2/14/10 - 2/14/10

Arrgh. I coped it from original WordPad onto another and then fixed it. Then I uploaded it on Fictionpress. Thought that was wrong. Deleted it. Deleted a document on FanFic. Uploaded this. Realized THAT was wrong. Deleted THAT and am going to upload it back onto HERE. ARGH.

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"It's Valentine's Day!" I shouted, jumping onto the couch Jasper had pushed into our new living room. I began to jump up and down on it. "Do you know what that means?"

"Blood?"

"Hearts?"

"Death?"

I landed on my knees on the cushion and frowned. "You three are such downers!"

"Well what does it mean, Charlotte?" Jasper asked, even though he knew exactly what it meant. I smiled.

"It means love ... and chocolate," I paused, "Not BLOOD and chocolate, Alban."

He frowned. "Blood was a good answer. Speaking of which ... I haven't eaten in a while ... " he looked down and rubbed his stomach. "Can we get something to eat?"

"Ecch," I stuck my tongue out.

"What do you propose we do?"

"I think we should go somewhere nice ... "

"Like a dark alley," Alban began.

"Or a large field, with a forest nearby," Liev finished.

Stupid Vampires. Stupid Werewolves. "Noo," I whined. I laid down across the couch on my stomach, whining. "You guys don't get it!"

Jasper walked over and kneeled down beside the couch. He pushed the hair out of my face. "What don't we get?"

I felt my face heat up, but I ignored it and stared past him angrily. "Forget it. The feeling's spoiled."

"Can I assist and bringing it back?" Alban piped up, standing from one of the leather arm chairs situated directly across from the couch. "Please?"

Jasper shot a glare at him. "Leave her alone."

I sat up, "I can defend myself -- " He stood and turned towards me, " .. thank you ... "

"Charlotte, why don't you show us what to do?" He motioned with his hand for me to stand. So I did. I glanced at him before running off towards my new room. I pulled out a clear plastic tub from under my bed and ran back out to the airy living room. Light poured in from the surrounding windows, all of them bay windows, that lined the entire room. Almost from floor to ceiling. It seemed like day was throughout all 24 hours -- the only time it was completely dark was at or around 1am. That's when Alban came out and sat in the chairs, walked around then rested on the couch. I knew this pattern because I had watched him. And Jasper had studied him. At least for a week. I wanted the best for my blood-sucking friend, but it was hard. The night only overpowered certain hours and then it was gone. Even certain dark hours, such as dawn, dusk and twilight, he could not roam around unless he had the mixture the voodoo-esque woman had made him back in my home town.

------

I set the box on the couch and then set down next to it. I popped the lid open and tossed it to the ground. Jasper leaned over and picked it up, mumbling something about cleaning days and maids. I pulled out stacks of red and white paper, striped candy-red and bubble-gum pink papers, three glue sticks and six pairs of scissors.

"What are you doing?" Alban asked, clearly intrigued.

"We have to make Valentine's."

"We're making people?" He asked. I supposed he was thinking I meant the man Valentine, not the cards. He probably didn't know about them.

"No. They're cards. For people." I pulled out a metallic one with Betty Boop on it, snickering to myself, as an example. I had always thought Betty Boop a bit of a pretty cartoon pin-up, but showing the three men this picture ... Her short red sweetheart necklined dress and a black cotton garter with a red cotton heart on the side, along with red heels, red lipstick and her curly black hair. She held her leg up a bit, her knee out, and her hand up near her lips as if blowing a kiss.

"Like this," I said, leaning over and handing Alban the card. He turned his head to the side, then tilted it back and forth, left to right. I restrained a laugh at this.

"What is it?" He asked finally.

"It's a card!" I shouted, "Obviously! I just said that, jeez." I turned back to my box and took out three large sheets of heart stickers, a sheet of Lisa Frank animal stickers and a sticker booklet filled with various types of stickers. I set them all on the other cushion, behind the box, and began to dig through for something ... "Found it," I said, pulling out a Valentine my six-year-old cousin had made me. (Well, that was four years ago, so, ten-year-old cousin ... he was six when he made it, though.)

It had a sloppy heart with a crooked arrow and a picture of me lying on my side. A stick figure me. And lying on my side, as in how most children draw their 8s, and mess them up. Just as I had when I was in kindergarten.

"What is it?"

Alban was really starting to annoy me.

"Nothing," I said, standing and walking over to Jasper. I tugged at his shirt until he paid attention and turned his face towards me.

"Yes?"

"I have to ask you something."

"You can't ask me like a normal person?"

I looked up at him. "Have you known me to be a normal person?" He was silent, as if thinking. He turned and pulled me off towards the kitchen, which was in fact open to the living room. "What do you need?" he asked.

"Well ... " I bounced on my heels and looked over at the two men sitting in arm chairs. "I want to bake a cake."

"Okay?"

"I need them to leave."

"What for?"

"A surprise. And I need blood."

" ... what for?"

"Which is better? Cow's blood or pig's blood ... ?" I asked myself but Jasper heard me, as was intended.

"Neither -- why do you need it?"

"I'm making a separate cake for Alban, so I wanted to put blood in it ... I mean," I looked over at him, "otherwise he wouldn't eat it and wouldn't get any nutrition. And it'll make it a pretty pink color."

"Charlot -- "

"Pig's blood!"

I turned my head over to see Alban looking at me. Had he heard me or just read my lips? Either one would be an impressive feat. "Okay," I said, nodding and waving my hand. I smiled at him. Jasper grabbed my shoulders and turned me back towards him.

"Charlotte, do not get into trouble."

I snorted. "Yeah, okay." Whatever, I thought, I'm not going to get into any trouble. Stop worrying, grandpa.

Only if you stop making me worry and listen, sweetheart, I heard his voice in my head. I blushed and glared.

"S-Stop reading my thoughts!"

He smirked in his way, making me hate him more.

"Stop making me."

------

It was quite hard to read a cookbook and create a cake at the same time, but I had done it before I can do it again. I turned the page, adding the three eggs, one teaspoon of vanilla and cup of sugar. I stirred it and stirred it until my arm began to hurt. There was a sudden knocking on our door, which made me jump out of my skin.

"G-Go away!" I shouted. "No one's home!"

"Charlotte," came an accented voice, "It's me. Let me in."

I ran through the kitchen, rounding the corner, down the short hall and to the clear-blue metal door and pulling it open. "Jasper," I said, smiling. My smile turned into a frown and my brow wrinkled, "Where's my blood?"

------

I elbowed the older man in the stomach, or the ribs (I'm not sure which), to keep him away. He kept trying to take over the whole operation to keep me from burning myself, but I refused him. Many times.

I had finished Liev's cake, a lovely vanilla bean pound cake with strawberry frosting, and Jasper's, an angel food cake with layers of whipped topping and sliced strawberries. I felt hungry just thinking about it. I was going with the whole pink and red theme-scheme to keep with Valentine's tradition. So I was finishing Alban's, adding cups of blood in the batter and mixing it until it was a bright pink and then dark red. Almost as dark as the blood Jasper had brought me.

I poured the cake batter into the mold I had prepared, which was in the shape of a pig (that I also had Japer pick up) and placed it into the oven.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, I think that's all ... " I walked to the island where I had set up the mixer and began to add butter and cream cheese. "You can go play chess or something."

"With myself?"

"Yeah ... don't you have an alter ego that can play with you?"

"What?"

"Mhm," I added powder sugar, licking the index finger of my left hand, looking over at him. "Jasper Green?"

In a moment he was beside me, his face against mine. "I've never told that to anybody, Charlotte. And I won't. Ever. So I'd appreciate it if you did not either ... " His hand traveled up my arm, "Please and thank you."

I blinked and he was gone. I was a bit shaken, but not deterred from frowning upon him and his actions. " .... Jasper you idiot! I hope you go die in a hole!" I kicked the wall of the island, immediately regretting it. "Gah!" I grabbed my foot and hopped around the kitchen. "Dang it!"

------

I had finished the blood red frosting for Alban's cake. It included butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and, well, blood. Lots of blood. The last of the blood Jasper had brought me. Now all that was left was a red-stained plastic container that was cold to the touch and smelled like copper. I set it in the sink and absentmindedly licked my finger. I spat out the liquid, "Blecch!" and shook my head. "Ew, no, that's gross. That's wrong." How did Alban eat this? Oh, right. It wasn't a choice.

I walked to the oven and checked on the cake. A few more minutes and it would be done. I closed the drawer, stood up and tilted my head up towards the ceiling. The kitchen that had once smelled like sugar, eggs and butter, along with vanilla, now smelled like pork, copper and burnt offerings. I felt a bit guilty and evil cooking with blood, but if the Scandinavians could do it then so could I! Or wherever they made blood pudding ... Blood sausage ... Germany?

I heard the doorknob rattle, the clinking of keys and then the soft metal scraping of the door opening. I held my breath, my heart beating in my ears. I ran out of the kitchen and turned to see Alban and Liev entering the apartment. I frowned then smiled then exhaled sharply. "Alban, what are you doing here?"

"I live here." He looked up from the white shopping bag he held. "Remember?"

"Well, duh," I said, "But I mean ... " I glanced at the bag. Tiffany's? "You weren't supposed to be back until later... Don't spoil the surprise."

"I won't." He began, smiling. His sharp teeth poked out from his lips. Suddenly the smile fell. "I smell blood."

Poo. "Ah, well, that's because I'm cooking. You have to wait -- "

Before I could blink, or finish my sentence, he was past me and in the kitchen. "Blood .. " he began. But he himself smelled of blood, so how could he tell? Surely his senses weren't that good? I ran after him.

"Alban!"

As he neared the oven I realized he would ruin the cake so I did the only thing I could do .. I ran after him and jumped on his back, tackling him. He spun around, "Let go!"

"No!" I grabbed his face, "Don't ... spoil ... the ... surprise!!" He fell to the ground ontop of me.

"Let go of me!"

"NO! NEVER! RAWR!!"

I hardly noticed when Liev and Jasper entered the kitchen, watching us wrestle. I believe they took some entertainment in this. Perverts.

------

I finished frosting the cake shaped like a pig and placed it on a white plate. No, wait ... I got a red plate from one of the glass cabinets and put it on the counter, sliding the cake carefully onto it. I put the pig shaped cake on a red plate. That was better.

Alban came into the kitchen but I picked up a drying towel and threw it at him. "Get out!"

"Ow! Stop it, please!"

"No!"

"It's not like the time I came into the bathroom when you were shower -- stop it!" He whined, his arms up to protect his face, which was after all, indeed, beautiful. "I didn't mean it! Nooo!" He ran out of the kitchen directly into the living room and hid in the arm chair. "I didn't mean it .. tell the mean lady to stop."

Jasper glanced from Liev to me. I smiled, leaning against the counter. "What?" He rolled his eyes so I stood up and glared. "Don't you roll your eyes at me, young man!"

I believe I had neglected to say I made fifty two Valentine's Day cards. One of Jasper, one for Alban, one for Liev, one for Juraj, Klavdia, Raina (even if they were only in my dream, which I am still not sure of ... ), Naome and the other ones are just ones I made because I was lonely.

I held them in my lap, sitting on the couch on my knees, and bouncing up and down. I was very excited. (Deja vu.)* Everyone else was not so excited. I didn't care though. "Okay, time for cards." I figured I was the only one who made cards so I handed one to Liev and one to Alban ... and tossed one at Jasper. He caught it with two fingers, his index and middle, of his right hand. He smiled at me, like he knew I was angry and why. That would be impressive, seeing as how I didn't even know why I was angry.

I smiled, biting my bottom lip to keep from grinning and looking a bit crazy. "You first Liev." He nodded his head, scratching his beard and clearing his throat.

"All right, young lady." He looked at the front of the card, which was red with a white heart made of tissue paper. He opened it and read it quietly. I knew what it said though:

Liev, Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you have fun today and enjoy your gift~

Love,

Charlotte Y

He closed the card and smiled at me. "Thank you."

I smiled back. "You're welcome." I turned to Alban. "Now you."

"Okay." He grinned back at me. He seemed almost as excited as I was now. The front of his card was bright red with a darker red heart in the center, with smaller white hearts around it. He opened it and read it out loud:

Alban,

Roses are Red

Violets are Blue

The flowers are dead

And I wish .. oh, well .. so are you.

(: Love you forever,

Charlotte

He snorted whilst laughing and smiled up at me. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." I turned my head to the side, smiling. I then turned to Jasper, my smile falling. "Jasper."

"Charlotte."

"Jasper."

"Yes, Charlotte?"

"Your card."

"Mm, yes." The facade of his card was plain white. No script, no hearts, no lace or anything. Apparently I had been angry at him longer than I thought. Obviously when I had made his card ...

He smiled a bit when reading it to himself. Why? All it said was:

the roses are dead

the violets are too

and I have nothing

To say to you

He closed it and looked up at me, the same teasing smile on his face. "Thank you, Charlotte. It was lovely." I glared at him.

"What's it say?" Alban asked, leaning over the arm of his chair and struggling to see Jasper's card, which he pulled away and put it on his lap, his eyes never leaving me.

"Just nothing -- " I began to explain.

"Something private." He said, cutting me off. Rude! "Very private," he added. I glared through my blush.

"Ooh. Really?" Alban asked, looking from me to Jasper, then to me, then to Jasper, then to me. "Really?" he asked again.

"No, not really," I said. I never lost focus of Jasper.

"Oh ... " Alban sounded a bit disappointed.

------

Alban had finished his cake before anyone else, after his squealing and hugging and ... crying. As much as a vampire can cry at least. I didn't think sugar would be good for him, as he would be eating a lot in both the cake and the blood, but he said it was fine. And you can't really get sugar-free sugar, so ...

I shared a cake with Liev, talking with him as Alban had nearly passed out from a sugar-cake-blood coma and was now lying on the couch. Jasper hadn't touched his cake, and was, in point of fact, missing. I hadn't seen him leave, but he wasn't around the apartment. Maybe in his bedroom?

"Excuse me," I said to Liev, sliding off of the barstool and smiling politely. I curtsied (as I was wearing a creamy white skirt with a strawberry pattern and pink piping along the hem and a light pink tank top, along with a small pink bow at the side of my head, my hair in pig tails) and walked out of the kitchen, down the short hall and to the shared bedroom used by the three men. There hadn't been room for four bedrooms in this spacious apartment, since it was intended for two or three people, so they shared a room while I got my own. Yes, I did feel guilty but it wasn't something I was going to worry about now. I had a headache and a stomach ache and my back hurt. I knocked on the door softly, but when no one answered I grew impatient.

"Jasper, you open this door -- !"

"He's not in there," I heard a voice. I looked down the hall towards the living room. Alban was sitting up on the couch with his head and face away from me. "He's not in his room."

"Oh." Then where ... ? I turned around, crossing three feet and knocked on my door. Waitaminute. Why was I knocking on my door? I turned the knob and pushed open the door. I stepped inside of the room, being enveloped in darkness.**

"What the .. ?" I felt the wall until I found the light switch and flipped it up. Six wall sconces turned on, their black glass lighting up to make them grey. The wallpaper was highlighted and the ceiling had spot lights, it seemed. "Ja .. " I noticed a body curled up on my bed, holding one of the stuffed bears I had received as a gift for my birthday last year. "Jasper."

He turned his eyes towards me, but other than that, did not move. I started to walk towards him.

"Don't come in unless you're talking," he said in a monotonely sad voice. I was silent. I closed the door behind me and crossed the room to my bed.

"Please."

"Please what?"

"Please get out of my bed. I need to sleep."

As he began to rise, I placed my hands on his forearms. "Ja -- Jasper! I was joking! I'm kidding. I'm ... " I inhaled, "I was kidding ... " He laid back down, his arm stretched out with his head resting on it, his other hand on the stuffed bear.

"I apologize ... " he said quietly.

"Oh shut up."

He looked back up at me. My smile had gone and was replaced by an irritated look. "You sorry sac -- " In an instant he was behind me. I felt his fingers on my neck along with something thin and cold.

"I wanted to give this to you earlier."

"What ... You never left. Except for the blood."

"I know. I had Alban get it ... "

I felt the cold metal slid around my neck, his hands made me shudder. Dead people were cold as well. He moved his hands to my shoulders once he had finished clipping the necklace on. He rested his head on my shoulder, sighing. "He's too big of a twat to know to hide it ... "

"Don't call him that."

"I'm sorry," he said, sighing heavily again and standing up. He turned me around so I was facing him. "I didn't mean to insult him, it's just ... "

"True?"

"Mhm," he said though a chuckle. "Despite your lack of vitality invested in my card, I enjoyed it."

"Good." I said, "But you weren't supposed to."

"I know. That's why I do." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. I reached up and touched the pendant of my necklace. I could feel the basic outline. A heart. I looked up at him when he pulled away.

"What color is it?" I asked in a whisper.

"Red," he replied quietly.

I smiled and stood on the tip of my toes, leaning forward and kissing his forehead. "Thank you."

"You're welcome ... "

"But I didn't get you anything ... "

"You got me the best thing there is."

"And what's that?"

"You."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Dork." I then stood back on my feet, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling his head down. "Happy Valentine's Day, Jasper-dork."

"Happy Valentine's Day Charlotte-love."

I giggled. "Whatever ... " He pulled back and we stared at each other for a short while. Finally I let go of him. "You know, there's still a cake out there ... "

"Yeah ... there is ... "

" .... and it is yours ... "

"Yes it is."

" ... wanna go eat it?"

"Yes."

"Okay!" I grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen. Alban looked over when we appeared.

"Wha ... " he stood and walked into the kitchen. "What is with you two?"

Jasper and I had begun to eat the strawberries off of the top of cake. I looked up at Jasper then at Alban. I began to giggle again. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

Alban's face scrunched up in confusion. He didn't know why I was suddenly so happy and I don't think he really cared. I knew Jasper didn't.

"Well .. " the vampire began, shaking his head, "Whatever."

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*I mean writing it ... it was a deja vu. Not the bouncing on the couch ...

**Deja vu again.