3 comments/ 10182 views/ 3 favorites Not Just Another Blood Bag By: LoveSupernaturally Okay, this is my first story, so please be understanding and give constructive criticism. It's a little bit slower paced so it's going to take a few chapters to get to the sex. Sorry guys, there are other places to find that quick fix. Specially thanks to my two best friends. Please rate and review ya'll. ~~~~~~~~~~ Tears stained her cheeks, but certain ferocity burned in her eyes. Blood rushed to her head making her temples pound. The man she had called her fiancée turned out to be an asshole just like all the others before him. Her fists clenched and shook slightly from the repressed rage. When she couldn't hold it back any longer she screamed as loud and long as she could, simultaneously kicking the shit out of her couch. A loud snap brought her back to reality; she slumped forward onto her now broken couch, with a defeated sigh. She tried to take a deep breath, but her emotions got the better of her and clogged her throat. It's all my fault she thought. Another round of tears rolled silently down her face, her head still pounding with a vengeance. She slouched forward and hid her face in her hands, weighing out all her problems. Her muscles ached from being wound so tight and yet, through it all, her mind kept replaying the scene over and over in her head. It went something like this: She had decided to show up at Justin's apartment and surprise him by making lunch. It was a little after noon when she showed up with a bag of groceries, not knowing what he had on hand at his house. She let herself in with her key and sauntered toward the kitchen to unpack. She had barely gotten into the hallway when she saw them, screwing on the sagging dinner table. She lost all her motor functions: her jaw dropped and groceries fell. Justin and the girl looked up at the sound of the crashing groceries. They didn't even move to cover up either, just laying there: her legs wrapped around his waist and both sending her matching deer-in-the-headlights looks. She took a deep breath, closed her mouth slowly, and stared at a spot just slightly above them. "We are over Justin." She had said in a strong irritated tone. She wrenched his stupid ring off her finger, flung it in his general direction, and stormed out of the apartment. How in the hell she got home she didn't know. It was all a blur. Her blood boiled and her head began to throb just thinking of those two entwined. She slouched into the couch hearing it moan beneath her weight. So it wasn't quite broken, but it defiantly would not hold up her and two best friends. They would indisputably want to know the details, but she wasn't ready to talk about it, just yet. She knew she was too close to snapping and if she were going to take anyone's head off it would be that rat bastard's. I'll wait until later to call them. I shouldn't be so selfish; Paradise and Sydney both have lives and boy attachments. They don't need my grief or the extra pounds from a Haagen-Dazs induced pity party. Huh...this is definitely an interesting way to get flung back into the dating pool again. She thought. That's what it was too; she's been hurled back into the dating pool. So what if half her stuff was in boxes, at least she still had a chance to renew her lease. Still, she was going to be ready for it. The hell if she was going to look good getting back into the dating scene. She jumped off the couch and strolled over to her bedroom. It was in perfect catastrophe style disarray. Within a minute she was in a jogging outfit, her hair tied up in a ponytail, and tying the laces on her tennis shoes. There was no way she would be able to find her iPod in the mess, so she just grabbed her keys and headed out, locking up behind her. ~~~~~~~~ The rolling sweat droplets plastered bits of loose curls all around her face. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as her feet slapped on the concrete. The sun had started its decent from the mid-day sky. She hummed show tunes to herself in an effort to keep calm and reduce her stress levels. Start spreading the news. I'm leaving today. We're all a great big part of it, New Y--- Smack! The next thing she knew she was on the ground, looking dazedly up at a man with beautiful dark green eyes. She wasn't exactly sure how she got on the ground or why. The man leaned down as if to see if she was all right, a strange mixture laughter and concern lurking the beautiful green depths of his eyes. "Are you ok?" He asked in a laughingly worried tone. She looked up and him in a stupor, surveying and weighing how trust-worthy he was. He looked absolutely yummy: dark brown hair side swept, just enough to get into his eyes, a strong jaw line, his white t-shirt and open black jacket covering was covering what she was sure to be a well muscled chest, boot cut jeans hugged his hips in a simply sinful fashion, he smelled like coconut suntan lotion. As an added bonus he didn't have a ring on his finger! What were the odds? She did however get a small motherly type voice, in the back of her head, telling her to be wary of this disarmingly handsome stranger. He smiled knowingly down at her and offered her a hand. She decided to take it and was pulled her effortlessly to her feet. "Thanks. I don't think we exactly saw each other," she said hesitantly. She noticed for the first time the stack of fliers in his arm. No wonder I didn't see him! She mentally chided herself. She looked down toward her feet in an attempt to hide her blush and was surprised by the number of papers there. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you lose all your fliers!" Immediately she bent down to retrieve them, in an effort to grab them before they blew away in the mid evening breeze. After the first 5 or so she stopped to examine one. Blood donation fliers, she slowly stood back up to hand them over. "You didn't really have to do that Miss, I have plenty more…" he stumbled, searching for a name where there was none, "Wow that feels odd, sorry I didn't seam to catch your name." He trailed off in a divinely smooth manner and silently waited for her to introduce herself. "I'm sorry. Gosh! I'm really on top of things today, aren't I?" The voice in the back of her head reminded her why she was distracted and she grimaced. "I'm Heather…" she smiled up and him and continued, "and I'm not going to tell you my last name, because I just met you and you could be a stalker." She noted silently that he was really tall: at least 6'1" if not more. He smiled down at her, "Well Heather, who has no last name, I'm Mark. It's nice to meet you." Mark gave her an extra big smile and took the slightly crumpled salvaged fliers from her hands. Heather momentarily panicked; he was touching her! Why was he touching her? She was right about to kick him in the nuts and run for home when the realistic part of her brain kicked in. He was getting back his fliers, god she was so self-centered. She glanced down at the fliers that were now in his hands. "So Mark, when is this blood donation event?" She inquired in a small voice, mostly because she was ashamed of her instincts: fight and flight in that order. She continued to glance down and away from his friendly gaze. She noticed he was also wearing a blood drive t-shirt, the cheesy ones that they normally give away, but he somehow pulled it off. "Well, it's normally on the 15th of every month, but we moved it up to this weekend deciding to do a two day event instead. Hence, the fliers." He looked down at her with those big dark green eyes and smiled. "Are you interested in coming? It's for a great cause you know." Heather considered it for a moment, his charm aside, mentally assessing the pros and cons. She might get to see Mark again, and that's a plus. They tended to provide free snacks and such at the events, also a benefit. The one bad thing was the needles. Hmmm, I suppose if I brought Paradise or Sydney along it wouldn't be so bad. Besides less then 2 hours ago I was calling myself conceited and selfish. Is there a better way to move on with my life and help others? Maybe…. but this is easier and there will be cookies, so I can get my junk food fix with out the added pounds of the pity party the girls would throw. "Yeah, can I get one of those fliers back from you?" He leaned in handing one over to her "Sure, here you go." He quickly smirked again and looked into her eyes, "We love to see new volunteers." He paused before adding, "Well I need to keep putting these things up," he motioned to the stack of fliers in his hands, "but it's good to meet you Heather. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow or Sunday." Heather smiled back playful, "You know I'll be there! Nice meeting you Mark!" With that she turned and started to jog back toward her apartment. She placed one-foot in front of the other, again and again and simply let her mind wander. When Heather finally looked up and snapped out of it she realized she had actually gone past her building. She mentally rebuked herself for not paying attention and swung around and headed back to her building. Exhausted, she flung open her third floor apartment door. So maybe taking the stairs was over kill to finish off a two hour run. Heather immediately walked over to the fridge and skimmed its contents: milk, peanut butter, jelly, bread heels, a five-gallon jug of water, and a six-pack of beer. It took her literally two seconds to bypass her food instincts and pull out a beer. She sauntered over to the other side of her kitchen and popped the top off her beer with the edge of the counter before taking a swig. She sighed, dropped her keys to the counter, and glanced at the blinking light on her answering machine. Do I really want to know? Heather nibbled at the corner of her lip not knowing what to do. She took another sip of her beer and then snatched her cordless phone off the base flipping threw the caller ID. Two calls from Justin shortly after she left for her run, a call from Sydney, and a call from a blocked number. So she instead of listening to her messages she headed over to the couch, with beer and phone in hand. Heather quickly dialed from memory Sydney's phone number and silently waited for her to pick up. "Hello" There was a slight sound of typing in her background. "Hey. You called?" Heather inquired and took another sip of beer. "Oh, hey Heather, yea I was worried about you. Justin called earlier and was asking about you all cryptically. Everything ok?" Heather paused and considered for a second then responded with, "Yeah, don't worry Syd. I'm fine." She quieted for a second before redirecting the conversation. "Hey, you want to go to this blood drive with me tomorrow and maybe go shopping afterwards?" The line remained silent for a second followed by, " Sure. Is Paradise coming too?" "Don't know yet, haven't called her yet to ask. You want me to three way it and call her or just call you back later?" "Go ahead and give me a call back in the morning, I've got another couple pages left before I finish off tonight." "Is it a news article or girly literature chapter?" Heather inquired to her best friend. "It's a chick lit chapter," there was a pause from the line and then, "You should know that by now. Come on Heather we've known each other for how long now and you still have to ask?" Heather rolled her eyes, smiled and slowly sipped her beer savoring it. " I already knew the answer, you're always writing up something new. Just thought I'd check to see if you where doing anything for money lately. Guess you won't be able to spend to much tomorrow then." "The hell I won't! What do you think I'm doing with my monthly allowance check!?" "Ummm maybe you know pay your rent Syd?" Heather was used to it by now Sydney's father was slightly well off, to say the least. Sydney somehow never let the money go to her head, at least not most of the time. Maybe it was the fact she was had to deal with growing up with her brothers who acted like 13 year olds. "Oh hush! You know I can still afford a girls day out." It was true, that girl bought at least 3 new pairs of heels a month. Designer heels that is. "Ok, I'm counting on it. That means you're buying lunch tomorrow, somewhere nice." "Deal. I'll talk to you later hun." "Bye" Heather clicked off the phone and let out a sigh. One down, one to go she thought. Paradise would be much harder to avoid, they'd been friends to long and knew each other too well. Heather exhaled slowly and downed the last of her beer. She leaned forward and deposited her bottle onto the table and heard the couch groan underneath her. Ok, so maybe sitting on the couch was a bad idea. Heather meandered over into her room and threw herself onto the bed, phone still in hand. She glanced down at the phone, then to the clock, and back to the phone. It was after 6, if she were lucky Devon, Paradise's boyfriend, would be home and pose enough of a distraction that she could get away without playing twenty questions. Silently she prayed for mercy and dialed her best friend. Ring, Ring. "Hello." A man with a deep voice answered the phone. YES! She was saved! "Hey Dev, is Paradise busy?" "Nope. Hold on Heather." There was a slight scuffling of feet and a loud yell "Paradise! Phone's for you." Somewhere in the background she yelled back, but wasn't close enough for Heather to hear. Devon yelled back to her, "It's Heather!" "Ok I got it! Woo, Hey Heather, what's up girl?" Paradise purred into the phone in her natural fashion. "Not much. Just wanted know if you were free tomorrow from Mister Hunk? Syd and I are going to go shopping tomorrow, she's paying for lunch." No point in mentioning the blood drive, she reasoned, Paradise is so afraid of needles it's stupid. Besides donating blood doesn't take that long and it's not like she needed to donate too, I just need the moral support. "Well if Syd is paying for lunch, of course I'm in! I have to make Devon and his daughter breakfast in the morning. So I'll meet you at your place at ten?" Paradise asked smoothly into the phone. "Of course! My place is a mess though. Just so you know. " Heather replied, silently wishing she hadn't finished that beer yet. "Oh! Hey that reminds me. What's going on with you and Justin? I talked to him earlier and man that boy did not sound like he was in a good mood." Damn that girl knew how to get information! Think! Come up with something…. "We….. ahh….. had and argument regarding my move to his place this afternoon. I haven't talked to him yet and probably won't until after our retail shopping session tomorrow. If he wants to be stubborn, then he can just wait." Damn I'm good. "All right girl, it's your relationship. But we WILL talk about this tomorrow. Ok?" Heather could hear Devon all over her best friend in the background, distracting her artfully. Score one for me! "Sure thing. Cya in the AM girly. And don't let that man keep you up all night!" "Mmmm… alright… cya later then." That man certainly knew how to distract a girl. Click. She was home free!! Except she had to be awake at a decent hour on a weekend and she was tired as hell. One last call back to Sydney and her night was over. I closed my eyes and dialed her, ready to pass out at any second. Ring, Ring "Heather?" Click, tap, tap, tap, tap, and tap. That girl was still working at it. "Yup, we're all meeting at my place at 10 tomorrow. I didn't mention the blood drive to Par, so don't say anything." "Is she really still afraid of needles?" Sydney asked sympathetically, keys still going in the background. "Yes. So keep it on the down-low tomorrow." "Alright. No prob. talk to you later." Heather turned off the phone and promptly passed out. Not Just Another Blood Bag Ch. 02 She was warm, really warm and couldn't understand why. Heather let her eyes drift open; she dazedly looked around her room. Her clothing was everywhere; her belongings in boxes, the floor didn't look like there was space to walk and she was fully clothed. She stretched out the length of her bed and frowned as her hand hit something. She grabbed it and brought it closer to see what it was, the phone. Groggily she searched she mind as to why her phone was in her bed and she was fully dressed. She gasped as it suddenly it all came rushing back to her. The day from hell: Justin and the red head, the break up, her couch, running, Mark, the blood drive and today's shopping trip. Heather yawned and rolled onto her stomach, and glanced up at her clock. Damn 9 am just enough time to shower, find something to wear and eat before heading out. She slid out of bed, ungracefully tripped on the edge of a box, grabbed the closest stack of clothes, and headed to the bathroom still all in one piece. Heathers apartment was definitely small, one bathroom, a bedroom, kitchen and living room barely enough space for all her stuff. Which was the reason they'd decided as a couple that moving into Justin's place would be for the best. His bedroom was the size of her whole apartment. Conceited arrogant asshole. Heather shoved him to the back of her mind, deciding to enjoy her shower instead. She placed the clothing on the counter, grabbed out a fresh towel from under the sink and started to disrobe. She glanced up into the mirror and saw nothing she liked, or anyone else would like. Not seeing why she had thought anyone would marry her in the first place. She had unruly curl brown hair; hazel eyes that where only ever seen as brown, large wide feet, and a figure that absolutely didn't resemble an hourglass. I thought I was going to stop worrying about this. I only have to get through today and I'll be over the hump she thought to herself. Heather stepped into the steamy mists of her shower and let her mind wander. The blood drive would be interesting, especially if they could get Paradise out of the car for it. Lunch would be horrible, but she made a silent promise to make it up to her self in shoes and expensive lingerie. So what if she didn't have anyone to share it with, that didn't mean she couldn't lounge around in it all by herself. She considered picking up a new pair of fuzzy slippers too as she washed her hair with deliciously fruity scented shampoo. Mmm… but I can only afford to spend about two hundred dollars she thought. Guess that means I only get new one pair of heels. Heather rushed through the rest of her shower before finally turning off the water and toweling herself dry. "What to wear? What to wear?" She said to no one in particular and started to pick through her pile of clean clothing. From the other side of her bathroom door a profoundly masculine voice reply, "Well I was thinking that your frilly black skirt and pink blouse would be fitting for me to take you to lunch in." Her heart stopped for a second as she registered whose voice it was. Instantly her full-blown wrath reared up. "Justin get the FUCK OUT of my APARTMENT!" She grabbed the closest thing to her and pulled it on, not caring about her clothes but the infuriating man outside her bathroom door. Heather wrenched to her bathroom door open to look out at the smug asshole leaning across her doorframe. "I said get out!" she threatened in a hell-hath-no-fury tone mixed with a not so subtle take no prisoners glare. "Ah my dear, but if I leave now I wont be able to take you to lunch. I really think we need to talk darling. You didn't have to get all dressed up for me you know. " His eyes roamed over her frame from just the other side of the door, roughish smirking at her. His voice was too smooth, his blue eyes soft and passionate undressing her out of the daisy dukes and light brown tank top she had thrown on. "Get out." She sent him death glared and him when he didn't budge, "I don't give a shit about your lunch Justin. I walked in on you fucking another girl, or have you forgotten -already? To me that spells O-V-E-R for any relationship with no exceptions, no take backs, and no "I'm sorry". So just get the hell out of my life and give back my key." Before Justin could respond there was a knock at her apartment door. His smirk faded and his expression grew dark, "We'll continue this later." He turned toward the front door and yanked it open, storming out. Heather followed closely behind, yelling at his back as he walked away. "Fine, you cheating asshole! Don't give me back my key! I'll change the stupid locks!!" Heather huffed and slammed the door sliding down wall beside the door. Her head slipped into her hands and she resisted the urge to cry. Why me? The front door to Heather's apartment opened cautiously but still managed to hit her foot. It wouldn't have hurt if she had put her shoes on before confronting Justin. Instead Heather grimaced and looked up at her invaders, Sydney, Paradise, Devon, and little Sylvia. They all had a similar mixture of sadness, confusion, and anger running cross their faces; Paradise's a little more enraged then the others. Well I guess I don't have to break the news to them any more.   Sylvia was the first to talk, leaning in with her big eyes. "You ok Heather?" If Heather wasn't ready to cry before, she was now. She buried her eyes into her knees and sighed helplessly. "I'm fine, Sylvia don't worry about it ok." Heather replied softly then glanced up at the adults crowed into the small entryway of her apartment. "That goes for all of you guys as well." Paradise was giving Devon the "do something" look; Devon was confusedly looking away, not certain as to everything that was going on; Sydney in all her short girl glory was glancing at Heather sadly, unsure of what to do; and Sylvia looked like all she wanted to do was give and receive a big hug. Heather struggled to her feet from her spot on the floor. "If you guys will give me a minute I'll change into something more appropriate and we can go." She turned and headed into the bathroom when Sydney grabbed her arm. "You look great Heather, just put on some make up and sandals and your ready to go. You've always been able to look good in anything." Heather smiled at Sydney. The girl was always so sweet. "Alright I'll be out in a minute. Go ahead and make yourselves at home." Heather closed the bathroom door behind her and slumped onto it, letting out a huge exasperating sigh. I can do this. She grabbed the box that she had packed her bathroom essentials into and made quick work of find her makeup. With a few brush strokes she applied a coat of eyeliner and waterproof mascara, just to be safe. She shook her hair out in an attempt to dry it faster, and looked at her self in the mirror. Hmmm… grab some Chapstick, some shoes, and my purse and I'm good to go. Heather opened the bathroom door just as a thunderous crash sounded through her apartment. She glanced beyond the kitchen into her living room to see her couch at a funny angle. She rushed passed Sydney who stood dumbstruck in the kitchen, over to her couch to see Devon and Sylvia sunken unnaturally into her furniture. "I forgot to warn you about the couch, I kind of kicked the s—," Heather looked at the innocent young Sylvia, "umm I kicked it really hard last night when I was mad. Sorry I forgot the warn you." Heather walked over to Devon and offered him a hand to pull himself out. He shook his head like any man with a bruised rear and hurt pride and declined, opting to push himself free of the couch instead. Heather decided to help Sylvia free and was surprised when the little girl wound her arms around her neck. Heather smiled at the little girls attempt to cheer her up, "Do you want your daddy to hold you Sylvia? I need to go get my shoes on so we can go." The little girl shook her head and instead jumped down to run off to Sydney's direction. Devon smiled at her and simple stated, "Sylvia and I aren't tagging along today we just came by to drop Paradise off, before we head to the park." He rolled his dark gray eyes good-naturedly and said, "Her beamer is at the dealership for a check up." Heather laughed and smiled at Devon before walking the distance into her room to hunt for a pair of shoes. Paradise was propped up on the bed, adjusting her deep red top and fiddling with her snuggly fitting jeans. She glanced up at her best friend looking hurt and simply said, "You should have said something Heather." Heather glanced down at her bare feet and replied, "I didn't want to have to relive it just yet. I figured the shopping would help, I never expected him to show up. I was going to tell you and Sydney at lunch." Heather looked away an instantly spotter a cute pair of heels not far from her purse and she immediately walked over to grab them. "Come on Par, let's go. This place is too depressing." The group left the building all together funneling through the small hallways to the parking lot before heading their separate ways. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Um… guys…. Where are we?" Heather nibbled the corner of her lip again glancing sideways at Sydney who getting out of the driver's seat. Instead of replying to her best friend, Heather hap-hazardly marched into the open blood donation clinic; Sydney and Paradise close at her heels. Her eyes slide over the content of the small building: white walls, chairs, a few nurses, paper work, special blood donation chairs set up with the empty bags, and in the far back corner there was a table filled with goodies and drinks. Behind her Paradise gasped, "I thought we where going shopping?!" Heather grabbed Sydney's hand for support, "We are, after I donate blood. Don't worry Par, you don't have to, you can go wait in the car if you feel like it. It's shouldn't take all that long." Heather turned away and situated her self into line of people in chairs waiting to be helped, to fill out the necessary paper work. A wave of light-headedness rushed over her and she slumped slighting into her chair. Through a back door in the building, Mark, all six foot plus of him, strode through the door. Heather smiled and waved to him, he instantaneously smirked at her in recognition and headed her way. Sydney, who had situated herself next to her best friend, sighed romantically as he walked towards them. "Who is that?" Sydney silently fiddled with her blue-green top as the man approached. Heather smiled secretly to herself and thought. Over course the young romantic would fall for the stud, it's almost as cheesy as all those books. Heather waited until Mark was standing in front of the two women before she greeted him. "We meet again Mark, under less painful circumstances! This is a friend of mine that I brought for moral support. Her name is Sydney." She motioned to the car outside. "I'd introduce you to Paradise, but she's afraid of needles and chose to wait in the car." Mark smiled purely for Sydney's benefit and said, "It's nice to meet you Sydney. It's sad that such a beautiful young thing like yourself and is not going to donate blood today." Sydney fiddled with her earring and looked shyly up into Mark's big green eyes. "Well I guess I could… I mean I'm already here and everything so I don't see why not." Mark's eyes darkened as he smiled down at her and Sydney's green eyes shined right back. Heather, who been enjoying the playful banter between the two, gasped as her stomach started cramping in a full fledge revolt in the fact she hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours. Mark and Sydney turned their attention back to Heather, Mark placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok?" They both asked in unison. Heather grimaced and responded, "I haven't eaten anything and my stomach's revolting." Mark immediately took action striding over to the table and grabbing some food. Sydney looked worriedly over at Heather and gave her some calm advice. "Just breathe hun, it'll help with the cramps. Here, Mark grabbed you some food." She said in a calm voice snatching the food from Mark in an attempt to get it into Heather faster. Heather frowned up at Mark, "I can't eat that. I haven't given blood yet, that's SO cheating." Sydney stubbornly frowned at her looking as though she was going to force feed her best friend. Mark frowned also, but took a slightly different approach. "Eat Heather. They won't let you donate if you haven't eaten anything." Heather stubbornly took a cookie and scowled at the two, conspiring against her and they'd only just met. After another cookie or two, and Mark had moved a chair to sit in front of them, and Sydney turned to look her best friend. "You know you shouldn't let him get under you skin Heather. You not eating isn't going to help anything." Mark frowned quizzically at them, obviously not in the loop. "Not let who get under her skin?" He asked to Sydney but was concentrating on Heather's body language for hints. Heather stubbornly refused to comment to either of them and she folded her arms in front of her chest. She purposely turned her attention in the opposite direction. Sydney instead attempted to fill Mark in, "She dumped her fiancée yesterday for cheating." Heather snapped instantly, she didn't want to be talked about like she wasn't even in the room. "It's not that I'm refusing eating because of Justin! I just forgot. I was tired last night and I didn't have time this morning. Besides it wasn't just that I dumped him for cheating, I walked on him with some red head on the dinning room table." Marks jaw dropped, Sydney gasped and Paradise's loud voice cracked through the room in uneven tones. "WHAT?!" Heathers head snapped around to see Paradise strolling over towards them. "What are you doing back in here? You don't like needles." Her tones where just as pushy and uneven, but at least she had a right to be. Paradise shrugged, "I got bored. You can only listen to so much Britney Spears music before you start to gag or get a headache and I couldn't figure out her weird ass radio. So I gave up." Sydney fumed at Paradise, "How can you say that!? Britney is awesome!" "Because it's true," Mark, Heather and Paradise all chimed in at the same time and then began to laugh. Mark looked at Paradise, "You must be the lovely Miss Paradise that Heather was referring to earlier. I'm Mark." He extended his hand out in a friendly gesture. Paradise glared and squeezed his hand knowingly. "Nice to meet you Mark, but don't look at my best friend that way." Mark was taken aback by her bluntness, "Which way do you mean?" He asked her quizzically. "The bedroom eyes look that you've been giving Sydney since I got here. You're not going anywhere near her bedroom mister until I know your full intentions." She said, pointing at him and glaring menacingly. Heather sighed and rolled her eyes. She knew the drill. Mark was smirking silently at the whole situation. Sydney on the other hand was nervous as hell silently telling Paradise to shut up and not ruin her chances. Paradise slid her attention away from Mark and back to Heather, "Oh and don't think you're getting off the hook missy. I want to know everything!" Heathers eyes went wide with a deer in the head light look. Uh-oh she's on a roll. Better find a place to hide. Just then Heather savior came in the form of a tired over worked nurse, "Miss? You're next." Heather stood to follow, but the nurse continued to her patrons "how many of you will be donating blood today?" Sydney chimed in that she would be, while Paradise sent her best friend a this-isn't--over-yet look. "I'm just her for moral support." Paradise smiled sweetly at the nurse as the lady turned to leave. Heather followed her over to a little cubicle. "First I need to you fill out this paper work. Then we'll test the iron in your blood to make sure you're not anemic and we'll get you all set up over there in the chair." Heather made quick work of the forms. Before she knew it she was chowing down on cookies from the goody table while somehow maintaining pressure on the spot on her arm they had drawn blood from. Sydney was flirting with Mark and playing with her chestnut brown hair, the two looked so cute, so much like and yet so different. Mark was a foot taller and apparently was running the donations. Paradise was busying herself by staring out the windows of the small brick building, most likely in an attempt to avoid looking at the blood and needles. Heather meandered over to where Mark and Sydney were talking, the height differences staggering. "Hey," she interrupted the pair, "it about time to head out, we've still got shopping and lunch to do." She turned slightly to look up a Mark as she addressed him, "Nice to see you again Mark, maybe we can all get together again sometime." Heather pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled her phone number on it, "give me a call some time and I'll set it up, ok? " Mark took the piece of paper from Heather and smiled at the girls, "Nice to see you again, and Sydney it's been a pleasure. I think I should get back to work now, you two were such a lovely distraction, and I thank you." With that Heather and Sydney existed the building, Paradise not far behind. The happy trio headed for the Mall for retail therapy. ~~~~~ Thank to Paradise for editing. No that's not her real name, but she is my best friend and a love. Now if I could just get the editing times quicker this would have been up days ago. Thanks for reading and for your feedback it makes me happy that someone other than myself enjoys my work. If you've gotten this far please rate and review. Not Just Another Blood Bag Ch. 03 He prowled through the mansion grounds, crouched and ready to attack. Dressed in black from head to toe; t-shirt, gloves, jeans and athletic shoes for the more dangerous maneuvers. Not that he anticipated danger; he just liked to be prepared. A peeking five o'clock shadow and shaggy, dark brown hair, added to his shadowy appearance. Cautiously, he monitored the security cameras, making sure the timing was just right for his next move. He slid into position, next to the hedges growing just below a large balcony, surveying the outside for an easy point of entry. He was considering breaking in the old fashioned way when he saw that a second story window was cracked. Granted, it was a fifteen feet jump from the balcony, but he'd make it. With a final glance towards the cameras, he crept into position. Nowhere near the security a place this big needs, he thought. Stealthily, he inched closer darting to another bush, when he heard footsteps. He crouched low to the ground and stilled his movements. His breathing calmed and his heart rate slowed. He didn't want to give away his position or the element of surprise. A guard passed by at a leisurely pace, pausing to receive a radio transmission. "Clint." The squawk of the radio was deafeningly loud in the silent night air. "Yeah boss?" "Your wife called. Get your ass back to the command post so we don't have to hear her voice any longer than necessary." "Roger that." The guard took off at almost a run. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and watched as the guard disappeared from sight. Slowly extending to his full height, he eyed the distance between his position and the balcony above. He could make it. With merely a four-step run, he landed the two-story jump. He latched onto the railing, using it as an anchor to pull himself up and over, and land lightly on the other side. Standing, he flattened his back against the wall and moved noiselessly down its length. Barely more than a shadow to anyone who cared to look. Slowly, he twisted the door handles lining the balcony. To his surprise, a door slid open on the third attempt. Covertly he moved to just the right angle before peering inside. It was a security room, filled with men and computers. It didn't get better than that. Reaching back he pulled the pistol from his jeans, his fingers sliding expertly over the trigger. He exhaled softly to loosen his nerves, before he moved forward. He took out three people before anyone noticed; the scream drew their attention to the doorway. It didn't take the guards long to act and pull a gun but he took it in stride. Effortlessly nailing each person before moving on to the next. When he looked up, there was only one man left who possessed a look of shock across his face. He moved up close, staring him in the eye before pulling the trigger. Turning, he examined the victims of his attack. His face broke into a grin as he announced, "You're all dead." Then whirled around, and continued to fire into the face of the chief of security with the water pistol. The stunning hazel of his eyes glittered as he let loose a good-natured laugh. Several of the soaked guards were making it back to their feet. Some flashing glares; others smiling and shaking their heads. The head of security fumed at Ethan, but he just smiled wide and slipped the barrel of the gun in his mouth, and pulled the trigger a few times. "It's not funny Ethan. We were all ready to kill you, until we recognized your face. I should have at least shot you for ruining my suit." Ethan sighed, his expression turning serious. "No, William, what's not funny is that one man was able to penetrate the grounds undetected, let alone make it all the way to the security room." William squirmed under Ethan's gaze, "You, my friend, need to upgrade. There should be motion sensors, at least at the top of the fences; more security cameras, and a lock down policy for door and windows. If I had been armed tonight with a real gun, you'd all really be dead." Ethan left the room; satisfied his point had been made. He threw the water pistol on a passing end table and pulled off his gloves, pressing them into his back pocket. He descended the stairs expecting to see more people. I must be missing something, he thought. Oh well. At the bottom of the stairs he turned left to head toward the kitchen. The kitchen, like the rest of the mansion, was a statement of wealth. The tile flooring and granite countertops fell in line with the latest styles and showed little-to-no signs of use. Top-of-the-line appliances graced the walls like showroom pieces. And it would be so easy to mistake this for a showroom he thought. A frown flickered across his face, leaving when he spotted a man happily stocking the fridges behind the bar. "Mark! Just the man I wanted to see," Ethan said in a friendly but cool tone as he walked over. "Restocking again? Don't you ever get a break?" Mark smiled at his companion, "Not when you're in charge of providing blood for a mansion full of vampires. What can I get you buddy?" Ethan shifted over the bar, leaning in to inspect the goods. "Is it still fresh?" "Of course! Who do you think I am?" The insulted tone of Mark voice was broken by the smile on his face. "Kill or blood bank?" "Blood drive." Mark's tone was nonchalant, emphasizing the last word, before turning back to his duties. There was a moment of silence as Mark rifled through the bins contents and refilled the empty shelves. Ethan couldn't hide the surprise in his voice when he spoke "But it's not the fifteenth!" "The fifteenth fell in the middle of the week. I decided to bump the day up to this weekend, considering we always get a better crowd on the weekends. And how fast the lot of you go through blood." He added with a roll of his eyes. "You'd think it was candy." Ethan glanced at the empty space around him, "Seeing how there isn't the normal line up and down the hall, I take it no one remembered?" Mark flashed a wry smile, pushing the black hair off his face. He lowered his head down and started to sort through the packets "Didn't really tell anyone. Besides I'm head of the blood department, and what I say goes. If they don't like it they can go hunt for themselves; or find a willing human." his reply was muffled at best. Ethan's smile doubled in size and his voice became enthusiastic when he realized everything that Mark was implying. "So you mean; I've got first pick on fresh blood? You've got to be kidding me!" Mark smirked and turned around "Well, not exactly, I'm trying to find this girl's blood I met today at the donation clinic. Great little brunette, full of life and sweet, I'm thinking that maybe I should ask her out." Ethan's mood turned sour, as he scuffed. "You're going on date with a human? You know how badly that could end?" Mark grinned profusely at his friend, "So I want to date her." Mark shrugged, "It's not like I professed my undying love for the girl and decided to turn her to save my soul. I've got a while yet before my soul mate clock runs out of time, thank you very much." Ethan looked at him skeptically, before reaching forward and snatching the bin away. "Hey that's not fair man! I get first pick, I worked all day." He glared at Ethan, before rolling his eyes and moving to stand besides him. Haphazardly, the two men dug through the blood bags. To an outsider the labels would bear little relevance to the apparent cause of a drive. Each one listed the donor's age, blood type, gender and name. Ethan's stomach growled at the sight of the crimson liquid. The clear plastic withheld its luscious scent from the world, from him. The life it held left those who consumed it near physical perfection, with a similarity to their appearance. But it wasn't long before Ethan's famous impatience reared its head. He simply grabbed a few bags from the top, a glass, and stomped out the kitchen not even pausing to say good-bye. ~~~~~~~ Two flights of stairs later Ethan pushed the door open to his room. The room itself resembled more of a large apartment. The windows were draped in velvet of a rich jade green, matching the rug in front of the fireplace. The dark blue armchairs begged to be lounged in. The four-poster bed was made of a dark mahogany with a matching antique armoire and bedside tables. While the room was beautiful, it was void of all signs of life. Clean and polished, not a book out of place, or a speck of dust on the fireplace. Another showroom, he thought His pace was awkward as he strode forward, stopping at the fireplace and sinking into a chair. He deposited the glass and blood bags on his coffee table, and relaxed in the comfort of his couch. His shaggy hair fell away from his face as he leaned back, recounting the events of the past week. Ethan worked testing security systems, with the occasional bodyguard gig. He loved his job, but it got tedious fast. All the covens seemed to have the same problem. Security was poor, outdated causing them rely on their powers to stave off threats. As if it helps, he thought. I can easily breach their security without having to use any of my abilities. Their egos could be the end of the race someday. Without the proper protection they were vulnerable to attack. They wouldn't go easily, but they weren't invincible. It was time to draw from the previous generations, and focus on protecting their own. Ethan stomach growled again and he reached for a bag of blood to curb his hunger. His choices were limited, having only grabbed two random bags before leaving. He examined the labels. Donators ages where separated by roughly 35 years in age. Most vampires had developed specific tastes, making their choices in blood like a choice of restaurant. When you have time and money, you might go for a more expensive, high-class cuisine. But when you're hungry you'll eat anything. Ethan eyed his choices, a 24-year-old female or a 59-year-old male. His tastes preferred the younger blood, but he reached for the older instead. He'd enjoy the young blood more when his hunger wasn't so strong. Leaning forward, he pulled a sheathed dagger from his ankle, poking a hole in the plastic for the best possible drainage transfer. In hard times past, vampires wouldn't have bothered with glasses, instead attacking the bag in starved hunger. He hoped he'd never see those times again. The blood trickled into the glass, its rich beauty appealing as the finest wine to his senses. He tossed the empty packet in the bin and flipped the Plasma on. The coppery liquid hit his tongue as an assault on his senses. Pleasure stirred through his body as it awakened to the nourishment only blood could provide him. He reached for the remote, flipping lazily through the selections before settling on the travel channel. When you've been alive for 500 years, you have a chance to see the world, and most of the places Ethan had visited at one point or another. Studying the languages and cultures was amusing for a couple of hundred. Of course, the places had changed with time but a few centuries will do that. Well, to most things at least. Ethan sighed and sipped his beverage. No deep thinking, he silently ordered his mind, at least not until I wind down. It was only 4 am; he still had a few hours until bed. Light didn't have the dramatic movie effect that so many humans thought it did. Sure it made them burn, but mostly it resembled a day on the beach without sunscreen; only depleting their energy mildly while their body healed the burn. It wasn't like they couldn't live with it. Ethan just thought it made more sense to prowl at night, when there was less visibility to outsiders. Still, being in the security field did require one to be available at all times. So he found it best to replenish his system before bedding down for the night. He took a swig from the glass, downing the last of its contents. With a disgusted glare at the TV, he leaned forward and turned it off. So much for that. He grabbed the second bag off of the coffee table and pricked its corner to drain. Instantly the smell of blood flitted through the air. His mouth itched as he breathed it in. The scent was so strong, his stomach screamed for him to drain the bag dry. When it was emptied into the glass, he stood and cautiously lifted the bag, moving over to the bin. It hovered in his hands, as he stood mesmerized by the color. The gentle beckoning scent that had him keening to taste it. He cursed silently at the sudden lack of control. It's just blood. I have a whole glass to drink right over there. Why the urge? Despite his reasoning, the urge suddenly became too great. In one swift movement, he leaned in and licked the trailing of blood from the bag. Ecstasy raced through Ethan's system like a shock of electricity. The taste was amazing! But why? He stared at the bag, shaking his head as the need rose in him. It's not like I've never had AB positive before. I'm acting like I'm a youth on the hunt of the first time. There was no answer for it, nor denial. The blood was the most delicious, addictive thing he had ever experienced in all 588 years of existence. Its flavour was tangy and sweet, the natural coppery taste of blood barely discernable in the liquid. Its scent seduced him. So different from all the blood he'd consumed in the past. His body demanded more. He eyed the bag suspiciously and pocketed it. Then he turned to the glass on the table, eased down in the chair and stared. ~~~~~ It was taunting him. After 30 minutes of staring he finally gave up. He'd examined the color, and ran through the possible drugs or additives in the donor; and was able to come up with nothing. Ethan leaned forward tentatively and took hold of the glass. He didn't know if it was the memory of the taste, or the overpowering smell in the air, but he was drawn to it. The only thing Ethan knew was that the blood was calling to him, longing to be caressed and consumed. Slowly, he brought the glass to his lips and sipped. The texture was amazing; it caressed his lips and bade him to drink more. Still cautious, he brought more of the blood into his mouth, letting it slide over his tongue and down his throat. His veins surged. He could no longer restrain the need raging inside him. He flooded his mouth with the liquid, draining the glass in one breath. He felt woozy, light headed. Why? He gripped the arm of the chair trying to remember when blood last had such an effect. Never. Abruptly a vision appeared to him, a man pissed off and storming out the door. The image flickered and a girl was sitting on the floor her hands bracing her head, looking up at a small group of people in the doorway. The image faded and was replaced with another image, two girls talking to Mark. Ethan strained to hear what they were saying, but there was no sound. Why am I having strange visions about Mark? Mark was smiling at a second girl and handed her a phone number. The image lingered for a second before fading back to Ethan's room. Ethan sat unable to think. He stood, swaying unnaturally on his feet. Setting the glass down, he steadied himself on the arm of the chair. There has to be a reason for this, he thought. I have to find Mark, and the person who donated the blood. "If I had her name it might help," he muttered to himself. Suddenly, it dawned on him that he had what he needed. He pulled the empty blood bag out of his pocket. "Age: 24, AB positive; gender: female; name...H. Henderson." No first name. Ethan let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Fuck, fuck, fuck... Wait... The girl!! He summoned up the image of the girl from his vision. The brunette he wants to date. Gleefully Ethan shoved the bag back into his pocket, crossed the room and exited. With a devilish grin that offset his greenish brown eyes, Ethan descended the stairs. ~~~~~~~ Special thanks to: Anie for editing this for me; M.T. for looking it over for errors; and to Ralph for thinking about editing for me. To my best friend who was suppose to edit for me, just remember I know where you live. Thanks ya'll for waiting; it's been a rocky few weeks for me while this has been getting edited. If you've gotten this far please vote and review, it really makes my day. Even if you comment to say that I have poor grammar.