Claude kicked a pebble across the path in the park. He had just gotten off work and was walking back to his hotel room, tired and worn out. He had been working hard at work again, almost every night now, and for long and late hours. His feet hurt, his clothes smelled of booze and cigarette smoke, and he was sure he needed a shave.

He didn't have much else to do anymore but work. He didn't really know anybody in town and he never saw Helen anymore. He had wanted to see her on a few occasions, but he really had no way of getting a hold of her.

He stretched his arms above his head and groaned as his back popped. He should look into getting an apartment now that he was making a decent amount of money. And a car. It was starting to get chilly outside.

Helen sat on a park bench, her knees brought up to her chest as she sat alone - as usual. She seemed to bounce from one source of attention to the next these days... unable to hold onto one for any amount of time. However, still, Fred was always knocking at her door, wanting to be with her... confessing his love for her. She opened her eyes to be greeted by hungry pigeons, which she shooed away with a flail of her arms, watching them fly away.

She rolled her arms, and sat back against the park bench once more, reflecting upon her past experiences with her social life. It was strange, coming to terms with a social life she'd been deprived of for a hundred years. Her social skills definately had their failures. She sighed, remembering the way Claude had grown tired of her, wanting to push her away after she'd confessed her need of human contact. That was the trick: Don't let them know you need them.

A ways ahead of him, Claude saw a figured sitting on a park bench. He couldn't make out any of their features, but if he were to judge by their size, he would assume it was a young woman. His night vision wasn't the best. He scratched his head as he watched her, trying not to seem to conspicuous as he walked. It wasn't really safe for a young woman to be out this late alone.

Then he realized who it was. He blinked a few times, slowing as he approached her, trying to make sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him. "Hey!" he called out to her, once he was sure it was her. He hurried up to her and sat down next to her. "Hey, how've you been?" He couldn't believe how much better he felt seeing her again.

Helen heard the shuffle of feet some ways away from her. Her brilliant blue eyes turned the direction of the noise, and there he was. Claude. Helen's eyes widened as she turned away from him quickly, trying to hide herself. Shit... She didn't want to see him! She wouldn't allow herself to be some plaything of his whenever he felt like gorging in a good necking.

Though it was too late, as Claude ran up to her, seemingly excited to see her. She pretened like she hadn't spotted him, looking up to him with a slight smile on her face. "Hey..." She said, her hands clasped together. She put her legs down, now sitting upright, facing Claude. He asked how she'd been and her thoughts floated to Fred. "I've been... cared for." She said with a reassured nod, letting him know that it wasn't up to him to take care of her - since he seemed to think so before. "What are you doing here?"

Claude's brows furrowed and his lips curled up into a curious expression. "What?"

I've been... cared for.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he scooted down the bench away from her a little bit. Was she still pissed at him? He leaned back against the bench and crossed his arms in front of him.

"I'm walking home from work," he told her aimlessly, inspecting her. She didn't want to see him... She must still be quite angry with him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Helen laughed slightly as Claude seemed to retract from her as she said those things. She looked to Claude with a content face, no malice, anger, or bitterness towards him. "I'm living with someone now... And he's been taking care of me. I'm fine." She wasn't going to assume he'd been worrying about her... Hell, for all she knew he'd forgotten about her and then just happen to run into her here at the park. A simple coincidence.

"I'm walking home from work,"

The young vampiress nodded, and sucked on her bottom lip before speaking again. "How's that going? Still busy as ever?" She grinned, "working yourself to death and all?"

"Okay? So? Does that justify you being impolite to me? I was just wondering how you were since the last time I saw you."

He frowned as she spoke again, getting to his feet. "Yeah, well what would you know about it?" he muttered, turning away from her and walking away, putting his hands into his pockets. He thought they had made incredible progress in terms of getting along since the first time they had spent time together. Now it seemed as if they had taken three leaps back.

Impolite? How was she being impolite? She was just letting him know that she didn't need him like she said she did. She was distancing herself from him... Which she thought he needed since his obvious rejection of her from before. "I wasn't being impolite, Claude." She stated, looking up with him defensively. "I was just informing you that I'm well off. Sorry if you don't care..." She then looked down at her boots, frustrated with the whole situation. She felt like screaming.

"Yeah, well what would you know about it?"

Helen looked away, just wanting him to leave. Which, in fact he did. Helen looked towards him as he moped away, hands in his pockets. She sighed, slouching on the bench. "Nice seeing you too!" She called, crossing her arms.

Claude lifted his head and looked at the sky rather than looking back at her. "Yup! Have a nice life."

Helen sighed, rolling her eyes... Great... Just great. Why did she have to be so socially retarded? Why was it so complicated? Why couldn't she just say 'hey, I have emotional problems, and I'm in desparate need of a friend, please, don't leave?' No. She had to play though damnable mind games.

What good did those ever do?

And Claude just walked away. He wasn't one to let people walk on him. If he felt like he wasn't wanted, then he wouldn't put himself out there. He didn't walk through that park again.

Instead, a few nights later, he walked through the downtown area on his way back to the motel. He had begun looking for an apartment finally, one that was close to the bars and the school, but thus far he had only found one prospective flat. It was a studio apartment that was a bit out of his price range, but when he had visited it that morning, he found that he liked it quite a bit. Plus he was getting better at this bar tending business, so it probably wouldn't be a problem.

He walked up the steps to the complex and pulled out the keys from his pocket. The landlord had given him the keys until the next day provided that he pay a small lease. As he unlocked the building and stepped inside, he didn't know what to expect. Demaitre was such a vivid city at night. The building had been dead in the morning. As he stepped inside, he met a few of the residents, including his prospective neighbors. He liked it here.

He stepped up to his room, number 24, and stuck the key in the lock. Home sweet home? Maybe.

Helen closed the door to Fred's flat gently. She needed some fresh air. They'd been awfully close the past couple of nights, and it was time for Helen to get some breathing room in. She had let him know she was hungry, despite her feeding the previous night. She smirked, wondering if it was wrong, lying to get away from him. He was nice, had the right intentions... But Helen was so wishy washy when it came to his affection. It was so dependable... Was it the undependable affection that she liked? Of course, as she glanced down the hall, noticing a new resident of the complex. Whoo, someone else she'd be living around.

Though, as she walked down the hall to the exit, nearing the what she figured was a male, noticed that it was none other than Claude. Again. Shit. Helen sighed, as she neared him. Her eyes gazed upon him, moving into the same complex she lived in as well. "Hi... Claude." She said, out of surpirse of seeing him. She tilted her head, confused.

Claude looked up upon hearing his name. "Oh... Hi." He kept his hand on the doorknob, not yet opening the door. "How're you?"

He let go of the door and put the keys in his pocket. "What are you doing here?"

"How're you?"

Helen looked across the hall, past Claude's face, not quite really comprehending the huge coincidence of this little event. She nodded slowly, "I'm fine... yourself?" She was interested... mostly, and thought that hopefully taking a more modest approach to their conversation would prevent another horrible outburst.

"What are you doing here?"

The vampiress watched Claude's hand slide into his pocket. A small smirk creased her face as he asked her the same question she'd asked him in the park. "I live here."

"Oh," he replied. He emitted a little giggle and then looked at the door, opening it. "That's an interesting coincidence..." He stepped inside and flipped on the lights, leaving the door open as an unspoken invitation. "I will be too, soon."

The flat was empty, one large room, two walls opened up with ceiling to floor windows. Claude has always wanted an apartment like this. He walked into the middle of the room and turned slowly around looking about. He liked it. It was spacious. A small kitchen area and a white ceramic tub and toilet sectioned off in one corner by curtains.

"What do you think? Your flat like this one?"

Helen couldn't help but smile as Claude giggled. She shook her head as Claude meantioned moving into here as well. Great... This kid was going to be living right down the hall from her. Though, despite the remaining tension between them, it seemed to be melting away more or less. "Good for you. It's a nice place... I like it here." She said, geninuely meaning every word. It was good he was finally moving out of a motel and actually getting his own place. "Better than a motel at the least." She said with a wink.

"What do you think? Your flat like this one?"

Helen walked into the empty flat and nodded. "Yeah.. Fred's done a wonderful job of filling it up with stuff.. but yeah. It's very similar," she said with a little laugh to accompany the thought of all of Fred's medical books and such.

"Fred?" he asked with a blink. "That's a... Nice name. Is that your boyfriend?"

He sauntered over to the kitchen area and opened the cupboards. It really was a nice apartment. He couldn't help the disappointment of finding out that the apartment she was living in was similar. Took away a bit of his right to boast. "Yeah, I thought it was about time I got a real place to live. It's a bit more than I was prepared to pay, but I've been working really hard."

He closed the cupboard and pulled the curtain out from the small bathroom area. "Nice people around here too." He sat on the rim of the tub and looked up at her. "I like it."

"That's a... Nice name. Is that your boyfriend?"

Helen felt like she was struck with cold water. Boyfriend? Well, not officially, but... as she thought about it, she supposed thats what he was. Or was he just a friend with benefits? She looked up at Claude and shrugged. "Not officially. But more or less I suppose." Fred and Helen had needed someone to cling to, and they found that in each other... but they hadn't ever gone out on a date... except for when they went ice skating. Helen smiled, "yeah, I guess he is."

"Yeah, I thought it was about time I got a real place to live. It's a bit more than I was prepared to pay, but I've been working really hard."

Nodding, Helen smirked as Claude continued to look through his new flat. "Yeah, you have..." Her voice trailed off as she too looked around the place. It was interesting to see this place empty. It was almost exactly the same as Fred's... and seeing it without all of his stuff was a little weird. Seeing it with Claude's stuff in it might be even weirder.. just because it was Fred's flat - not Claude's.

As the went into the bathroom, Helen hoisted herself up onto the counter across from the tub that Claude sat on. She nodded, and grinned. "Yeah, it's nice here." She looked up at the ceiling, before bringing her eyes back to Claude. Wait, hadn't they been fighting ealier that week? Helen liked how it had soon been cast out of their minds, and they were able to get over the petty little squabble.

Claude nodded, pretending to be pretending that he was interested. So Helen had a boyfriend now. That was good. Maybe they could be friends again. Platonic friends... Maybe.

He flushed the toilet aimlessly and then reached around her to try the facet, grinning softly to himself as he drew himself almost uncomfortably close to her. "Well I guess I'll have to meet this Fred." He backed up and left the bathroom area, glancing around. "See if I approve or not." He turned and winked at her.

He wondered if he had the right to tease her like that, or if his remarks and his actions would result in another argument. To be honest, he was perfectly happy with walking the line.

Helen's eyes went down to slits as Claude grew closer to her, her eyes bouncing from his lips to his eyes, making her slightly nervous. Really, what kind of a guy got uncomfortably close to a woman after she'd mentioned the subject of having a boyfriend? Helen looked over as he tested the faucet near her. She smirked, though wasn't very pleased with his actions. What was he trying to do? Seduce her when she was sober? Obviously, he'd accomplished it when she was drunk... But now that her wits were about her, it wasn't going to be so easy this time!

"See if I approve or not."

Though she was far from impressed, she wasn't exactly 'mad.' She rolled her eyes and hopped down off of the counter as Claude left the bathroom, following him. "Oh, and why would you even bother?" She laughed and shook her head. Yeah, okay, she could be playful if she wanted to. "What would fall under being approved and disappoved boyfriend material?" This would be interesting.

Claude shrugged, glancing out the large windows into the city. He was only teasing. He hadn't really thought much past merely saying it. "Oh, I dunno..." He turned back toward her and smiled. "Anyway, it's getting late and I've got a lot of work to do in the morning." He walked to the door and opened it again, motioning for her to step out. "I think I'll be moving in soon. Gonna have to figure out where to get some cheap furniture."

Helen tipped her fingers from her forehead in a mock salute, and walked out the door. "Later, Claude." She murmured, and walked down the stairs of the complex, and went in search for her dinner. By the time she returned, it was very late, about five in the morning, and she stepped within her own apartment, and collapsed onto the couch, falling into her coma like state of slumber.

-

The next night, Helen awoke before Fred, and decided to go out and get some fresh air. She wrote him a little note, and taped it to his dresser; telling him that she'd be in the courtyard of the complex, and just needed some air - he was welcome to join once he'd woken up. She closed the door softly. Tonight, she was clad in a light pink shirt, and long black trousers that came up to her belly button, with black suspenders, and black converse. She'd done a little shopping a few nights ago, and felt like wearing something nice tonight. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her face was bright, ready for the night.

Claude had done a bit more exploring around the apartment, but had eventually fallen asleep, oddly enough, in the bathtub. It had been too late for him to get a bus to the other side of town to his motel room, and the slight incline of the tub was more comfortable than the flat floor. He removed his shirt and bunched it up as a pillow and fell asleep once he got used to the cold porcelain.

He awoke the next day by the glare of the sun. He hadn't closed the blinds before he went to sleep and was now wide awake despite only about five or six hours of sleep. He spent most of the day confirming his lease of the flat and moving his stuff in. In the meantime, he met several people, including a cute little lady called Isabelle across the hall.

He took a nap on the couch he had dragged in as the sun set, but it was short lived. It was too hot in his apartment, and he went out to get a little air. He was sweaty and tired, but the cool night air felt great.

As he stepped outside he saw Helen off in the distance. He started toward her slowly, quietly, watching her. She looked different... Cute in the way she tried to change her clothing. Maybe she had taken heed to what he told her about looking nice in other clothes. He walked up behind her and muttered a soft, "Hey."

Helen raised an eyebrow as she heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned slowly, to see, none other than the infamous Claude. She smirked and offered him a little wave. "Hey. What's up?" Helen looked down at her shoes, and then back up to Claude's face, feeling a little out of her comfort zone without her combat boots. Though, she did like her new suspenders, and black pants. They were fresh, and 'trendy' if there even was such a thing.

She couldn't wait until Fred got to see her new wardrobe. "I was just going out into the courtyard for some fresh air... Wanna join me?"

"Not much. I didn't sleep very well last night, but it's too warm in my apartment for me to sleep now. I came out for some air. How are you?

"You look awfully cute." Claude winked at Helen, standing close to her. "I like the pink. Makes you look like a girl. Nice shoes too. I've got a pair. Chuck Taylors are the best. " He slipped a finger between on of the suspenders and her collarbone and tugged on it gently. "Not so sure about these though." His shy smile gave him away... He was only teasing her.

"Sure, let's have a little walk, shall we? I'm hotter than hell." He offered her his arm as though to escort her about.

"I've wanted to apologize to you, Helen, for the way I've acted towards you. I--" He sighed. "I didn't want things to end the way they did between us. I wasn't trying to push you away, I just... Have a hard time letting people get close to me, you know?" It was all very hard for him to get all this out. He apologized to no one... No one that didn't deserve it. It was even harder for him to talk about himself on a personal level. He was shut up inside, emotionally, spiritually... in every way. "I'm sorry."

Helen watched Claude's lips, a habit she'd been picking up ever since her mind had decided to try and do some thinking while people talked to her. She looked to his eyes and grinned. "Yeah, I know the feeling... I sleep better when its cold." Like death. "I'm fine, you know, still getting from place to place on my own." She laughed, shaking her head - lame humor.

"You look awfully cute."

The vampiress looked up at Claude and snorted, thus making her hands fly to her face and she nodded, sarcastically. "Yeah, right, okay." She let out a few short laughs, looking at Claude skeptically. "Back at ya hot rod..." She murmured, meaning it about as much as Claude did. Helen grabbed her breasts as Claude noted her gender. "As if these weren't a good clue already, huh?" She looked at Claude and rolled her eyes, taking his arm, looping her own around it as they headed towards the stairs.

"I didn't want things to end the way they did between us. I wasn't trying to push you away, I just... Have a hard time letting people get close to me, you know?"

Helen stopped, as Claude started to apologize, and blinked before opening her mouth to say anything. She smirked, looking down at her exposed ankles. It still bothered her slightly, despite Claude's compliment. She brought her opposite hand to his arm, and squeezed it slightly, reassuring him. "I don't think I could have said it better myself..." She said, with a nervous laugh. She let her eyes wander for a long time before coming back to his own eyes. "I... " She let out an airy laugh. "Have the same problem... That's why... I... Well, reacted the way I did." She looked down at the floor, a bit embarrassed by the whole situation.

"No, I mean it! A little color brightens you up quite a bit. Especially your eyes."

He laughed loudly as she made a grab at herself, a wee bit of a giggle lighting in his laugh. "Oh those... Yeah I suppose they are a bit of an indicator."

Claude was somewhat surprised that his apology was so well received. He took his arm out of her grip and put it around her shoulders, kissing her gently on the forehead. "Well then I forgive you too. I guess we're a bit at fault, eh? We're both emotionally retarded." He squeezed her into his side and then released her shoulders, reaching down to take her hand. "At least we've got each other. What good are friends if you can't duke it out sometimes and then forgive each other?"

"No, I mean it! A little color brightens you up quite a bit. Especially your eyes."

Helen batted her eyelashes with a bit... okay a lot of sarcasm. "Oh dear, I do think I look adorable!" She laughed and stuck her tongue out playfully. She then nudged Claude a bit, and smiled. "Thanks, though. I think Fred might like it too... I went on a shopping spree." She let out a happy little sigh, and looked down at her ankles again. Ugh!

"Oh those... Yeah I suppose they are a bit of an indicator."

Helen nodded and winked. "Yeah. A bit... Unless I was like those really fat men that just eat all day and grow man-boobs!" She stopped all of a sudden, noticing her ridiculous levels rising. "Yeah...But not." She noted quickly. She remembered seeing something in the news about the obesity pandemic over the North American continent. Though, by her own stick figure, it wasn't a problem with her diet, or her metabolism.

Laughing as Claude showed bursts of affection, Helen squeezed his hand lightly as he took it. "Seems to be the case... doesn't it?" She nudged him again, sticking out her tongue. Claude always seemed to bring out the best and worst in Helen sometimes.... Moreso the best... or the most mischievious, however you wanted ot look at it.

Claude reached over to her and tried to grab her tongue, though he stopped just short of grabbing it. "Better not stick that out at me again, or I'll snatch it right out of your mouth."

"Plus you wont want your boyfriend seeing you making such lascivious passes at me." He smirked at her, very well aware that that comment might cause a rise in her. He nudged her lightly. "I'm just playing with you. How'd you meet him anyway? It hasn't been that long since I've seen you last. And now you're living with him?" He was concerned. He just... Didn't get it.

"Plus you wont want your boyfriend seeing you making such lascivious passes at me."

Helen's smile faded a bit, as Claude brought her back to home. She wasn't mad, as he reassured her quickly that he was just playing around. She tired to smile again, but lately... she wasn't sure what the deal was with Fred. Though, she had to admit, from someone's point of view like Claude... It did seem really strange that she was 'dating' him. "I... met him in a coffee shop. He was having a hard time, and we got to talking... and he... got me to smile a little." Helen shrugged, making it seem like their relationship was so much more simpler than that. "I... Yeah... I... Didn't have a place to stay, and since I helped him with his little emotional breakdown and he sorta helped me... he offered me a place to stay..." Helen laughed, trying to play it off casually, "you know I was just staying in that abandonded church before, so it wasn't like I could say no to a warm bed... and... a meal..." Helen stopped, realizing how stupid she must have sounded. "Anyways.." Her eyes wandered off, trying to smile.

Claude saw Helen's mood fall and he instantly regretted bringing it up. He squeezed her hand softly, "I'm sorry. Forget I said anything..."

But she answered him anyway, and he listened carefully. He had yet to meet the man, but he already didn't like him. Call it protectiveness, jealousy, whatever... He just didn't like the situation.

His large thumb brushed over the small breadth of her hand. "I would have rather you stayed with me, Helen. You should have told me that you didn't have a place to stay." He felt horrible for kicking her out like he did. Now he wished that he had just kept his mouth shut and allowed her to stay with him.

"I would have preferred to have kept you with me rather than you live with some stranger... But, I guess I'm a stranger too, aren't I." He smiled sadly. It was the truth. They didn't really know each other. "I've made you smile plenty too, you know."

"If you ever need to find a new place to stay in... I've got a warm bed myself." He prayed that whatever she meant by the warm bed she was given now, it wasn't a shared one. His stomach felt as if it was eating away at him.

"I'm sorry for asking you to leave before..." Guilty as charged.

Helen was comforted slightly as Claude squeezed her hand. She felt like there was a friend there, truly honestly concerned about her. Though it would have been better to have had a friend as such while she was still alive... It was good nevertheless. She looked up at Claude, squeezing back. She was okay, really, it wasn't like she was staying with some guy with a fondness for young women... It just kinda looked that way.

"I would have rather you stayed with me, Helen. You should have told me that you didn't have a place to stay."

Shaking her hand, Helen put a hand on Claude's shoulder and stopped their walk. She looked him in the face before she spoke, hopefully getting the message across. "Look. I'm fine. It's okay where I'm staying. We get along all right, and he really likes me, and I..." She stopped, unsure if she wanted to reveal what she was about to say. She wasn't sure if it was the focal point of the relationship... but hey, they were friends or something now, right? "I like the attention. I don't know if I'm as attached to him as he is to me..." She stopped again, shaking her head. "The point is, you don't need me hanging around your apartment like some shaggy stray dog. It's fine where I am, and hell, now I'm just down the hallway. You can see me whenever you want." Helen smiled, and even hugged Claude a little bit.

"I'm sorry for asking you to leave before..."

Helen looked down at her feet and then back at Claude, tilting her head a bit. "I thought we already went over this? It's fine, forget about it." She nudged Claude a bit, to lighten the mood. He was now aware of some things going on in her life that would probably rise even more questions and concerns, but Helen figured, if anything... She needed a friend, to confide in that she'd never had before... and maybe thats all she needed right now; was someone, a friend, not a lover or a leech... but just... a friend.

"Alright, alright, if you insist." Claude smiled softly at Helen. "I'll get off your back about it... For now." He winked. "My point is, if he gets on your nerves or something, you can always come and rant about him or come stay with me until things cool down. I know how it is to be with somebody who likes you more than you like them. It can be hell. I haven't even met him yet. He's not some creep is he?" He nudged her playfully.

"And you're not 'some shaggy stray dog'. Perhaps a cute, adoring puppy." He made an exaggerated flinch away from her as if he expected her to smack him, but just as quickly he reached out to tickle her.

He wound up hugging her to him gently, chuckling softly. "And we'll have sleepovers and stay up all night watching chick-flicks!" The effeminate tone in his voice was trained to perfect flamboyance. "And eat lots of ice cream and complain about our love lives!"

With a playful nudge and smile, Helen giggled and smirked. "No, he's not a creep... Just... needs a little affection to get over himself I think." Helen shrugged, and nodded. "Thanks Claude, I really appreciate it. Hell, I'll probably be over more than you really want me to." She nudged him back and giggled a bit more. She wasn't sure what the whole 'limit of friendship drop-ins' were, but they'd figure it out...

Helen squeaked as Claude came in, tickling her sides, making her squirm. "Gah! Claude!" She wasn't even expecting it, and it threw her completely off guard. Though as he brought her to him, hugging her, Helen rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, but looked up at him as he started revealing his closet-feminine side. She bursted into laughter, nodding her head in agreement. "I've never seen a chick flick before... but it seems like fun!" She giggled, continuing down the stairs now that the mood between them had lightened considerably.

There had been more heart to heart moments today than Helen would have liked, but in a way, it was better for her. She felt like this weight was being slowly lifted off her chest when she was with Claude. He made it easier for her to simply exist, and deal with the heaviness that had bombarded her life. She just hoped, that when, or if he ever found out she was a vampire, that he wouldn't be frightened, or scared of her...

It was a few days before Claude saw Helen again. He had been busy with work, moving in and meeting new people. But within that time he had met Fredrich and found himself even more confused than he was before.

He had been at the college most of the day that Thursday, enrolling himself and registering for fall classes. He had finally gotten his acceptance letter and had hurried over to get everything taken care of.

When he returned that night, he thought he would go and see Helen, as he hadn't in a while. He knocked on her door and waited, hoping she would answer instead of her host.

Helen, still clad in her stretchy plaids, and tank top, along with a messy bun wrapping her hair onto the back of her head, head a sudden knock at the door. She rolled her eyes, wondering who would be visiting two vampires at... nine in the evening. She stuck her eye to the peep hole and laughed.

Of course; it was Claude.

A bit embarrassed at her attire, Helen opened the door and smiled. "Hey Cladue...Sorry, woke up about two hours ago." She scratched her head and invited him inside. "I think Fred went out to grab a bite to eat... He should be out for awhile..." Helen shrugged. She didn't really care if Claude met Fred, but figured he'd wanna talk to her without him present.

Claude eyed her suspiciously. "You just got out have bed? You have some of the strangest sleep patterns that I've ever heard of. Nice pajama's though."

"I was just coming over to see what you were up to. See if you wanted to come over now that I've got my apartment arranged a little bit better. Maybe watch a movie or something."

"He went out to eat without you?"

"You just got out have bed? You have some of the strangest sleep patterns that I've ever heard of. Nice pajama's though."

Helen shrugged and patted her mouth as she yawned. "Yeah, well, what can I say? I perfer the night... I've been nocturnal for... " She shrugged again, laughing, "God knows how long!" To be honest, she had a very good idea how long she had been nocturnal, a vampire... But she wasn't sure Claude was ready to know.

"I was just coming over to see what you were up to. See if you wanted to come over now that I've got my apartment arranged a little bit better. Maybe watch a movie or something."

Nodding, Helen agreed. "Sure, okay, that sounds great! Uhm... Mind if I just come over in my pjs?" She didn't feel much like changing out of them, and she was comfortable, which was the main reason why she would prefer to keep them. She let her hair down, running her hands through it, and then put it back up, making it look less messy.

"He went out to eat without you?"

Helen almost slapped herself. She hated lying to him so much. "Yeah, he must have been really hungry... I was still asleep... He might be bringing something back. I don't know. I'm usually not very hungry when I wake up though." She patted her small belly and grinned. "Not hungry now, so anyways, what movie are we watching?" Attempting to change the subject, Helen asked what movie they were watching... though, it's not like she would know what it was.

Claude smirked. "I'm well on my way to becoming nocturnal myself, but I still get up at a decent hour." He wondered if it was just in her nature, but there were times when Claude felt as if she was lying to him. She seemed to break eye contact at certain times, when at others she had no problem looking at him. A lot of the time it was over trivial things, but it did make Claude wonder. What did she have to hide from him?

"Oh, yeah, sure. I don't care what you wear. I might switch into my PJ's as well. I'm planning on actually going to bed sometime tonight." He winked at her and then stepped away from the door, moving towards his own apartment.

"I hadn't really decided on what movie to watch," he told her, letting their talk of Fred slip by... For now. He had many things he wanted to say now that he had actually met the man. He figured he may as well get her comfortable in his home before he started asking her questions again.

"I've just installed a slight level to my place, so that the television and couch are on a bit higher level than the rest. I was also going to put my bed up in the loft but I decided that was a bad idea, lest I come home too tired to climb the stairs. I'm going to see if I can get a desk up there instead and use it as a bit of an office."

He opened the door for her and let her in. His apartment was sparsely furnished, a rug in the middle of the floor, his couch and TV on the raised level, his bed in another corner and his small kitchen area in another. The windows were opened, as were the blinds, the twinkling lights of the city shining in through the glass.

"Home sweet home." He ushered her into the room, leaning down to pick up a tiny fuzzball from the floor and turning to face her. "And this is Monty." In his arms he held a half-awake sable ferret. "I picked him up at the pet adoption place. They say he's blind and he's not gonna live much longer, but I decided to get him anyway. Isn't he cute?"

Helen nudged Claude, "besides, its when all the people worth talking to are out." She winked and her shoulders went forwards slightly, in a quiet laughter at her petty joke. Her sense of humor needed a little work, needless to say.

"I hadn't really decided on what movie to watch,"

Stepping out of the doorway, and making sure the door was locked behind her, Helen made her way down the hallway, to Claude's apartment. Thinking about the television she'd seen in the motel, she was eager to see what this movie business was all about. "Well, whatever you decide on, I'm sure I've never seen it before." She shrugged, "but I'm excited for whatever you pick out!" Really, seeing her first movie was making her crazy. She'd only seen a few blips of the news, which, was just a wonder all on its own as Helen had watched the moving people for the first time.

Helen nodded, listening to Claude explain his plans for his new apartment. She wandered through, getting herself acquainted with the place. She'd only been in before it had been furnished, and now it had come a long way, looking much more homey. "Well, it's definately better than that motel you were staying at..." She grinned, chuckling slightly. "I like what you've done with the place." Helen wiggled her bare toes, and climbed up to the level where the television was, flopping down onto the couch.

Claude then picked up a hairy ball of fuzz, annoucing it was a ferret. Helen gasped, and ran down, greeting the sleepy animal. "Oh Claude! You have a ferret! I haven't seen one of these since... since well, I was back home in England!" Helen beamed, scratching the little thing on the top of its head softly. "This one boy tried to swoon me with his pet ferret once, and even though it was the cutest thing... The boy had a weird smell to him." Helen chuckled, remembering the boy, who she couldn't even remember his name, but boy, she really did like the ferret.