BITTEN part 5, KB/JD Rated R by inthevast
Title: Bitten (5/6)
Author: InTheVAST
Pairing/Character: Kristen Bell/ Jason Dohring, the rest of the VM cast
Word Count: 3,900
Rating: R
Warnings: blood drinking, sexy situations, language
Summary: What happens after Jason Dohring bites Kristen Bell while filming a love scene on the set of Veronica Mars?
Spoilers: Up to S3 of VM.
Disclaimer: Come on if I had rights to Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring would I be writing about them? No. As far as I know they are both happy with their significant others but Kristen Bell could really use an ugrade. Needless to say this is all made up and vampires don't really exist. ;)
A/N: Thanks to little_linds, siobeehan, and gypsy_sally for cleaning up the rubbish! This chapter is dedicated to fire_fly_stare_, who was my giftee for VM_Santa. What princess wants, princess gets.
Part one of this fic can be read here, part two is here, part three is here and part four is here.
Only one more chapter left guys! Thanks for hanging in there.
Jason was gone. She knew this without opening her eyes. Her fingers no longer touched his bare chest; their legs were no longer entangled. With a deep shuddering breath, she opened her eyes to the empty bed. There was no use delaying the inevitable, no matter how much it hurt.
She felt self conscious, wrapped up naked in an endless sea of sheets. Where did Jason go? Why did he leave her like this? Her lower lip trembled, and she fought the sudden burning in her eyes. Quickly, she rose from the bed and grabbed a robe to slip over her skin. She opened the door to the hall and looked out. “Jason?” she called softly.
There was no answer, and the seconds of silence stretched on. She turned to take a shower, hoping her sadness would wash away with everything else.
****
After a slow and miserable morning, Kristen pulled into her space at the studio. She had been stunned to find her car waiting for her in the driveway this morning, but figured it made sense that Jason had went to Ryan's and picked it up on his own since he couldn't even bear to spend the rest of the night with her. All she had was one more day of work until they were free for the rest of the month and the holidays.
She was looking for her sunglasses when a loud tap on the window startled her. The sugared down coffee she clutched in her left hand spilled down into her lap. Luckily, it was barely warm. What was far more disturbing was the smiling, guileless face peering at her from across the glass.
Chris. The hunter, or whatever freaky thing Ryan and Jason had called him last night, was separated from her only by the glass window of her car. He smiled brightly at her. Licking her suddenly dry lips, Kristen forced a sweet smile and rolled down the window.
“Hey Chris,” she said. “Ready for our last day before break?”
His smile faltered. “Yeah, I guess. It does suck to think that we won't get to see each other every day though.”
Um… yeah, so that feeling totally wasn't mutual. Kristen stared at him blankly for a second while trying to think of how she could possibly respond to that.
Suddenly, Chris leaned into the car, settling his elbows on the door of the car. Kristen's breath caught, her heart beating wildly.
Chris looked at her, their faces now uncomfortably close, and paused, as if considering his next choice of words. Something in his face dawned. “Did you spill something on yourself?” he asked.
The words slowly sank into comprehension. She cleared her throat, fighting for composure. “Yeah, it kind of scared me when you tapped the window,” she said with a tiny laugh. “I guess I was in another world.” One where vampires don't exist. She should ask her travel agent about that.
“You scare easily,” Chris offered, chuckling darkly. His fingers stroked the seam of the car window.
Kristen nodded quickly, her eyes darting around the parking lot for an escape.
“Yeah, I know. The flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz made me cry when I was a baby,” she said. “And let's not even get started on that clown movie.” She angled her face away from Chris' so she wouldn't have to feel his breath stirring against her skin, hoping he wouldn't notice.
The vampire didn't seem to get the hint because he continued to lean over her, staring at her oddly. Was he… sniffing her? Gross! Sure enough, he seemed to be breathing in her scent.
“We should really get into work,” Kristen said. She tapped a non-existent watch on her wrist. “And I still have to get this mess cleaned up.” She emphasized her statement by gesturing helplessly to the spilled mess on her lap.
Chris looked down and licked his lips. “I think I have something you can use,” he said. She watched as he pulled a cream colored handkerchief out of his pocket.
What kind of guy carried a handkerchief? She felt the urge to laugh hysterically as the answer came. Oh, yeah, a vampiric Scientologist one.
“Thanks,” Kristen said. Quickly, she took the square of soft material and began patting down her damp jeans. Her fingers unconsciously traced the embroidered Church of Scientology logo. Creeeeeeepy… Her life was becoming more and more like those really really bad high school vampire novels.
“I think I got it good enough,” she told Chris after a minute of trying to mop up the damp stain. “They're going to give me different clothes in wardrobe anyway. Thanks, though. I hope I haven't ruined your handkerchief.”
“Oh, you can just keep it,” he offered. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged before mutely accepting the stained Scientology napkin. She could see the sharp pinpoints of Chris' canine teeth as he opened the door to her car. “Shall I escort ye to set m’lady, since ye have accepted mine handkerchief?”
Kristen felt like she was going to throw up. “Escort away,” she managed.
She hooked her arm through his proffered one. She was so distracted by her own efforts to disguise her anxiety; she nearly missed Jason standing at the edge of the parking lot. His expression was troubled and he wore yesterday's party clothes. Why did he look like he cared after he had abandoned her last night?
Kristen tried to keep up her mindless chatter with Chris, but her heart ached.
****
So, how exactly are you supposed to act around your other vampire co-star after a night of spent passion? After which you were left alone in your bedroom, a little snide voice added. Kristen ran her fingers through her hair as she looked around the set of the Hearst College library, wishing she was anywhere but there. It was too soon, too cruel to have to be near him again like this in the role of pretend lovers. Something like this hit too close to home, and it reminded Kristen why she had promised herself to not get involved with actors.
Jason was across the desk from her, looking equally pained.
“Take six!” one of the set guys yelled.
“Look, Veronica,” Jason began. No, scratch that, Logan said, Kristen reminded herself. “I'm sorry, I never meant to push you into Piz's arms for God sake's. If I could go back…”
“Well, you can't,” Kristen said, slipping seamlessly into Veronica's tough skin. “It's too late, Logan. I can't deal with all of your… issues anymore. Your daddy, your mommy, your Lilly issues, it's just too much for me.”
“I'm sorry,” Logan repeated miserably. Kristen turned away, putting the ear buds of her iPod into her ears. She could hear Jason turn to leave, and she busied herself with arranging the fake library books littered across the polished surface of the circulation desk. She blinked away her tears and swept the back of her hand against her cheeks after a pause. For a moment, Kristen let her own confusion and weariness cross over into her acting. A tiny tremor shook her small frame, and her shoulders sagged with it as she clasped the books on the desk.
All too soon, a voice cut in. “Veronica Mars, right? Piz told me I could find you here. I need your help.”
On cue, Kristen turned to face the character she was supposed to help this episode with a look of resignation. It was easy to pretend since those feelings were already so close to the surface.
“Cut!” yelled Diane. “That was great, guys. That's a wrap for the library scene. I think we got what we need. Take five and then we'll start shooting the scene in Piz and Wallace's dorm.”
Unconsciously, Kristen's gaze drifted to Jason. He had already turned to leave.
****
Craft services offered a welcome distraction. She dipped a few pita chips into some hummus and munched away blissfully for a second, trying to soothe her knotted stomach. It was nice to be outside too. Southern California had some pretty decent perks; in January the sun was still warm and gold.
She could see that Jason was outside of his trailer, also enjoying the ephemeral rays of the sun. He sat on the stairs up to the door, script in hand. There were dark circles under his eyes and the line of his jaw and mouth looked taut. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he laughing at her inexperience in relationships? Was he relieved that he had left? She tore her gaze from him in case he would catch her spying. She didn't think she could handle any more humiliation when it came to him.
She crunched down on another pita chip.
Across the table from her was Ryan. He met her eyes almost instantly and grinned at her. He still reminded her of a shiny, blond Labrador retriever. She suppressed a shudder when she thought of that same Labrador drinking a bowl of blood instead of water.
“Hey KB!” Ryan said, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. He sank his teeth deep into the red skin and tore. Kristen stood transfixed. It was part terror and curiosity that made her pause. The vampire thing wasn't something easy for her to get used to, despite the fact that her place of work seemed to be infested with them.
“Are we still on for bowling?” Ryan asked. His tone was seemingly innocent.
She fought to find her voice. “Um, I don't know,” she said. “Things have gotten a little unpredictable lately.”
“Well, let me know.” He smirked suggestively. “Where's Jason anyway?”
Kristen shook her head and stared down miserably at the lunch spread before them. “Don't know.”
Ryan's brow furrowed and his eyes reflected a question that Kristen could not catch. Before Ryan could say anything more, an extra arm was thrown tight around her shoulders. Kristen glanced up in surprise and her eyes met Chris' brown ones.
“Hey Kristen,” he said with a wide grin. He was doing that creepy drinking her up with his eyes thing again. “You ready for our scene?”
She nodded and forced a small smile. “It's our last one right? The big break up,” she sighed dramatically. “And Piz blows the popsicle stand known as Neptune in search of greener grass.”
Chris smirked confidently. “But maybe the Pizster will come back.”
Ryan raised his eyebrows expectantly. “Que? We don't speak in riddles.”
Chris gave him an annoyed look as if he had just remembered the other guy was there. “I'm saying that I'm going to ask Rob if he would consider maybe using me again at the end of the season or something. I want to be part of the cast again.”
Kristen bit her lip to hide what she was sure was an expression of absolute horror. “Do you think he'll go for that?” she asked. “You know how he can be about his baby and the story line and blah blah.”
“I think he'll be open to the idea,” Chris said, shrugging. “And that means we can all spend more time together.”
Kristen and Ryan exchanged worried glances. Today was definitely in the running for the worst day ever award. She didn't need pita chips, she needed a drink; a strong one.
****
After her scene with Chris, Kristen escaped back to her trailer. Her mind was flooded with thoughts about Jason and worries about Chris. It was simply too much to deal with. She lay on the couch, one hand over her forehead. She wished she could have blown off work, but she was in almost every scene. When she was sick, production pretty much shut down.
She rubbed her temples for a second and then gently touched the side of her neck. Was it really over a month ago when Jason had bitten her? And last night, things had gotten even more intimate than a blood donation. She thought of their kisses, his mouth as warm as a flame, breathing tender heat all over her body. She thought everything had been perfect, though obviously it hadn't been. Perfect evenings don't end with the guy leaving the next morning. So what had gone wrong? She had asked a few questions last night about things that had made her nervous, but that didn't explain why Jason had left. He didn't seem the type to just hump 'em and dump 'em. But what if she had been found wanting?
That was the heart of it. Her own insecurities of not being good enough twisted inside the pit of her stomach. Last night, Jason had told her that she was his first human. What if he realized that vampires made much better lovers?
Sighing, Kristen buried her head in the lumpy couch cushion. After a few minutes, her neck was cramping and she knew that was she was probably being missed on set. She patted her hair back into place and grabbed Veronica's bag, scurrying to the door. However, when it swung open, it connected with something large and human-shaped.
Her eyes went wide with surprise. Jason.
“Oh crap,” she cried. “Did I hurt you? - Wait, stupid question.”
He smiled lightly and shook his head.
“No, it's my own fault.” He stared at her seriously for a second. The sun caught the flecks of gold in his eyes. Her mouth went dry as Egyptian paper.
It wasn't easy, but she mentally forced herself to play it cool and not think about last night.
“Is there something you're looking for?” she asked cautiously. She put one hand on her hip.
Jason bit his lower lip thoughtfully and looked down at the ground. “I was gonna ask you… gonna ask you about talking to Rob.”
Her brow scrunched up in confusion. “What? Why?”
“Well, it just looks like Chris is bothering you and maybe if you talked to R.T. he could help,” Jason mumbled. The cracks in the sidewalk by his sneakers must have been fascinating.
Kristen frowned at him. Why was he pretending to worry that a potentially psychotic vampire was stalking her? After last night, it didn't exactly seem to be his M.O.
“I'll take it under advisement,” she said, and then flounced down the stairs past him.
****
“Knock, knock,” Kristen said, peering past Rob's office door. Rob looked up and smiled distractedly.
“Can I come in or are you super busy?” she asked, sugar sweet.
“Yeah, what's up?” Rob replied. He shuffled some papers out of the way as if to show that he was ready to focus on her.
Kristen shuffled from one leg to the other, wondering how this was going to go over.
“Well, I was just curious what's going on with the scripts for the spring? Anything interesting?”
Rob looked at her questioningly before answering. “Just the usual mayhem. Got the network breathing down my neck again.”
Kristen rolled her eyes in annoyance; her vampiric dilemma temporarily forgotten and replaced with worry for her job and her friends' jobs. “What are we going to do?”
“Whatever we can,” Rob said and shrugged. “It's nothing new this time. We'll definitely need to burn the midnight oil and put all of our heads together.”
Here was her opening. She bit her bottom lip and then went for it.
“Does that mean we are going to ask Chris to stay longer?” she asked. She hoped her voice was neutral but, with Rob, something always managed to slip through the cracks.
“It looks like you don't want me to,” Rob said, raising an eyebrow.
Kristen swallowed. “It's just that…” she hesitated and then took the seat across from Rob's desk. “He's been kind of creeping me out. He's been following me around the set a lot and he doesn't seem to get the message.”
Rob frowned in concern. “Do you want me to get security on it?”
“No! No,” Kristen said quickly. “Nothing like that.” Don't want to get the hunter too mad, she thought to herself. “I'd just like it if we could avoid doing any more scenes with just me and him because it seems to make him act worse.”
Rob looked at the computer in front of him thoughtfully. “I was going to have you two re-do the scene you were working on last week together but it's really not that important. I just thought the comedic relief between the two of you worked, and that you liked working with him.”
“I did,” she said. “Things have just gone off. If I tried to explain, you'd think I was crazy.”
Rob clicked for a second at his keyboard and then grinned at her as if they were partners in crime. “Say no more. It's done.”
Kristen nodded and smiled gratefully. Inside, she felt like doing cartwheels right inside his office. “That's more than enough. I really appreciate it.”
She waved one last time on her way out, and shut the door quietly behind her. Poor Rob, she thought to herself. He's working his tail off. She walked out of the studio offices and shivered. It was getting to be dark outside, and with the end of the day came a slight, forbidding chill. A reminder of winter's presence.
For the remainder of the day, she threw herself into her last scenes. Thankfully, Chris was nowhere to be seen around set. Jason stayed out of her way too, but still glanced her way every now and then. Whenever she looked at him a mirror image of her own feelings was reflected back at her; one of confusion and hurt. She almost wanted to rub her eyes to see if she was being delusional because it made no sense for him to be the hurt one.
Finally, the day was over. She said a quick good bye to everyone and ran into her trailer for a few items she had left behind. By the time she was ready, the studio lots were quiet and it had gotten even colder. She wrapped her arms around herself for the extra warmth.
“Hey, Kristen!” called a cheerful voice behind her, breaking the silence. It was Chris, just a few feet behind her. A wide, eerie smile was plastered across his face. To make matters worse, he wasn't even trying to hide his fangs. Her heart dropped down to her stomach. He had appeared out of nowhere and there was no way to pretend she hadn't seen him.
Kristen walked faster but she was no match for him. He soon grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face him. She looked up at him; saw that his eyes were pitch black. This was not good.
“I overheard your little request to Rob,” Chris growled. “You little bitch.”
She tried to shake her head in denial, but he went on.
“So, you don't like me anymore?” he asked. “I thought we were gonna be good friends.”
Kristen breathed in and out. “No, that's not what I meant…” Out of the corner of her eyes, she tried to see if anyone was around.
“What did you mean?” Chris asked. His grip was cutting into her wrist. Her hand felt numb. With a strange, sinking feeling, she realized that even if she could get out a scream, there was no one to hear her. It was like the parking lot had become deserted in seconds.
“Let go of me,” she managed, trying to wrench her arm away. “You're hurting me.”
“What, you don't like it?” Chris feigned surprise and then smirked coldly. “That's not what I heard from Jace.” As he spoke, his arms and body moved quickly to her. He threw her over his back before she could react or even put up the pretense of a fight. He held her effortlessly over his back, as if she were a rag doll.
“I guess now that you know what I am, this is gonna make things a lot easier,” Chris joked. “Maybe I should thank Jason for telling you all of our dirty secrets. Getting rid of you is going to be fun.”
He was taking her somewhere, and walking quickly. She couldn't see anything but the sidewalk he passed over and he was moving faster and faster. So fast, the ground beneath them began to blur. After a while it seemed as if they were inside a building. She wiggled in his grasp, trying to break free, but he only held her agonizingly tighter in response.
“I’d stop moving if I were you,” he warned lightly. “I can break one of your legs if you need any more incentive.”
Her body stilled as if frozen. She struggled to stay calm, knowing that things would be easier if she could. Her mind was racing. Was this it? The end? Was she just destined to be a vampire play toy? She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to anyone, or find out what had happened with Jason. That hardly mattered now. Would she just disappear? Or would Chris leave her body somewhere to find? A sense of finality came over her.
Chris pushed a door open in front of them, coming to a pause. The hinges creaked uneasily as they moved past.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked. Did it even matter?
He laughed and threw her down on something soft. She bounced on it before lying flat. It was a bed of some sort.
“Familiar enough for you?” he asked. His lips curved into a half-smile as he surveyed her confusion and fear. “I thought I would set the mood.”
They were in Logan's fake hotel room. The lights were dim, and the room was shadowy. The fish décor around the room stared blankly back at her as if to drive home the message that she was alone; alone with a killer. There would be no help, she realized.
“I've been waiting for this moment a long time,” Chris told her. He reached for her, but survival instincts kicked in and she futilely tried to shove him away. It was as if her body was telling her she couldn’t let go without a fight. But his hands on her body were unyieldingly hard and bruising, and each kick she landed seemed to hurt her more than him. He smiled effortlessly at her as if he enjoyed it, bearing down on her despite her feeble efforts. He pinned her arms to her side with one hand. Distantly, she heard the crack of one of her wrists.
He grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back…
Through the red film of pain, she tried to think of something warm and beautiful. She thought of Jason.
Author: InTheVAST
Pairing/Character: Kristen Bell/ Jason Dohring, the rest of the VM cast
Word Count: 3,900
Rating: R
Warnings: blood drinking, sexy situations, language
Summary: What happens after Jason Dohring bites Kristen Bell while filming a love scene on the set of Veronica Mars?
Spoilers: Up to S3 of VM.
Disclaimer: Come on if I had rights to Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring would I be writing about them? No. As far as I know they are both happy with their significant others but Kristen Bell could really use an ugrade. Needless to say this is all made up and vampires don't really exist. ;)
A/N: Thanks to little_linds, siobeehan, and gypsy_sally for cleaning up the rubbish! This chapter is dedicated to fire_fly_stare_, who was my giftee for VM_Santa. What princess wants, princess gets.
Part one of this fic can be read here, part two is here, part three is here and part four is here.
Only one more chapter left guys! Thanks for hanging in there.
Jason was gone. She knew this without opening her eyes. Her fingers no longer touched his bare chest; their legs were no longer entangled. With a deep shuddering breath, she opened her eyes to the empty bed. There was no use delaying the inevitable, no matter how much it hurt.
She felt self conscious, wrapped up naked in an endless sea of sheets. Where did Jason go? Why did he leave her like this? Her lower lip trembled, and she fought the sudden burning in her eyes. Quickly, she rose from the bed and grabbed a robe to slip over her skin. She opened the door to the hall and looked out. “Jason?” she called softly.
There was no answer, and the seconds of silence stretched on. She turned to take a shower, hoping her sadness would wash away with everything else.
****
After a slow and miserable morning, Kristen pulled into her space at the studio. She had been stunned to find her car waiting for her in the driveway this morning, but figured it made sense that Jason had went to Ryan's and picked it up on his own since he couldn't even bear to spend the rest of the night with her. All she had was one more day of work until they were free for the rest of the month and the holidays.
She was looking for her sunglasses when a loud tap on the window startled her. The sugared down coffee she clutched in her left hand spilled down into her lap. Luckily, it was barely warm. What was far more disturbing was the smiling, guileless face peering at her from across the glass.
Chris. The hunter, or whatever freaky thing Ryan and Jason had called him last night, was separated from her only by the glass window of her car. He smiled brightly at her. Licking her suddenly dry lips, Kristen forced a sweet smile and rolled down the window.
“Hey Chris,” she said. “Ready for our last day before break?”
His smile faltered. “Yeah, I guess. It does suck to think that we won't get to see each other every day though.”
Um… yeah, so that feeling totally wasn't mutual. Kristen stared at him blankly for a second while trying to think of how she could possibly respond to that.
Suddenly, Chris leaned into the car, settling his elbows on the door of the car. Kristen's breath caught, her heart beating wildly.
Chris looked at her, their faces now uncomfortably close, and paused, as if considering his next choice of words. Something in his face dawned. “Did you spill something on yourself?” he asked.
The words slowly sank into comprehension. She cleared her throat, fighting for composure. “Yeah, it kind of scared me when you tapped the window,” she said with a tiny laugh. “I guess I was in another world.” One where vampires don't exist. She should ask her travel agent about that.
“You scare easily,” Chris offered, chuckling darkly. His fingers stroked the seam of the car window.
Kristen nodded quickly, her eyes darting around the parking lot for an escape.
“Yeah, I know. The flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz made me cry when I was a baby,” she said. “And let's not even get started on that clown movie.” She angled her face away from Chris' so she wouldn't have to feel his breath stirring against her skin, hoping he wouldn't notice.
The vampire didn't seem to get the hint because he continued to lean over her, staring at her oddly. Was he… sniffing her? Gross! Sure enough, he seemed to be breathing in her scent.
“We should really get into work,” Kristen said. She tapped a non-existent watch on her wrist. “And I still have to get this mess cleaned up.” She emphasized her statement by gesturing helplessly to the spilled mess on her lap.
Chris looked down and licked his lips. “I think I have something you can use,” he said. She watched as he pulled a cream colored handkerchief out of his pocket.
What kind of guy carried a handkerchief? She felt the urge to laugh hysterically as the answer came. Oh, yeah, a vampiric Scientologist one.
“Thanks,” Kristen said. Quickly, she took the square of soft material and began patting down her damp jeans. Her fingers unconsciously traced the embroidered Church of Scientology logo. Creeeeeeepy… Her life was becoming more and more like those really really bad high school vampire novels.
“I think I got it good enough,” she told Chris after a minute of trying to mop up the damp stain. “They're going to give me different clothes in wardrobe anyway. Thanks, though. I hope I haven't ruined your handkerchief.”
“Oh, you can just keep it,” he offered. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged before mutely accepting the stained Scientology napkin. She could see the sharp pinpoints of Chris' canine teeth as he opened the door to her car. “Shall I escort ye to set m’lady, since ye have accepted mine handkerchief?”
Kristen felt like she was going to throw up. “Escort away,” she managed.
She hooked her arm through his proffered one. She was so distracted by her own efforts to disguise her anxiety; she nearly missed Jason standing at the edge of the parking lot. His expression was troubled and he wore yesterday's party clothes. Why did he look like he cared after he had abandoned her last night?
Kristen tried to keep up her mindless chatter with Chris, but her heart ached.
****
So, how exactly are you supposed to act around your other vampire co-star after a night of spent passion? After which you were left alone in your bedroom, a little snide voice added. Kristen ran her fingers through her hair as she looked around the set of the Hearst College library, wishing she was anywhere but there. It was too soon, too cruel to have to be near him again like this in the role of pretend lovers. Something like this hit too close to home, and it reminded Kristen why she had promised herself to not get involved with actors.
Jason was across the desk from her, looking equally pained.
“Take six!” one of the set guys yelled.
“Look, Veronica,” Jason began. No, scratch that, Logan said, Kristen reminded herself. “I'm sorry, I never meant to push you into Piz's arms for God sake's. If I could go back…”
“Well, you can't,” Kristen said, slipping seamlessly into Veronica's tough skin. “It's too late, Logan. I can't deal with all of your… issues anymore. Your daddy, your mommy, your Lilly issues, it's just too much for me.”
“I'm sorry,” Logan repeated miserably. Kristen turned away, putting the ear buds of her iPod into her ears. She could hear Jason turn to leave, and she busied herself with arranging the fake library books littered across the polished surface of the circulation desk. She blinked away her tears and swept the back of her hand against her cheeks after a pause. For a moment, Kristen let her own confusion and weariness cross over into her acting. A tiny tremor shook her small frame, and her shoulders sagged with it as she clasped the books on the desk.
All too soon, a voice cut in. “Veronica Mars, right? Piz told me I could find you here. I need your help.”
On cue, Kristen turned to face the character she was supposed to help this episode with a look of resignation. It was easy to pretend since those feelings were already so close to the surface.
“Cut!” yelled Diane. “That was great, guys. That's a wrap for the library scene. I think we got what we need. Take five and then we'll start shooting the scene in Piz and Wallace's dorm.”
Unconsciously, Kristen's gaze drifted to Jason. He had already turned to leave.
****
Craft services offered a welcome distraction. She dipped a few pita chips into some hummus and munched away blissfully for a second, trying to soothe her knotted stomach. It was nice to be outside too. Southern California had some pretty decent perks; in January the sun was still warm and gold.
She could see that Jason was outside of his trailer, also enjoying the ephemeral rays of the sun. He sat on the stairs up to the door, script in hand. There were dark circles under his eyes and the line of his jaw and mouth looked taut. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he laughing at her inexperience in relationships? Was he relieved that he had left? She tore her gaze from him in case he would catch her spying. She didn't think she could handle any more humiliation when it came to him.
She crunched down on another pita chip.
Across the table from her was Ryan. He met her eyes almost instantly and grinned at her. He still reminded her of a shiny, blond Labrador retriever. She suppressed a shudder when she thought of that same Labrador drinking a bowl of blood instead of water.
“Hey KB!” Ryan said, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. He sank his teeth deep into the red skin and tore. Kristen stood transfixed. It was part terror and curiosity that made her pause. The vampire thing wasn't something easy for her to get used to, despite the fact that her place of work seemed to be infested with them.
“Are we still on for bowling?” Ryan asked. His tone was seemingly innocent.
She fought to find her voice. “Um, I don't know,” she said. “Things have gotten a little unpredictable lately.”
“Well, let me know.” He smirked suggestively. “Where's Jason anyway?”
Kristen shook her head and stared down miserably at the lunch spread before them. “Don't know.”
Ryan's brow furrowed and his eyes reflected a question that Kristen could not catch. Before Ryan could say anything more, an extra arm was thrown tight around her shoulders. Kristen glanced up in surprise and her eyes met Chris' brown ones.
“Hey Kristen,” he said with a wide grin. He was doing that creepy drinking her up with his eyes thing again. “You ready for our scene?”
She nodded and forced a small smile. “It's our last one right? The big break up,” she sighed dramatically. “And Piz blows the popsicle stand known as Neptune in search of greener grass.”
Chris smirked confidently. “But maybe the Pizster will come back.”
Ryan raised his eyebrows expectantly. “Que? We don't speak in riddles.”
Chris gave him an annoyed look as if he had just remembered the other guy was there. “I'm saying that I'm going to ask Rob if he would consider maybe using me again at the end of the season or something. I want to be part of the cast again.”
Kristen bit her lip to hide what she was sure was an expression of absolute horror. “Do you think he'll go for that?” she asked. “You know how he can be about his baby and the story line and blah blah.”
“I think he'll be open to the idea,” Chris said, shrugging. “And that means we can all spend more time together.”
Kristen and Ryan exchanged worried glances. Today was definitely in the running for the worst day ever award. She didn't need pita chips, she needed a drink; a strong one.
****
After her scene with Chris, Kristen escaped back to her trailer. Her mind was flooded with thoughts about Jason and worries about Chris. It was simply too much to deal with. She lay on the couch, one hand over her forehead. She wished she could have blown off work, but she was in almost every scene. When she was sick, production pretty much shut down.
She rubbed her temples for a second and then gently touched the side of her neck. Was it really over a month ago when Jason had bitten her? And last night, things had gotten even more intimate than a blood donation. She thought of their kisses, his mouth as warm as a flame, breathing tender heat all over her body. She thought everything had been perfect, though obviously it hadn't been. Perfect evenings don't end with the guy leaving the next morning. So what had gone wrong? She had asked a few questions last night about things that had made her nervous, but that didn't explain why Jason had left. He didn't seem the type to just hump 'em and dump 'em. But what if she had been found wanting?
That was the heart of it. Her own insecurities of not being good enough twisted inside the pit of her stomach. Last night, Jason had told her that she was his first human. What if he realized that vampires made much better lovers?
Sighing, Kristen buried her head in the lumpy couch cushion. After a few minutes, her neck was cramping and she knew that was she was probably being missed on set. She patted her hair back into place and grabbed Veronica's bag, scurrying to the door. However, when it swung open, it connected with something large and human-shaped.
Her eyes went wide with surprise. Jason.
“Oh crap,” she cried. “Did I hurt you? - Wait, stupid question.”
He smiled lightly and shook his head.
“No, it's my own fault.” He stared at her seriously for a second. The sun caught the flecks of gold in his eyes. Her mouth went dry as Egyptian paper.
It wasn't easy, but she mentally forced herself to play it cool and not think about last night.
“Is there something you're looking for?” she asked cautiously. She put one hand on her hip.
Jason bit his lower lip thoughtfully and looked down at the ground. “I was gonna ask you… gonna ask you about talking to Rob.”
Her brow scrunched up in confusion. “What? Why?”
“Well, it just looks like Chris is bothering you and maybe if you talked to R.T. he could help,” Jason mumbled. The cracks in the sidewalk by his sneakers must have been fascinating.
Kristen frowned at him. Why was he pretending to worry that a potentially psychotic vampire was stalking her? After last night, it didn't exactly seem to be his M.O.
“I'll take it under advisement,” she said, and then flounced down the stairs past him.
****
“Knock, knock,” Kristen said, peering past Rob's office door. Rob looked up and smiled distractedly.
“Can I come in or are you super busy?” she asked, sugar sweet.
“Yeah, what's up?” Rob replied. He shuffled some papers out of the way as if to show that he was ready to focus on her.
Kristen shuffled from one leg to the other, wondering how this was going to go over.
“Well, I was just curious what's going on with the scripts for the spring? Anything interesting?”
Rob looked at her questioningly before answering. “Just the usual mayhem. Got the network breathing down my neck again.”
Kristen rolled her eyes in annoyance; her vampiric dilemma temporarily forgotten and replaced with worry for her job and her friends' jobs. “What are we going to do?”
“Whatever we can,” Rob said and shrugged. “It's nothing new this time. We'll definitely need to burn the midnight oil and put all of our heads together.”
Here was her opening. She bit her bottom lip and then went for it.
“Does that mean we are going to ask Chris to stay longer?” she asked. She hoped her voice was neutral but, with Rob, something always managed to slip through the cracks.
“It looks like you don't want me to,” Rob said, raising an eyebrow.
Kristen swallowed. “It's just that…” she hesitated and then took the seat across from Rob's desk. “He's been kind of creeping me out. He's been following me around the set a lot and he doesn't seem to get the message.”
Rob frowned in concern. “Do you want me to get security on it?”
“No! No,” Kristen said quickly. “Nothing like that.” Don't want to get the hunter too mad, she thought to herself. “I'd just like it if we could avoid doing any more scenes with just me and him because it seems to make him act worse.”
Rob looked at the computer in front of him thoughtfully. “I was going to have you two re-do the scene you were working on last week together but it's really not that important. I just thought the comedic relief between the two of you worked, and that you liked working with him.”
“I did,” she said. “Things have just gone off. If I tried to explain, you'd think I was crazy.”
Rob clicked for a second at his keyboard and then grinned at her as if they were partners in crime. “Say no more. It's done.”
Kristen nodded and smiled gratefully. Inside, she felt like doing cartwheels right inside his office. “That's more than enough. I really appreciate it.”
She waved one last time on her way out, and shut the door quietly behind her. Poor Rob, she thought to herself. He's working his tail off. She walked out of the studio offices and shivered. It was getting to be dark outside, and with the end of the day came a slight, forbidding chill. A reminder of winter's presence.
For the remainder of the day, she threw herself into her last scenes. Thankfully, Chris was nowhere to be seen around set. Jason stayed out of her way too, but still glanced her way every now and then. Whenever she looked at him a mirror image of her own feelings was reflected back at her; one of confusion and hurt. She almost wanted to rub her eyes to see if she was being delusional because it made no sense for him to be the hurt one.
Finally, the day was over. She said a quick good bye to everyone and ran into her trailer for a few items she had left behind. By the time she was ready, the studio lots were quiet and it had gotten even colder. She wrapped her arms around herself for the extra warmth.
“Hey, Kristen!” called a cheerful voice behind her, breaking the silence. It was Chris, just a few feet behind her. A wide, eerie smile was plastered across his face. To make matters worse, he wasn't even trying to hide his fangs. Her heart dropped down to her stomach. He had appeared out of nowhere and there was no way to pretend she hadn't seen him.
Kristen walked faster but she was no match for him. He soon grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face him. She looked up at him; saw that his eyes were pitch black. This was not good.
“I overheard your little request to Rob,” Chris growled. “You little bitch.”
She tried to shake her head in denial, but he went on.
“So, you don't like me anymore?” he asked. “I thought we were gonna be good friends.”
Kristen breathed in and out. “No, that's not what I meant…” Out of the corner of her eyes, she tried to see if anyone was around.
“What did you mean?” Chris asked. His grip was cutting into her wrist. Her hand felt numb. With a strange, sinking feeling, she realized that even if she could get out a scream, there was no one to hear her. It was like the parking lot had become deserted in seconds.
“Let go of me,” she managed, trying to wrench her arm away. “You're hurting me.”
“What, you don't like it?” Chris feigned surprise and then smirked coldly. “That's not what I heard from Jace.” As he spoke, his arms and body moved quickly to her. He threw her over his back before she could react or even put up the pretense of a fight. He held her effortlessly over his back, as if she were a rag doll.
“I guess now that you know what I am, this is gonna make things a lot easier,” Chris joked. “Maybe I should thank Jason for telling you all of our dirty secrets. Getting rid of you is going to be fun.”
He was taking her somewhere, and walking quickly. She couldn't see anything but the sidewalk he passed over and he was moving faster and faster. So fast, the ground beneath them began to blur. After a while it seemed as if they were inside a building. She wiggled in his grasp, trying to break free, but he only held her agonizingly tighter in response.
“I’d stop moving if I were you,” he warned lightly. “I can break one of your legs if you need any more incentive.”
Her body stilled as if frozen. She struggled to stay calm, knowing that things would be easier if she could. Her mind was racing. Was this it? The end? Was she just destined to be a vampire play toy? She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to anyone, or find out what had happened with Jason. That hardly mattered now. Would she just disappear? Or would Chris leave her body somewhere to find? A sense of finality came over her.
Chris pushed a door open in front of them, coming to a pause. The hinges creaked uneasily as they moved past.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked. Did it even matter?
He laughed and threw her down on something soft. She bounced on it before lying flat. It was a bed of some sort.
“Familiar enough for you?” he asked. His lips curved into a half-smile as he surveyed her confusion and fear. “I thought I would set the mood.”
They were in Logan's fake hotel room. The lights were dim, and the room was shadowy. The fish décor around the room stared blankly back at her as if to drive home the message that she was alone; alone with a killer. There would be no help, she realized.
“I've been waiting for this moment a long time,” Chris told her. He reached for her, but survival instincts kicked in and she futilely tried to shove him away. It was as if her body was telling her she couldn’t let go without a fight. But his hands on her body were unyieldingly hard and bruising, and each kick she landed seemed to hurt her more than him. He smiled effortlessly at her as if he enjoyed it, bearing down on her despite her feeble efforts. He pinned her arms to her side with one hand. Distantly, she heard the crack of one of her wrists.
He grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back…
Through the red film of pain, she tried to think of something warm and beautiful. She thought of Jason.