Watching (VICTOR)

[Molly Beck]

More precisely, people watching. It was nearly one in the morning, but Molly couldn't sleep. She hadn't been sleeping well the past few nights anyway. That woman had stripped her of a lot of the safety she had felt even in her own bed which Molly had found strange considering everything had happened out in the open. Still, the inability to sleep that night had led to her pacing her apartment, again, baking fresh bread which would likely go to waste on her so she would take it with her to work later that morning when she went, and finally, heading out into the night. She couldn't stand her apartment any more. It felt weird to be there. It felt weird to be anywhere. The only place she really felt calm was in the morgue. She felt safe with the steel doors, many with silver door handles, though not the inside. The idea was that a vampire in the morgue ought to be able to get out, but not in.

Molly had gone there first, eying the doors with skepticism. From what she had seen of the undead, she doubted a silver handle would make much difference, but it might make them stop and think twice. Maybe, though, the blood of the already dead didn't have what flavor or nutrients or whatever it was vampires needed from blood to survive. Molly knew dead blood had a strange smell and appearance to it, different than blood pumped fresh through the heart. Maybe such a place was just unappetizing and didn't need much in the way of wards. Beside, it wasn't like they could ban vampires from being anywhere. People had known about them for a good hundred years which meant at some point, there had been laws enacted that were meant to give vampires some kind of decency. Not that it mattered, Molly thought, they would just take it anyway.

And, so, she had left her private sanctuary looking for the distant company of others. What had brought her to the main hub of the rail system in the city was well beyond her, but she was there, sitting cross legged on a bench near the ticket counter, staring at the small crowds of people that milled about. She was certain that most of them were vampires with few humans having a reason to stay out so late at night, though some were happy club goers on their way home for the morning. Some were wasted. Some were loud. Some were excessively flirty. Some were quiet, like her, and blended into the scenery. That was good, though. She wasn't so sure she wanted to be noticed.

Of course, her solitude changed with a feminine cry, Molly immediately recognizing the sound of a person in pain. It brought back memories to her residency in the hospital as well as her year long stay as an ED physician. She didn't immediately move to where the cry came from, but her eyes watched the small scene. It looked like one of the wasted clubbers had fallen from where she had been acting stupid and walking along the bench. Molly could see that her leg was caught in the bench between the back and the seat. Other than that, the small crowd that had gathered around her blocked everything else from view.

"Someone call 9-1-1," one of her friends hollered and Molly sighed. Technically, New York state didn't require her to get involved in a potential medical emergency, but she was a doctor. She had taken the same oath, and it seemed rather hypocritical to not actually do something.

The woman wiggled her way through the sparse crowd. "I'm a doctor," she told the woman, "Can I look?" She put a hand on the woman's shoulder to attempt to help calm her down before crouching down and looking at her leg. Off hand, nothing appeared broken. "Okay, I'm going to try and help you wiggle your leg out. It doesn't look like you broke anything. Stay still for just a moment."

Pursing her lips together, she looked at the girls' friends deciding they were all too drunk to really be of much help. That left a nearby man who didn't look to be a part of the group and who looked to be at least fairly sober. "Sir, can you help me?" Really, she was worried about the girl pulling too hard and going head over heels backwards onto the concrete floor. The last thing she needed was to have the girl cause herself more injury. The man could, at least, stand behind her and help make sure she didn't eat it a second time that morning.

[Victor Castle]

The world was at it’s brightest during the early hours of the morning, well that was Victor’s opinion and this was the only one that mattered. It was in these wee hours that Victor was the most content, the sun was still lingering beneath the horizon, there was no nagging pain that came from the many hours of the sunny day.

The very moments between the true, bright light of the morning sun and the cooling darkness, that came with the glow of the moon, this was perfection in his eyes. No pain, just simply contentment. Walks like this one, well there were becoming regular part of his routine but not just to think, not to just escape the daily agony that came with the rising sun that lurked beneath the horizon. It was taunting him, it was always behind him, chasing him through the day, frustrating him no end. This agony was never-ending, yes it was slight but it was still there. Numerous doctors who puzzled over this problem, no solution had been discovered, this only brought more answer less questions.

Victor’s life was nothing but full of a backlog of questions. His origin, his true origin had never been discovered but he had a loving…well a loving mother at least. She care not that she had not birthed him, he was still her youngest, still her darling bright eyes. A ghost of smile caressed his facial features, softening them for a moment as he wandered through the lamp light streets. With his head down, his chin firmly buried in the collar of his thick, black woollen coat, with that old green scarf loosely thrown around his neck, adding an extra barrier from the chill of the early morning.

At this time in the morning, there were only a few lingering about, either on their way home or on their to work. He was neither, well Victor just enjoyed a brisk walk through the city but he soon would be on his way home and on his way to his place of work, as they were on in the same. Silver Tomes was his sanctuary, his escape from the heartbreaking agony of the past and the sad, lonely thoughts of the future. Victor was a hard worker, bordering on slowly becoming a complete workaholic but would that truly be terrible thing?

A pained cry ripped through the silence, the still of the morning. A soft, feminine cry for help alerted Victor that someone was in pain, but this was physical pain, a completely different creature to his own mental torture. His head lifted glancing in the direction of the massing crowd, it was his path. This way was the shortest path straight home.

Another voice, a strong voice soon was added to the music of the silent morning. This one was different, this one was directly addressing him as he moved into the vicinity of the small, ever-growing group of curious individuals. His feet stopped, his head turned to face the owner of the voice, a woman trying to help the injured young woman upon the ground.

Nodding his head softly, Victor took a few step closer into the light of a nearby lamp, his pale skin glowed as the rays of the light touched his skin. “How may I be of assistance madam?” He enquired, wondering what book shop owner like he, could do in a moment like this one.

[Molly Beck]

Molly had to stop for a second, her brow arching slighting at the formal manner in which the man, who appeared to be significantly younger than herself, spoke. For a second, she thought she had gleaned the attention of a man from centuries past, and her heart slammed into her throat for a fraction of a second. Then, she remembered the girl who she could feel growing agitated under her hands. She had stilled at the woman's command, but that wasn't going to last long. She was not in her right state of mind being that she was intoxicated, and she was in pain. Any animal in pain would not still for long. That aside, if this man were a night walker, then he was stronger, likely, than any one else in the area at that moment. The woman who had grabbed Molly, after all, had held a vice like grip. According to the history books, vampires were noticeably stronger than humans.

"Do you think you can stand behind this girl while I take a look at her leg and see if we can get it out?" she asked him. "I need someone sober to help support her." After all, the girl was stuck in a bench. The second option was to call the fire department and have them cut the bench, but Molly distinctly wanted to avoid bringing out the big tools. She tried to think of anything nearby that might help the girl get her leg free, but she didn't have her car or her bag, both of which just generally had some kind of lotion. Her hands were always dry.

Addressing the young woman, Molly added, "You're going to have to let me do most of the work. Just do what I say. If it's unbearable, or you feel something grating, tell me and we'll stop." The grating would be a definite break, and Molly didn't want to aggregate that. But, it didn't seem to her to be a likely break and, even though it was extremely rare of her to work with living patients any more, she still dealt with a lot of breaks. Fortunately, her clients were no longer in pain.

With the man near enough the girl that Molly didn't think she would topple over and hurt herself, the ME went about looking at how the leg was caught. It wasn't too bad, but it was always easier to get stuck than to get out. Molly suspected it had to do with the injury more than anything. The leg was caught just above the knee, so once the girl had managed to wiggle the knee out, there wouldn't be much of a problem with anything else. "Can you straighten your knee?" she asked. As the girl did, Molly pushed her leg so that she was sitting a little more. It earned her a hiss from the woman as well as a few well punctuated "ow"s but Molly ignored her, fingers manipulating the flesh around the knee.

"You should be able to go straight back. Lay your other leg back on the bench." She looked at the man, her throat tightening as she hoped once again that he wasn't a vampire. The last thing she needed was to be around what had recently become her worst nightmare and know it. Exhaling quickly, she directed, "Hold her underneath one arm. On three, we'll pull backwards." God, she hated drunk people. This was why she stopped working in the ER. No. That wasn't true. She stopped working in the ER for other reasons, but intoxicated patients had been her least favorite then, too.

"One. Two. Three." On the third count, she pulled the girl's body backwards, the younger woman helping in her body weight with her hands as best she could, but given the size of the bench, without two people behind her, she would have wound up on the ground. "Thanks," she told the man as the girl sat on the bench, staring at her leg.

Crouching, Molly examined the shin and the portion of the leg above the knee. "I doubt it's broken, but you never know without an X-ray. I recommend you go to the hospital and get it checked out, but it's up to you." She looked at the girl who was sobbing as though it had been the most terrifying moment in her life. Molly nearly sighed before realizing she wasn't being fair. It might well have been the most terrifying thing the woman had experienced. Just because Molly autopsied people who had been through worse did not mean that this girl had any comprehension of that.

Never the best with bedside manner, though, Molly frowned slightly. "You'll be alright. It was just a fall. Can you put weight on it?"

Before she got her answer, though, one of the guys she was with spoke up. "She only lives a couple blocks from here. We'll help her home."

What Molly wanted to say was something snide and sarcastic, but something in her made her think better of it. "Your call," she said to the group with a shrug. They nodded their agreement, and Molly turned, somewhat surprised to still find the man there. She offered a smile as she took a step back. "Thank you. I couldn't have supported her weight on my own and they're, well-" she looked over her shoulder at them as they hobbled off, not a single one able to walk a straight line, talking loudly about the booze they had at the apartment. If anything, she had to guess that they may be college students.

[Victor Castle]

This was not good, Victor could smell blood on this clearly intoxicated young woman. The very scent of blood had always plagued him, it bothered him but yet at the at the same, it drew him in closer, for a second glance, a second smell. Blood was simply a smell that Victor could not stand but at the same time, it was glorious and caused something in the depths of his mind, a memory or feeling that had been buried to shift ever so slightly.

Victor wanted to run, to put a great distance between himself and the woman but at the same, he was found his feet fixed to the ground, his eyes glued to the flowing wound, he could not look away. The sound of her voice, knocked him back to reality and out of his momentary blood fixed daze. “I can” He hastily replied, before breathing in deeply, readying himself to face this situation. His legs moved, his pace was sharp but calm not wanting to startle the poor young woman who was clearly in sorry state. Standing this close to a woman, Victor feel small, and out of place. His former girlfriend, her betrayal was still affecting him, he could easily speak to women but holding them or intimately interacting with them well that was a whole other kettle of fish. Victor was fearful of rejection of any kind.

He was now her support, the responsible party along side the presently nameless female doctor attending her injuries. He watched as she worked, finding how she moved and reacted to the younger woman fascinating. The work of medical professionals had always been a field that he had openly admired, but his issues with blood prevented him entering said field. He listened closely to every word spoken, this way he would know, what exactly was coming, he could then change his position to make sure the young woman in a comfortable, secure and safe position against him, no further injury could then occur.

Once more, he was addressed, given instructions to assist in this most awkward, and strange of mornings for the young book shop owner. Victor nodded, showing he understand what she asked of him. He moved into a closer position, which would allow him to easily hold her underneath one arm. He waited for her counting to reach three before pulling backwards. Victor was not abnormally strong but there had been moments, when he, the smaller son has been able to outdo, out-lift his older, more muscular brother.

A slightly grateful smile caressed his lips, before nodding his head once more. “It's my pleasure to assist you ma'am” His voice was soft, yet still possessed a masculine twang that wrapped around each letter in each word. The sound, the smell and sight of a woman crying was one of the few things, Victor hated seeing. It tore at his heart strings but this, he had to remind himself was the result of a night, frivolous spent partying and drinking until her heart content.

As soon as one of the crowd, obviously with the poor young woman, still sobbing from the pain she had suffered spoke up, Victor almost immediately distanced himself from the smell of blood, it was clawing at him. He turned to face the rather, helpful young and frankly attractive doctor. Nerves, and his anxiety were fighting their way to the surface, fighting to take control and make this every more awkward for him. He held up his hands, his smile deepened but his face started to slowly turn red. “It's alright, really I didn't might helping” He started, the words were flowing as the blush brushed across his cheeks darkened. “I know what you mean, the early hours of the day are always like this” He added, finally able to get a good look at her, the way she held her, so strongly, so proud reminded him of her, of Lily. The only woman to have truly broken his heart.

Soon it was just the two of them, standing alone in the now emptying street.

[Molly Beck]

Molly tucked her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "Really? This sums up your average early morning?" she asked with a mischievous grin. She had thought she was going to lose him with the blood for a second, but he had proven her wrong. She was so accustomed to dealing with the insides of people that her stomach was of steel, and it seemed to surprise her when someone grew lightheaded around the sight or smell of blood. "I fear hanging around this area too long, then."

She saw his blush and smiled inwardly. Molly didn't have enough of a social life to make people blush like that. When she went out, it was usually with self destruction in mind. The men she spent time with didn't blush. They just took what they wanted. And, regardless of how mentally unhealthy it was, she was more than happy to let them do that. It was a habit she needed to break, though she had never had a very good reason to do so. Still, 'it hadn't killed her yet' was probably not the best motto to have in life. It would likely meet her with a very quick end.

Holding out her hand, she introduced herself a little more formally. "Molly Beck. Pleasure to meet you-" she drifted off, a generally used social cue to indicate she would appreciate a name by which to call him. She had seen the man initially hesitate but still help, and part of her wondered what had driven him to do so. Was it because he was the only person around? There would have been no justifying it later had he walked off. There would have been no one else for him to say she could have been referencing, and the drunk young woman's state of affairs was fairly evident.

[Victor Castle]

“I walk this way every day” He started, knowing that most morning were relatively similar and not as eventfully as this one. "It is often, the same most mornings at this hour" He went to explain. However, Victor knew from past experiences that wandering the streets at this hour, meant the likelihood for bumping into a intoxicated individual or two.

Victor, now more frequently than other times of the day would tend to quicken his pace, not wanting to deal the slurred speech and rather awkward conversations that would happen if he bumped into one of college students on their way home, after a night of intense partying.

He could never understand the appeal of the darken rooms, loud music vibrating through the air. It was not the type of atmosphere you often would catch the timid book keeper in, only if forced would he dare to step into building, into such filled atmospheres that he would find it near impossible to move with ease. Her anxiety was understandable, he could relate. Victor was starting to feel the same way, his feet were shuffling from left, then to the right. He found it hard to keep still when nervous or his highly anxious.

“Might I walk you home?” He politely inquired, the thought of her walking home alone at this early hour was simply wrong. It would be both rude and thoughtless of him to let her walk on by, to let walk on alone when it was still was not light enough for the street lights to turn back off and let the sun illuminate the city around them.

“Victor, Victor Castle” He answered gently, introducing himself to her before he accepted her hand with one of his own. His hand slightly bigger than hers, but chilled for the crisp morning air, it has brushed past the bare flesh of his hands, freezing the naturally cool temperature of his skin further.”It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Molly” His gentlemanly nature was bleeding through into his words, as he addressed her.

[Molly Beck]

It's like touching a corpse.

The words resonated in the back of her mind, but she didn't pull her hand away. She didn't even appear to outwardly react. Years of meeting families of loved ones who were on her slab or in her ER, before she had taken up a position in the morgue, meant that she could shake any clammy, cold, sweaty, small, large, dry, rough, smooth, chilled, warm hand without flinching. It was not wholly unusual for her to touch someone who felt as cool as the corpses on her slab, but it had begun to take her off guard the past few weeks. Here, she had to stop her hand from moving to her neck, to the scar that had been left by the blood thirsty.

Telling herself she was being paranoid-- he had offered to walk her home, after all, which meant increased likelihood of exposure to the sunlight-- she smiled warmly. "Pleasure, Victor," she said, "And, I appreciate the offer. I wouldn't mind company walking home as long as I'm not putting you out of your way." She gestured down the street. "I live a short walk away. Um, a left at the light and about three blocks from a little bookstore with a cafe across the street that's nearby."

Although she had never been to the bookstore or the cafe, she was familiar with their location and she had learned a while ago that many people she spoke with were able to more easily associate her apartment complex from the plethora of area complexes when she pointed out that she lived near the cafe. By default, that usually meant that, combined with the assumption of her career, she lived in the complex about a block and a half away from the bookstore. It was an older building, but done with an architectural style that was warm and inviting while still indicating that it's residents were probably not the crack-dealing type.

As they began walking, Molly fell in step beside Victor. "Are you on your way to work, then?" she asked, curious. Mainly, she wondered if she was going to make him late for work. If she was, she didn't want to have him walk her home, but she wouldn't object to company until they had to part ways for a different path. Really, she was grateful to company because it meant she was less likely to be hassled by either drunk kids or any less than savory types that were slinking back to their hovels so early in the morning-- or those just coming out to play with people on their way to work in the early morning. But, she also wanted to talk to Victor more. He seemed like a genuine person, and he alone proved gentlemen weren't dead. Considering the kinds of people she normally spent time with outside of work, that trait alone was enough for Molly to want to interact with the man.

Plus, she had made him blush and she could tell he was slightly nervous as he had shifted his weight prior to them walking.

[Victor Castle]

The warm of her hand, it was a welcomed change. For him, it was standing over a roaring fire, on a freezing cold winter's morning. It was the only way for him to describe this moment in time. Each time, his hand came into contact with anyone human, whether it be male or female.

Victor would experience this very sensation. It was most fascinating, but at the same time he could not help but question why he was consistently cold. There was nothing medically wrong with the innermost working of his body, this simply could not be explained away by science.

His smile deepened, as did that accursed blush brushed across his cheeks. The sun was beginning to creep over the horizon, the light of the day was chasing away the last reminding moments of the previous night. Oh joy, the lingering needle like pain would soon return, it came hand in hand with the rays of the sun. Victor could not escape it, these pins and needles were part of everyday he walked upon this earth.

“Oh no, not at all” He told her, trying to settle the idea she was taking him out of his way, that was simply not the case. Her path was exactly the same of his, he was heading home, and at the same time he was heading into work. It was useful that he just so happened to live above his quaint little shop. He blinked, she knew about his shop. He barely had enough customers this time of year to cover both the rent of the shop and the rent of his apartment, on top of the his employee's salaries.

“I'm heading into work actually”He started explained, rather awkwardly. The words were not reaching his lips, without a stutter. He never stuttered! Well excepted in-front of strong, beautiful women. “I'm heading to my bookshop, silver tomes”

“Actually, I'm on my way home but it does double as heading into work as well” He added, as they walked, side by side. Victor slowed his normal, large gated stride to keep in time with her. “It does help, that I'm my own boss” He mentioned “I can never really be late” He then slide in before they reached crossing, out of habit that had been grounded in by his overprotective mother, he looked left then right, checking to see if any cars were heading in their direction.

“What about you Ms Molly” He inquired, deadly curious but trying to remain polite“Are you on your way home after a late night?”

[Molly Beck]

Molly smiled. "That's the bookstore by my flat," she informed the gentleman, "I've never been in, but I'm beginning to regret that decision." The last was added for Victor's benefit. She might have met him long before this evening if she had actually ever stopped in while walking to and from the subway or the bus stop. Yet, she had always told herself she didn't have time. She had a crime scene to get to. She had work to get to. She had a class. Or a meeting. Or a training. Or an urge to answer that drew her to the darker side of the streets, the side she knew she shouldn't go to. Nothing had drawn her to the mundane aura of the bookstore, and yet, she was an avid reader and had several books of her own lined up on shelves in her apartment. Not a single book she owned, she had not read. To be fair, many were medical texts, but she read across the genres and had a good deal of autobiographies, horrors, romances, science fiction, medicine, law, history, and everything in between.

Molly was not above collecting more, but she always felt bad about buying books she did not have time to read, and she was much too distracted to find the binding alluring. Reality had slipped again, and she needed to recover her footing before she opted into places away from the here and now. That said, even her library card sat abandoned in her wallet. She hoped to change that soon, but she didn't know. Despite not having a second run in with either the female who had opted to attempt to drain her of blood or any other of her kind, Molly was, for the first time in her life, experiencing a fear of the dark. That said, though, as they fell into step, she had to admit the safe company was reassuring. Not all things that came out of the dark were evil.

"That's fortunate," she said, "To be one's own boss must be as nice as it is stressful, though." She knew she would not like it, but she did not mind the level of independence granted to her by her own office as a competent medical examiner. As long as she put in so many hours a week and got through her case load, her boss did not mind when she was in the office. That meant that some of her autopsies were conducted immediately. Others waited a few hours while she caught up on the sleep she had been deprived of recently. Ironically, Molly was finding she was having an easier time sleeping during the day.

"I suppose it was a late night," she answered with a small smile and a slight shrug, "I've been spending more and more nights out of the house." Though, of all her all nighters spent outside of the realm of studying for exams, this was probably the healthiest she had spent. Wandering near the train station and then within the train station meant she was doing fewer things she would later regret. She might have been old enough to know better, but for her intelligence, it was never something she had learned.

"I'll have to go to work this afternoon, though. I seem dictated by deadlines." She chuckled more to herself. She didn't mind. If it was a suspicious death, then she would be more content if she knew whether or not it was a homicide. The sooner she knew, the sooner the police could investigate and hopefully make an arrest. It was bad enough that she was now terrified of night walkers. Her work also made her fear murderers and drunk drivers. Less them, though, and the prolonged sense that between life and death may be this state of extreme pain and fear, and Molly had not accepted that in the least. If anything, her risky behaviors were her way of rebelling against it, as if the emotional and physical pain she succumbed herself to as she lived would ward away the last painful moment before death. She didn't know. Her logic in that respect was flawed. It was, to some end, frustrating in that it befuddled her.

"Why a bookstore?" Molly asked. Pausing she bit her lip. "As opposed to any other kind of business, I mean." A book store seemed a difficult business to run any longer. Between electronic books, the internet, and movies and television, it was any wonder the book hadn't completely died out. But, Molly liked the smell of the pages of a freshly opened book. Even the older books she had with the fragile spines, she enjoyed the scent if only because they smelled slightly musty and of dust, like a literal page out of history. Surprisingly, more than anything, this relaxed her.

[Victor Castle]

What a pleasant surprise this early morning was turning into. Victor had never thought that his regular morning walk would turn into an intriguing conversation with a rather attractive strong woman, as he walked her home after wandering into one of the most usual sights that lingered during the early hours of another day, when the sky was tinted a soft, illuminating shade of pink as the sun slowly rose, forcing the night back.

Her words were sounded sincere and sweet to his ears, causing the very tips to turn red, burning with embarrassment. He rarely heard such kind words from anyone, other that his mother and his employees but they were paid to that way, he was their means to end, nothing more. He appreciated moments like this one, they were few and far between. The last time he could remember, that remotely resembled something like this was a time long forgotten with his ex-girlfriend would poetically string together words that would tightly wrapped him, caressing him sensuously, making him feel wanted and loved but that was an age ago or so it seemed.

“It would be pleasure, I would welcome with open arms if you entertained the idea of coming into my humble bookshop” Victor was trying to play it cool, but his mouth overruled his head and his words were more flirtatious than he liked. It been too long since he had properly spoken to a woman like this, civil conversation that was more than simple small talk where it never when anywhere other than one word answers or small phases in between moments of awkward silence.

“It is but usually I still the first to arrive and the last to leave, thankfully I live just above my shop” It was a godsend to find a premise with living quarters such as his. He remembered tirelessly searching for both a good location to open up his ideal business and lay his head at night. Thankfully this location open up when he had been ready to call it a day and return his mother’s understanding open arms, ready to sooth his frayed nerves and frustrations away. That had not been the case.

“You are right, there are days when it goes swimmingly but there are those dark, stressful days when only a handful of customers come into the shop but every business is a balancing act” Molly had hit the very problem at the centre of many a stressful day. Some months were better than others, occasionally he would scrap the money together to pay both his stress and bills collectively but Victor survived even if he had tighten his belt when it came to personal expenses. The independence was glorious, he was limited when he could work, that was truly up to him. Victor trusted his manager to keep his little shop afloat when he was away from the business visiting his mother or enjoying what the city had to offer him.

Hr listened to hers, taking in the information she was supplying. She clearly was a dedicated to her work even though he had no idea what she was did. He could only hazard a guess and that easily could be miles off. He nodded, as he listened as he too had deadlines to meet, deadlines were getting closer with every day but that was the life he had chosen to live.

“Might I ask if you do not mind that is Ms Molly, what do you, work wise? I find myself rather curious” Victor had to know, this question had been on the tip of his tongue for quite sometime. She was a mystery, he found himself wanting to solve. Her question had been asked of him before. His father had asked the same question the day he had gone to the bank with his business plan in hand. His father had been rather merciless and poisonous when addressing the situation but then again their relationship had always been strained and full of hate from the very beginning they had clapped eyes on one another.

“ My love of the written word was the driving force behind this really but I wanted to share the literary of the world with everyone that came through my door” He started, knowing the words would soon practiced but full of life and passion for what he loved. “I know that I am competing with the advances of the modern age but that do not matter. The smell of a new book, the feel of the weight in your hand is something that electronic books, television and the internet can not replicate” He firmly addressed as they carried on walking, each step drew them closer to his shop and to her home.

[Molly Beck]

Molly smiled softly as Victor declared his agreement that she ought to stop by his shop. She was a genuine person. She made mistakes she refused to learn from and had a pretty good grasp on the consequences to her actions. But, she was sincere and passionate with a usually positive bearing towards others. She also caught the coquettish undertone offered in his voice. It had been there a while, and though she had just met the man, she thought it might be genuine. It was something she appreciated considering he appeared at least five years younger than she. Though, Molly did look slightly younger than she was.

Making a mental note to check out Victor's books at least on her way home from work, Molly grimaced at his question very much directed toward that subject. "I fear you'll find me quite morbid," she very nearly laughed, preparing herself for one of the many predictable responses to her line of work. She was careful with men she found attractive. Her business was usually either a total turn off or too much of a turn on to be healthy. Curiosity, she didn't mind. It was natural to be curious about death, and she was usually more concerned by those who didn't show some level of unease dealing with the topic.

"I'm a Medical Examiner," she told him. "I used to be an ED doc, but apparently, I do well with the secrets of the dead." She chuckled briefly, though her hand automatically touched the newest scar on her neck where the female vampire had bitten her. Though there were some who would still say vampires did not exist, Molly has been raised knowing otherwise. That several bodies had literally walked out of the morgue hours after being declared dead had been proof enough for her. Having been bitten by one would live with her forever.

Victor was so gentle, she half expected him to stop in his tracks. In preparation, she slowed her pace before turning to look at him. She was, in some ways, the personification of death to many for where the dead may be found, Molly was seldom far behind. Her black medical examiner van wasn't associated with the romanticism of death but the stark reality of mortality. Everyone died. Even immortals.

To his reasoning for choosing a bookstore, Molly found herself smiling. "Clearly, I'm not the only one in this city who still enjoys what a true book embodies. I'm glad you're doing something you enjoy. It's all too rare that people do what truly makes them happy. You've got quite a success for yourself, no matter the fiscal struggles. I hope everything goes well for you from it."

[Victor Castle]

In the past, Victor had been overly naïve especially when it came to the people he meet and knew. There had been only a handful of truly genuine people, most were users and liars who wanted something for nothing. The years had taught him, harden his sense of trust but Molly seemed more genuine than most. She was being open and honest but he still took her words with a pinch of salt. He would not be hurt again, Victor was certain of this.

The fresh morning breeze felt wonderful, as it gently brushed past him, ghosting his cheeks like the hand of an invisible lover. This was one of the more peaceful moments of his present life, walking beside a women who spoke happily as they inched closer to his shop and in the direction of her home as the sun rose behind them. Life in the city was all hustle and bustle, there was no time for uniquely quiet moments like this but it was worth it, to feel released and have that weight just slip off his shoulders. For a moment he was not that overly stressed bookshop owner, the shy son. No he was simply Victor.

The years just rolled off, he felt alive and youthful once more. Just an ordinary man walking a beautiful woman home, something had never happened to him. He was never that lucky. Morbid? That sounded more intriguing, his curiosity was ignited. Victor shook his head from side to side, he was not scared off by her statement. “I’m actually more curious now, it takes quite a bit to frighten me off. I’m interested in what you have to say Miss Molly” He answered, his words were sincere and true. Victor felt compelled to know more about his walking companion.

He closely listened to her words explaining her line of work. A medical examiner was something he had not excepted but it was fascinating, working long night, searching for truth within the body of deceased individuals. It was a field that was both morbid and essential to life and death. “I can imagine the world you slot into, the world were the living and the dead intermingle” He asked, as the image of the morgue, that cold room, sterile and clean where another body entered waiting to be cut into, in order to reveal the secrets that lurked beneath the flesh that stiffly laid on the slab, completely and utterly dead to the world, all that was left was an empty vessel.

His smile soon matched hers. Reading was essential to his daily life, it was a time where he could escape into a fictional world to observe the actions and lives of characters he both enjoyed and could related to in one way or another. “It is a thrill, minor compared to other escapes but it is enough for me when life gets hard or is too stressful. It calms me, by taking me to a place where I can relax with such ease” His eyes scanned the horizon, taking in the colours of the morning, as they mixed together.

“Some days it does not seem that way but any kind of business is continuing work in progress and a financial balancing act” He truly told her as his shop appeared in the distance.

[Molly Beck]

Had she known his thoughts on what was held in the city morgue, she might have smiled at his naivete. As it was, she did not know he did not know just what the fine line between life and death really was, so she did not explain to him that the body vault where all bite or potential bite deaths were stored was seven feet of reinforced steel inlaid with silver to stop the potential of a newly turned vampire from getting out. She had never seen it happen. From what she had been told, most turned vampires did not get left behind. But, something had caused her boss to be wary, and after her own experience with a nightwalker, she was grateful for the precautions.

Beyond the vault, the body slabs had silver inlaid, and it was standard issue that every examiner had silver discs for protection when on a scene. The back of Molly's van had silver on the panels. Expensive, but Molly was hardly the first in that office to be attacked by something that wasn't an empty shell. Born or turned, Molly thought of all vampires as existing in that line between life and death.

"To need an escape, one must first have something to escape from," Molly mused quietly. It wasn't so much that she disagreed, but she found it interesting. One might infer that someone who opened up a bookstore had an awful lot of escaping to do. Granted, her own rediscovered idea on books might have had something to do with her own need to escape. Usually, a bar, excessive alcohol, and a night with a man she would never trust to let her through a dark alley did the trick. She would trade her work and social stress over a morning with a hang over and bodily aches any day. Sometimes, she was just too hard headed to remember that. Books were certainly the safest option.

She nodded at the upcoming shop. It was the only bookstore close to her apartment without going beyond her apartment. "Is that your shop?" she asked with a small hand gesture. At the affirmative, she added, "Not to sound strange, but can I see inside? I used to love the feeling of being the first person in the university library. It was like watching everything come to life." She blushed a little as she realized how personal a statement that had been. Her animation of the inanimate probably explained how she wound up an ME after deciding an ER physician was not appropriate. It probably had nothing to do with her brother, her own reckless choices, or the night of May third the year she quit her job. Mentally, she sighed. It was a culmination of all of those things, but she really did love to see a tomb come alive. She probably would have been alright if she had stuck with anthropology.

Her flush faded some as she looked to her companion. He would either find her to strange or too forward or too honest for comfort. Most people did. While she had learned bedside manners and was usually polite except when the situation demanded she wasn't, she didn't trust easy and people usually found her peculiar enough to not want to spend too much time with her. Not that she often ran into those she wanted to spend much time with in the first place.