Stalker for Love

[amon_darknight]

~~Closed to WickedSpitFire~~

In a populated city in California, the night life was buzzing, people were out wining and dining, living there normal human lives. A man watched this from a rooftop and sighed as he paced the tops of buildings looking for something.

Food

Prey

Entertainment

Battle

No, this one was different, this Vampire as some call him, was looking for something far different. His eyes were on women, certain things he was looking for. He watched them drink, watched them talk, watched them eat, watched them party, watched them dance... oh how he loved to watch them dance. But that was not his primary concern.

He looked over the busy down town street as he ran his hand through his short black hair, his white dress shirt was clean and pressed under his long flowing brown jacket. The features of this one was amazing to those that saw him, mystic gold eyes, a smile that could kill, a face of an angel some said. His body was that of a god he has heard, solid abs, strong pecks, strong arms. But to him, he was just plain and boring... he has lived for so many years and knew any woman could be his. But that is not what he wanted.

He gazed to the night sky and sighed.

"Sometime..."

 

[WickedSpitFire]

Ruby loved California. It was where she was born, it was where she was raised. It's where she lived and she was certain it'd be where she died. It was her home, it always had been, for 26 years. It hadn't always been easy...she was an only child, her parents had died when she was young, and she'd practically raised herself. She'd tried a million different things, she tried going to school, she tried being a musician, she even tried modeling. That was the great thing about California. It was a place where you could do anything you wanted.

But Ruby settled on being a waitress. She occasionally got to play in the bar where she worked and occasionally made a buck off writing music. It was an edgier, rough kinda place but she made good tips at the joint. The bouncers actually did their job. Overall, it was a decent gig, it paid the rent. She had a good thing going. Good life, good friends. Doing a little of what she loved. Every day she had a smile on her face, and for her that was enough. She was content with it all.

It was just another weeknight. It was early, and it was slow. The bar was a little busier than the restaurant. But it would pick up. It always did.

Ruby hung out with the rest of the crew on the back patio. They all stood around, laughing, talking, the occasional swig of beer and cigarette being passed around. Her petite form stood, leaning against the brick wall, in her ragged black shorts and cut up button down uniform shirt. She was fit mostly due to the constant running around she did at work. It was always busy, and they were always short staffed, and she always had to hustle to pick up the slack.

Ruby was a natural beauty, but she didn't do much with it. She was content with her olive skin and complexion and wore no make up. She'd pinned up her long dark hair with an occasional curl falling in front of her hazel eyes as they all waited around for the usual customers to start trickling in.

 

[amon_darknight]

Charles looked down at a public restaurant he saw a lot of people often frequent. He watched as people laughed and talked outside and smoked. Charles jumped down into the dark alley behind the place. The cool breeze blew as he landed and he straightened his coat and ran his hand through his hair. He put his cool shades on and walked into the place. He had all eyes on him as usual as he walked through and tried not to make eye contact with anyone. The women all perked up as he walked by, there eyes drawn to him. Charles saw the bar and he walked up to it first. He looked at the people at the bar and he held his hand up to get the attention of the bartender. Charles didn't need to eat or drink, but he did so to fit in.

He looked around the room and saw all sorts of people, enjoying there time....
There time with each other...

Charles sighed again as he waited for the bartender. He was so alone in this world and he wanted something to change that

He let out a long exasperated sigh as he again ran his hand through his hair, he kept the sunglasses on as he looked around, seeing people drink and be merry.

 

[WickedSpitFire]

A few more minutes passed as everyone on the back patio procrastinated going inside and actually getting to work. Ruby especially. They were short staffed, again. They were always short staffed. But tonight she'd have to bust her ass waiting tables because there would only be her and another girl on the floor and no bus boy. She had her fingers crossed for a good night's worth of tips.

People slowly started trickling inside. There were customers scattered about, slowly filing in from local businesses and wherever else they happened to crawl out from. Ruby walked in, took an inventory as she looked around, stretched, worked up her usual sass, and got to work.

At first, she didn't notice him, she had a game plan going. People at the bar can typically help themselves so she wasn't really paying him any mind. Ruby made her her first round. She dropped orders off at the kitchen and found her way to the bar for drink orders.

She playfully hopped up onto a bar stool and sat on her knees across from the bartender, who - although there was but one other customer, didn't notice her.

"MIKE!" She called to the bartender. His attention snapped to her, he'd been more interested in his phone. "Come on, man, let's go, I've got a list of drink orders as long as I am tall."

"That's not saying much," he teased. They chuckled and Ruby stood once more. She glanced to her right as she went to sweep the room again, and that's when she saw him. He was attractive, but definitely the quiet type. She wondered why he hadn't been helped yet.

Calling to him, "Do you not want anything, or have you just not been helped, yet?"

 

[amon_darknight]

He heard a voice call out to him and he looked over to see a woman, short, long hair that begged to be let down from its pin, her eyes screamed "REST" as she looked over at him. She had a very beautiful face, she did not need make up, for she was all natural. There was something about her though, something he usually was able to read in people, what was it...

"Umm... yes I have not been helped, I was waiting for the bartender... but."

He again tried to read into her as she stood there, he saw impatient in her body language and he shook his head.

"I would like a drink, hows your night going? You looked over worked and tired... long day?"

He smiled at her, but small talk didn't look like it was on her mind right now.

"Oh... sorry, I am sure you don't have time to talk. I will take a glass of red wine, and leave the bottle. Bring me something with a crisp taste."

He shook his head as he thought about this. What was he doing.

 

[WickedSpitFire]

Umm... yes I have not been helped, I was waiting for the bartender... but.

Ruby shook her head. She was spot on. Definitely the quiet type. Anyone who knew the joint knew not to wait on Mike. He was a great guy, poured heavy, made a mean bloody mary...but he was a little dense.

I would like a drink, at that Ruby was off. The man wanted a drink, he didn't have one, she'd get him one. The rest of what he was saying seemed less important. Hows your night going? You looked over worked and tired... long day?

She whizzed behind him as he smiled and made her way back behind the bar. She didn't mean to appear rude to the man, but the reality was she had two dozen tabs going. It was convenient that he could tell without her having to say anything.

She stood across from him from behind the bar, ready to fetch him what he wanted. Oh... sorry, I am sure you don't have time to talk. I will take a glass of red wine, and leave the bottle. Bring me something with a crisp taste.

Ruby laughed. "House wine will have to do," she said as she grabbed a ladder. The red wine, the wine no one drank because it was more of a beer and hard liquor sort of place, was on a top shelf tucked away. She climbed up to get it, and dusted it off as she climbed back down. She poured him a glass.

"I'm not sure it's what you're looking for, but it definitely has some bite to it."

Ruby smiled to him sweetly, she hadn't intended to appear as tired as she was. His remark actually caught her by surprise, generally she masked it well. No one likes a tuckered out waitress. She caught an odd shimmer in his eyes as she stood across from him. She wasn't sure what it was, she just kept smiling.

"Anything else I can get you?"

 

[amon_darknight]

Charles chuckled as he watched her climb the ladder, he could already smell the wine from the bottle, a cheap wine. He shook his head as he looked to the waitress. He looked around and saw people drinking beer and hard liquor. Charles had class though, he was a gentlemen.

"Excuse me miss... do people here not partake in fine wine in this establishment?"

He took a slow drawn out sip of his wine as he swirled it around in the wine glass and he kept his eyes on the waitress through his sunglasses and he smiled at her. He suppressed his power of attraction and he kept his smile.

"Oh a bite it has, care for a glass mi'lady?"

He nodded at the empty glass on the bar.

"It is not good to drink alone."

He grinned at the waitress.

"What is your name mi'lady..."

He saw her as she had other duties to attend to and he sighed again.

 

[WickedSpitFire]

Excuse me miss... do people here not partake in fine wine in this establishment?

Ruby couldn't help but laugh. The place was anything but a "fine establishment." It was a hole in the wall. It was an awesome hole in the wall, to be sure, but that's really all that could be said about it.

"Most folks who come in here, don't order wine, no," she said with a chuckle.

She relaxed behind the bar, giving the man a moment of her time. The energy of the room wasn't pressing yet. Something about him was more demanding of her attention than the thankfully easy going customers scattered about.

Oh a bite it has, care for a glass mi'lady?...It is not good to drink alone...What is your name mi'lady...

Again, she couldn't help but laugh. There was something just so strange and so odd about him. He certainly didn't look too out of place, but 2 minutes into the conversation, and he most certainly was.

"God, what is this, some kind of blast from the past? What era do you think you're from?

 

[amon_darknight]

He chuckled with a soft voice.

"Oh I have not heard that one before..."

He smiled as he cleared his throat. He looked around a bit as he thought it was a little much, his laughter.

"Sorry... to much?"

He quickly changed the subject as he tried to compose himself quickly.

"What is the drink of choice around here mi'lady?"

He looked around and saw people drinking many a different drinks and he was a bit flustered. He did not want to seem different, he wanted to blend.

"What is your drink of choice?"

 

[WickedSpitFire]

Ruby rolled her eyes. She heard Mike call for her first drink order. When he called for her second she would have to make her rounds again. She looked to the man in front of her. He was nervous. Struggling. No matter how hard he tried he was going to seem out of place. No wonder he was so quiet.

She leaned in to whisper to him.

"Here's the trick, when you go to a bar, you ask for whatever's on tap. No harm, no foul, no ones the wiser, no one asks any questions, no one looks at you funny."

She took away what was probably the worst smelling bottle of red wine. She really shouldn't have even served him, but, he'd insisted. She replaced it with a glass of beer. It wouldn't be bad. It would be fine enough. Better than the wine.

"Here. Enjoy." She gave him a wink. "Relax why don't you."

Her second order was up and Ruby was off. She turned on her heels and made an extra effort to not appear tired. If the mysterious man at the bar could notice, so too could everyone else.

She made a good hustle and did well attending to everyone's needs.

 

[amon_darknight]

Charles grinned as she told him the trick and he nodded his head as she took his wine away and brought him a beer. He looked to this drink and picked it up as he took a sip. It was a different taste, this was not his first beer, but in another life he was a noble and he did not drink the peasants drink. He nodded at her as he watched her walk off. She had a bit of gusto in her step now as she tried to hide her weariness.

As he watched her move around the bar/restaurant he shook his head. He knew she was tired and he asked the bartender when he came out.

Charles: "Hey mate, might I ask you a question?"

Charles used a bit of his Vampire charm and Mike could not resist speaking to Charles.

Mike: "Can I help you buddy?"
Charles looked to him through his sunglasses, looked him in the eyes.

Charles: "Your help, that woman over there with long dark hair... please is there a drink that can give her a bit of energy maybe, some fine herbal tea or a ginseng drink? Maybe a break? You look to be the authority here, help her out."

He grinned at him as Mike considered what he said. Mike could not take his eyes of this man for some odd reason.

Charles: "That woman, what is the name given to her?"

 

[WickedSpitFire]

Hey mate, might I ask you a question?

"Can I help you buddy?" Miked asked, making his way down the bar towards the man.

Your help, that woman over there with long dark hair... please is there a drink that can give her a bit of energy maybe, some fine herbal tea or a ginseng drink? Maybe a break? You look to be the authority here, help her out.

Mike laughed. He didn't recognize the guy at all, figured he must be new. By his question he wasn't any sort of regular. "Relax buddy. This ain't her first day at this dog and pony show. She'll probly slam a Red Bull in a couple hours after the dinner rush."

Mike busied himself. He was an oblivious kinda guy. He was somewhat compelled to talk to this man even though he would normally keep to himself.

"And ain't nobody here that has authority over her. Least of all me."

That woman, what is the name given to her?

Confused by the formality of the man's statement, Mike hesitated as he tried to busy himself with his work.

"That's...Ruby."

Mike was a little curious as to why he told the guy her name. Ruby would probably kick his ass if she found out. Guys came in all the time looking for names, numbers, hours, any kind of info to get closer to some of the girls. The rule was to zip the lip when they came asking. An easily confused man, Mike was left scratching his head and wanting to kick himself.

 

[amon_darknight]

Charles looked to Mike as he seemed like he gave away information that he was not supposed to. Charles quickly tried to alleviate the situation.

"Don't wory mate, let me get you a drink and Ruby as well, whatever you want and a red bull for her. Sorry for being nosey, just wonderin who my servers are. Customer service is your top priority right mate?"

He took another long drink of his beer and sighed as he looked around again. He didn't want to seem like he was into Ruby, didn't want to cause problems with her if she had a mate or husband. Charles motioned for Mike.

"Hey mate, ill take the check now."

Mike brougt his tab over and he pulled forth his money clip out and he smiled. He put 50 in there and he handed back to Mike.

"Keep the change mate, you served me well. Good morrow"

Charles stood up from the bar stool and he walked over to Ruby as she was helping some of the guests. He handed her a hundred dollar bill rolled up so she would not know how much he gave her.

"Thank you, you have my grattitude fo your exsquisite assasitance."

He bowed to her, sweeping low and suddenly walking away from her out of the place. He siled as he walked away, she was nice. Charles wished he could have someone like her...

 

[WickedSpitFire]

Ruby smiled nervously, looking to the man she'd helped earlier and back towards the guests she was currently helping. It was an awkward situation. He was smooth and polite, but she and the table she was helping were both a little puzzled by his approach, and then even more so by his exit.

As he left, she stuck whatever he'd handed her into her pocket. Ruby would forget about it until she'd gotten home, where she would find it again with shock and surprise, puzzling her further. She apologized to her guests and went on with her work.

That night was like any other night. It was busy. Ruby hustled. She smiled, she was flirtatious and playful. Mike gave Ruby her usual red bull a little more than half way through her shift. By the end of the night she was sufficiently tired but certain she'd pulled in a fair amount of tips. Everyone began to clear out and she stayed behind to help Mike close up.

"Come on Mikey! Let's go!" She called to him as she waited for him. They walked out and down the quiet, dark street together. Summer was upon them so it wasn't as cool in the evening, it was beginning to stay warm into the nights.

Ruby only less than a mile from the bar, in a cramped downtown style apartment building. It was small, but it was quiet, and it was safe. She liked it. Mike walked her to her street where they said goodbye. Another 5 minutes walk and she was walking up the steps and entering her keys into the lock.

 

[amon_darknight]

Ruby...

Ruby was her name...

She had a wonderful name, a name that meant something...

A name that suited her...

Ruby... something that was beautiful and people sought after...

Wow, Charles was really thinking about her, he shook his head as he made his way back up to the rooftops. There he watched people more and saw them come and go, no other women looked interesting to Charles now, he only saw Ruby.

It was the later of the evening, and people started to go home from there nights on the town, the temperature dropped a little lower and Charles watched as Ruby came outside and Mike walked her home. Charles followed from a distance, he was quite skilled at stealth and being not seen, from the shadows he stalked as he had to take to the ground from time to time, but he was able to stay on rooftops for many steps. He had no idea she lived so close. He smiled when he thought of her words, few they were but they stuck in Charles's head. Mike was such a sweetheart, a protective man, he might have had feelings for Ruby... no, it was something more than that. He would have to delve deeper into him to surely find out. He smelled lust in the air at that moment and he looked to Mike...

No, not from him, but from the corner as they spied... Charles cracked his neck and watched, ready to take action.

The two sat and watched Ruby and Mike, with there lustful auras. Charles would have none of this. When Mike departed they moved to outside her small apartment and Charles already knew what they were up to. He jumped down from his perch on the telephone pole behind the two and from his back he had his one true weapon.

A military issued shovel, used for many different things, such as...

Charles: "Why don't you leave the lady in peace..."

WHACK!

Charles cracked one of the thugs right on the temple with the shovel and ducked a sloppy punch from the other thug. Charles quickly rolled forward and slammed the flat end of the shovel against the thugs right knee cap and he heard the bone crunch and the thug fell to the ground crying in pain. Charles quickly grabbed the two and dragged them off into the darkness of the allies. Both thugs were passed out, one from the crack to the head and the other from pain of his knee cap exploding. Charles laid them against the wall and stared at them.

"Wake up!"

His voice echoed through the alley as his eyes screamed rage, they glowed red as he stared them down. He saw there eyes pop open and they screamed with terror as Charles brought the shovel down again on the other ones foot, completely shattering every bone and the thug again passed out after screaming again in pain. Charles glanced over his shoulder, sniffing the air to see if company was coming. When he did not sense anyone, he leaned down and drained both victims of there blood. Charles wiped his lips and he spit on them both as he jumped up to the rooftops again, making his way to his home.

"I will protect you from the evil of this town Ruby... do not fear the dark..."

Charles watched her place all night till he sensed the sun was soon going to rise.

 

[WickedSpitFire]

That night, Ruby was glad to be home. It'd been a long, slightly odd night. She got into her apartment and locked it up tight. It was a safe building, but it wasn't the best neighborhood in the city. As she'd walked up the steps Ruby had gotten a strange feeling...something she couldn't quite explain. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and as she got inside she pulled the curtains and blinds closed as she walked through the apartment.

Safe and sound, concealed from the outside world, Ruby took a hot shower to wash off the grime from the bar. As she was getting ready to tuck in for the night, she remembered that she had something in the pocket of her shorts that the guy at the bar had handed her. Taking it out, she was shocked. She didn't quite understand...being handed a hundred dollar tip wasn't entirely unheard of, but it sure as hell wasn't very common. For anyone. Especially for no apparent reason.

Ruby sat on her bed and counted up her tips, like she did every night. She was a spontaneous kinda girl, so it bothered her a little that she'd settled into such a routine, but her life at the bar was hectic enough to make up for it. She'd done exceptionally well that night, considering the $100 bill the man had given her. As if something about him wasn't odd enough...his tip made him seem even more odd. There was just something about him she couldn't quite place. She wondered if he would ever come back into the bar or if he was just passing through.

She locked up her cash and crawled into bed for the night. It was around 4:30am, the sun would rise in a few hours, but Ruby had no interest in seeing it until some time after noon if she could help it.

 

[amon_darknight]

Charles could not sleep, he was too fired up from the kills, but yet he could not take his mind off Ruby. He looked around his apartment and held his head with his hands.

"What can I do... buy her off... I do not want to use my vamp charms!"

He kicked a box and sighed. What would it take?

He laid down on his bed and huffed and puffed as he tried to think. He reached over and had the large ruby in his hand and he stared at it.

"Ruby... Ruby... Ruby..."

He than fell into a trance. He slept till the sun went down and he was already out the door and making his way to the pub. He wore a brown leather jacket and a blue dress shirt that was tucked into his black dress slacks, his suspenders were black and his pocket watch chain was silver. Charles walked into the pub and he walked to the bar again. He saw Ruby and Mike at the bar, barely anyone was in here yet. Charles had this smug grin on his face as he asked a question. They didn't even know if they knew he was sitting there. He waited a few moments before saying anything.

"Hello, can I get a beer if it isn't too much trouble?"