Jennifer

***Writers note: PLEASE KNOW, there were two updates today. Go read the previous one first! :-D ~xo***

Hank was off of work this evening. He had spent most of his day lounging in the park, chatting with random people. Some of the time was spent napping, or even reading a book. The evening though he decided to hunt for rocks. He had made a good amount of coin off the of the other random rocks he had picked up and thought maybe he could get just a few more. Hank remembered the night he had spent in the graveyard, he had seen a few of them lying on the ground. It seemed a nice place to find uncut gems.

Hank found three or four before he actually noticed that someone else was here as well. Lately Hank has become pretty outgoing, maybe it came with his aging. He went up to this lady and noticed automatically that she was different. "Hi, I'm Hank, what are you doing in the graveyard at this time of night?" Hank asked. He was always a little inappropriate, and abrupt when talking to other people. Some others don't like that quality. But this woman didn't seem to mind.

"Hello, my name is Jennifer." she laughed "And I'm here because I like the quiet. It is a nice place to relax." When she spoke, Hank noticed her teeth. This woman, Jennifer, was a vampire. He had met a vampire once at a party, but Jennifer seemed nicer than the other lady. They talked small talk, and joked around a little bit. The two of them talked until early morning.

They became friends and really got to know one another.

"You know, when I saw you here," Jennifer said, "honestly, I thought you might make good for a drink. We vampires survive on the blood of people like yourself. Now that I've gotten to know you so well, I will not feed on you, I'll have this instead." She ate a fruit of plasma to sustain herself.

Hank replied "Well that is good to hear. I guess. So is being a vampire interesting?" "To say the least! Yes it is very interesting. I love it. I remember being human, it was not nearly as fun or enlightening. I have learned so much since my rebirth. Everything we do is just another experience. We all live from one experience to the next. Take your days in stride and learn what you can." Jennifer stated. "It is getting to be sunrise my dear Hank, I must leave now, but please, accept an invitation to follow me home and spend today with me?" "Sure, I'll be glad too, maybe we can talk more about how you became... like you are." Hank said. "I'll be glad to tell you anything you want to know." Jennifer paused and gave Hank a big kiss. "Let's go" Hank and Jennifer left for her home. "You have a very expensive looking home, Jennifer!" Hank said "You must be rich." Hank always had a knack for being forward. Jennifer laughed at his directness and said "Thank you, and I wouldn't consider me too wealthy, I get by." The two of them went inside.

Jennifer talked for another few hours, and Hank listened. He loved hearing her talk. She talked of her meeting the vampire that turned her, and changed her life for the better. They spoke of their jobs, and Hank told her he had been arrested multiple times. Jennifer giggled at his jokes, and lightly touched his hands often. She even leaned in at one point to flirt with him some.

A little farther into more conversation, Hank actually learned that she was seeing someone, but she didn't consider it that serious. She also said that if Hank were to ask, she would leave her boyfriend to be with him. He didn't ask her to do that. Hank wasn't sure if he could, even though he knew he could spend his life with her. He loved her, but Jennifer didn't know he was without a home, that was about the only thing she didn't know about him. "Enough talk," Jennifer said, "Let's drink!" She went off to her bar and made them some drinks to enjoy. Actually as soon as she finished the first batch, she began another. It seemed to Hank that Jennifer wanted to get a bit toasty today.

After a lot of drinks and some garbled conversations, Jennifer admitted that she was tired and she wanted to go to bed. So she showed him the guest bedroom where he could stay, and went to her own room. Hank was tired as well and fell asleep almost before his head hit the pillow. Pretty soon though he was awoken from a queasy stomach. He found the nearest bathroom and let go of most of the beverages he had had that evening. Apparently it was a few too many.

After he had rinsed his mouth out, Hank started back to bed but stopped when he heard some weird muffled noises coming from Jennifer's room. He went to investigate and was horrified by what he saw. She was dying. This woman he had met and fallen in love with in just a single day, died. Right before his eyes she was passing on. Hank watched in terror, wanting to save her, but grounded to the spot in which he stood. She was leaving him, he never really had her, but she was leaving him. Before she left, she turned to Hank and winked at him. Though it wasn't aloud he heard her say "It's just another experience dear Hank, just another journey."

Hank cried. He cried harder than ever, and for the first time. At least that he could remember. After many tears, Hank felt he could no longer stand. He went back to the guest bedroom and fell upon the bed, only to shed more tears. He cried himself back to sleep.

He awoke with the suns rays gleaming through the window on him. For a split second he thought it all a dream. Then he heard her family, from the other side of the door. He could hear the pain in their voices and then it hit him that it had been real. His first love, and he will never be able to tell her how he felt. Hank wants to believe that she knows, but that is hard to do. Jennifer's family invited him to stay for the day. They knew he was hurt by her death as much as they were. Hank stayed, if only to be closer to her by being with her kin. Hank and Jennifer's son played games. They all had breakfast together, and Hank did the dishes. Sort of. This is Jennifer's, or was Jennifer's boyfriend, Ben. Hank told Ben he had to leave, but everything would be alright with them. Hank spoke of the way Jennifer told him how she felt about these things, just to take the days in stride. Learn from it all, and don't dwell. Hank left the family, possibly never to see them again. He would never know, though he hoped he would. It was evening and Hank had to work. Jogging to his work building, Hank noticed more of the scenery than he normally would have, before he met Jennifer. She had really taught him a lot in the short time they knew each other. He could never feel the same about anyone, ever again. He knew that. Work went slowly, Hank wasn't in the mood to be there. Afterward though, when his shift ended, Hank wasn't sure what to do next. He stood there for a few moments and just cried a little bit more. Being so late, and not wanting to do anything else, Hank slept. His dreams were full of Jennifer, and the lessons she taught him, he also dreamt of a life he longed for but wouldn't have. Now that he had met her, and she changed him, then left him, Hank knew he would never have what she gave him again. But he would still survive, he would be there tomorrow.