“Sounds lovely…truly tempting, my dumpling.” Jessica swayed for a moment and then fell backward into Amber’s gentle grip. “What were we talking about?” Jessica then hopped excitedly. “You did something, I felt it and I wanted to do it. Though…” She lightly scratched her arm, “I can’t figure out what it was all about. Just know that you did it, Amber!”

  Heading out of their room and out of the side door, Amber made her way into the rge and overly warm greenhouse that the couple had put up to develop a local variety of berries to sell at their farmer’s market. Spanning the length of six typical grocery store isles, Amber had pnted mostly strawberries and on the surrounding isles, blueberries, bckberries and raspberries. Furthermore, with the heavy heat of the summer in full swing, the strawberries were at the height of their season which offered Amber and Jessica buckets full of the candy-like fragrant fruit to those who passed by their part of the stand. Speeding her way up and down all of the isles, Amber collected enough baskets of fresh berries to fill half of their small truck. “Jess, how are the pears and peaches looking?” She inquired while loading the truck with small baskets for people to shop with.

  “I am going to need your help if we are going to make it by the time we open the doors, dumpling. These trees are ready and ripe. The baking pears alone are the size of our fists. I am willing to bet you can smell the peaches from there. It’s been a great summer so far.” Jessica beamed and shook her head when Amber transformed into a crow once more and flew around the top of the trees to pinch off the pears and peaches from the top down. Grabbing a half-barrel that normally stored water, Jessica began catching the fruit as they fell and stacked them gently into the barrel. “Lovely idea. See Amber-dumpling, you adapt well.”

  Roughly five minutes ter, Amber had two full drums of pears and peaches for the couple to sell and and then swooped down and turned back into her vampire form. “Whew, that took something out of me, Jess.” Amber raised one of her light eyebrows and a twinkle in her teal eye showed her girlfriend a bit of mischief.

  “Don’t even try that Am…Ohhhh….” Jessica closed her eyes and fell helplessly into Amber’s waiting arms. “Th…” Jessica purred, “...that isn’t…oh god yes…”

  If there was one thing that Amber knew about her partner, it was that no matter where or when, Jessica loved to be fed from. Years of them biting and leaving marks on one another when none of the master vampires were around to tantalize their desire had only made their little group, known as blood bunnies, find different methods of drawing blood and experience what they had become addicted to. Right after Amber had become a vampire, the first person she opened her teal eyes to see was Jessica. In that moment the two kissed and it bound Jessica to Amber as her ward. While Amber appreciated the increased stamina and overall augmentation that she provided Jessica, it was her blood that called to Amber the most. What made the bond even more desirable was the fact that Amber had complete control while feeding from Jessica’s more potent blood. With a soft count to eight, Amber pulled away and licked the four holes closed.

  -See, I licked MY holes closed.-

  Amber grumbled quietly and while lost in a particurly bad memory, failed to say something to Jessica once she’d finished sampling her ward's blood.

  -Always, always lick your holes closed. We all knew that. It's common knowledge. Veronica you dumb bitch.-

  Dozing in Amber’s arms until she heard her mistress grumble, Jessica sighed contently and blinked open her dreary rich cocoa eyes. “That is so…” Jessica stretched but still didn’t bother standing on her own weight, “...such a ride, Dumpling…mmm…Not only did you cheat since I knew you didn’t need blood, but you also left me without my customary snuggle and kiss. I can only imagine it means you thought about Veronica when you closed the holes.”

  ”You know me too well, Jess.” Amber did her best to hide the frustration building up within her. Nearly a year had passed since the incident. Veronica, a fellow blood bunny, had been gifted the promotion of vampirism. Amber had left her comfortable home so Sylvie and Casey could have time alone, and ended up staying with Veronica. Not having fed the first time, Amber had offered herself as Veronica’s first fang. All had gone well right up until Veronica excitedly didn’t close her four lovable punctures in Amber’s neck and Amber had mostly bled out on the floor. “We practiced it for years, Jess. Years. She knew better. If she wasn’t dead, I would kill her.”

  “No you wouldn’t. You didn’t when you had the chance. Now stop thinking about it and hold me until I can walk.” Jessica giggled contently. “You know I can’t do much in the initial thirty minutes or so…” She murmured softly.

  “Fine, you have a point.” With a swift motion, Amber hauled Jessica over to the passenger side of their little truck and loaded the rest of their fruit before hopping into the driver's seat. Feeling particurly saucy, Amber winked. “I am gonna floor it. See how well I can adjust.”

  Lazily dropping her hand over Amber's hand, then squeezing gently, Jessica shook her head. “Please no, Dumpling. We have lots of fruit and if something happens we lose out.” Jessica let out a pleased whimper and closed her eyes again. “Let me have time to recover from those titilting teeth…your narcotic poison points that reduce me to shivers.”

  Whether or not Amber wanted to let Jessica recover soon became a moot point. Right about the time Amber was going to reply, she heard Jessica's deep and heavy breathing combined with a few mumbles to indicate that her ward had nodded off. "Sleep well, Angel." Listening to Jessica sleep, Amber felt the mist lift from her mind and gave her the gift of recollection. Everything from the four sleeping in a cuddle pile together, to them all vying to be the next one bitten, had made it so they were inseparable. All of them at one time or another had passed out like Jessica currently was. "The st time I slept like that was on Sylvie's couch in the old After Dark. Her bite was always so…addictive."

  "Mmhm.." Jessica instinctively reacted to Amber's voice, with the rest of her speech coming out garbled.

  "We're all gone, Jess. I do miss Patty and Veronica just like you suggested." Amber giggled, "Sorry... Patricia Ann." Amber lowered her voice to be mildly sarcastic. "She used to get so mad when we called her Party Patty."

  "Mmmhmm." Jessica affirmed from her sleep once more. "I loved those girls." She mumbled, still mostly asleep. "Mmm..right now I'm just happy that you got our memories back." Jessica yawned and half opened her eyes. "We aren't all gone, dumpling. I've got you and you've got me. Our little family lives on through us." Jessica rotated so that she was ying ft as possible on Amber’s thigh. “You had another memory though, so that is a great thing. What’s more is that you didn’t fly off and become a terror.” Jessica giggled and did a tiny stretch before settling down. “I should have known you wouldn’t let me sleep, mistress.”

  “Don’t start that again.” Amber ughed. “I never asked to become a vampire, it was rather forced on me, so I don’t think I have earned that title, like at all.”

  “It’s a respectful title, dumpling. I am aware of all your lovely fws.” Jessica commented and did little circles on Amber’s knee with her fingers. “When was the st time I was on my knees like we did for the others?”