A very cliché story I came up with in my sleep. I do come up with a lot of stories, don't I? Anyway, this is a vampire story, and it's got some romance in it. Actually, it revolves around romance… The meaning of the title will be explained in the story.

Childhood is Forever

Chapter One: An Unexpected Meeting

Frey crouched in an alleyway, watching and waiting for a victim. He wasn't waiting for someone to mug, however: Frey was a vampire, and his all-consuming thirst for blood drove him to hunt. He brushed his slightly-over-long light brown hair out of his face, his lavender eyes sweeping the darkness. Any human would be nearly blind, but Frey had eyes like a cat. He was a creature of the night, and he could see perfectly well.

At last, he smelled a human approaching. Not too old, judging by the scent of fresh, swiftly flowing blood pumped by a healthy young heart. The scent was familiar…he hesitated for an instant, trying to identify the human. But he thirsted. He leaped, fangs bared, and sank his teeth into the slender neck of a young woman.

"Oh!" she cried out softly, and then went limp.

Frey reveled in the iron taste as it swept over his tongue and down his throat. It had been far too long since he had had a proper meal. He had almost drained her when something clicked in his memory. He remembered her scent now. It had been years since he had last seen her, when they were still in love…long ago, when he had a different name.

"Anne," he murmured, wiping the crimson liquid away from the bite marks he had left. He felt her pulse, fluttering like a frightened bird. He had taken too much.

Swiftly, he slashed his wrist with his bloodied fangs, pressing her mouth to the gash. "Drink," he pleaded, "Drink! Please don't die, Anne…" She couldn't die, not her. She had too much to live for.

As the blood drained from his severed arteries, Frey realized that he had overestimated his ability to heal himself. His own blood was draining far too quickly, and she still wasn't moving. He and Anne would both die, here in this godforsaken alley in the middle of nowhere, and it was all his fault.

"I am so stupid," he muttered before the world went black. His body hit the cold, unforgiving pavement with a thud. His arm flopped out onto the ground, the last of his blood pouring out on the cement, soaking Anne's long hair.

She moaned softly, pushing herself up. Not recognizing Frey as her assailant, she gasped as she realized whose blood soaked their clothes. She dragged him out of the alley.

"Father! Father!" she cried, pulling the vampire down the street. "Please help! There's an injured man here!"

She made it to her door, grunting with the effort, before collapsing at the foot of the porch steps. "Father!" she called again. Then she saw Frey's face in the light from the house. She gasped.

"Rick!" she said softly, brushing his hair away from his face. "You saved my life."

Anne didn't know that he had almost killed her. She also didn't know that her wounds had reopened. She fainted across Frey's chest just as her father came out of the door, followed by a tall man with black eyes.

"Anne!" he said, hurrying to his daughter's side. Seeing Frey, he spoke to the man at his side. "Take him inside, Cliff. I want to ask him some questions when he wakes up. Like what he was doing with my daughter, for one. I'll take Anne inside."

Cliff nodded. As he picked the young man up, he smirked when he saw his face.

"Well, well. I thought you'd never show up…Frey." He chuckled evilly as he walked inside. The door slammed shut behind him.

Pfft, I know it's short. But don't worry, this is only chapter one. There's more to come. Next chapter will involve flashbacks!

(looks at the story) Oh, gee, only one and a half pages? Well, I did want this to be a chapter story… I brought it on myself. Review, and I will update. I actually know what I'm going to write for this. It's easier than fanfiction, because you don't have to worry about OOCness. You create the character, so they can't be out of character. And somehow, writing original fiction goes faster than fanfiction, too.

But I'm rambling. Review! I need them. Next chapter coming within the next month! -