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Description
Part 4

For a very brief moment she felt her heart stop. Or at least it appeared to stop. Python coughed and pounded on her chest before looking at the card again. The girl's mom would have said that the thing might as well have jumped up and bitten her. Well, technically speaking it did. Or, more literally speaking, the person that had written it had done the biting.  Vlad or whatever his name was really did know where she lived? Oh, god, just freaking perfect.
Python could almost feel the bites flaring up again and immediately put a hand to her throat. Way to ruin the day, vampire. Had he really been here? In her room? Had he watched the party from the hall, even briefly? No, no he couldn't have… she didn't want to believe he was going to come back for her again. She put her hands over my ears and groaned in a concentration of anger, frustration, and fear.
Reluctantly the girl picked up the card again and looked at it. There was a little dark blue bat drawn in the corner. All suspicions killed, this was Vlad's handwriting. Despite only being able to think of the second bite as pleasant Python knew the pain. That was something that couldn't be erased- the stark pain and tiredness of being fed on. She shuddered. Let's face it- Vlad was coming back one way or the other, and more soon than not based on the birthday card.
It seemed almost sadistic, leaving a happy birthday card with the death penalty in it. She whimpered sadly. This was very possibly more terrifying than actually facing him. Stuffing the card under her pillow instinctively, Python crawled into bed. Before sleeping, though, the fifteen-year-old did a quick prayer- "Dear God, please don't let him hurt me tonight. Amen." It wasn't much, but that was all she felt I needed at the moment.
************************
Vlad looked out the window, conflicted. His throat burned respectively to feed but the taste of Python's blood kept coming back to him. The vampire desperately wanted to drink from her again but had other ideas to go with it as well.
"You're not hunting?" Igor came up to him, looking worried. His master had been out once tonight to deliver the birthday card to the troublesome girl he had bitten twice already. Oddly Vlad had come back immediately afterwards and just stared out the living room window until now.
"No, not tonight." He was worried that if he went to her now and fed he would kill Python, and if he held off too long he would do the same thing.
Igor saw what was happening, or at least part of it. Vlad wanted to see her again but still didn't want to kill her. "It's not good for you to keep leaving her alive." He said finally. "I would stay away or just kill her and save the troubles of meeting over and over."
"But I'm not you."  Vlad turned around. He looked irritated, but it was just the indecision. The vampire looked out the window again. "I vant to turn her, Igor." He muttered sadly.
Igor was stunned into silence for a second. Any vampire ever deciding to turn a human was something that had to be given much thought. Did he really plan to bring Python here and turn her? And when? Or was it just ramblings from the want for her blood? "Master…" He started.
"But not now. Not yet. She isn't old enough. The girl couldn't handle it yet." He pondered. "I vill vait a few years."
Igor knew how terribly it would go over if he didn't tell her what he planned first. Even if he did she could try to run away or fight him off. "Have you talked to her?" The hunchback asked. She really was important to the count if he had put so much thought into his decision. It was suddenly obvious why he hadn't washed her scent off the cape he had given her.
"Not since the last time I fed off of her." Vlad sighed and laid back on the couch. "Do you suppose I should?"
"Of course." Igor waved. "You cannot wait until the night you change her either. She needs preparing." He didn't like Python or the idea that she would be a vampire if things went as Vlad planned, but had to offer his only friend some advice. He didn't really know much about the process but could understand that a lot of emotional pain was involved. He knew because of Vlad's stories. "You should talk to her about it."
About then the vampire realized he hadn't even given Python his name. "Should I go now?"
"Whenever, but do it soon. Within the year preferably." Igor advised. He didn't need to say anything else. The vampire had his excuse for visiting her now. He transformed into a bat and flew out the window, bee-lining for Python's house.
************************
Python was far from being a deep sleeper, especially tonight. She lay half awake and expected the vampire to come in. She had no way to keep him out if he could turn into mist and just waited in hopes that he wouldn't come. It hardly surprised the girl when he came sliding in. The fog reformed into the vampire, the one thing in the world that really scared her, lounging on the end of her bed.
She grabbed the covers of the bed and pulled them up to her chin. He saw her shivering in fear and felt some sympathy tug at his silent heart. "Please…" she climbed off the bed and went to the corner.
Vlad couldn't help but chuckle a little. It never hurt to be nice and add some humor before the announcement. He followed the girl to the corner and saw how she had curled into a fetal position of pure terror. She knew he wouldn't be as gentle as in her dreams. He also took note of the fact that she had on a t-shirt at the moment. "You're not vearing one of those turtleneck sweaters you love so much." He teased.
She didn't look up but you could hear the anger in young Python's voice. "Bite marks are hard to hide. I have to use make-up and other stuff."
"You're cold chills vent away?" He was just making sure- the pleasantries should have canceled them out.
"Yes." She kept her face buried.
Vlad tilted up the girl's chin so she would look at him. "You have very," She glared at him deeply. "Very dark eyes." He complimented.
The girl jerked away and looked at the wall. She was used to ignoring compliments because they were considered lies by her extremely low self-esteem. "That isn't going to make it hurt any less."
He remembered that she expected him to kill her. Vlad brushed some of the hair away from her neck and gulped silently. He wanted it so badly… but he also wanted her to live forever with him in a few short human years. Maybe he could hold back enough to leave her alive. "You are a very brave girl." Vlad leaned in close to whisper in the girl's ear- "I have no intention of killing you."
She looked up with a start and blushed. Here was the vampire that had bitten her twice telling her she was brave. And… he didn't plan to kill her? Python looked surprised. "You…don't?" the girl held her breath.
"No, no I don't Python." He looked into her eyes but didn't try to hypnotize the girl. Vlad wanted to be as sincere as possible here. He wanted her to know for sure that he had really started caring. "And, I suppose you should know, my name is-"
"Vlad. Count Vlad." Python guessed. "You said so in my dreams."
"Yes." He didn't want to wonder how that had happened, but was ready to get down to business. "Python, I've put a lot of thought into this, and-"
She interrupted him again. "What do you want from me?" she looked like he was about to cry. "Please stop. I can't do this over and over."
Vlad felt that burning sympathy again. He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear tenderly and she winced, shivering. The vampire resumed talking. "I've made a decision that, normally, vould get me into a lot of trouble. Python Malone, I vant to turn you into a vampire. Badly. More badly than I have ever vanted to turn anyone."
Her eyes got wide. Was he serious? This vampire, that had started hating her, now wanted to change her? Hearing the last comment, Python looked at him seriously. "And how many people have you turned?"
The count tugged at his collar. He had always been able to resist the occasional minor want to change anyone he formed a bond with. "None. You are the first."
"But what if I don't want to be turned?" She looked up grumpily. He was sounding like she didn't have a choice. "Maybe I just want you to leave and let me live."
"I von't do it now." He patted her shoulder. "But later. I vill vait a few years for you to decide."
"So I get to decide?" She could see it in his eyes- he desperately wanted her to say yes. It was a whole new feeling, slightly powerful but nervous and pressured, with the fear of the outcome of saying yes or no. She knew yes meant becoming a vampire sometime in the future. No, well, that was something she didn't want to think about.
"Yes, but I will be truthful." He assured her with a tender pat on the back. "It hurts worse than anything you could imagine, but only for a few minutes."
Well, that was off putting. As said previously Python hated pain. She paused. "How do I know that you're just not using this as an excuse to make me feel better when you kill me?" She couldn't be positive whether he was just telling her that  so she would just fall into his arms and let him drink all of her blood or if Vlad was serious. "And why do you even want to turn me? Last time I checked all you wanted was to drink from me."
It was the vampire's turn to pause. He, on one hand, had the animal urge to drain her completely and be done with it. The other hand held the fact that he didn't merely want a companion- he had Igor for that. What he wanted was Python, Python Malone who had managed to get him furious but was brave enough to come to him for forgiveness. He licked his lips absently, as he had done so many times over the last nine months. The vampire was trying to sort the emotions and pinpoint why he wanted to turn her, exactly. He certainly got a kick out of visiting her. She had a certain spunky quality he enjoyed.
"As I said before, you are a very brave little girl." He said. She looked unconvinced. "And… he tried to get some kind of foothold. He had been deciding for weeks, but didn't plot out why. For some reason he had expected the human, as terrified of him as she was, to just say yes. He certainly couldn't use the excuse of being addicted to the flavor of her blood. "You have certain qualities I just love."
She was still speechless. Was he really, truly saying this? He really wanted to turn her into a vampire, but where did she stand on this? There was the always fun never seeing you're family again bit, not that she really had anything to do with her family but she loved them anyway. And never seeing her friends again was an issue- all the relationships she would be sacrificing, now and in the future, for this one vampire she didn't even trust.
Then there were the positives to look at… She looked up at him with one raised eyebrow. "Is this like a marriage proposal?" She was only fifteen, so it was completely weird. Especially because it was the seven hundred year old asking her. Well, he looked about twenty-one, but it was still weird.
He looked surprised for a second. Vlad hadn't thought of it that way. "Not really. It's more like… a mistress." He nodded. "Yes, that fits correctly."
Python was familiar with the term. She had looked it up for a story reference before and had gotten a full Wikipedia definition. Wow, it was more embarrassing than before. She shook her head. "That's why I'm waiting until you're older!" He waved at her, realizing what he had just said. "Maybe nineteen."
She shook her head and went back to the pros. So, there was getting him all to herself. Also… eternal life. There was also a chance at revenge on anyone she really hated, which wasn't anyone at the moment. The girl chuckled. She could get back at Igor for being such a jerk before. So, positives somewhat weighed in with the negatives, she had a- for the moment- final answer. "Count Vlad." Python looked up at him. "Yes."
****************************
"And if you've been lying all these years," She said four years later, sitting on the couch in the castle's living room. "I'll come back and haunt you as a ghost for eternity."
The vampire chuckled good naturedly. Vlad and Python had been getting to know each other better since his proposal, and it had finally come to the point where neither could wait any longer. That night after her fifteenth birthday Vlad had bitten her again, as gentle as in her dreams, and when the girl passed out in his arms he had sat there for a few hours with her head in his lap, humming comfortingly. After that night they had only gotten closer. Now, with her at nineteen and moved away from her family, the girl was ready for this final fateful bite that would make her his forever.
Igor had gotten used to her, even if he didn't approve of the idea. Python was still upbeat about the idea of bossing him around, which annoyed the hunchback even more. He was out for the night, knowing what was scheduled. The little man would not interrupt his master's plans.
Sitting down beside Python on the couch, Vlad wrapped an arm around her shoulder. They were comfortable with being close now. "Are you ready?" He laced his fingers into her hand.
"As I'll ever be." Python let out a short apprehensive breath and leaned back onto his chest.

Description
Part 4

For a very brief moment she felt her heart stop. Or at least it appeared to stop. Python coughed and pounded on her chest before looking at the card again. The girl's mom would have said that the thing might as well have jumped up and bitten her. Well, technically speaking it did. Or, more literally speaking, the person that had written it had done the biting.  Vlad or whatever his name was really did know where she lived? Oh, god, just freaking perfect.
Python could almost feel the bites flaring up again and immediately put a hand to her throat. Way to ruin the day, vampire. Had he really been here? In her room? Had he watched the party from the hall, even briefly? No, no he couldn't have… she didn't want to believe he was going to come back for her again. She put her hands over my ears and groaned in a concentration of anger, frustration, and fear.
Reluctantly the girl picked up the card again and looked at it. There was a little dark blue bat drawn in the corner. All suspicions killed, this was Vlad's handwriting. Despite only being able to think of the second bite as pleasant Python knew the pain. That was something that couldn't be erased- the stark pain and tiredness of being fed on. She shuddered. Let's face it- Vlad was coming back one way or the other, and more soon than not based on the birthday card.
It seemed almost sadistic, leaving a happy birthday card with the death penalty in it. She whimpered sadly. This was very possibly more terrifying than actually facing him. Stuffing the card under her pillow instinctively, Python crawled into bed. Before sleeping, though, the fifteen-year-old did a quick prayer- "Dear God, please don't let him hurt me tonight. Amen." It wasn't much, but that was all she felt I needed at the moment.
************************
Vlad looked out the window, conflicted. His throat burned respectively to feed but the taste of Python's blood kept coming back to him. The vampire desperately wanted to drink from her again but had other ideas to go with it as well.
"You're not hunting?" Igor came up to him, looking worried. His master had been out once tonight to deliver the birthday card to the troublesome girl he had bitten twice already. Oddly Vlad had come back immediately afterwards and just stared out the living room window until now.
"No, not tonight." He was worried that if he went to her now and fed he would kill Python, and if he held off too long he would do the same thing.
Igor saw what was happening, or at least part of it. Vlad wanted to see her again but still didn't want to kill her. "It's not good for you to keep leaving her alive." He said finally. "I would stay away or just kill her and save the troubles of meeting over and over."
"But I'm not you."  Vlad turned around. He looked irritated, but it was just the indecision. The vampire looked out the window again. "I vant to turn her, Igor." He muttered sadly.
Igor was stunned into silence for a second. Any vampire ever deciding to turn a human was something that had to be given much thought. Did he really plan to bring Python here and turn her? And when? Or was it just ramblings from the want for her blood? "Master…" He started.
"But not now. Not yet. She isn't old enough. The girl couldn't handle it yet." He pondered. "I vill vait a few years."
Igor knew how terribly it would go over if he didn't tell her what he planned first. Even if he did she could try to run away or fight him off. "Have you talked to her?" The hunchback asked. She really was important to the count if he had put so much thought into his decision. It was suddenly obvious why he hadn't washed her scent off the cape he had given her.
"Not since the last time I fed off of her." Vlad sighed and laid back on the couch. "Do you suppose I should?"
"Of course." Igor waved. "You cannot wait until the night you change her either. She needs preparing." He didn't like Python or the idea that she would be a vampire if things went as Vlad planned, but had to offer his only friend some advice. He didn't really know much about the process but could understand that a lot of emotional pain was involved. He knew because of Vlad's stories. "You should talk to her about it."
About then the vampire realized he hadn't even given Python his name. "Should I go now?"
"Whenever, but do it soon. Within the year preferably." Igor advised. He didn't need to say anything else. The vampire had his excuse for visiting her now. He transformed into a bat and flew out the window, bee-lining for Python's house.
************************
Python was far from being a deep sleeper, especially tonight. She lay half awake and expected the vampire to come in. She had no way to keep him out if he could turn into mist and just waited in hopes that he wouldn't come. It hardly surprised the girl when he came sliding in. The fog reformed into the vampire, the one thing in the world that really scared her, lounging on the end of her bed.
She grabbed the covers of the bed and pulled them up to her chin. He saw her shivering in fear and felt some sympathy tug at his silent heart. "Please…" she climbed off the bed and went to the corner.
Vlad couldn't help but chuckle a little. It never hurt to be nice and add some humor before the announcement. He followed the girl to the corner and saw how she had curled into a fetal position of pure terror. She knew he wouldn't be as gentle as in her dreams. He also took note of the fact that she had on a t-shirt at the moment. "You're not vearing one of those turtleneck sweaters you love so much." He teased.
She didn't look up but you could hear the anger in young Python's voice. "Bite marks are hard to hide. I have to use make-up and other stuff."
"You're cold chills vent away?" He was just making sure- the pleasantries should have canceled them out.
"Yes." She kept her face buried.
Vlad tilted up the girl's chin so she would look at him. "You have very," She glared at him deeply. "Very dark eyes." He complimented.
The girl jerked away and looked at the wall. She was used to ignoring compliments because they were considered lies by her extremely low self-esteem. "That isn't going to make it hurt any less."
He remembered that she expected him to kill her. Vlad brushed some of the hair away from her neck and gulped silently. He wanted it so badly… but he also wanted her to live forever with him in a few short human years. Maybe he could hold back enough to leave her alive. "You are a very brave girl." Vlad leaned in close to whisper in the girl's ear- "I have no intention of killing you."
She looked up with a start and blushed. Here was the vampire that had bitten her twice telling her she was brave. And… he didn't plan to kill her? Python looked surprised. "You…don't?" the girl held her breath.
"No, no I don't Python." He looked into her eyes but didn't try to hypnotize the girl. Vlad wanted to be as sincere as possible here. He wanted her to know for sure that he had really started caring. "And, I suppose you should know, my name is-"
"Vlad. Count Vlad." Python guessed. "You said so in my dreams."
"Yes." He didn't want to wonder how that had happened, but was ready to get down to business. "Python, I've put a lot of thought into this, and-"
She interrupted him again. "What do you want from me?" she looked like he was about to cry. "Please stop. I can't do this over and over."
Vlad felt that burning sympathy again. He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear tenderly and she winced, shivering. The vampire resumed talking. "I've made a decision that, normally, vould get me into a lot of trouble. Python Malone, I vant to turn you into a vampire. Badly. More badly than I have ever vanted to turn anyone."
Her eyes got wide. Was he serious? This vampire, that had started hating her, now wanted to change her? Hearing the last comment, Python looked at him seriously. "And how many people have you turned?"
The count tugged at his collar. He had always been able to resist the occasional minor want to change anyone he formed a bond with. "None. You are the first."
"But what if I don't want to be turned?" She looked up grumpily. He was sounding like she didn't have a choice. "Maybe I just want you to leave and let me live."
"I von't do it now." He patted her shoulder. "But later. I vill vait a few years for you to decide."
"So I get to decide?" She could see it in his eyes- he desperately wanted her to say yes. It was a whole new feeling, slightly powerful but nervous and pressured, with the fear of the outcome of saying yes or no. She knew yes meant becoming a vampire sometime in the future. No, well, that was something she didn't want to think about.
"Yes, but I will be truthful." He assured her with a tender pat on the back. "It hurts worse than anything you could imagine, but only for a few minutes."
Well, that was off putting. As said previously Python hated pain. She paused. "How do I know that you're just not using this as an excuse to make me feel better when you kill me?" She couldn't be positive whether he was just telling her that  so she would just fall into his arms and let him drink all of her blood or if Vlad was serious. "And why do you even want to turn me? Last time I checked all you wanted was to drink from me."
It was the vampire's turn to pause. He, on one hand, had the animal urge to drain her completely and be done with it. The other hand held the fact that he didn't merely want a companion- he had Igor for that. What he wanted was Python, Python Malone who had managed to get him furious but was brave enough to come to him for forgiveness. He licked his lips absently, as he had done so many times over the last nine months. The vampire was trying to sort the emotions and pinpoint why he wanted to turn her, exactly. He certainly got a kick out of visiting her. She had a certain spunky quality he enjoyed.
"As I said before, you are a very brave little girl." He said. She looked unconvinced. "And… he tried to get some kind of foothold. He had been deciding for weeks, but didn't plot out why. For some reason he had expected the human, as terrified of him as she was, to just say yes. He certainly couldn't use the excuse of being addicted to the flavor of her blood. "You have certain qualities I just love."
She was still speechless. Was he really, truly saying this? He really wanted to turn her into a vampire, but where did she stand on this? There was the always fun never seeing you're family again bit, not that she really had anything to do with her family but she loved them anyway. And never seeing her friends again was an issue- all the relationships she would be sacrificing, now and in the future, for this one vampire she didn't even trust.
Then there were the positives to look at… She looked up at him with one raised eyebrow. "Is this like a marriage proposal?" She was only fifteen, so it was completely weird. Especially because it was the seven hundred year old asking her. Well, he looked about twenty-one, but it was still weird.
He looked surprised for a second. Vlad hadn't thought of it that way. "Not really. It's more like… a mistress." He nodded. "Yes, that fits correctly."
Python was familiar with the term. She had looked it up for a story reference before and had gotten a full Wikipedia definition. Wow, it was more embarrassing than before. She shook her head. "That's why I'm waiting until you're older!" He waved at her, realizing what he had just said. "Maybe nineteen."
She shook her head and went back to the pros. So, there was getting him all to herself. Also… eternal life. There was also a chance at revenge on anyone she really hated, which wasn't anyone at the moment. The girl chuckled. She could get back at Igor for being such a jerk before. So, positives somewhat weighed in with the negatives, she had a- for the moment- final answer. "Count Vlad." Python looked up at him. "Yes."
****************************
"And if you've been lying all these years," She said four years later, sitting on the couch in the castle's living room. "I'll come back and haunt you as a ghost for eternity."
The vampire chuckled good naturedly. Vlad and Python had been getting to know each other better since his proposal, and it had finally come to the point where neither could wait any longer. That night after her fifteenth birthday Vlad had bitten her again, as gentle as in her dreams, and when the girl passed out in his arms he had sat there for a few hours with her head in his lap, humming comfortingly. After that night they had only gotten closer. Now, with her at nineteen and moved away from her family, the girl was ready for this final fateful bite that would make her his forever.
Igor had gotten used to her, even if he didn't approve of the idea. Python was still upbeat about the idea of bossing him around, which annoyed the hunchback even more. He was out for the night, knowing what was scheduled. The little man would not interrupt his master's plans.
Sitting down beside Python on the couch, Vlad wrapped an arm around her shoulder. They were comfortable with being close now. "Are you ready?" He laced his fingers into her hand.
"As I'll ever be." Python let out a short apprehensive breath and leaned back onto his chest.