So, as far as I know this is the only Cassie/Vlad fic on the net. If I'm wrong about this then I'll be happy to be wrong. Either way here is a Hack/Slash fic with lots of nice, touching, sexy Vlad and Cassie situations.

For those of you who don't know what Hack/Slash is - its one of the best horror comics around, and it stars Cassie (the Killer of Killers) and her hulking giant, butcher weilding, mask wearin', parter Vlad. Look it up, there are some great sample comics on the net - I suggest reading them, they are awesome.

Anways, before you read this I'd like to thank Lucidique for not only beta'ing this story for me, but also turning me onto the comics series in the first place.

Disclaimer is - that I do not own Hack/Slash, nor any characters.

Enjoy!

"No...well, I suppose, but why n-...yeah...hnn'yess. No-no that makes...sense? Yes! It does make sense. Alright - yeah...I will. Bye." The phone 'beeped' and whatever elseGeorgiawas trying to say ended. Cassie had already listened to her repeat her theory about five times and damn if she had to hear it for a sixth.

It'd been an uncomfortable but...necessary phone call, right?

Perhaps it was stupid to have called her about something like this, but before things went sour between them - Cassie could talk to Georgia for hours on end...even give up food money for more minutes with the dusky girl, but maybe she should have braved the staircase and talked to...Lisa…ugh no, that sounded like a terrible idea as well.

Cassie pursed her lips, making an annoyed suckling sound while letting the phone drop on the tile floor beside the bathtub. Her eyes rolled to the rectangular window above the tub; annoyed and resentful as she sank further into the water with a tired groan. She was no better than she'd been thirty minutes ago. This was almost worse than being sent to Nef...worse than when she'd pathetically ignored Georgia's advances...worse than...no - not worse than the Lunch Lady - but it was pretty damn close.

This feeling wasn't really something she was terribly used to - even the emotions she had for Georgia weren't this confusing, and even having her spell it all out over the phone just now didn't really enlighten much else for Cassie Hack.

Things were different, and that difference didn't seem good...or bad? Yeah, it was bad...real bad.

"Ugff..fw..fff..f..!" Her disturbed whine ended under the water, sinking into the warm bath as if to escape this like she wished she could escape everything else. Bubbles tickled her cheeks under the water, blowing out loudly above her head while she squeezed her eyes forcefully against the fluid. If only warm water could dispel inner monsters like she'd wished her blankets could have as a child - then everything would be 'normal'…for at least the seconds she could stand holding her breath under the bath water.

The worst part of this was thatGeorgiawas right...she was always right - well no, she wasn't but...she was right about this. There was no other explanation for the way Cassie had been acting…especially for the way she was acting right now – like some hormonally charged teenager.

That tight-knotted feeling distended into her chest again - the memory of what she'd seen of Vlad and Gertrude surfacing just as fresh as when she'd peeked at the scene thirty minutes ago – well…that feeling was only explained by what Georgia mentioned, or maybe she was just jealous...but of who or what? Did she envy Vlad for having sex while she remained confused and nervous about the whole thing? Or was she jealous of Gertrude for having sex with Vlad...and it not being with her?

Her whole mind was a back and forth ferris wheel; never letting it's occupants (in this case her thoughts) rest at the bottom, just egging them from side to side like some sick carnival prank.

Cassie could still see Vlad having...'the sex'...with the aging groupie; lying under the blondes rotating hips with a sweet'n'sour expression on his face.

Was he in pain? - it had been her initial thought, but then (through the crack in the door) she'd seen one of Vlad's hands curl around Gertrude's hip, pushing her against him...and then he'd started to moan and wheeze…but not in any way she'd ever heard him do. Only when she'd caught sight of Vlad's eyes opening sharply with a heavy breath escaping through his bridged nose - did Cassie flee to the bathroom, as if the bathroom was some pristine location that she could cleanse her eyes out in.

No matter how long she kept her head under water, eyes open and burning, she just couldn't get the sounds and sights of her best friend out of her head. What he was doing had looked...very...very...good. She'd never seen Vlad look so...

...hell Cassie didn't know how you'd describe a look like that; pinched like he was in pain, but obviously happy and pleased. She wanted that; Cassie wanted what Vlad was probably still feeling right now.

She'd immediately run the bath, hoping that the sound of the running water would drown out the echo of Vlad's winded sounds and Gertrude's moans. It hadn't, at least not in her head anyways…

Cassie imagined for just a second - herself in Gertrude's place, but that just made her gut churn in an alien and hot way. Vlad was her friend...the best one she'd ever had...and she couldn't bring herself to tarnish him like that...yet…he was the one having sex, not her...and she wanted to have sex as well...more now than she'd ever wanted to before.

Even though nothing in her life had lead a relatively normal/predictable path - Cassie didn't like the violation of something that'd she'd found comfort in. Her relationship with Vlad had been the longest running normalcy since she was six years old - the idea of that one changeless thing being ruined didn't bode well for her state of mind; threatening to ruin everything, and the fact that it would be ruined because of some weird hormonal sex thing was just even more irritating.

Why couldn't she have felt this way before Vlad had accepted he wasn't her boyfriend, or going to marry her, or have 'the sex' with her. Why could nothing just go right... just once? Vlad loved her as something more than a friend at one point - Cassie knew he did. He'd spoken to her those three words when Evil Ernie had been after them...but what had she done? - blown up at him, accusing him of being just like everyone else out there…that all he wanted was to fuck her. But Vlad wasn't every other man…wasn't like any other man. The rest of the time she'd casually ignored his sad eyes or denied it all together when ever things between them felt a little to intimate.

With her thoughts reeling and with no conclusion in sight - Cassie realized the most she could do tonight is just hang tight in the bathroom until all chance of hearing anything on her way back to the guest room had vanished - it wasn't like they could still be...(she blushed deeply)...after an hour...right?

"...No...impossible..." She forced a half-hearted grin on her face; a desperate smile that sucked just feeling it on her face.

With her fake smile she finished her bath; willing her mind to focus on anything...as long as it didn't involve a certain monstrous man just down the hallway…or the woman who he was sharing a bed with.

Cassie managed to scrub her skin clean - if not noisily and irately until she was pink and squeaky. It'd been about an hour and some change when she crept down the hallway; covered in Lisa's pink bathrobe, a towel around her shoulder and hair drenching whatever it could touch.

Yes, she had already decided she would quietly walk past Vlad's door and keep to the stark shadows and act as if it didn't even exist...but...the door was still cracked open, just begging for her to take a peak. Nothing was moving against the light from the window and everything was deathly quiet. A pang of relief managed to grow inside her...at least until a gleam of light skimmed over a large moving shoulder.

"Cassandra?" Oh god...oh shit oh shit! He didn't sound like he'd even been asleep at all.

Cassie paled - her face dropping and eyes mounting into saucers. No no no! She bolted from the door, hiding herself in the guest bedroom with the kind of lightning speed she'd normally use to escape Slashers - only remembering at the last second to shut the door as quietly as possible. Something about this felt very camp-horror-show-like; the way she braced against the back of the bedroom door like she'd just escaped the grasp of Chucky himself. Her eyes darted around; expecting to hear Vlad's heavy footfalls coming down to check on her. After a minute of silence she sighed heavily and let her body slide down the door; wet hair leaving a shiny smear on the wood.

Whatever just happened...did not happen. She did not just get caught by Vlad peeking into the room he'd shared with Gertrude...no.

As expected, it took her an hour or two to even entertain sleep. She'd paced in the room; naked and embarrassed beyond all hell. After thirty minutes her embarrassment turned into anger, and she plucked her bat from the corner; dragging it behind her as she motioned around the room. A few times she swung her baseball bat through the air, climbing on top the bed and bouncing with bottled up...something (some emotion she wasn't too sure was 'normal').

What was she going to do tomorrow? - and would it come if she just refused to sleep?

"...Of course it will you moron," she griped at herself, scratching an itch along her wet scalp. She'd worked her brain out too much today - it was time for sleep, wanted or not.

"Damn it Vlad..." she whispered, having crawled under the covers with the largest of the pillows curled in her arms. With a strong squeeze to the downy object, she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep, hoping above all that she dreamt of her dairy nightmare and not of Vlad and his not-in-pain-pinched face.

A hot cup of coffee chinking against the class bed-stand was what woke her at first, but it never really felt as if she'd been asleep at all. The whole night she'd tossed around for a better spot, but every time it just felt like there were potatoes stuffed under the mattress or...something else ridiculous along those lines.

Before Cassie could open her mouth to ask, Lisa's voice confirmed her suspicions, "Yes, it's decaf, and it's almost eleven."

"Eleven...?" Cassie groaned and rolled on her back, releasing the - by now permanently molded - pillow from her grip.

Her and Vlad were suppose to be on the road by nine...so much for that plan. Speaking of Vlad... Ugh, why did she have to think of anything at all right now, especially of him - now she wasn't just thinking of Vlad...but of Vlad with Gertrude and what she'd done with...him...with those...hips...

"...Vlad..." She'd barely heard herself speak his name, but Lisa had heard, and her resulting "hmm..?" made her pale like she had the night before. Cassie Hack was finally going insane.

Avoiding the embarrassment or the obligatory explanation, Cassie sat up in bed quickly muttering a "nothing" before milking her coffee.

Lisa was a smart girl - she understood when not to push something and sure enough - after pulling back the pink blinds she gathered up the damp towel from last night and made for the door.

"Should I tell Vlad you'll be ready soon? I've already fed him. Pancakes...I don't think he's ever had them before."

"Uh..yeah. Pancakes...I'll be down in a bit." Cassie spoke against the lip of the puppy-drawn coffee mug, curling the sheets around her chest at the mention of his name again. Never had Vlad given her the Heebie Jeebies, not even when she'd first fought him. Now after all this time she was left feeling anxious about something as mundane as a day of driving with him.

Not good Cassie, not good at all...

After dressing in the clothes she'd worn the past week - she went downstairs, where thankfully Gertrude wasn't. Vlad was on the couch with Pooch, a cup of coffee dwarfing in his hand as he gave her a big closed-eye smile.

"G'morning, Cassandra." He sounded happy and at ease...and the worst part was that Cassie knew why.

Would her own tension drain from her if she'd done the things...Vlad had done? Was that the appeal of sex? She'd known he'd been meeting up with Gertrude like this...but only now that she'd been witness to it did it really hit her what the whole thing meant to her.

...and to think she'd thought of giving Vlad a high-five when she'd found out he lost his virginity.

Her thoughts didn't transgress onto her face; which was stern as she glanced at Vlad. His smile had started to drop at the unfriendly look her face, but she forced a thin-lipped smile before his smile was completely lost and muttered a "g'morning" before ducking into the kitchen to dispose of her used coffee mug. Great job, just make him feel as awkward as you do, you're a great friend Cassie...the best.

In hindsight, as Cassie sat in the passenger seat - about two miles away from Lisa's - she realized it was probably pretty rude to have just left like they did.

Vlad was hunched in the driver's seat of their hearse; thick fingers curled around the steering wheel and blue eyes darting curtly ahead on the road. Lisa had packed them both a couple sandwiches each which Cassie had seen her place against Vlad's chest before biding them a safe journey. Cassie hadn't done more than leave the good'ol Doctor a wet towel and a couple dirty dishes in her sink...she really needed to call the red-head in a couple days and apologize, though something told Cassie that Lisa had a good idea what the problem was.

A radio broadcast interrupted her thoughts for now; one that had a caller that sounded like a teenage boy ranting on about the SKK: Serial Killer Killers... Yeah, that was them.

Vlad turned up the radio a bit when a roar of distant thunder cut across the sky. The clouds were turning grey the further north they drove, but that wasn't what worried her.

The rain meant that -

Cassie turned to see Vlad shucking his mask on, snapping the straps against the back of his scalp with a 'slap' of a noise.

Yeah...

His deep wheezing was muted down to a soft hiss under his mask as he drove silently on. The first pats of rain struck the windshield in star-shaped patterns - it came on slow until suddenly the sky opened. Vlad's heavy breathing increased as time crept on, almost overpowering the radio as an old thrash song came on. With the rain, the static was heavy during some instances, but it was better than nothing.

They'd been driving for over three hours before any of them spoke, and of course Cassie wasn't going to let it be her.

"Would you drive? I'm hungry." The rest of his sentence paused with a tight breath until he found the span to continue. "Hurr…hrrmm...Lisa made ham sandwiches."

Food did sound good. Cassie hadn't stayed long enough to partake in the stale pancakes that morning, but she didn't say anything. Her voice stuck in her throat, and even though she could have answered him if she'd wanted, she didn't. Instead of saying 'sure' or 'yeah Vlad, no problem' - she waited until the silence made him throw a glance over at her. When his eyes caught her she nodded shortly, turning her eyes back to the road just as quickly.

Minutes later when Vlad pulled over they changed seats, which until now had never been a problem...but this was the new hearse, not the van, and things were somehow different for her. When her back rubbed and drug along his chest as they'd switched she had to stop herself from recoiling. When the deed was done she slumped in the driver seat for a few minutes as Vlad lifted his mask to dive into a ham and cheese sandwich. While she sat, shoulders curled and hunched, she stole a couple looks at Vlad as he stuffed the last edge of food in his mouth. He was as oblivious and innocent to her inner turmoil as always when food was involved.

When he took to his second sandwich she decided to quit pussy-footen around and drive - so she did and stepped on the gas with a tiny sneer.

"That was better than gas beef burrito, yes?" She didn't answer him, just kept driving through the torrential rain as thunder and lightning lit the sky. Sheet lightning and veins of the more deadly variety cackled in the distance. They would have to find a motel room for the night if they didn't drive out of this muck soon, and thankfully this time she wouldn't have to sell anything important to get them a room. For once they had a couple hundred bucks in their pockets.

"Cassandra. Are you okay? You don't touch your food."

Cassie looked down between them for a second at the two saran-wrapped sandwiches, balancing on a folded paper bag. No, she'd forgotten about the food, and an immature stubbornness told her not to eat...so she didn't. If she didn't explain herself then he'd be sure something was bothering her. She had to have broken her silent streak at some point right? - so what better time than the present.

"No- I mean...Yes, I'm fine, just not hungry." Her attempt came out strained. Quickly she cleared her throat and forced a weak smile on, giving him a terribly reassuring glance. He'd looked dumb founded at her; wide mouth parted and eyes searching her. "You can have one if you're still hungry. My...stomach hurts."

"No. You will be hungry soon." The sheer conviction in his voice almost had her smiling, but then she remembered she was annoyed...very annoyed and very confused. "But maybe I can have your twinkie, yes?"

Vlad. He really was the sweetest guy on the planet, maybe not the most handsome...well...maybe a part of her had found him oddly appealing even when she'd thought she was into girls.

Cassie couldn't hold back the tilt of her lips as she glanced at the hopeful smile on Vlad's face as he waggled the yellow spongy snack between his fingers, fingers that were almost as wide as the twinkie. "Sure you can, Vlad." He'd made a content yet constraint noise in his throat. The mask was slipped back on just as soon as the yellow treat disappeared past his lips, followed by a bout of heavy sounds and small coughs. A motel was definitely in their future if he kept that up.

It would have been hard to imagine someone like Vlad doing the dirty, even after she'd seen it herself. His attitude and innocent mannerisms just wouldn't budge for her imagination to think of what it would be like having sex with him...or would it be making love, likeGeorgia had called it? That was something to think about, Cassie figured.

"Do you want to pull over until the rain stops?"

"No..it's just a couple miles till the next exit, we'll find a pit stop for the night there."

"What about money for our pancake breakfast?"

Oh Vlad. Cassie couldn't stay sour any longer - she grinned over at him and flicked the radio off as a raucous bout of thunder roared over head. "Listen big guy, we won't be eating anything in the morning if you can't even breathe through the night. Motel it is, and no arguments."

There was a breath of silence, aside from the muted hissing of his wheezes through his mask. He'd never argue with her unless her life was on the line, and this...well this was something he'd agree with silently if nothing else. "Fine, but we have one bed. I'll sleep on the floor. I'd like to share pancake breakfast tomorrow."

"Vlad, pancakes are cheap. I don't think two double beds over one will make or break your sugar-filled breakfast in the morning."

Again there was silence, and Cassie had decided that the conversation was over when she took an exit down to the cheap Moonlight Motel (how cliche), but Vlad crossed his arms suddenly and let out a hardy wheeze. "One bed. I sleep on floor, yes."

She sighed, turning the car into the motel parking lot with a wet screech. With her eyes starting to burn from unblinking on the road and the way her belly grumbled - she just couldn't be bothered to do much more than agree. If he wanted to curl up on the floor, then fine, let him. "Alright you win, your negotiation skills have bested me."

As she opened the door she heard Vlad grunt. "Hrmm..hrr...here." He'd removed his heavy mottled-trench coat as her fingers curled around the door handle. Her left leg was already getting assaulted by the rain; creating a wave of goose flesh to creep up her arms and limbs. He was handing his coat out to her; corded muscles exposed and already tensing in the cold humidity. Belatedly she took it, pausing as if it was the first time she'd seen his power under the thin pock-marked shirt he wore. Cassie remembered, before gulping down a ball of spit, to smile before covering herself from head to toe in the musky article of clothing.

She'd done as she'd agreed, getting one room with one double bed, cable, phone and heat. After paying and retrieving the key she motioned to Vlad inside the car - with its foggy windows and radio lights still on. Vlad turned off the radio - the throbbing music dying immediately before he stepped out into the rain and followed her to the room. Poor guy was gonna need to dry out his mask and...

Cassie saw his white shirt soak in the pounding rain, sticking to him more than it normally did. Yeah, she definitely wasn't into girls...at least not exclusively...

"Hhrrrmmm...Thirteen. Hur hur... Good sign, yes?"

Their room number was thirteen and while Cassie wouldn't say it was a good sign - it was definitely interesting enough to note on. She thought of saying something witty; a one liner to ease the heat in her cheeks but nothing came to mind - so she just shoved the key in the door and filled the gap with the squeak of the hinges as it opened to a dark and cold room.

"You go dry off Vlad, make yourself comfortable. I'll get this place as toasty and dry as the bowels of Nef."

"I hope not...hrm."

When the dial on the space heater - which she'd drug around to the end of the bed – was fitted as far right as possible…only then did Cassie take a seat on the edge of the bed. She'd hung up Vlad's coat on a wall pick besides the door, dripping slowly on the yellowing carpet. The whole room was a shit-hole, but at least Vlad would get his pancake breakfast in the morning. And hell, if the storm followed them Cassie was sure they'd have enough for another night or two…if they could live off cheetos for the next week that is.

While Vlad shuffled around inside the small bathroom – Cassie looked around the room; surveying the grit in the trim and the reflective sheen of cleaner across the black TV set.

TV sounded good but she wasn't sure if she was ready to fight Vlad over which of the late night shows to watch right now or not. A rattle brought her attention back to the bathroom door. Vlad was apparently having a difficult time in there, knocking over tiny bottles of shampoos, banging his elbows against towel racks…or something along those lines. The sounds - as they escalated with a heavy grunt - had her falling back on the bed with a contented sigh. This was how it was supposed to be – comfortable…not awkward like some teenage drama flick. Finally the tension in her body was loosening.

"There is a rubber in the toilet…" Vlad's amused voice came out muffled through the shut bathroom door.

Gross…

Cassie groaned, rolling on her side; back facing the bathroom as his hoarse voice birthed a few short chuckles…then the toilet flushed loudly. At least he seemed to be breathing better if that meant he was laughing…

Suddenly the door opened; releasing the noise of a draining toilet bowl.

Cassie peered simply over her shoulder at the noise; nose wrinkled as Vlad coughed. Inwardly she recoiled on herself – Vlad wasn't wearing his shirt…which…should not have been a deal…let alone a big deal. She'd seen him plenty of times like this and never did it make her uncomfortable…so it wasn't going to now…she refused.

He had his mask in his hand, smiling as he took in a heavy, relatively clear breath while walking besides the space heater – his smile growing the closer he got to the heat.

"Hot..hur..hur," he chuckled again - albeit a bit roughly – as he fell/sat on the floor against the edge of the bed, just beside where Cassie's bare legs were hanging off.

Quickly she pulled her legs back on the bed at the feeling of his body heat against her skin, crossing them as she stared down at his hairless deformed skull with a cocked brow. Before speaking she cleared her throat as silently as possible. "Too hot for you buddy?" The words came out as itchy as an ant bite as she pawed for the TV remote behind her. Yeah, that hadn't sounded weird.

"No, it is nice. You are warm and comfortable, yes?" Vlad's head was tilted back against the soft bed, eyes looking as though they were shut. Still his breath came out as even as it ever did, and that was enough to ease a bit of the tension welling back up in her limbs.

"...Yeah." She hadn't meant for her answer to end in the tone of an uncertainty. She stifled the awkwardness with the press of the remote, the TV making a thick sound before fading from black to static. The TV set wasn't in color; something they'd had the pleasure of dealing with on many occasions due to the cheapness of the places they tended to camp out in.

Outside the storm raged on, whistling against some of the hanging signs outside. Ever so often a cackle of thunder would follow a burst of lightning from behind the drapes, illuminating the carpet and span of wall the window was cut into.

Channel after channel came up fuzzy – the sound shitty at best. Each press of the button landed on something no better than the last until she even heard Vlad sigh in displeasure.

"There is always slapjack."

Cassie didn't know if she could play slapjack with Vlad without his shirt on right now. In fact, she wanted him to stay right where he was, then she wouldn't get distracted by all the honed muscles littering his torso. It was turning into one of those times where she said to herself 'just one more channel' – just to see if it would be the one where everything would come in clear, and yes. She'd been right. The channel she'd flipped to indeed came in clearer than the last thirty two, but it'd been a terrible gamble.

What came on was one of those late night softcore porns, nothing more than dry humping and naked breasts, and if she'd had a level head at all she may have laughed at the cliche that the very notion of this was. Two people, escaping a storm to a motel, and porn. But the first thing she did before slamming her thumb down on the 'off' button was let out a mousy yelp of mortification. The scene of the naked girl tiptoeing up to some undisclosed man minimized into a small center square before disappearing completely, but the damage had been done. Shit...

"Hrmm. That looked nice."

Cassie could hear the mild disappointment in his voice. She hung her head, partly to hide her red cheeks, but also to will the infiltration of new fantasies involving a certain monstrous man and herself out of her mind. What was wrong with her? This was even worse than when she'd imaginedGeorgiain place of that college girl... Way worse. So much so that she wanted to run, run as far away as fucking possible.

Suddenly she leveled her shoulders, staring hatefully at the void TV set prior to scrambling off the bed, practically sprinting out of the motel room and slamming the door behind her, leaving a very perplexed Vlad staring after her on the floor.

"Cassandra?" Vlad stared at the door, wide eyed and mouth half open. Something was wrong with her and whatever it was couldn't be helped by him trying to act as he always did. He'd thought that acting normal would provide her with enough comfort to ease whatever her worry was, but maybe she needed to be alone? He could always go sleep in the car if that's what she needed…She hadn't acted this distant since her father died, and that time he'd had to call Georgia…(not his best memory).

Now with a frown on his face he turned to the blank TV. Had the naked girl bothered her so much? Maybe his comment hadn't helped this time, or maybe it was something else entirely, something that had happened yesterday? Vlad couldn't remember her acting this way as of this morning.

With a slight wheeze he pawed up to his feet, still feeling tense from the eight hour car ride. The van had been big enough for him…but the hearse was... It was 'shit storm', as Cassie would say.

"...Hrmm."

He thought about taking the hair dryer to his pants as he walked over to the door. They stuck to his thighs like tight straps every step of the way. The closer he got to the door the louder Cassie's voice got. What? – Oh. She was talking on her phone.

Vlad frowned deeper, knowing who it was she was talking to and subsequently feeling that sickness in his chest again. He knew not to eavesdrop on his friend, but he was worried, so he leaned back on the wall beside the door and listened for anything that would enlighten him to her troubles. Through the rain, the door, and his own raspy breath he couldn't get out much, just a few short words and the exacerbated tone of her voice.

His coat was drying on the wall beside him; wet and musky, but smelt more of her suddenly than it did him. Cautiously, while keeping one ear on the one-sided conversation, Vlad leaned in to sniff his coat discreetly. Yes...it smelt like her; like syrup, or something close to it at least.

'Vlad...'

He stopped with his nose half buried inside his coat at the sound of his stifled name. They were a team, inseparable, and normally hearing his name when Cassandra spoke to others wasn't anything to be worried about, but her normally leveled and confident voice was now tense or even harsh. Was she angry with him for wanting to watch the naked girl on the TV screen? Was it having to get this motel because of his weak lungs? ...Or was it something worse?

Softly he pressed his ear to the door; holding his breath as he listened intently for what it was that ailed her. It was all quiet for a minute or so – just her short murmurs and agreements. The next few words he made out didn't make sense: feel, to, make, want...

Still he listened, and just when he was about to let shame lead him away from the door he heard the word 'sex' followed almost immediately with his own name. Cassandra seemed to say more after that, but all Vlad could do was stare ahead at the blank wall, repeating the way she'd said his name after saying the word 'sex'. Did she want to make the sex with him? Or was she complaining about him keeping her from the sex, getting in the way?

No, no... Not that. No.

The more he listened, the more his heart raced. She wanted to have the sex with him. He was sure of it now. She'd repeated his name over a few more times, along with the other word that made his stomach clench; knowing how it felt now, and ever since then, wanting nothing more than to do it with her... But hadn't she already ignored him when he'd mentioned it before? Didn't that mean she didn't want him the way he did her?

Vlad, in his internal turmoil, barely managed to hear a barely audible 'bye' from behind the door before the knob started to turn. With a speed that he himself was impressed with he jogged to the bed, wheezing harshly as he planted his bottom on the bed just before the door opened.

To Vlad, he thought he was being rather inconspicuous, but unfortunately, to Cassandra he was as readable as an open and large print book. He was staring with wide eyes at the blank TV, hands on his knees, legs at perfect ninety degree angles, and body stiff as... As something else.

He breathed out raggedly through his high-set nose, seeing a slightly soggy Cassandra silhouetted by the lamp-lit rain pelting behind her out the corner of his eye, a cell phone clasped in the hand that wasn't grasping the door knob. Heavy drags of humidity crept into the room and Vlad felt it choke him, along with the other things going through his head. What did he do now? Did he just make 'the sex' with her... Or did he-

He didn't know how to instigate 'the sex' with Cassandra. Gertrude had been easy; less complicated. All he'd had to do was ask her and it...just happened. Vlad couldn't just ask Cassandra to. She was virgin still and besides, didn't she need candle-lit bathtub and music? Maybe it would be easier if he had massage oil or roses. He tried to think back on the shows he'd watched with her; think back on what else he could do that was possible under the circumstances. Nothing but the image of being with Cassandra came to mind though.

"Had to get some air…still…not feeling good."

Vlad gave a sharp nod of his head – still staring at his dark reflection in the TV silently. For some reason he couldn't will himself to speak, so he remained quiet as she ran a hand through her dark hair, and took a seat next to him. Maybe the closeness was a good sign; a sign that she wasn't upset anymore? No…

When he stole a glance at her she seemed even more distraught. A line between her eyebrows had formed; gaze watching the mirror image of the both of them in the TV now.

His eyes searched around for something to say, falling on the bathroom door…and then he smiled, as if he'd found a brilliant idea some where along the way.

"You kno-"

"How about bath, yes? I found Bubble Bath in the small bottles I knocked over – blue bubble liquid. I will run it for you!" Immediately he rose for the bathroom, smacking the door open a bit too forcefully and flicking the light on. Why had he not thought of it before? There were no candles, but bubbles were something he'd seen girls enjoying on the TV, on the beach and once in person; it was something he fantasized about seeing Cassandra enjoying as well, but…only once…before this moment. Thinking about her like that seemed disrespectful.

He'd left a rather startled Cassandra sitting on the bed; eyes tense and mouth still open with unsaid (well thought out) words, but Vlad had a task to complete – he had to set the mood.

Cassandra required his attention and care, just…in a different way than usual…and this way was much more pleasant than hacking up the bad guys (which he enjoyed very much). He had more experience this time…well…at least with the mechanics. The 'getting there' was still complicated…and only more so now that he was trying to do it all with his best friend.

He ran the bath, holding in his breath against the thick steam as the tub slowly filled with hot water. Squinting his eyes at the array of tiny bottles – he finally made out the word 'bubble bath'.

Vlad gave a wide and content smile, uncapping the blue liquid and pouring all of it in one large dollop under the faucet's spray. Instantly, the surface of the water filled with tiny bubbles, mounting into thick billows of soapy smelling suds. Yes, this was good idea.

Behind him he could feel Cassandra easing into the doorway.

Diligently he wafted the bubble mountain around the water into an even cover, feeling the heat warm his bare chest and face pleasantly. It was a small bathtub, but Cassandra was small and it would suit her just fine.

"You're uh…your acting weird too. Did you watch that show while I was outside or something?" He imagined what she would have sounded like without the scratchy anxiety in her voice, but hopefully the bath would help that.

"No. You sound upset…hrmm, bath should help, yes?"

"I'm not upset. I just don't feel well. My stomach just hur-"

He cut her off as he dipped his fingers into the water, testing its temperature. "Yes, yes…bubble baths help women's nerves. I know this at least."

She made a strange noise behind him but didn't say anything more. Vlad smiled ruefully at the water and rose from the tub, turning to stare down at her tiny annoyed face. She looked pink in the face (hot?) and her lips were thinned and turned down.

"Vlad you need to just…just listen to me, okay?" Her eyes avoided his, staring at everything else but his face.

He watched her turned her head around the bath; fidgeting? That wasn't like her.

"Bath first." He put a hand on her shoulder – feeling her muscles tense under his large hand – as he gently moved her further into the bathroom, allowing himself room to ease around her. Again she seemed to want to direct him with a silent voice, but her eyes roamed around all but him as he smiled softly and shut the door, leaving her to her bath.

While Vlad waited for Cassandra to finish her bath he spent his time drying his pants; blasting hot air from the hair dryer around himself with mild amusement. He'd had to do something like this a few times, but it was never with such a tiny little object as this one – it diminished in his massive hand like a baby's toy.

Past the loud noise of the dryer he chuckled hoarsely – and at the same time trying to drown out the noises of Cassandra in the bath. Hearing the water slap around was doing things to him that normally only happened when Gertrude touched him or he thought of something he shouldn't have.

Suddenly – without any real reason – he felt himself harden. Before he made himself any hotter he switched off the dryer, staring at himself in the large, scratched mirror with a dumbstruck expression. His body tingled and warmed further in certain…areas as he looked around anxiously, suddenly feeling very self conscious of the swelling between his legs.

A splash of water made him turn; turn to watch the door as if a Slasher were lurking behind it and not the small-resilient Cassandra. As if it were glass – Vlad set down the dryer and removed himself from near the door, easing back around to the bed where he sat…waiting with fingers knotted in his lap; willing his erection to go away. Now was not the time…

A thin layer of sweat had coated his body until he'd realized the space heater had been left on high. Even turning it off did little good though. The heat coiling inside of him was more profound than that in the room…and unfortunately he didn't know what to do for the inside heat. After having 'the sex' it'd been harder to control his urges like before when they'd only been ideas or at the worst mild desires. Now that he knew Cassandra had at least used the word 'sex' and his name in the same breadth – he couldn't simmer down. It was all finally hitting home, and the very idea had him standing at attention.

"Hur…hur…hurr…" His breath came out more rough and uneven with each passing minute…and maybe it might have been better to have heard her out than to lengthen the tension…

He'd been concentrating on willing the hardness under his clasped hands to yield – so much so that he hadn't heard the bathroom door click open…or the water draining down the sink. Vlad hadn't even gotten his erection down when he noticed her out the corner of his eye. She wasn't dressed in her shorts though…just her underwear and shirt. He'd seen her plenty of times like this. Living in a van together and traveling across the country didn't leave much room for privacy, but the sight now wasn't something he could see as platonic.

As she scrubbed the side of her neck with the towel – Vlad pressed his fists between his legs, trying to physically stifle his hardness as she walked up beside him. Even while sitting down she was almost eye level…but he wasn't able to look there…no…he couldn't…

"So…perhaps you were right about the bath, sort of." With a sigh she bounced on the bed besides him; towel drying the ends of her hair as she stared off in front of her. Vlad wasn't to sure what to do now, this was the same spot they'd been in before he'd ran the bath for her…well they switched spots, but same thing, yes? Wasn't she supposed to come waltzing out with a coy look on her face and straddle him…or something of that effect? Cassandra just watched something invisible ahead of her and chewed on her bottom lip like it was delicious. After five minutes of this he couldn't stand the scratchy uncertainty.

"Something different? Hrmm…Are…we different?" He stared down at her, watching her rub the cheap towel against her cheek until the flesh was pink.

"Maybe…uh..Before Ernie brought me back I didn't think much about love or…sex... Even afterwards I kinda ignored the topic if it came up. But I... I saw something last night that's had me thinking about nothing else."

It was then that Vlad realized why she'd been acting so odd. It had been her that saw him last night with Gertrude. It had not been his imagination, and he really had called out her name afterwards. Feeling ashamed, he stared down at his clasped hands, seeing the white skin around his tense fingers diminish as his body relaxed enough to keep his knees from shaking.

"Is this why you were upset?"

"Yeah, but if I wasn't such a freak this wouldn't be so confusing. Love and sex is normal, hell, it's even normal for you."

"Just 'the sex'."

"Don't you love Gertrude?" She asked this with as much energy as one of Lisa's stray dogs had for barking.

"I said I did. She said I just liked 'the sex'…and I do," he admitted. Gertrude had told him it was normal for him to get the feelings mixed up like he had; that the feelings sometimes even confused people that had experienced both love and lust on countless occasions.

Vlad looked over, chancing a peek at her, only to see a puzzled expression on her face before her lips turned up and a slight laugh left her mouth. He was surprised to see that reaction, but pleased.

"I guess it feels pretty good then, huh?"

"The best," he replied quickly, if not too quickly. After a few seconds of silence he straightened up and added honestly, "...Besides being with you."

Watching the smile curl further upwards on her face made him smile as well; eyes creasing lightly as a hue graced her cheeks that wasn't due to the rubbings of the towel. The only thing better than 'the sex' and being with her would be having 'the sex' with her. His own face felt heated and colored as she bowed her head, hiding the blush on her face behind her glossy black hair as it tumbled wetly over the towel and a shoulder.

There was a long moment of silence; comfortable silence – the kind that he was used to.

A crack of thunder brought them out of their stupor, Cassandra letting out a relieved sigh and Vlad taking in a rough breath. She turned on the bed; one leg bent and the other hanging off while she craned her neck to look up at him. He didn't move – just sat where he was; where he'd been this whole time, and watched her rise up to her knees. "When I died I tried to tell you how I felt. Do you remember? I was scared that I'd ignored certain things for too long…then when I woke up…things didn't seem so rushed anymore, but I'm sorry Vlad. I lead you around…didn't I?"

He'd been watching her as she spoke, but her question made him frown – his eyes falling to the yellowed carpet, unsure of what she wanted him to say.

"If I…if I love anyone, then…I guess that'd be you."

Vlad kept his eyes off her – her words taking their time to saturate fully. When she'd died he'd knew what she was going to say…but her eyes had lost focus by the time her mouth had formed the words. He'd felt hatred then – an emotion worse than when the Butcher had died – coil inside him, but not just for the dead cop that had pulled the trigger, not just for Evil Ernie, but for everyone and everything, including her for not saying it sooner. He'd lost her, and that loss had been worse knowing that he may have had a chance of obtaining something he'd thought out of his reach before. Then, when she'd came back, all he'd cared about was that she was alive again. If she was breathing, eating, and smiling then he was fine to forget about everything else, including what she'd almost admitted, but now that she was bringing it all back up…he didn't know how to do all the things he'd imagined doing.

"You said you loved me…do you…still, in that way? Or..." She gave a bitter little chuckle and stared down at his clasped hands solemnly. "...Did I take too long?"

"No," he bore out, tightening his fingers together until they tickled with pain. "I don't stop loving."

Again there was that silence, but still it seemed comfortable as all the other times – a thing that had both of them wearing similarly small smiles. The storm raged still, but the heated and parched air created a soothing milieu – just the right kind to ease both its occupants.

"You see me and Gertrude last night, yes?" He'd thought about not mentioning it, but he did anyways. Cassandra didn't seem as upset by the question as he'd feared – only tossing her eyes over to the other end of the room as her smile thinned.

"Yeah."

"Hrmn…" Vlad followed her line of sight a moment before watching her mouth part after her meager answer. "Can we…be 'this' way?"

For a moment she seemed unhindered by his question, eyes staying straight and mouth staying thinned in a line, but after those few seconds he watched her eyes dart around aimlessly and her mouth part, looking as if a Slasher laid hiding in the shadows. Cassandra seemed to dart up on her feet, looking left and then right before knotting her fingers in the ends of her frayed shirt.

Perhaps it was bad of him to ask such a thing. Other men his age (handsome and normal men) would know at least a little about what to do right now, but he knew at least now that asking her outright for 'the sex' wasn't a good idea. She was virgin...

"Listen…Vlad. I didn't really figure any of this out until last night, call it being painfully oblivious…but…this might be something I can't do."

"Can't, or do not want to?"

"Don't…", she seemed to trail off (voice and eyes) and Vlad felt his heart start to drop, "…want to get hurt."

He had never hurt her before. Ever since that night; the night they'd both stood tall over the decapitated Meatman – he'd vowed to do nothing but protect her when she offered for him to escape their truffles together, and he had. Never once had he harmed her…sometimes he hadn't gotten to her in time (like that night in the insane asylum), but he'd have given his own life to keep hers from being taken if he could help it.

Gently – as if she were a statue of fine ash – he laid a hand on her arm, brushing his fingers against her naked skin, bringing her eyes back over to him. "I would never hurt you. Hrm...just protect."

There was again that brief pregnant pause where he held in his wheezing breath as she stared at him; a thick silence that had his nose twitching and arms beginning to bend back from her own.

Then…then she kissed him, just leaned in as quickly as he'd ever seen her, and kissed him bruisingly. A little breathy sound rushed from her nose against his face, as if the rough sudden contact had hurt her almost.

With her mouth opening; lips pulling back enough to be barely touching his – Vlad almost found this crazy. In one moment he'd been finding the proper words for an apology, and then the next - her small, little...tiny lips were crushing against his much larger and wider ones. Her kiss wasn't like the sloppy, open-mouthed ones Gertrude had given him (when she'd kissed him that is) - but tight lipped and nervous, and he felt her warm breath more than the contact of her mouth.

It almost frightened him how much he wanted to lift her in his hands and push her back on the bed. Never had he wanted to execute his strength in such a manner as he did right now - with Cassandra skimming her lips over his, pressing a little deeper every now and then - he'd never wanted to toss Gertrude back and take her as he wanted to take Cassandra right now.

Vlad would have told her this – his confidence turning into worry as the uncontrollable feeling grew - but both of her hands pulled around his thick neck, pressing her in wetly to his mouth.

This...was just what he'd wanted ever since he'd saved her from Nef...when he'd lost his virginity so he could bring her back. He'd whimpered Cassandra's name like a pained child when he'd came with Gertrude. It'd been embarrassing at the time, yes, but Gertrude had helped him in many ways that night…and not just in the primitive way. But…it seems now that she'd been wrong…Cassandra did want him, or at least she did now, and yes…he will be gentle…as gentle as he can.

Kissing: this she could do. Cassie had kissed before – even done a bit more than that with Georgia, but her body had been familiar…Vlad's…well, his body probably wasn't even familiar for a seasoned woman. He was large, bulky, and…sometimes moved as innocently as a child's – other times…he moved like a precise killer.

As her lips ran to the corner of his – she smoothed her hands down from his neck to his shoulders, grasping and rolling the muscles there while climbing shyly into his lap. Vlad wheezed out his nose; warm spicy air flooding down her own.

Boldly, she licked at his lower lip. His mouth wasn't as soft and yielding asGeorgia's had been, but something about the toughness felt better than she'd thought…but then again…everything about Vlad had always seemed better than she thought.

He wasn't really doing much but tensing at every which point she touched him – whether that be his shoulder, arms, or chest. Even his lips had turned unmoving as she pecked them lightly.

"Vlad…it's alright." Again she kissed, trailing her lips up his angular cheeks…then down again to his mouth.

"I know you won't hurt me, at least…"She brought in a deep breath and forced a smile (one that twitched at the corners). "…at least not on purpose you wouldn't."

"You are small. I am large. Hur...hur-hurt is possible…"

Despite his words, large fingers traced the divot of her spine – the touch was tender; so light she barely felt it through the thinning fabric of her shirt.

When she leaned in to kiss his lips again he beat her to it. His lips were softer now; molding into her own, heating her in a ripple effect…stemming from the wet contact. Cassie sighed harshly, unable not to when that bear-like hand on her back wrapped around her side, pressing her into a steely chest. The bare strip of flesh between her underwear and shirt stuck to the light sheen of sweat on his bare abdomen, creating a new kind of heat that she'd have laughed about before now.

Somehow all of this – body pressed on Vlad's and mouth on his own – it felt…natural.

Sex (the word still sounded too normal) had been something to detest, but no one had been there for her like Vlad had and…damn, something about all of this was really…really…doing something…to her…

Vlad's lips opened, tasting the inside of her lip in a flicker that sent a shocking little spike down her body. Each jab of his tongue made her shiver, unconsciously grinding her body down on his in an uneven motion as his other hand engulfed the warm flesh of her bare thigh. He tasted like the twinkie of hers he'd eaten earlier, but a tangy sort of sweet. Inwardly she smirked – he tastes like cream.

The heater – currently purring softly – could have been used to blame for the fuzzy warmth brewing between her legs…but…Cassie wasn't going to lie to herself right now…not when Vlad wouldn't leave her mouth alone.

He was bent down (something that looked uncomfortable) as he tugged on her mouth with his own, rubbing the muscles in her right leg up and down; securing her to him in an undeniably possessive manner. His breath wheezed out his nose until she heard his lungs make guttural noises with each expansion of his chest. When his mouth left hers – to run along the side of her face – she gulped down a breath and groaned as his fingers scratched up under the back of her shirt.

This…this wasn't anymore intimate than what she'd done withGeorgia…so…so why did it feel so hot in here? What was this heat; this hot collection between her legs…throbbing and growing denser by the moment.

A sliver of fear gripped her, but Vlad's comforting rasps calmed her enough that she shut her eyes as he inhaled the scent of her hair. His hands soothed up her back – fingers pressing into her spine – grasping from her thigh up to her hip and brushing a thumb over her bare stomach.

God, this was nothing like she'd thought, nothing like…like…

A heavy heat rose under her thigh, pressing insistently and…oh, she knew what that was now.

Vlad didn't seem deterred at all by the way she tilted her head down slowly, as if she would be able to see through her thighs and catch a glimpse of what she'd yet to fully wonder about. She'd never seen a penis before and it was just growing hotter by the second under her…almost painfully so.

"Vlad…", she muttered as the hand ghosting along her stomach reached up beside one of her breasts – his mouth bowing down to touch her neck as the fingers along her stomach pressed evenly.

"Cassandra." He hissed her name from between his lips and his nose – his breath coming out in shallow gripes as he kissed the supple area between her shoulder and neck. The vibration that built up with each extension of his chest surged into Cassie's, along with each and every subtle touch he placed upon her.

There was still an underlining luster of tension from each of his small kisses, as if she couldn't quite stop imagining the inevitable dilemma of making sex work with the sizable length under her thigh. Pain and displeasure were the only things her mind kept reminding her of, but Vlad's mouth and hands only brought her the opposite of that. She'd never trusted her body before…so why did she want to now? – why did she…need to?

As his hand drug up her back – it brought with it her shirt; lifting up past her navel and under her ribs as he grasped at her naked, flexed shoulder blade.

For a moment she thought of speaking out against the fluttered racing up and down her body, telling him she wasn't so sure anymore…not that she ever was if she were being honest with herself. The moment seemed as though it should have happened a long time ago, but it was happening now…in a shitty motel room; the heater purring, her hair wet and sticky against her neck, his…dick…pushing under her thigh and everything else that should have added to her unease, but suddenly – as he shifted her body on his lap so her heated sex bumped over his erection – those things only added to spur her forward.

In an instant all the hesitation and worry ebbed into a greedy desire to give him everything he'd ever wanted, regardless of her naivety on things of a baser level. The heat between her legs, and the heat pressing hard under her thigh would have been cause enough for any other dupe to keep on what-whatever it was Vlad was doing right now.

Cassie craned her chin upwards; a wide and warm mouth cupping against her throat and under her jaw.

"Vlad," she groaned when his lips sealed under her ear and sucked, "…it feels really hot."

The slow, sensuous and heady things he'd been doing were lost on the gentle concern his face expressed when he pulled from her neck; hands grasping protectively at her back and side. He really was…a big softie.

"I should turn heater off then, yes?"

In his blue eyes she saw a faded heat…something foggy and…and contagious.

"No." – and with that simple word she shoved him back; hands flat and fingers spread over his chest as he landed with a thick bounce on the bed. For a moment, to her own amusement, he looked truly shocked by her actions…and then confused as she grinned down at him, crawling up his stomach to straddle his chest. He really was…quite large.

"Are you alright, Cassandra? You look-!" Cradling her legs behind her, she bumped her shin against the hardness between his legs, getting a wheezing cough out of him and squeezed shut eyes. That was interesting…and good. Again she did it, and again he choked lightly; eyes creasing and mouth turning thin.

"Is that a good face or a bad face?"

For a third time she did it – lighter this time, and his face relaxed; a gruff noise echoing his previous ones. "Good face. Good. Hur…hurr…good." At his guttural Russian voice – a prickling heat ran up her legs. Confidence was a funny thing…especially in this situation where she'd never thought of herself more than an embarrassing idiot – it seemed as though this sex thing wasn't as complicated as she thought, but it was Vlad after all, and he'd rarely made her as uncomfortable as other men had.

"We are on to petting now, yes?" His volatile words snapped her out of her stupor; still bending over him with hands cupping the thick balls of his shoulders. Still in a mild daze of understanding – she felt the hand on her hip slip over her ass and between her legs. The color felt like it was draining from her face, but a heat in her cheeks told her that was quite the opposite. One of his fat fingers traced a part of her; a part that…only she'd ever touched before, and…god – it felt amazing.

"Yes..." Cassie couldn't help it – she moaned in agreement and dropped her forehead into the damp skin of his pec. His finger drew along the clothed folds of her sex; rubbing and pressing in – admittedly a clumsy way – but it didn't take away from any of the tiny bolts running down her legs.

Sometimes he'd pressed in at different angles – less enjoyable ones – but eventually he'd touch against something that would take her breath away. Cassie rolled her hips against his finger, trying to catch his digit every time it tried to move from that one spot.

"Communication is good, yes? I say what feel nice. You say what feel nice."

His finger slid more easily between her legs now – as if she were becoming slippery or…wet – and all she could do was nod into his chest as she heaved a heavy sigh while he pushed deeper against her.

She gave a sharp moan when he skimmed across that spot again, and immediately she grasped his thick wrist, pinning his finger there. "Here…", hesitantly Cassie brought his wrist to the side – his fingers following suit until…yes…"…ry-right there."

"Here." Under her closed palm she felt his wrist rotate; his finger twisting and…yess…that was…was…real nice.

Between her legs –Vlad massaged her in lazy circles; making deep guttural breaths as her upper body sunk in to his, leaving her ass poised above his stomach as he stroked her. The soft curling pleasure wasn't like she'd ever given herself…and well…she'd only ever fumbled around with herself a couple times, and never once had she felt that 'orgasm' that everyone seemed to rave about. Suddenly she felt ashamed at out little she knew herself…but a mass of tightness settled in her gut, growing and soaking into her thighs like a stain – it was…scary.

"Vlad..." she sounded delirious; lost…so again she called, "Vlad." Now she could hear her own panic brewing in her voice, but the tension felt heavy and…and…

"Vlad!" But it was too late. With one strong flip of his finger; popping deeply over that nub of nerves…she came. She came with a mixture of terror and excitement in her eyes, as she clawed over the curve of his muscular chest; feeling like an overfilled gas tank that'd been set on fire. Cassie was exploding and all she could do was stare gape-mouthed into Vlad's flushed chest, mouthing in little gasps as the waves released through her.

This…was…damn; that was what an orgasm was? – this was incredible…no wonder Vlad got worked up every now and then at this amazing prospect. Not only was the build up nice, but the explosion – that had been just…wow…and now this sated feeling…

Cassie moaned again, resting her lips between his pecs, giving the wet skin some form of a lazy kiss.

"First one, yes?"

Her eyes had drooped closed, lips still smeared over his chest and hands completely lax in the sheets above his shoulders. The heat was still throbbing pleasantly between her legs when four fingers and a massive thumb slipped into her underwear, cupping the pulsating sensitive flesh he'd just finished rubbing. A hiss passed her lips as a broad finger prodded inside her.

"Now for second one."

Eyes now wide and breath now trapped in her throat – Cassie shoved herself up, pulling her hips forward away from his searching fingers; anxious, even after the overwhelming orgasm. Something about being filled – even by his finger – left her feeling uneasy. She'd done her best to ignore this area of her body for one reason or another, and now that it was about to gets it's much desired attention – she freaked.

"N-no! Vlad…I can't…", a heat crept onto her cheeks as she curled her fingers on his chest – her voice catching at first. This wasn't supposed to be so difficult…but it was…

Vlad didn't say anything, which was what had Cassie lifting her chin from her chest in the first place. What she saw was a look Vlad had given her time and time again – that sadly familiar look (with the deep giving eyes), and his soft frown.

Suddenly that look finally hit her like it should have after these past years. Even now as she sat near-bare on his stomach – she was still leashing him around. Cassie would have been the first to admit that she wasn't the most predictable person…and only predictable in the worst ways. All Vlad wanted was her…and to give her whatever he could…and she was still making it as difficult for him as possible – even now that she knew what he was offering her.

A deep seated nag settled in her chest; telling her that he'd only been so slow and tentative so that he could feel the same as her, but thankfully she saw through it this time. Vlad was the most unselfish person she'd ever known…and…and…

"I'm sorry. I…I'm sorry…"

Softly she leaned down to kiss his high nose. A gruff breath swooshed out against her chin and neck warmly as she kissed his brow a few times. She traced his jaw and soothed the muscles in his neck as she scooted her lower body down to his abdomen. The last thing she ever wanted to do was fuck this up like she did everything else. He hadn't promised her everything would feel awesome anyways…and if there was anything Cassandra Hack was used to it was pain…it was the other stuff she wasn't accustom to.

"Do not be sor-" But before he could finish, Cassie planted her lips to the corner of his mouth, licking lightly at the seam of his lips until nothing came out of him but a deep rumble of breath. She was sorry…and he'd find out just how much.

After licking his lips – Cassie set off down his neck, dragging her lips along thick veins and cords of muscles. At divots in where his tough skin ran over the unifying of two muscles – she'd give open mouth kisses and flicks of her tongue.

She didn't know how sensitive a mans nipples were but she grazed her teeth along his; sucking and licking how she figured she would have liked on her own before moving down the topography of his body. Vlad's body was nothing but thick ropes of muscles covered by thick jade skin…but…the soft rasping growls said he wasn't so thick that he wasn't sensitive to her touches. As he groaned against her mouth – that confident and exhilarating feeling came back; overpowering the nervousness.

Maybe it had been stupid to assumed that this thing wouldn't be something a bit like a roller coaster, but…at least when things felt good…they felt really good.

A hot palm eased back down from her hip to the curvature of her ass, stroking the skin, but ultimately hesitating to go any further.

A bit too rushed – Cassie slid up Vlad's chest, almost smashing her lips to his ear as she whispered to him, "Ready for 'second one'." At that – Vlad wheezed and promptly slid that hand of his down her rear, into her underwear and just as easily he slid one thick finger inside her; filling and tearing her in one swift movement. The pain was brief, and more pressure than anything. The slippery sleekness seemed to help him and her as well, but sadly there was no pleasure…

She squirmed lightly; thighs tensing and un-tensing as her body squeezed around the intruder. Cassie – normally – would have mentioned something about that fact; that she was currently lying on her one-ton friend's chest, his finger motionless inside her, and feeling absolutely noth-!

-and there it was…shit this feels…feels…

All her muscles seemed to hold strong as Vlad's meaty finger dragged along her insides, pulling out and then pushing back in with the same motion he'd done the first time. That same little twinge of pain accompanied the oddest sensation she'd ever felt. It was like he was scratching an itch that she hadn't known needed scratching, and the more he did it…the better it felt…until suddenly Cassie found herself gritting her teeth against the side of his sweaty neck. He smelt musky and a bit sour, but the taste of his skin against her tongue - as she licked him while he fingered her - was salty and…tasty.

Little strings of pleasure – not unlike the ones he'd given her by rubbing her (but just as nice) – curled up her body; heated it as she breathed deeply on his skin.

The sweet release she'd felt before was brewing, but in a more centralized place and this feeling seemed sharper…and…and…

…and just as she thought she may find that numbing euphoria once again he stretched her with a second finger. The sound as he stretched her made her gasp; made her teeth scrape against his neck and her nails rake down his collar bones. It hurt, and damn she would have cursed and yelled at him if suddenly – with the pain – her body didn't just tense and release right then. The explosion was hard and quick, nothing like the slow throbbing one he pulled out of her the first time. Even as her inner muscles worked around Vlad's fingers – he still pumped them inside; slow and as deep as he dared.

When her body relaxed over his – her skin sticking to his skin – he pulled his fingers from her. They slid out with a slight slippery noise; fluids wetting her inner thighs and probably his stomach as well. Without this content sensation causing her arms to weaken and her mouth to salivate – Cassie may have found the wetness between her legs disgusting, but now it just felt…alright, everything felt alright…no, better than alright – it felt great.

Without even thinking about Vlad, or even managing a 'thank you' at least – Cassie's eyes shut and it was then (with his hands running over her back lovingly) she fell asleep. Talk about being a party pooper…

But Vlad didn't seem to mind – after half an hour of lying with Cassandra on top of him he managed to roll her softly on her side, finding the softest pillow to ease under her head. For a minute or so he watched her, still in that strange state of wondering if any of this really happened…or if he were dreaming…but Vlad didn't think he ever dreamt…so that was out of the question.

Still in a certain state of limbo he glanced around the room. As his eyes roamed they settled down on his lap, where his shiny fingers sat on his thigh. His two digits were still wet and warm, sliding against each other when he wiggled them.

Suddenly a sharp throng snapped up his spine. He'd been hard ever since he'd started drying his pants, but it had been ignorable up until now; now that he'd satiated Cassandra and she was asleep…things were different. Normally he never masturbated – normally he never found the time to be alone, but right now it seemed better to do so.

It would just take a few minutes, and then he could sleep beside her tonight without any problems, yes.

Quietly Vlad found himself in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet seat with his cock in hand and his face pinched. He felt dirty as he thrust his curled fist around his girth, but it was only dirty in that it felt better than anything before. When he'd been with Gertrude things had felt very good, but never painfully good like this was right now. He'd moistened his tip with his still softened fingers – the ones he was now recalling being inside Cassandra awhile ago.

He didn't have to go very fast, or even very hard either – it only took a few more tight and slow stroks before he was sweating. Vlad wheezed and grunted, holding onto the handicap rail to his left as he hunched forward with another few raps.

"Hrrmm! Cahh-ssandrah…", he gasped deep in his throat as he spilled himself over the dirty tile between his feet. The pleasure was blinding and…he found himself whimpering like a child just as he had the first time he'd came. Her name fell out of his mouth again just as the first time, but her name didn't seem like a plea anymore.

Gradually – as the shock of his orgasm faded into that calmness he enjoyed almost more than the peak – Vlad smiled as he shut his eyes. Never once had he enjoyed the rain and the humidity before, but right now…he thought it was the best thing in the world for pitting the two of them in this motel room.

At some point Vlad ended up in the bed, gingerly lying against Cassandra's back without the nuisance between his legs poking her out of her respite. She hadn't been sleeping well lately, but maybe she would tonight…

"G'night little Cassandra."

The next day Vlad woke up to an empty bed. His first thought had been that everything really had been a dream, and that Cassandra was somewhere sleeping on the floor…but she was no where. The bathroom was empty, the car looked as lonely as it had when he'd slammed the door last night…and it was still raining gently. The morning was dark and gloomy; humid and choking. Cassandra was resilient – she could take of herself but Vlad shucked on his mask regardless, put his coat on and braved the rainy weather in search of her.

He didn't make it far though. Across the empty street, with a white bag in one hand and an umbrella in the other, was Cassandra. She looked freshly damp, but not soaking wet and when the rain changed direction and blew against her legs she made it into the parking lot by the time Vlad had passed their car.

She noticed him eventually; umbrella tipping up from the rain and her eyes finding his through the mask. He was standing in the rain again, getting wet and musky, but through the mask and the humidity he smelt something delicious.

"Morning sleeping beauty. I've procured some cakes from the local eatery so that we may feast." Her voice through the rain grew the closer she got until her umbrella was stretched over his own head and that smell was so good his mouth started to water. She seemed to have slept well, judging by the lightness under her eyes and the strength of her voice…not to mention the sarcasm was a plus.

"Pancakes?"

"Mmm…blueberry, strawberry, pecan, and plain. Got some sausages too…figured you uh…might need the protein…"

Vlad wheezed from his mask, "Hur..hur…hurrrr…" Cassandra smiled sheepishly, staring down between them as if suddenly she was a bit embarrassed. He followed her when she stepped around his bulk, walking the rest of the way with the umbrella high above her head so his was safe from the rain. Together they ate the feast of pancakes; wetting the carpet as they sat on the floor with morning cartoons playing while the coffee brewed noisily.

Before he'd ventured out into the rain to find her he'd already agreed with himself that he wouldn't talk about last night until Cassandra did…and so far she hadn't. Infact…as the week drug on - she still didn't mention it (unless that kiss on the cheek a night ago counted).

For four days (four eventful days) they traveled to southernGeorgia, taking care of a Slasher that originated from the swamps. They'd heard about the murders from the radio once they'd drove into town – ever since then they'd been quite busy. Everything had been over rather quickly, but Cassandra suffered a deep knife wound on the back of her knee just before Vlad had managed to deal the final blow.

Now – five days after they'd experimented in that modest motel room – Vlad and Cassandra stood ankle deep in the Georgian bayous, weapons in hand as the alligators swarmed in for their dinner.

The Slasher had caved in easily under Vlad's blades, but only after The Swampman had distracted himself with cutting up Cassandra. Granted she'd stuck her bat in his chest a few times, but the Slasher only went down after Vlad had shoved his butchers blade in his neck and…promptly cut off both his legs.

"So much for fish food…"

"You need medical attention. At least disinfectant, yes?" His voice was muted through his mask; a necessity in this thick foggy swamp.

"Guess so…"

He looked down at her. Her eyes were hooded and her mouth was tilted down as if the sight didn't disgust her, but upset her. Normally she was relieved after putting down a Slasher…especially one that'd killed as much as this one had.

Other words were sticking to his tongue, but the moment didn't seem right – not with the alligators slashing around in the murky water; blood thickening the vegetation soup even further.

When Cassandra didn't move – only watching the extensive meal unfold – Vlad curled an arm around her, easing his other around the back of her knees until all he needed was to pull her to him until she was cradled against his chest like a child. She didn't protest either, even though his forearm brushed against the gooey wound behind her knee. Everything about her screamed tired, so Vlad did little but walk them back to where they parked their car before the whole situation turned to 'shit storm'.

In the car Lisa called, but Cassandra only rolled over in the back of the car as the phone lit up and vibrated. Instead of letting it go (knowing it could be important) Vlad answered it; pulling his mask up to speak. While on the phone (which apparently wasn't important) Lisa instructed him on how to stitch up an area around a joint, which worked out well since Vlad had never done it before.

When the phone call ended – he was back in the car with Cassandra, sitting with his legs hanging out of the back as the swamp crickets called out around them. His pants were muddy and sticky. The smell in this bog was rancid – almost as bad as the city when he'd first crept out of the Butcher's basement. With a heavy sigh Vlad secured his mask over his face once more – clean air filtered in and the smell minimized drastically. Behind him Cassandra lay with her arm draped over her eyes – her nose poked out; twitching as she breathed.

"Lisa has told me how to fix your knee. We should sanitize you before infections set in."

"Yeah…" Again her meager response worried him, but he wasn't about to pry her with questions. It was best to just let her work things out on her own and do what he could to help her along the way, and right now that meant taking care of her laceration.

She rolled on her stomach as he got the emergency kit out – it was the expensive three layer kind that Lisa had given them after she'd patched up his head the night they'd met her. Inside were all the things they'd never really had to use, but now he'd be using them on Cassandra and…she was spreading her legs to give him better access to the damaged one with nothing more then a breathy noise.

The wound was nasty, open and riddled with swamp water and bits of stringy grass.

As gently as possible he slipped the anesthetic under the wound, injecting a topical numbing agent that Lisa said wouldn't give her anything more than relief while he stitched the wound. Cassie didn't even twitch when he pulled the needle out…something that normally didn't put up alarms for him, but did now.

"Are you alright, Cassandra? The pain bad?"

"Yes. No."

"You do not act like normal…" He was prying, but…he couldn't help it. He strung up the needle and tubing and set to work just as Lisa had told him to. Vlad was gentle and slow, making sure none of those 'geese bumps' showed up on her skin – none did.

"It's just you and me…right? Against the world?"

"Yes, always."

Vlad hesitated before cutting the end of the tubing – it was hard to tie the end with his thick fingers but the pliers seemed to help…all in all he looked at the even wound with quite a bit of pride. With a splash of alcohol on a cotton pad he patted down the wound – at this she made a noise finally and quickly rolled over before Vlad could say anything about disturbing the wound. Lisa would have scolded him about this…

…especially about letting her crawl into his lap with a freshly stitched wound and cling close to him. He'd held her like this when he'd saved her from that skinless freak…but she hadn't just lost a toe – she'd just killed a Slasher…so why was she so upset?

"No more Gertrude right? No more Georgia…just you and me. We can't be bringing people into the kind of life we have, so many innocent people get killed and we can only save so many…and those we save are just victims – its too dangerous for them to be anymore. Were all we've got."

Vlad rubbed her arms lightly, holding the back of her head against his chest – not really understanding what she was getting at but enjoying the parts where she emphasized just the two of them. All Vlad had ever wanted was a friend…and he'd found Cassandra, and after having her as a friend he'd shamefully wanted more. Even if Cassandra didn't want him as more than a friend anymore he'd still follow her…even if that meant no more Gertrude; no more sex. Cassandra meant everything…

"You are all I have ever had since the Butcher…all I ever wanted. Me and you against the world, bitch."

Vlad smiled as she chuckled against his chest, pressing warm air against his thin shirt; seeping against his skin.

"We really need to teach you how to curse properly."

"Curse proper?" He leaned back to look down at her – her doing the same but up. Her eyes were glossy as if she'd been close to tears, but her cheeks were flushed a healthy color and she was…beautiful…like those women he'd seen in magazines growing up, but real and untainted.

"Well…more appropriate…or…never mind."

She turned from him, pulling away but he held her tight, feeling her body tense and then –slowly – let loose in his grip. Vlad wheezed behind his mask once again; breathe shuddering each time he took in a deep inhale.

"You sound bad…"

With sterilized fingers he combed her tangled hair; snagging the ends a bit here and there. Cassandra didn't mind that he hadn't answered her it seemed. His breathing wasn't a problem right now…not when she was relatively unharmed and she was allowing him to hold her.

"Let's close the back up…this bog is creepin' me out."

Careful to not disturb her wound – Vlad laid her back as easily as anyone would a doll before pulling the back of the hearse down with a heavy creak and eventually a loud latching sound. The crickets all but disappeared and the dampness was already easing from inside the car.

When he turned, pulling his legs in tightly and hunching, Cassandra was stuffed between the driver and passenger seats, fingers messing with the radio; turning dials and pressing buttons.

The bedrolls and sleeping bags were already out and unzipped. Her small butt twisted back and forth between the seats; a portion of her lower cheeks appearing past the material of her shorts. Cassandra hadn't said much about what had happened between them that night, but right now – with her bare legs and curves becoming center fold – Vlad couldn't help but think about it now. His cock was a lot bigger than his two fingers…but - even though he knew it was wrong – all he could think about was what she'd feel like around it. It probably wasn't right that he constantly compared his fantasies of Cassandra to Gertrude…but he honestly had nothing else. All he'd ever done was 'the sex' with Gertrude…but that didn't stop him from embarrassingly thinking about what it'd feel like for a woman to orally please him – and of course a woman meant Cassandra.

The heat in his mask intensified; his face growing and his breath just as warm. With one last inhale he shoved his mask up onto his forehead, taking an experimental inhale after letting the cleaner breath out. The car smelt like it always did – of him and her – and the air (while still thick) wasn't so bad now that Cassandra was sitting back in front of him…with a strange look on her face.

"Are you o-"

"I have a confession to make."

Vlad arched a brow; finger rubbing at an itchy spot on his chin as he watched her bend an arm over her head to scratch at her back. Maybe there were bugs in the water…itchy bugs…

"I'm horny."

…or horny bugs.

His finger paused on his jaw. Cassandra, horny? – wasn't that his burden? She seemed a bit worried for a second before her face became stern and determined – he'd seen that look a million times, but nothing good ever came from it. Though…it would seem…something very…very…goood…came…

Vlad's eyes were wide, his throat was tight, and his hands had moved to his knees where he gripped them painfully as he watched Cassandra pull off her black shirt. The pale scarred skin was exposed, and being truthful he'd seen her in less, but she had that look in her eyes that said she wasn't just getting ready for bed – still Vlad couldn't seem to understand.

"Do I…do unzip…or do I…turn off radio..." He didn't know what he was saying, especially now that her small hands were running under his coat, touching his shirt covered shoulders.

"Listen. Vlad. I'm not good at this stuff, don't make it harder for me right now…just…let me see where this goes, okay?"

He may have been too quick to agree. "Yes." But she just smiled small-like and proceeded to shove his thick coat over his shoulders. He helped her, shrugging it off while the warm air of the hearse stuck to his naked arms.

His shirt came off like a second skin. He'd been wearing it straight for the past two days, through the Georgian heat and humidity, but she didn't seem to mind. Vlad had been sure she wouldn't have found the muscles up and down his body appealing after seeing how she'd swooned overGeorgia, but…she kissed his chest, tasting his skin and rubbing her fingers over each of his abdominal muscles.

Her lower body shifted in his lap, stimulating a part of him he wasn't sure would help her comfort right now. With a bead of sweat appearing on his brow, slowly sliding down the side of his face – he willed it away, but…her movements over him helped nothing.

"Cassandra…" He tried to warn her, but her lips pressed against his in a chaste kiss.

"I know…It's alright." Her words relaxed him. The tightness in his stomach eased, but just as he was about to relax against her - a finger that wasn't his slipped between the skin of his hip and the hem of his pants, wiggling in a testing manner.

Vlad blushed; heat staining his cheeks and words escaping him. He hadn't done anything to instigate this – no bubble baths or rainy nights, just swamp water and crickets. Cassandra's hands were skimming down his stomach; fingers hooking into his pants as he shuddered out a breath through his high nose. The corners of his mouth dropped – a reflex at the confusion – as the top button of his pants was popped off its string, banging around between them.

"...Sorry," she muttered to his chest, but her hands didn't stop, and Vlad couldn't find the power to keep her wrists from going further. With tightly shut eyes he leaned back into the car, as if escaping her in the feeblest of ways, while suddenly moist air eased into his pants.

His pants were open, his underwear providing the thinnest of layers between him and her.

"Vlad…are you still alright with this? I uh…know it's not the best moment, but…I'm having a brief moment of confidence right now.", her hands were still tight around the open portion of his pants…and Vlad supposed it was good enough for him. He wasn't picky (in any sense of the word), and as long as Cassandra was safe then he was fine – of course, this whole situation was more than fine. The only thing uncomfortable was the size of the hearse…and the jumble of nerves, but even they were mingled with something very good.

"Do not be frightened." Still, he kept his eyes tightly closed, feeling her fingers move around his covered erection; stimulating him further. Would she like how he looked? – or would she recoil at first like Gertrude did?

"Frightened?" The word was on her lips when she tugged the elastic band of his boxers down, and it was still trailing off when the air hit his freed cock. A wave of unease, want, and anticipation curled in Vlad's gut. The silence was making his nose twitch, and against his best suggestions – he cracked open his eyes, catching the sight of her reaching one small hand to his olive painted erection. Her touch was soft; electric. Just barely her fingers graced over the side of his length, but the contact was enough for Vlad's throat to tighten on a sharp intake of air. He stifled a cough as her palm enclosed around the middle of his girth.

Once again Vlad noticed how small she really was, or maybe just how big he really was. In his mind their size difference didn't matter…but it did now. He was a full two heads taller than her when she had her boots on…and right now…he felt like a disfigured giant (which he was).

The texture of him was soft, hot; like velvet. It was just as massive as she'd envisioned it…well maybe not, but it was still large and…thick. Even without anything to compare it too – Cassie knew very few men could stand up against Vlad's size. After all – Vlad was closer to seven feet tall.

…all in all it would have been weird to see something smaller than what she held in her hand right now attached to him. He truly was…yes, frightening in a way. Seeing a penis was in itself a new thing for her, but something told her that Vlad's penis was probably a new thing for any woman. It was probably a good thing he'd found a woman like Gertrude to experience with – the woman would have probably been able to take him without too much trouble.

The hot stiffness in her hand was as unfamiliar as the terrain in Antarctica, but Cassie prided herself in being a quick learner; a tactical master when things needed to get done. Experimentally she ran her fingers down the sides, rubbing over the hint of buried veins, touching over the stiff ridged around the top of his length. Everything was new, but Vlad's reaction made her smirk under the fallen strands of her hair. With that smirk intensifying on her lips she wrapped her other hands around the base of him, adjusting her legs and butt, she was sitting between his knees with his penis between her legs.

His breath seemed to catch when she traced a finger on the underside of his penis, just a little further down the tip of him. The skin on the length seemed pliable, moving easily over the stiffness under it, which judging by the heavy grunt she heard – Vlad liked a lot.

"Communication is important, remember?" Her smirk turned into a small grin – having already experienced a few intimate things with Vlad made this much less nerve wracking than the first time had. Cassie had thought about this none stop since that night in the motel room…and it seemed all that thinking had done some good after all.

"It…is goood…hur…hrmmm…everything."

The more she stroked him the more musky and tangy the air in the car became…though, eventually Cassie realized it wasn't just him that smelt thick. Every touch she gave him just made the heat between her own legs itchy and tight.

"Hur…hurr…You smell sweet, like syrup."

Syrup? Cassie swallowed a lump in her throat. That was a good comparison, right? He didn't say she smelt like the Georgian swamp waters they'd been rolling around in, so syrup was definitely a good thing.

She didn't know what he smelt like exactly – something manly and wild, but she didn't say that, instead Cassie pulled her hands from his penis and reached behind her to unhook her bra. Nervous wasn't the right word – it was a pleasant kind of nervous, so…excited? Yes, she was excited and with one deep breathe she removed her bra; eyes searching up Vlad's body until finally making eye contact.

His hooded blue eyes were on her skin; burning and teasing her nipples without even touching them. For a moment she thought she'd have to pull his hands to her breasts for him, but abruptly Vlad raised a tense arm and pulled her closer by her side, just under her arm and by her breast.

Her skin made contact with his, grazing her nipples against his chest while squishing his penis between her legs. She gasped silently – Vlad's large hands running up and down her naked back, squeezing her muscles and arching her back enough so his mouth could touch her neck.

The car was hot by now, just as hot as it'd been in the motel room, and for some reason Cassie couldn't keep her hands off him. Even though the quick putrid smell of the swamp crept up her nose – it was ignored easily as she cupped his penis in one hand, stroking awkwardly between their tightly pressed bodies. Everything escalated in those few minutes. A wet trail was drying down her neck, over her collar bone and down the slope of one breast. Tiny little spikes of pleasure fluttered from the tip of her breast – where Vlad was sucking gently – as she arched her back, allowing him to bend without it looking so uncomfortable.

Georgiahad done something like this to her –licking her breasts - but…it hadn't felt anything like this.

The careful licks and grazes of his teeth against the sensitive bud of her nipple had her eyes shutting, her lips parting and her body relaxing. Every suck made her lower body tense with need. Only when she felt the open sleeping bag against her back did she open her eyes. Vlad had laid her down – his mouth still sucking on her breast as a hand cupped the other; massaging with the thick pad of his thumb grazing her nipple sporadically.

The pleasant sucks were turning raw; painful even as his mouth took in more than just the small span of her nipple.

"Easy…Vlad, ah…", it may have hurt a little, but it still felt good.

He didn't need her to say anything further though – Vlad always knew what was bothering her, for good or bad. With an audibly wet suckling noise he released her – the air made the nub cold and tight, but Vlad eased up over her, making the space between then warm. He was all muscles and jade skin; dark and tense.

"I am sorry, maybe we don't do this…now, yes? I am…hrrn…very abandoned…" She would have smiled if his face didn't look so tight. "...Horny." At that she did smile. Maybe he was just as backwards about this as she'd been from the beginning. They both wanted this though right?…and postponing this only meant more awkwardness and unneeded nerves for Cassie. Getting the painful part over with would be a bonus as well…and as far as she knew (with help of that one very awkward phone call with Lisa a day ago) it got more pleasant after your first time. So – logically – breaking her in now would mean things could be much better tomorrow…or next week…

"Vlad, we've been beaten and bruised. A bit of pain won't be anything new, and normally the kind we get doesn't come with anything nice afterwards."

To prove her point – even though her fingers were twitching – she pulled lightly on his length; rubbing the tip in a tiny circle as she watched his eyes close and his nostrils expand with a shaky breathe.

"I'm not fragile; you know that better than anyone."

"I do…" His voice was guttural and deep – that accent adding to the tone.

Their eyes made contact – a sharp understanding passing between them as easily as it'd always been. Quickly, Cassie unbuttoned her shorts, unzipping them hurriedly and easing them over her hips with short rotations of her hips. Vlad's hands took over, pushing her knees up (watching her wound) as he tugged them off her ankles.

She watched him as she took her own underwear off. He bent and grunted while kicking the rest of his clothes off - if only they'd done this kind of thing when they had the van. The hearse had a backseat bigger than regular cars…but he was still a bit too bulky for the space, leading to the way the car shook as his pants came off with his boots.

It seemed that just a minute ago he was giving her a way out without any hurt feelings, but now…now here they were; naked in the back of their car…in the Georgian swamps.

Without his clothes Vlad looked…huge; massive and just like the giant he'd silently resented being. Suddenly Cassie was thankful for who he was on the outside – knowing that it was what made him the way he was on the inside. Vlad was innocent in so many ways: kind, caring – a softie inside a hard and scary shell. If he'd been born the way Ms. Cristy had come up with (in her plastic surgery crazed mind) then maybe he wouldn't have become the kind of gentle giant he was right now – the one that was carefully tracing the curve of her naked hip and watching her face for anything unsure. He'd been her best friend, her partner in crime (so to speak) and everything in between…at least now he'd really be her everything.

With a small smile Cassie leaned up and kissed him, touching the angle of his jaw in the most loving way she could manage. She was just as bad with words as Vlad was, but her problem wasn't because she'd lived in a basement most of her life.

More guiding than pushing – Cassie pressed into his chest moving him up on his knees.

"Why don't you lay back…I uh…heard it's easier that way."

He did as she ask – a slightly confused but excited look on his face as he maneuvered around until he was on his ass, leaning against the back of the front seat in a (not terribly) uncomfortable looking way. As Cassie climbed up onto his lap – he removed his mask from his forehead, setting it down at his side as if he was embarrassed for having left it on his forehead for so long.

Belatedly – Cassie looked down their naked bodies. His penis was locked between her stomach and his own; shiny under the muted car light. It was now or never, and finally she searched for those lingering nerves, and found none. She was going to finally have sex with Vlad, and the idea only made her body burn in still a new but completely welcomed way.

Inside his ears, his eyes, his chest and most importantly his cock – Vlad could feel his heart pounding away. Her smooth warm stomach rubbed against his length, pushing and pulling his looser skin, making him hang his head as his lungs rasped on a groan. His fingers itched to pull her up and slam her down around his girth, but the idea of doing that not only made him twitch against her belly but also tighten in guilt. Vlad was worried – he didn't know how much longer he could just sit still as Cassandra familiarized herself with his anatomy.

Her body eased up his own – her stomach dragging up and leaving his erection for the softer downy expanse of her sex.

"Okay."

He hesitated, eyes wide and throat tight as she hooked her fingers around the back of his neck; anchoring to him as she molded the front of her naked body to his. She was wet; hovering over the wide head of his cock. Was she waiting for him to do something…she must have. Cassandra's eyes found his and he had to wheeze as she bit her lip; eyes waiting.

"Okay, fine. I'm a big girl…I can do this myself…" Her voice was cut and quick.

Words escaped him and by the time he cleared his throat to speak she'd already removed one hand from his neck, holding on tight with the other, as she grasped his cock; moving him into position as if he was the virgin and not her.

Abruptly he grasped her hips, holding on tight, keeping her where she was before her body jerked to sit on his cock. Something about this didn't seem right. He was her friend – he needed to make sure this was what she wanted. Cassandra was known for being impulsive, making bad decisions and being a woman of action rather than words…but…

"Vlad what are you do-"

"You want this, yes? Hrrn…want more than just a friend?"

Her eyes searched his – a crease under her eyes told him she was confused.

"I…love you, Cassandra. This is normal. Love, sex…maybe no nine to five…but-."

"I'm not going to say this is normal, Vlad, but if it can be then I'll be happy – well…happy enough. We could die next week…and I've already died. Let's be however we want to be. It's just us, remember?"

Her words were soft – her eyebrows bunch up as if she was sad, but Vlad knew she wasn't. After her words ended she kissed his cheeks – the hand on the back of his neck tightening; nails grazing his skin.

"…and yes, I love you, Vlad."

His gut tightened; chest knotting at her confession – it was all he'd ever wanted to hear from her since Evil Ernie had chased them through the forest.

Cassandra's lips were still touching his cheek, but the moment her words caused his grip to relax on her she went down; sinking on top his cock. The head of his shaft pop in – her pained groan coming with the sound of her shoving herself further down with a hiss; engulfing his erection in an unbearable, tight embrace.

Something should have willed his hands to stop her, but perhaps in a way it was like 'ripping off a band-aid' – the quicker she did this, the sooner she'd feel pleasure.

Tightly his hands grasped her hips as her body worked itself around him in a mixture of taut pain and immense pleasure. Inside – she was searing and cramped…so much so that his face pinched tightly as she rotated further until he could feel her supple bottom on his thighs. By the time she'd stilled, he was sweating; breathe coming out in wheezing whimpers. He'd had no troubles having 'the sex' before, but something had him thinking that this current state was impossible, but here she was; sitting on his lap with his erection buried deep inside her.

Suddenly he felt as though he couldn't breath. He didn't want to move for fear of hurting her, but he was finding it increasingly hard to pull in breathes.

"V-vlad? Are you alright? Pleh-please say you're alright."

"Hurr…huurrr…" He wanted to say yes, or at least ask her the same thing, but his lungs felt clogged and heavy – but he was in no danger. Hastily her body shifted around his cock (tugging the tight flesh and making him choke) but before he knew it – his mask was being press over his face roughly. Just as quickly – Vlad strapped it on, turning the valve to the side as a stream of air flooded in without him having to suck it in through his mouth.

It was here – in the steamy and humid hearse, with Cassandra wrapped around his girth that Vlad had to lean back and slowly pull in needed breaths. Embarrassment was what he felt after the panic of being unable to breathe wore off. He could see her perfectly through the eye ports of his mask. Pain was evident under the creases of her eyes, but she had no tears in said eyes and currently – with the sweat beading on her forehead - she gave him a hopeful smile.

"Hur…I…hrr…am fine."

"Too…heh…rough for you, buddy?", her tiny voice was strained but positive. So she was fine? Being out of breath had softened his erection somewhat, but she still felt tight around him.

"Are you hurr…are 'you' fine?"

"I've had worse…can you…uh…can we…still…?"

Again, he agreed with her all too quickly. "Yes."

Hands back on her hips in a flash – Vlad swallowed thickly - arms flexed and at the ready. His lungs were still heavy, but he could breathe…and he could sigh when her body finally moved; knees bending up, pulling her off him agonizingly slow. Without thinking he pulled her hips up, yanking her up a bit too quickly as Cassandra gasped sharply, grabbing his forearms with one eye shut tight.

"Easy…cowboy. Don't mm…get too excited."

Vlad bowed his head in an apology – not trusting his voice as she lowered her body back down over his girth. Now – in hindsight – being unable to breathe, and subsequently softening from the mild panic, may have been a good thing. Cassandra seemed to be able to sink down on him easier this time.

"Shit! Vlad, I feel…very full. Is this...mmmh! normal?", even though her question seemed nervous – she was already pulling back up, sinking back down, pulling back up…and sinking…

"I…do not…know..hurr…" – or maybe he did. "Yes." It was normal – it must have been, but even if it wasn't she didn't seem to mind. It must have been painful though – Vlad could see it in her face – but she kept on riding him slowly, using the support of his hands on her hips to keep her steady.

Nails dug into the back of his neck; pulling at the skin behind his ear, but no amount of pain she could have even given him would ruin the pleasure he felt right now. He wished he wasn't sickly so much; that he could watch her face without the obstruction of his mask…that maybe she could see his face as he gazed at her while her motions turned more concentrated, but nothing seemed bad right now. Vlad could do nothing but grunt and wheeze as his little Cassandra rode him; rode him in the back of their hearse…

This is what young people did; young people his age without monsters chasing them and deformities – they made 'the sex' in the back of cars and steamed up the windows. Through hooded eyes Vlad could see the windows were indeed foggy – the air moist and so warm.

Each time she moved he felt the air leaving his lungs stiffly; felt his body burning and his toes curling. Her bare body brushing his own naked chest each time she raised and each time she fell. Everything was searing and – his hands clung to her hip and back desperately – he didn't know how much of this sucking pleasure he could stand. It felt like the way his first time should have been, with Cassandra being the one bucking in his lap; pace becoming more frenzied with each motion of her body.

He needed to taste her skin, press his face to her hair – something so he could prove himself that this was all very real.

As she bucked and ground down in his lap – Vlad shucked off his mask, tossing it to the front of the car, pushing his small nose into the wetness of her sweaty hair. He could feel the puffs of air against his neck as she gasped and moaned with each rise and fall of her hips. His massive hands helped her bounce up and down as he let out a scratchy moan. They were sticky and hot, slipping against each other with each movement.

Never had anything felt so good. When he was younger he'd known only pain and loss…this was something he'd never imagined happening, but it was, and all he could manage to do was wheeze and kiss her neck messily.

"Vlad! Ah…you..need'your-" Gently he bit her neck, shoving her rear in to his lap as he pushed her down into the open sleeping back – it was here that she went quiet; mouth open and eyes sliced as he pounded into her blistering sex.

Vlad wasn't brutal, but there were just some things that he couldn't help – this…this was one of them. This was the moment where he took her with him. He was so close to tipping over that point, and she needed to know what it felt like while he was inside her. For all he knew, virgin girls didn't orgasm, but he could try. Despite the way he had to bend – Vlad cupped her lower back in one arm, pulling her hips into his over and over again as he pushed a hand between her legs; thumbing the spot he'd touched the first time.

Hearing her startled whimper only drug him closer to the end. That tension was building in his belly; roasting and roaring until his head was bowing down against her chest; sweaty and searing.

Over and over again he curled his hips into her own, thrusting his length in as fast and deep as he'd ever dare. Cassandra…she was so tight and the sounds she made…so sweet. Vlad just couldn't hold back anymore – he had to come…and he did with a guttural grunt.

Something bigger than before was building – had been for the last few minutes – but her own fear was keeping her from tipping over that edge. It had been different when Vlad had only used two of his fingers, but still she felt so incredibly full and tight that the idea of releasing so much tension scared her.

Sweat curled down her forehead as she gasped – her body thrusting back against the sleeping bag as Vlad filled her repeatedly. Everything he was doing felt too good – the hand between her legs, flicking against her clit, his thickness inside her…even his own sweat that mingled against her skin as he sunk his head to her chest made her head spin. Maybe I'm blacking out…

It all was amazing, but she held it in; grit her teeth as his hips slapped between her legs. Each time he pushed inside (stretching her and bumping deeply) – a burst of pleasure shook her body, threatening to tip her over every damn time.

Suddenly though, just as she was hanging tough against a bottomless thrust – a hot and clogging sensation set her stomach aflame. This burning pleasure was what did it. Cassie – the Killer of Killers – couldn't hold back as Vlad made the most desperate sound she'd ever heard into the skin beside one breast.

As she came – her body seizing up around him, convulsing and milking – she found her hands circling around his head, her back arching; slapping her stomach into his and holding on as her body shook and tensed in the most explosive burst of euphoria. Even as she climaxed – Vlad still filling her and stroking as he whimpered in his throat – she managed to find that she finally realized what all the hype was about; why people found love and settled down, and had sex – it was incredible. The stretched feeling, the heat, the sweat, the contact, the…love – it felt so unbelievably good, and all Cassie could really managed was a smile as Vlad's forehead unstuck from her chest. Patience paid off…apparently.

His breath came out shallow and scratchy, but her reaching fingers didn't know where his mask was, and even if she'd managed to find it – she didn't know how she'd managed to hand it to him…let alone put it on him as she'd done before. Her body felt like a melting bar of chocolate; smooth and yummy. Every muscle was loose and limber…

They should do this before every fight…hell every time available – it felt so much better than those repetitive stretches she always did.

Cassie had her eyes shut when Vlad plucked her backside into his arms, dragging her back onto his chest as he lay down. He was still buried inside her – stiff, but growing soft – as she lay limp on his sweaty chest. Something about him smelt good; smelt real good and she found herself lazily tasting the sweaty skin under her cheek.

Feeling more than hearing his clogged breathing – she rubbed a hand down his side; fingers bumping down his muscles wetly.

"Where's your mask?" Her throat stuck when she spoke; worn out and hoarse.

"Not in arm's reach."

Cassie laughed weakly, rising and falling on his chest with every breath he took. Eventually she'd have to pull off of him – so (she figured) better now than never…at least while he's still breathing. He slipped out of her easily enough, but left her feeling empty and…well…just unfilled.

Before she could crawl up between the seats, large hands grasped her arms, holding her still. "Where are you going?"

"Relax…air is still important. I'm just going to look for your mask…besides don't wanna' fuel the beast again so soon."

"I am beast? Then I am already with fuel."

Indeed he was…Cassie looked down between her legs to see his penis straining against his stomach again, but Vlad didn't do anything more than let her go as his eyes slowly closed. She could only imagine how sore he'd be later. How he managed to do what he did to her in such a small space – she didn't know…but she was already sore, even if it was pleasant in a way.

Soon enough she had his mask - was watching him put it on idly as she secretly touched the area between her legs. The fluid there was thick and sticky…so this was his? She rubbed her coated fingers together, pulling them apart to watch the string of fluid break. It wasn't gross…but it was strange, very strange…

Honestly – she was surprised she wasn't bleeding, but after a few more finger tests she found nothing but more thick semen.

"I should have done 'pull out'. I am sorry…I did not mean to get carried away."

Cassie looked up to find him watching her. How long had he been doing that? "No. It's just…I don't know. I guess I didn't know what to expect really.", her cheeks flushed as she thought of the right words to say, "It uh…it felt good anyways, when you…when you finished, you know."

Watching Vlad in his mask didn't help the wave of awkwardness at what she wanted to try and say to him. Sometimes she didn't think she'd ever be good with words – it was always a struggle when things like this came around…

"I don't know what normal people say after having sex, but…"

"Did you have orgasm?"

Why did he have to be so blunt sometimes? Cassie blushed, bowing her head as she absentmindedly scratched at her red cheek, even though it didn't remotely itch.

"Yes…", she said it only after some of her tangled hair fell over her eyes.

"Do you hurt?" His gruff Russian voice was more deep and shallow than the sounds of him rustling to his knees. She kept her head down, staring at her bare knees. Still nude and pink…and slightly sweaty – she shook her head as she fingered some of her loose black hair.

"Do you have regret?"

Even through the mask Cassie could hear the nervous tint to his question. Did he think she was ashamed of herself? – well…maybe in a way, but never over the fact that she'd done such things with him. "Regret doing this with you?"

Vlad nodded – his mask showing nothing that the sound of his voice had.

"Maybe, but just that I've built it up this whole time…and that it took me so long to figure this shit out. Like I said…I guess…I'm just a bit of a freak."

Her lips turned down – the pleasant ache between her legs fading enough that she found herself falling into a negative mood. The guilt she'd felt throughout the past week was coming back, but warm hard arms were tugging her close, pulling her to a massive hot body and subsequently pulling her out of her brewing mood.

"Not to me. Hrr…You are no freak. Or we are both freaks…"

At that Cassie smiled. To everyone else they both were freaks – her for what she wore and how she acted…and him for what he looked liked, but they were freaks together…and maybe that fact was a good thing. Very few people managed to find someone as special as Vlad, someone who'd die for them, who'd be there forever…and if anyone had stood the test of time for being the best friend in the world (without aiming for sex in the end) then it was Vlad.

"Two freaks against the world?" she muttered, arms wrapping around his stomach.

"Against world, yes."

Inside his arms it was easy to forget the car and the swamp…even the alligators munching on bones. She could have slept right now, but the last place she wanted to stay the night was in this bayou. The words to get them both moving were on the tip of her tongue, but a thick weight was urging under her thigh - all of a sudden very insistent.

"Vlad.."

"Yes?"

"Does your beast ever take time to refuel?"

"…No. Not while we are naked."

"Well how about one of us drives to a motel and we can talk about this..." She twisted her hips, rubbing down on his stiffness with an evil smirk. "After a shower though…we uh…we smell pretty bad."

His words were quick and eager; amplify her smirk for the rest of the night. "Yes, I drive."