Greg had brought his knee up and shifted sideways in his seat to watch Lissianna sleep when her eyes suddenly opened. She blinked at him sleepily, then peered around to see that the movie was over, the credits rolling on screen, and the movie theater half-empty. Her head turned slowly back to Greg, and she asked, "Why didn't you wake me?"
"You needed your sleep," he said simply.
Her eyebrows rose. "So... what? You were just going to leave me sleeping?"
Greg shrugged. "Until one of those guys with a flashlight threw us out."
"Ushers," Lissianna informed him. "That's what those guys with flashlights are called."
"Oh." He shrugged again, not really caring what they were called. Greg was more concerned with her. "How do you feel?"
Lissianna sat a little straighter in her seat and avoided his eyes, as she said, "No worse."
The answer just made him frown. He wasn't fooled by her choice of words. "No worse, means no better either, doesn't it?"
She simply glanced around the emptying theatre, neither agreeing, nor denying it.
"You need blood," Greg stated the obvious. "You're starting to look pale even here in the dark."
"Yes, well, you needn't worry unless I start to actually glow in the dark," she said lightly. When his eyes widened in alarm, she quickly added "I'm joking, Greg."
"Oh," he murmured, then stood to follow when she got up and began to lead the way out of the row of seats, then up the aisle.
Greg took her arm, his gaze searching for and finding a clock over the ticket counters. He noted the time with relief. "It's four-fifteen. Can we call your friend now?"
"Yes."
"Neither of us has a cell phone, or change for a pay phone," he pointed out. "Can you put the whammy on someone and make them loan us their cell phone?"
"Yes, but I think I'll ask first," Lissianna murmured, and started across the theatre lobby.
Greg trailed after her, unsure where she was going until Lissianna stopped by a man just disconnecting and putting his cell phone away. He found his shoulders straightening and his chest puffing a bit as he noted the guy could have been a GQ model. He had short blond hair, blue blue eyes, and was built like someone who worked out, but not so much he would become muscle-bound.
He's probably gay, Greg thought to himself, and scowled when the guy smiled with interest at Lissianna as she stopped before him.
Greg was still far enough away that he didn't hear what she said as she asked to use his phone, but he saw the hes-itant look that crossed Mr. GQ's face. Cheap bastard, Greg thought with satisfaction.
"It's a local call and I'll be quick," he heard Lissianna assure Mr. GQ as he drew closer. "I just need to call a friend to pick me up."
"Yeah, okay," Mr. GQ didn't sound too enthusiastic, but he did dig the phone out of his pocket. He even managed a smile as he handed it over.
"Thank you very much." Lissianna took the phone. "I really appreciate this."
"Always happy to help a beautiful lady." the guy said lightly, apparently deciding to make the most of it now that he'd agreed.
Oh please, Greg thought irritably. He paused behind Lissianna and put his hand on her shoulder in a possessive move that even he was surprised at. His shame at this sign of jealousy was replaced by satisfaction when he saw the disappointment on GQ boy's face as he realized Lissianna wasn't alone.
Ignoring the man, Greg turned to peer at Lissianna as she punched in a number and lifted the phone to her ear. She waited. And waited. She then bit her lip, her eyebrows drawing together as she appeared to listen to something on the other end. Greg guessed it was probably the answering machine when she said, "Debbie, if you're there, please pick up."
She waited again, then said, "I guess you aren't there. I'll call back later."
"No luck, huh?" Mr. GQ asked as Lissianna disconnected and handed back the phone.
"No, but thanks," Lissianna murmured.
"Thank you," Greg added, and took Lissianna's arm to lead her out of the theatre. He waited until they'd joined the shoppers on the Path before asking, "Do you think she's still sleeping and has the phone's ringer turned off, or has she gone out?"
"I don't know," Lissianna admitted, she sounded distracted. Her attention was focused on examining the faces in the crowd around them. It reminded him of their earlier near miss with the vampire Valerian. She was obviously concerned about being spotted again.
"We have to come up with somewhere safer to wait until we can reach your friend Debbie," he said.
"Yes."
She sounded tired, and he frowned with worry. Now that they were out of the dim theatre, he could see just how pale she was. She was also starting to appear gaunt, as if the nanos were running low on blood, so had turned to eating away at any fat in her system, and he wondered if they could do that. He forgot all about the question when he took a closer look at her face. She was gritting her teeth, and there were small lines by the corners of her eyes, signs of pain. She was suffering.
"You have to feed," he murmured, moving closer to her as he spoke so that he wouldn't be overheard.
"What do you suggest?" Lissianna's voice was expressionless. She was asking what he was willing for her to do and that was when Greg realized that if he hadn't been with her, she would have fed hours ago. Actually, if it weren't for him, she wouldn't be in this position at all, he acknowledged, but it seemed rather obvious to him now that she had refrained from munching on a passing shopper to keep from upsetting him.
"Feed," Greg said firmly.
She paused to peer up at him uncertainly. "Really?"
Greg nodded as he urged her to the side, out of the way of passersby. "You already told me you don't take more than a little per person. They won't miss it, and you need it, so go to the ladies' room and find a donor... or three," he added thinking she probably needed more like six or seven people, but she would know better herself. "I'll wait in the food court."
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For understanding," she said simply.
He shrugged. "I'm starting to think of it like hemophilia, Lissianna. You just use a different type of intravenous and bypass the blood bank."
Lissianna smiled and Greg found himself going still as she leaned up on tiptoe to press a kiss full of gratitude to his lips. At least, Greg suspected it was a kiss of gratitude for her, for him, just that light brushing of lips had him wanting more and he wrapped his arms around her as she started to withdraw, then deepened the kiss.
"Greg?"
Greg recognized his name, but preoccupied as he was he didn't pay attention.
"It is you! What are you doing here?"
The question was like an irritating fly buzzing around his ear and Greg would have been happy to ignore it, but Lissianna broke away from him to turn to the speaker. Sighing, he turned too and stared at the short brunette facing them. He was so stunned at the sight of his sister, Anne, that it took him a moment to respond.
"Well?" she demanded impatiently.
"What are you doing here?" he countered.
"Shopping." Anne gave the half dozen bags she held a shake, then raised an eyebrow.
"We're doing the same thing," he said quickly to answer the question.
His sister glanced toward their empty hands, then smiled at Lissianna. "Hi, I'm his sister Anne. And you are?"
"Lissianna," she answered slowly, her gaze shifting from Anne to Greg.
"Oh, what a lovely name," his sister said, then added with her usual bluntness, "but long. Can I call you Lissi?"
"Lots of people do," Lissianna agreed, her smile appearing more natural.
"Good." Anne turned back to Greg. "So? What are you doing here? You said you were going to be in Mexico this week."
"My flight was canceled," Greg blurted. "When I tried to rebook, I couldn't get another one until Wednesday, so I just canceled the trip."
"Uh-huh." Anne didn't sound like she believed him. "And you didn't call me because... ?"
When Greg stared at his sister blankly, Lissianna answered for him. "That's probably my fault, Anne. I'm afraid I've kept him rather tied up with one thing and another the last couple of days."
Greg choked at her choice of words. He'd been literally tied up.
"Really?" Anne was beaming. A born matchmaker, she obviously smelled romance.
Lissianna just smiled, then said, "I'll leave you two to talk while I visit the ladies' room. Excuse me."
Greg watched her walk away and turned reluctantly back to his sister.
"So spill?" Anne said at once.
"Spill what?" Greg asked, feeling suddenly hunted. His sister had him in her crosshairs.
She heaved a disgusted breath, then thrust her shopping bags at him. "Here, go find a seat in the food court and watch these. I suddenly have to visit the ladies' room, too."
"No, Anne, just-- Crap," he muttered, as she hurried after Lissianna. His sister would be all over Lissianna like a blanket, asking questions and preventing her from feeding, unless she fed on Anne. Greg blinked at the possibility. He rather liked the idea. Which was probably mean, he realized. Shaking his head, he turned and walked into the food court to find an empty table.
The food court was busy, but Greg eventually found an empty table and set his sister's bags down. He took a seat, and glanced toward the washrooms just in time to see Lissianna and his sister coming out.
"Well, we should have a coffee," Anne said cheerfully as she reached the table.
"Oh, we can't, thanks, Anne," Greg said quickly.
"Don't be silly, of course you can. I asked and Lissi said you didn't have any plans."
He glanced at Lissianna to see her offering him an apologetic grimace, but was more concerned by her pallor. Obviously--as he'd feared--she hadn't managed to feed with his sister trailing her. Greg turned back to his sister. "Yes, but--"
"I won't take no for an answer. You'll stay for coffee with me, won't you Lissi?"
Lissianna managed a smile.
"See," Anne said, taking that as a yes. "Come on, Greg, You can help me get the coffee while Lissi watches the bags and rests. The poor girl looks ready to drop."
Greg glanced from one woman to the other. When Lissianna gave him a sympathetic glance and waved him off, he sighed and stood to follow Anne.
"She's pretty," Anne said as she led him to a coffee booth.
"Yes," Greg muttered.
"Pale though. Has she been sick recently?"
"Er... flu," Greg lied.
"I could tell." Anne nodded solemnly as the person in front of them got their order and moved off. She stepped up to the counter and ordered a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant, then glanced at him. "What does Lissianna drink? Does she like cappuccino?"
Greg stared at her blankly, then admitted, "I don't have any money on me."
Anne stared. "What?"
"I forgot my wallet." It was the truth, but it gave him an idea and he brightened. "Actually, maybe it's good I ran into you. Do you think I could borrow some money from you for a day or two?"
"Sure." She opened her wallet. "How much do you want?"
Greg hesitated. They hadn't been able to go to a hotel because they hadn't the money, so had planned to beg a place to stay from Debbie. But they couldn't reach Debbie... which wouldn't be a problem if they could stay at a hotel. Taking a breath, he asked, "Could you loan me a couple hundred?
Anne's head jerked up in surprise, but after a moment she nodded slowly. "I'll have to hit an instant teller to get you that much. We'll swing by one after we have our coffee. I'll get the drinks."
Greg sighed as she turned back to the counter and ordered two more cappuccinos and two more chocolate croissants. She paid for the order, then turned to glance at him while they waited for them to be made.
"So? How long have you known Lissianna?"
"Not long," Greg said evasively.
"I asked her what she does, and she said she works in the shelter?"
"Yes. Social work."
"Mmm." Anne smiled. "Social work, psychology, they're pretty close. You two must have scads in common."
"Uh... yes." Greg said warily, then was relieved to see their order being set on the counter. "Here we are."
He reached past her to take the tray, then led her back to the table where Lissianna waited. They were silent as he set out their drinks, then set the tray aside.
"Mmm, this is good," Anne said as she tried her croissant, then she glanced from Greg to Lissianna, and said, "I didn't think to ask. How did you two meet?"
"Through work," Greg said at the same moment as Lissianna said, "Through family."
Anne laughed. "Which is it?"
Greg and Lissianna stared at each other, then he cleared his throat and said, "Both really. Her mother consulted me about a phobia, and I met Lissianna through her."
"Ah. So you've already met her mother," Anne said, as if it were significant.
Greg sighed inwardly, knowing they were toast. He had no doubt she would grill them unmercifully. And she did. He spent the next half hour trying to fend off questions and evasively answering those he couldn't stop. It was a great relief when she finally looked at her watch, and said, "Oh geez, look at the time. We have to get moving."
"We?" Lissianna blinked.
"Yes," Anne smiled. "I have to pick up Mom. We're meeting my husband at Casey's for dinner. But first I have to stop at an instant teller to get Greg... er... that money I owe him."
"Oh." Lissianna glanced at Greg, and he managed a smile that froze when Anne went on, "Actually Greg, if I stop at an instant teller it will make me late picking up
Mom. You guys don't have any plans, so why not join us for supper?"
Greg opened his mouth to try to bow gracefully out of the dinner, but Anne added, "It's been so long since you had dinner with Mom, and I'm sure she'd love to meet Lissianna. Of course, John and I will buy dinner, then I can get you the money after that. It would make things much easier for me."
Watchoo, he thought. Harpooned through the guilt bone. He cast an apologetic glance Lissianna's way and nodded a yes to his sister.
"I'm sorry," he murmured several minutes later, once they were seated in the backseat of his sister's car. He'd joined Lissianna in the back, claiming it would save moving when they reached his mother's, but really he wanted to talk to her.
"It's all right," Lissianna assured him.
"I suppose you didn't get to feed with Anne chasing after you into the ladies' room?"
She sighed and shook her head. "It was too busy anyway, full of teenagers. I couldn't possibly control them all while I fed on one."
"Well, when we get to the restaurant, go to the bathroom and give it another try. And if Anne follows you this time, bite her."
Lissianna's eyebrows went up at the suggestion, but before she could speak, Anne called out, "Here we are!"
Greg glanced around to notice they were slowing, and Lissianna hissed by his ear, "What if they're watching your mother's for us?"
Greg's eyes widened in alarm. He hadn't thought of that. For a moment he panicked and didn't know what to do. Then Lissianna unsnapped his seat belt and her own and pulled him down to duck in the backseat even as she did.
He felt the car turn right, then Anne brought the vehicle to a stop in what he knew must be his mother's driveway.
"What are you two doing?"
Greg and Lissianna glanced up to find her leaning over the front seat, staring down at them with bewilderment.
"Er... surprising Mom?" he suggested, and saw his sister blink, then she smiled widely.
"What a great idea! She'll love it. You guys stay hidden, I'll go get her."
Greg released a relieved breath as she disappeared from overhead, and he heard the car door close. His gaze slid to Lissianna who was kneeling in the floor space between the front and backseats, with her head on the backseat. As he watched, she began to chuckle.
Greg smiled uncertainly. "What's so funny?"
She raised her eyebrows. "Look at us. Did you imagine this situation before all this madness started last Friday?"
He smiled faintly. No, he certainly hadn't imagined a situation like this. His life had been incredibly predictable and boring. Now he didn't know what it was. Greg stared at her tired face and still found her beautiful Easing forward on the floor, he kissed her softly, sighing against her lips as Lissianna turned her head on the backseat to make it easier.
"Here we are."
Greg heard the word and the sound of two doors closing, but was learning he had a great capacity for shutting things out. He did so now, shutting out his sister's voice and concentrating on kissing Lissianna.
"I have a surprise in the-- Oh... er... Maybe I'll show you when we get to the restaurant," he heard his sister say over their heads and knew she was peering over the front seat at them. He couldn't care less.
Greg stopped kissing Lissianna long before they reached the restaurant; partially because kissing her and not being able to do anything else was terribly frustrating, and partly because he was starting to get a cramp from their confined positions. That was also the reason he rose up to sit on the backseat and said, "Hi, Mom."
There were several moments of surprised exclamation as Greg explained his presence there and introduced Lissianna, then they were arriving at the restaurant. As he'd expected, his mother seemed to like Lissianna on sight and chattered away to her happily, welcoming her as if she were family. John arrived shortly after they did, and Greg introduced Lissianna again. They had placed their orders and their drinks had been delivered when Lissianna excused herself to go visit the ladies' room.
Much to Greg's relief, Anne didn't chase after her this time and he began to relax, thinking she would be able to feed, when his mother turned a concerned expression his way and said, "She seems a lovely girl, son, but she's awfully pale. Are you sure she isn't sickening?"
"She'll be fine once she eats," Greg assured her honestly, then added the He, "She's a touch hypoglycemic." It was probably the wrong thing to do.
Lissianna's steps were clipped and hurried as she pushed through the door to the bathroom, but they stopped abruptly when she was confronted with a row of empty stalls and a counter full of sinks that weren't being used. The bathroom was empty.
"I don't believe it," she muttered, then turned and walked back out, only to pause in the small hallway leading to the bathrooms. Lissianna was hungry. Painfully so, and didn't think she could keep up a happy facade for Greg's family much longer without feeding at least a little on someone. Damn! Why hadn't Anne followed her, she thought with irritation. Greg had said she could bite her. Not that it was probably a good idea to bite your boyfriend's sister the first time you met her, but...
Lissianna blinked at her own thoughts and leaned weakly against the wall. Her boyfriend's sister? Greg wasn't her boyfriend. She wished he was, but he wasn't. And wasn't that interesting? She wished he was her boyfriend? But it was true. She did wish he was her boyfriend, that she could lay that claim to him. She really liked him. And she liked kissing him, too, and had found herself wondering what it would be like for him to do much more than kiss her.
"Oh yeah, you're in trouble, girl," she muttered to herself and knew that it was true. She was a goner. Had it bad for the doctor and knew it. On the other hand, he seemed to like her, too. Lissianna had noticed the possessive way he'd put his hand on her shoulder while she'd been talking to the guy with the phone. He'd definitely been staking a claim. She smiled to herself, thinking that maybe it would be all right. Maybe he was her true life mate. She could imagine living out the rest of her days with him. They did have a lot in common, liked the same things, and--
"Hello there, beautiful."
Lissianna straightened away from the wall, her thoughts scattering at that seductively spoken greeting. A tall, dark-haired man in jeans and a leather jacket was standing before her in the small hallway. He was good-looking and obviously knew it, and he was eyeing her up and down like she was a tasty treat.
"Are you waiting for someone, pretty girl? 'Cause if you are, I'm available."
She stared at him with disbelief, wondering if he often approached women outside bathrooms, and if so, if his lines actually worked. She was about to tell him to take a hike when she recalled her hunger and the empty ladies' room.
"You'll do," Lissianna decided, and took his hand to lead him into the empty bathroom.
The man was grinning like an idiot as she led him straight into the farthest stall and closed and bolted the door behind them.
"Oh yeah. I knew you were a hot one the minute I saw you," he said, reaching for her the minute she'd closed and bolted the bathroom door and turned to face him.
Lissianna smiled and slid her hand to his head, catching him by the hair even as she probed his mind, then took control of his thoughts. The stupid I'm-a-sexy-dude-about-to-rock-your-world smile died abruptly, leaving a very good-looking man, and she thought it was a shame that his personality wasn't as attractive as he was. Then she sank her teeth in his neck. She'd barely started to feed, when she heard the bathroom door open. Turning quickly, she shifted her dinner in her grip and lifted him in her arms as she perched on the edge of the toilet, settling him in her lap with his legs slightly raised so that his feet wouldn't show should anyone look under the stall door. She was glad she had, when she heard Mrs. Hewitt call out, "Lissianna?"
Heart jumping, she quickly withdrew her teeth, pausing to lick the wounds to be sure there would be no blood to hamper her when she went back to feeding before she said, "Yes?"
"Are you all right, dear? You were looking so peaky and taking so long and Greg said you were hypo-glycemic. I started to worry and came to check on you."
Lissianna rolled her eyes. It just was not her day.
"I'm fine," she assured her. "The bathroom was full when I came in and I had to wait."
"It was?" Mrs. Hewitt asked and Lissianna couldn't blame her for the doubt in her voice since it was completely empty now.
"Yes, they all left at once," she lied.
"Oh, I see. Well as long as you're all right."
Lissianna waited for the sound of the outer door opening and closing, but instead heard a stall door open and close next to hers and nearly groaned aloud. She couldn't possibly feed with the thin barrier of the stall all that separated her from Greg's mother. But there he was, right in her arms. He would ease the pain she was suffering, give her more energy. Besides it wasn't like she was a loud feeder. Lissianna sank her teeth back into her donor.
"This is a nice restaurant, isn't it?"
Lissianna retracted her teeth. "Yes." Her voice was slightly strained.
When silence followed, she went back to feeding again, sighing as the pain she was suffering began to ease.
''Are you hungry?" Mrs. Hewitt asked suddenly.
Oh God, yes, Lissianna thought, but merely mumbled, "Mmm hmm," against her donor's neck.
"So am I. I hope our orders are there when we go out."
Lissianna didn't bother responding and a moment later retracted her teeth, having fed as much as she dare from the man. She could have easily taken three or four more donors, but he would do for now. After they got away from Greg's family, she could find another donor or two. Maybe they could go to a club or something.
Sighing, Lissianna put the possibility away and concentrated on wiping her donor's memory and planting suggestions in his mind for how he'd come to be in the women's bathroom. Eager to get out of her stall before Greg's mother got out of hers, Lissianna then stood and turned to set the donor to stand on the toilet seat.
She flushed the toilet, mentally instructed the guy to stay crouched until he heard the bathroom door close as they left, then she slid out of the booth and sent him the order to bolt the door behind her.
"Do you know, I think you have a little more color in your cheeks, dear," Mrs. Hewitt said as she joined Lissianna at the sink a moment later. They chatted as they washed their hands and used the air dryer. They then left the room together, moving to one side of the hall to make way for an older lady coming the opposite way.
Aware that her donor was probably coming out of the stall even now, Lissianna grimaced, but kept walking. There wasn't anything she could do about it. Well, she could, but she wasn't willing to waste the energy and make up the excuses necessary to hurry back and prevent the woman from finding a man in the women's washroom. It served her donor right for picking up strange women outside of bathrooms. Really, a little embarrassment was nothing--she could have been a serial killer.
The meal had arrived by the time they reached the table, but Greg was missing. Before she could ask, Anne explained that he'd gone to the men's room. She'd barely finished saying so when Greg arrived at the table and took his seat.
"Sorry I took so long," he excused himself. "There was a bit of a disturbance as I came out of the bathroom. Some guy had gone into the ladies' room by mistake and a woman was hitting him over the head with her purse yelling 'Rape.' It took two waiters and four waitresses to calm her down and get the poor confused guy away from her."
"Oh?" Lissianna asked weakly. She ate without thinking, enjoying the flavors and textures in her mouth after so long on a liquid diet. However, she still couldn't eat as much as the others and the amount of food she left behind drew attention and comment from the others along the lines of it was no wonder she was so pale and so on.
The ring of a phone brought an end to the concerned murmurs and everyone fell silent as John pulled a cell phone from his pocket and answered it. He listened for a moment, then began to talk, discussing what was obviously work. Lissianna knew he was an accountant and that it was tax time for a lot of businesses he dealt with. When a child at the next table began to scream, he frowned, and said, "Hang on, Jack, I can't hear you. I'm taking you outside."
He stood, paused to kiss his wife on the way by, then moved toward the entrance of the restaurant.
They were all silent for a minute, then Anne suddenly
Said, "John and I were talking while you were all gone, and he suggested we just drive you home when we leave here, then you don't have to borrow money, Greg."
Lissianna was aware of Greg stiffening beside her, and understood his problem at once. They couldn't go to his apartment, it would certainly be watched, and he couldn't explain to his sister why he couldn't go to his place. She reached out under the table to pat his leg soothingly.
"Actually, Greg's car is at my place," Lissianna lied smoothly. She'd had two hundred years to perfect the skill, and though she tried not to use it unless absolutely necessary, it had been necessary more often than she cared to think about thanks to who and what she was. "We took the tram downtown."
"Oh, well where do you live, Lissi? We could drop you both there so Greg can collect his car."
Lissianna gave Debbie's address without even hesitating. If Greg couldn't borrow money, they had nowhere else to go.