One year later

Rose sat on her second story balcony with a book in one hand, and a cup of hot coffee in the other. She was so excited! The newest volume of ‘Plague Of The Plant People’ had finally arrived. She remembered ordering it on the night it was available for limited release. She had to stay up late that night on her keyboard, watching the seconds tick by. The moment midnight came, the limited edition signed copy was for sale and she rushed to buy it. There would only be two thousand such copies, and they were doomed to be sold in minutes. Rose was sweating bullets when she filled out the payment form, and prayed the payment would go through in time. She squealed with glee when she got the confirmation notice that her order went through. Every day since that night Rose had been waiting for the package to arrive, it came in that morning and she rushed to read it without a second thought.

Outside it was warm and sunny, her balcony provided a splendid view of the neighborhood pond. Several alligators were poking their heads from the surface lazily. Next to her sat a lonely coffee table, a glass and cast iron piece of furniture that needed to be cleaned.

The book wasn’t the only thing Rose received in the mail. It was the one year anniversary of the infamous ‘Vampire Cruise Disaster’ and there were several letters from editors asking for permission to write her story. Rose wasn’t interested in answering them, she got enough attention from the damn news media. Already that morning she had four voicemails asking for interviews, the reporters had often addressed her as the ‘Human Survivor’. A single human girl surviving on a vampire cruise adrift at sea made the headlines for several days following their rescue. Now a year later they were trying to resurrect the headline again.

Rose hated those headlines. She believed that being called the ‘Human Survivor’ was ridiculous. It fed the narrative that vampires were dangerous, and that was something Rose couldn’t allow. She rejected the propaganda whenever possible.

The media weren’t the only ones giving her unwanted attention, there was another sending her messages. One such letter she received was from the former captain himself, offering yet another apology for his actions and hoping she was doing well. Rose had replied to him the first few times, but after a while it got tedious. The man seemed to have a hard time forgiving himself.

Rose sipped the coffee mug and basked in its flavor. Not too strong, yet not too subtle. The smell alone helped to keep her awake. The humidity was making Rose sweat underneath her silk robe while she read. It was enough for her to loosen up the sash and part it open down the middle so that a tasteful amount of cleavage could be exposed to the breeze. She loved wearing that pink robe outside, especially when Rebecca was walking toward the apartment building from work. Rose was already a third of the way through the tantalizing tale in her novel when her heart fluttered.

“Hey sweetheart!” Rose spoke out while turning around in her seat, she was able to sense Rebecca when she was nearby. Whether it was due to her own intuition or something more instinctual was up for debate. Her vampire shut the door behind her as she entered their apartment. She was wearing a new ochre coat over a silky dark blouse. Her skirt matched the jacket, and filled out her curves perfectly. Rebecca’s silver cross sparkled in the light as she walked toward the balcony. She had let her hair grow out a bit, it was now full and illustrious in the afternoon sun.

“You’re all I could think about all day, I got you something!” Rebecca rushed over, discarding her purse on the old leather couch as she ran, and threw her arms around Rose’s shoulders. In her right hand she held a shiny red package, it pressed against Rose’s bosom gently. “I love you so much! Happy anniversary!”

“Ah, your so sweet!” Rose couldn’t help but giggle joyfully while her girlfriend embraced her. She could feel her lovers lips brush along the nape of her neck, it made Rose horny as hell. She shut the leather-bound book and sat it on the coffee table so that she could grab hold of the vampire’s gift. It was wrapped in pink wrapping paper and sported a gold bow. Rose quickly opened the box, inside she found a finely tailored ensemble from Veronica’s Secret. A set of extravagant undergarments, an intensely sultry brazier, and a tastefully erotic garter belt. It also came with a complete set of see-through stockings and a linen choker.

Rose gasped as she lifted the fiercely sexual garments to the sunlight. It was a light cream fabric, and incredibly soft to the touch. “You’re one naughty girl Becca,” Rose teased.

Rebecca tightened her grip and smiled. The vampire’s cheeks were bright red, her adorable little nose rubbed along Rose’s jawline as she planted a series of small kisses. “I just can’t help myself! ”

“I know, its why I got something extra special for you,” Rose leaned back so that her vampire could snuggle in closer. Rose wore nothing underneath her robes, the sash was a little too loose around the waist. She couldn’t help but chuckle at seeing Rebecca’s reaction, her girlfriend looked down the center at her exposed tanned skin and licked her lips.

Rebecca began to drool over the constellation of freckles decorating Rose’s upper chest. When next she spoke it was impossible for her not to stutter, “Ssso nice…want to touch…give me, give me.”

“Hold your horses love,” Rose returned her girlfriends affections with a kiss on the cheek. “Let me show you what I got you.”

Just as she was about to get up, the doorbell rang.

…

Begrudgingly, Rebecca trudged to the front door of their loft. Rose got out of her chair and quickly followed in her footsteps. The air was humid and felt good inside their apartment, Rose had to remind herself to tighten the sash around her waist before Rebecca got to the door.

The vampire peeked through the small view slit and quickly hopped on her feet with excitement. Rebecca was all to eager to swing open the door and welcome Maggie inside. The raven haired women, who had long been Rebecca’s best friend, looked exhausted. At first glance Rose feared she was about to pass out where she stood. Maggie had a large satchel over one shoulder, and a child playfully tugging at the locks of her hair.

Rebecca immediately hugged her best friend, it wasn’t until Maggie groaned that she lead her inside.

“Maggie! Is everything ok?” Rose called out from across the room.

“Everything’s fine, sorry for not calling in advance Rose,” Maggie’s reply was one born out of frustration. The babe in her arms wouldn’t stop trying to play with her hair.

Rose sat down on the armrest of her loveseat. The child in Maggie’s arms was growing quickly, he was barely a new born yet he already had a plush of brown hair on his head. Maggie still had to wear a loose gown over her laden breasts, although the the baby weight was starting to fade away.

“Let me guess,” Rose rested her head in the palm of her hand, “need a babysitter for a couple hours?” Ever since Maggie had the child, she suffered from sleep deprivation. Every few days Rebecca and Rose would let her catch some shut eye while tending to her little one.

“Am I that predictable?” Maggie couldn’t stop herself from yawning. She recoiled as her son pulled her hair a little too strongly, “Hey stop that, mommy doesn’t like that.”

Rebecca scooped up the child from Maggie’s arms and instantly fawned over him, “Ahhh you can play with my hair little Greg!”

Maggie sat her huge knapsack on the couch, the weight of diapers and milk bottles made it sink into the cushion as if it were full of bowling balls. Once relieved of the weight, Maggie shot a glare to Rebecca who was busy playing with her child, “His name’s Bartholomew, you know that!”

Rebecca shook her head, “Nah he’s Greg—“

“Stop calling my son Greg!” The sudden intensity in her voice caused the child to cry, “oh there there, mommy isn’t upset.”

“You’re so cuuuute!” Rebecca was somehow able to comfort him from tearing up, “Aren’t you Greg? Yes you are.”

“Please…” Maggie sat on the couch. Rose could tell she didn’t have the energy to fight, “stop being a bitch Reby…”

Rose got up and quickly searched for spare blankets and pillows. She always kept a stash of them in the small closet next to the bedroom. Once she found what she needed, Rose returned to the living room to find Maggie was on the verge of passing out.

“It sucks Kyle can’t help you out,” Rose said while offering Maggie the spare sheets.

“Oh don’t get me started with him,” Maggie groaned. She collapsed onto her side and plopped her head on the pillow with a thud. “That dumb ass can’t stop working long enough to be of any use.”

Rose could sense there was something more that Maggie wanted to say, “Did something happen?”

“No,” Maggie pulled the blanket up to her chin, “he just won’t stop bringing up marriage. Its driving me crazy. Anyway I just needed a break. A small…little….break…” Her voice faded as she started to fall asleep.

Rebecca wouldn’t stop giggling from her side of the room. She couldn’t get enough of the child in her arms and continued to cradle him as if he were her own. “Don’t worry Mags, get some sleep. We’ll entertain little—“

“His name is Bartholomew,” Maggie groaned as if half asleep.

“But he’s too cute for that!” Rebecca countered as if her say mattered.

Maggie leaned up, and Rose feared she was about to get up and leave all together. “He’s named after my father, so stop it!”

…

A couple more minutes of arguing took place before Rebecca finally conceded defeat. Together she and Rose took the child in their adjacent bedroom while Maggie passed out in a drooling slumber. Her snoring was instantly audible from across the apartment.

“How long do you wager she’ll be out this time?” Rose knew it was wrong to find some humor in Maggie’s distress, but she simply couldn’t help it. Bartholomew continued to suck on his pacifier while laying on the lower portion of their bed. Rose couldn’t help but notice he had his mothers eyes.

Rebecca held up a plastic wand overhead to tease his attention. “Hopefully not too long, I can’t wait to get you in that lingerie. Honestly I’m already wet just thinking about it!”

Rose did her best not to laugh, “That reminds me, I got you something as well.” Her gift was secretly stashed away behind one of the potted plants in the living room. Rebecca liked to search for hidden gifts whenever Rose got her anything, so it took her a while to find a good hiding place. Carefully, Rose exited the bedroom to retrieve the small box and returned post haste. Luckily Maggie’s snoring was loud enough to hide her footsteps.

When she returned Rebecca was having to divide her attention between the child and what was in her hand. “You don’t have to open it now but—“

Before she could finish her sentence, Rebecca snatched the gift with a blur of motion. “Oh I can’t wait, I must open it.”

“Go ahead,” Rose sat on the bed and crawled up behind her. She wrapped her legs around the vampires waist and her arms around her torso. She could feel the weight of Rebecca’s breasts laying against her forearms. This time it was her turn to perch her chin on her girlfriends shoulder. “I love you so much, my little Becca.”

Rebecca squealed with delight as she opened the wrapping paper. Inside was a small padded container with a bronze clasp. She opened it to discover two silver rings, each held a small ruby orb that appeared almost scarlet against the light. “Oh…my…” the vampire was speechless.

“They’re promise rings, one for you and one for me.” They each were expensive and hard to acquire. Rose had them custom made, it took her months to save up the money to get them ordered.

Rebecca held one up to look at the ruby gemstone, she licked her lips. Even the child seemed fixated on the red glow. “I…love this so I think I’m gonna die!”

“I’m so glad you like it!” Rose held on to her tighter, “Just beware, the red stones will definitely catch some attention. You’ll have to work harder protecting me when we’re out in public.”

Rebecca slid the ring on her index, and then fit the ring onto Roses finger as well. “Look Greg,” Rebecca held the ring in front of the child, “Don’t you think it looks sparkly?”

Instantly the child reached up as if to make a grab for it. “You know what?” Rose kissed the corner of her vampire’s mouth, “I can’t wait for Maggie to wake up, so that I can have you all to myself.”

“This’ll look so nice with your new lingerie,” Rebecca flirted back.

Rose kissed her vampire on the lips, they were tender and moist. “Tell you what, maybe I’ll let you have an extra sip tonight.”

“Oooooh,” Rebecca leaned in closer to return the kiss, “I love you so much, my darling Rosie.”

“I love you too! More than anything.” Rose could feel Rebecca’s panted breathe against her cheeks, “Happy anniversary Becky. My beautiful silly vampire.”

Later that night, literally seconds after Maggie and Bartholomew’s departure. Rose didn’t even have enough time to put on the whole outfit Rebecca had gifted her. Together they shared a tender embrace that could only be shared among humans and vampires.