurt's condo. But I do want my things back, Lex thought to herself. Sighing, she got out of bed and dressed in workout clothes.