The music was like a thread that spun around the room. James could feel his ears following it and trying to grasp onto the end. He was in his living room. It was the middle of the night. Classical music blared from the massive speakers and shook Orlando's drink which rested on the coffee table in front of them. Orlando himself was dancing with an invisible partner. He rested his head on their imaginary shoulder and hummed along to the music while he waltzed with them. He stepped on and off the old rug as he went around in a rough circle.

James held Ella in his arms. She was warm and flushed from the dancing. She laughed as James led her through the movements. He had showed her the steps before they began but she didn't learn fast, so he simply led the way and she willingly followed. They were dancing at the other side of the coffee table to Orlando. The curtains were drawn and the lights on a dim setting. Mrs Greene was in the kitchen and made herself known with the occasional pot clatter.

James rested his face in Ella's hair and imprinted her scent on his brain. She smelt like mint and soil. She dropped her ear against his chest. James chuckled.

"If you're looking for a beating heart you're going to be disappointed." He spun her under his arm and back. She rested against his chest again.

"I thought there might be something." She swayed with him, tightly holding his hand.

"Nope. Vampires are hollow." Orlando swept past them. He and his imaginary partner were dancing more of a tango than waltz. It was a strange pairing with the music.

James looked over the top of Ella's head at him. "Yea some of us are even hollow in the head."

Ella stiffed a snicker against James's chest.

"Little boy I am old enough to put you over my knee." Orlando took on a mock old man voice. He came towards James using an imaginary cane to walk with his back bent.

James put Ella between himself and Orlando. "Not in front of the lady."

Orlando winked. "You're right. Later when we are alone."

Mrs Greene came into the room. She had dressed up a bit for the visitor. Although James had been seeing Ella for just over three months, Mrs Greene had not been allowed to meet her till now. James claimed that she would put Ella off coming back because she mothers people too much.

"Boys." Mrs Greene held her dress up, so she didn't stand on it. It was a black one, without any jewels. "Stop being creepy around our guest."

"Why is she all dressed up?" Ella whispered to James. James knew that Mrs Greene could most likely hear them anyway.

"Just go with it," he said.

Mrs Greene placed a tray on the table with a cover on it. It was silver so she had wrapped a dish cloth around the handle of the cover to allow Ella to lift it.

"Let her go now James. Unlike us she needs food." Mrs Greene had to dodge the dancing Orlando to get to a chair. She sat down and folded one leg over the other.

James led Ella by the hand to the end of the sofa. As she sat down and reached for the tray cover, James used the remote and switched off the music.

Ella lifted the cover. Underneath was a rare done steak. A steady flow of blood leaked from it and hit the peas in the middle of the plate. The other side of the peas were some happy yellow mashed potatoes.

"Oh," Mrs Greene exclaimed, "forgot the gravy."

Ella was about to tell her she didn't need it, but James stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "She doesn't get to cook really at all. Let her do this." He patted Ella's shoulder.

Orlando sat in Mrs Greene's seat. This was the seat with the best view of Ella as she ate the food. When the housekeeper returned, she dropped a gravy boat with a cloth around the handle beside the tray. She went to her seat and simply stared at Orlando until he gave up and let her have the seat again.

Ella lifted the steel cutlery, catching the ends of her fingers on the tray. It was only a surface burn from the silver, so she didn't complain. Mrs Greene still apologized a lot and looked as guilty as if she has poisoned her. Ella ate the food slowly. The vampires sat in silence. They were waiting for her verdict on the food. The knife and fork clicked against the plate and Ella's teeth crushed down with loud bites. Well, they were bites that seemed loud to a vampire.

After a few awkwardly silent moments of eating, Ella nodded at Mrs Greene. "Its very nice thank you."

Mrs Greene lit up with joy. "Oh its no problem. James get her a drink."

James shrugged and poured Ella a whiskey. She took one look at it, then at him. "Isn't it a bit of a weird time to start drinking for the night?"

James gulped the drink. "Weird time to be having a meal for you."

Mrs Greene placed a hand over her own mouth. "My goodness, I forgot you are usually asleep at this hour. I'm sorry. I was just so excited to feed someone."

Orlando, who was sitting on the back of Mrs Greene's seat gestured to her then whirled his finger around by his ear while making himself cross-eyed. James tried not to look at him. Mrs Greene knew by James's reaction that Orlando was mocking her. She reached a hand back and pushed him off the chair. The floor shook when he fell.

The smell of the food was all that James smelt now. He hated it. How humans or anyone ate this shit he wasn't sure. It sounded chewy, smelt rotten and looked like a lot of work to digest.

Ella finished the meal even though James knew she wasn't hungry for it all. Mrs Greene gathered the plate and skipped to the kitchen to clean it.

James rolled his eyes. "It's the simple pleasures in life."

Orlando nodded his agreement, now settled on the back of the chair again. Ella wiped at the sides of her mouth with the back of her hand.

"It was nice of her," she said.

Orlando stood up and rubbed his hands together. "Right, now that that's over, who's ready for more dancing?"

James stood with exaggerated gestures. He folded his hand out to offer it to Ella. She reached out to take it when there was a shout from outside. It was a cry of fury and was followed by a stone through the window. Glass was flung like a spray of water from the impact. The moonlight tripped in. James shoved Ella back into the chair and moved his body in front of hers. Orlando became stone and joined him. Together they formed a wall against the noise outside.