Trouble Always Finds Me (Mia)

[random314]

Of course he didn't take her bed. He may be a murderer, but somehow he was still a gentleman. "Fine, your loss. You can sleep on the couch then," she told him with a slight smile, but it wasn't anywhere near happy. From his expression Mia could see that Ben wasn't feeling so hot either. She didn't know what she looked like, but she knew she was a big mess as well. She needed a shower to get all the blood off, and Ben, well he just needed some sleep. How had they gotten themselves into this situation? Why had she just jumped that cop when she'd seen Ben was going to jail? She definitely did more harm than good. Now look what was happening. They don't even know about you, he'd said. The words stung, but Mia wasn't sure why. Perhaps she was upset that he didn't feel they were in this together as much as Mia felt they were. She'd always looked out for herself, but she didn't want to be alone in this, but Ben was right. They didn't know about her. For all they knew Ben had exsanguinated that homeless guy back in the alley. For all they knew Ben had done the same with the cop. They probably thought he was insane now, and that was all Mia's fault. Guilt. She didn't like this new emotion. It was weighing down on her and making her feel miserable. She wanted to find a way to make it seem like she was in just as much trouble as Ben, just to make herself feel better. Sure, Ben had done his fair share of murdering today, but he wouldn't of done that if Mia hadn't cornered him in the alley that night. Still, he shouldn't of killed the officer. Mia knew that, but what choice did they have? If they let him live he'd tell. They could of kidnapped him but would good would that have done? How long could they keep him captive? She'd nearly killed one of the cops as well, so wasn't she just as much at fault? Mia didn't know what to think anymore. "But Ben... Don't they have DNA machines? And fingerprints? And stuff? I mean...they can't think that you could drain those people like that..." Mia trailed off, trying to convince herself just as much as she was trying to convince Ben. She didn't want him to reassure her and tell her that the authorities were only after him. She wanted him to tell her that they would be coming after both of them, just to settle some of her guilt. Mia hated this. She didn't like feeling guilty and she definitely didn't like needing to have reassurance, but she did feel it, and she did need it at this very moment.

His next words left Mia speechless. Leave? What was he going to do that for? Then she'd have no one left! And what was he talking about? 'Leading trouble to her doorstep.' Yeah right. Mia could bring just enough trouble to her doorstep all by herself thank you very much. Sure, he probably did have to leave. The cops were on his ass, but Mia didn't want him do. He was the only one who knew what she was, and even though they didn't know each other very well, it was just nice to know that she had someone close by that she could rely on, even if that someone was an ex gang member/murderer. "Ben I...I understand why you have to leave but..." she trailed off again, unsure of what to say. Could she tell him she didn't want him to? She never did have a problem with being honest..."I don't want you to go." The words hung there awkwardly, but Mia didn't take them back. "I mean, you're the only one who knows about me being a vampire, and I'll just...miss you?" the words came out more as a question, because Mia wasn't used to expressing affection for someone before. "And cut the crap. You didn't lead trouble to my doorstep. I can do that all on my own." When he asked her if she was okay, Mia nodded, "I'm fine. That officer's blood really helped. I do need clean clothes, but that can wait till later," she told him, wanting to get back on the subject of his leaving.

[tinkerbell2]

Ben looked up at her from the couch and nodded at her questions. “No. Even if they can pull your fingerprints from something that you touched at the scene, I don’t think they’ll have you’re fingerprints in the system unless you committed some heinous crime you didn’t mention before. So, they might have your fingerprints or your DNA, but they won’t know whose DNA they’ve got.” He sighed and looked down at his hand. Murderous hands. He looked back up at Mia. Her face was so much more pleasant than anything else in this world. It was hard to look away from it so he stopped trying. Ben smiled reassuringly before speaking again, “I don’t think we’re in any danger of being discovered here so long as I keep a low profile.” He remember suddenly why he was a murderer tonight. Just for her. And so what if he didn’t know her middle name or whether she preferred cats or dogs or what her favorite breakfast food was… Well, actually he knew the answer to that last one: blood. “They’ll think anything that gets them a conviction, even if my fangs aren’t quite as big as yours.” He bared his teeth playfully, showing her his fangs, or lack there of.

“I don’t want you to go… I’ll just… miss you.” Ben kept his expression tightly under control. It felt like Mia had opened his chest and went at his heart with a hammer and chisel. His heart had frozen over a long time ago; it had been the only way for him to stop it from breaking into pieces. And now, she was hacking away at it. It hurt, certainly, but at the same time he was surprised she’d found his heart. He sometimes thought it had disappeared all together. But there it was, aching in his chest. Ben cleared his throat, interrupting him own strain of thoughts. “You know, you’ll have a thousand lifetimes to find other people to confide in. So don’t count on me… I’m mortal and sure as hell won’t last forever. At this rate,” He laughed and shook his head, “It feels like I won’t last another week. Meeting you, almost getting arrested….” Ben sighed loudly. The deep breath was calming and he realized how exhausted he was. “Honestly, Mia, I just don’t want to be a burden and I know you don’t see it that way. I guess…” He bit it lip, “I’ll just try and keep my head down, not draw to much attention to myself. It would kill me if any of this came down on you. I know that maybe you think you’re not innocent anymore but you have to stay out of jail,” He looked at her, his face solemn, “You’d never be able to keep your secret in jail. I could keep your secret in jail and I would do that for you. But…” He smiled, “Neither of us are going to jail.” Leaning back into the couch, he rested his head on the cushion and turned his eyes to her. Jail was the wrong place for her. It’d be like condemning a dove to hell. He sighed and looked away. No use starting to like her more now, he’d have to leave eventually. “Lets just not go to jail, okay?”

[random314]

So the cops couldn't get to her. Even though she'd started all of this, and even though she was the reason Ben was in this mess, he was the one who was going to get in trouble. It just didn't seem fair. If the situation were less serious, and someone was getting blamed for a minor crime Mia had done, she might have laughed, but this wasn't a minor crime. This was murder, and she cared for Ben, probably more than she should, and Mia didn't want to see him get in trouble. She'd really come to care for him after all they'd been through. They hadn't known each other long, but the drastic situations made Mia feel more close to him than, say, another acquaintance she'd known for years. She smiled at him when he bared his fangs, (or lack there of) but it was a weak smile. She flashed him her own fangs briefly. "I've got you beat. Well, as long as we're safe for tonight..." she told him, using we, as she was continuing to talk about them as if they were in it together, as if Mia would get in trouble to, even though Ben had just explained to her that she wouldn't. Talking like that just made her guilt subside a bit and made her calmer.

Mia shouldn't have said it. She shouldn't of said she'd miss him. His expression gave away nothing, absolutely nothing. Mia usually didn't open up like she had just then. Opening up made her vulnerable, and she hated feeling that way. He talked a lot in response to her words, but no where within his sentences were the words, 'I'll miss you too,' and that...well...it made Mia feel bad. She shouldn't, she knew, but somewhere inside of her was the little girl who still wanted to feel cared for, even though Mia would never admit such a thing. Mia liked to think of herself as strong, independent, and self-sufficient, not someone who needed others care, love, or affection to get on in life. "You're lasting longer than another week Ben!" Mia told him, assuring him as well as herself. When he said he was mortal, a small part of her brain wondered what would happen if Ben weren't mortal. If he was a vampire like her, he'd be able to take on the cops all on his own, he'd be more protected, and Mia wouldn't have to watch him grow old and die, but Mia knew Ben wouldn't like these thoughts of hers. If he wouldn't allow her to drink anymore of his blood, he sure as hell wasn't about to let her turn him into a vampire. It was stupid of her to have thought that anyway; she barely knew him. "I was never innocent," she told him simply, when he said she thought she wasn't innocent anymore. He continued on to say she wouldn't be able to keep her secret in jail, and she agreed with him there. "Well, you're not going to jail either, you're just keeping my secret," Mia told him, smiling weakly.

[tinkerbell2]

Ben laid his head back slowly against the soft fabric of the couch then raised a hand to cover his face. The adrenaline that had entered his system the moment he’d laid eyes on the police officers outside of his apartment was fading quickly, leaving him tired and even a little bit cranky. “I was never innocent.” Ben chuckled loudly and shook his head slowly. To a man who’d been through hell and back, Mia was the epitome of innocence. Not only did she look innocent with her obvious beauty, pale skin, and small figure but she simply beamed with it from within. She was just too kind to be anything but innocent. Or perhaps Ben was a little bit biased. Was there something more to the fact that she was a vampire or that she’d bitten him. He was unsure of that but Ben knew that he also didn’t really care. She would probably be beautiful even if she wasn’t a vampire but the whole blood-sucking, pale skin was just another part of Mia that made her attractive to Ben. “Well, even if I stay out of jail, I definitely don’t have a job anymore. And, unless you’ve picked up a new night shift, I assume you don’t either. Cause if I’m going to be staying here more than a week…” He paused, looking up at Mia with a hopeful expression. Okay, so maybe he wanted to live longer than a week and he did need somewhere to crash until he figured out what he was going to do. “I still need food to eat.” Shifting to the left, he pulled his wallet out from the back pocket of his jeans and opened it. He pulled out several bills and tossed them onto the coffee table in front of him. “Hundred bucks. My credit cards are useless because they’d lead the police right to us. So cash only. I was thinking…” How to put this delicately. If Mia wasn’t as innocent as she claimed she was, then maybe she wouldn’t have a problem with what Ben was about to suggest. She should have a problem with it though. “Maybe next time you go out for a meal you could snag a little cash from your dinner’s wallet.” He stared at her for a few moments, trying to gauge her reaction to his suggestion. “Sure, it’s stealing, but I have to eat. And seeing as how you’re not at all innocent then it shouldn’t be a problem.” Ben was both teasing and testing Mia. She’d have to prove she wasn’t so innocent. He tossed the leather wallet on the table next to the cash and then turned to the sofa where the blood drenched shirt was hanging. He picked up gingerly with the tips of his fingers and then place it on the table too. Just getting his bed ready for the night. “Well,” He leaned back, kicking his shoes off and pulling his feet up onto the coach, “I appreciate your hospitality Mia. I hope we’ll get through this.”