#vincent karm x mc

[parisianprinceling]

Rêvant de Toi VI - Premières Impressions

(On AO3)

MC heads back to the office after accidentally spending the night at Vincent's and gets to finally meet a few important people. Also Marion shenanigans.

The first thing she noticed when she woke up was the pounding in her head. 

With a groan, she turned over, burying her head into the safety and darkness of the couch, trying to evade the sunlight that was streaming through the windows. After shielding herself, she immediately noticed the unfamiliarity of her surroundings and pried her eyes open, slowly lifting her head to glance around the room. Had she…stayed the night?

With a sense of panic, she quickly checked herself, sighing with relief when she realized that she was still fully clothed, though incredibly disheveled. A dark green blanket had been draped over her at some point during the night but now lay crumpled up at the end of the couch, displaced by her movement as she slept. The remnants of last night were nowhere to be seen, likely cleaned up by Eugene when he came in the morning. As she paused for a moment, trying to listen for an indication that anyone was home, she heard nothing but silence. She sat up, her feet finding the soft rug beneath her and supporting her as she pulled herself up slowly, taking some time to gather her bearings and ground herself before starting to move. 

She folded the blanket at the end of the couch, not wanting to be discourteous, and started towards the kitchen, wincing when the rug beneath her feet gave way to cool hardwood and then tile. The kitchen was similarly empty, except for a small paper bag sitting on top of some folded fabric. She frowned softly as she approached the sight, glancing around one more time before peeking into the bag. 

A delicious smell greeted her nose as she pried into the bag, finding a croissant, once warm but now cool from sitting on the counter for some time. How long had he been gone for? She set the bag to the side to inspect the garment underneath, ignoring the rumbling in her stomach just long enough to notice a small piece of paper tucked under the bag, the elegant scroll running across it was addressed to her. 

Miss Prince, 

I apologize that I won’t be there when you wake up this morning, but duty calls, of course. I didn’t want to be so rude as to leave without a goodbye, but I could hardly bring myself to disturb your slumber. I hope this can make up for my lack of good hostmanship and however I may have composed myself last night. I’m not usually so forward, but I fear the wine may have dulled my sense of restraint. I shall strive to be more courteous at our next meeting. 

Also, the city is rather chilly this morning. Try your best not to catch a cold–I’ve left something behind to help. 

Affectueusement, 

Vincent

Affectionately? Is this what he called affectionate?

She frowned as her eyes scanned the message, having to reread his words over again to make sense of his apology. Did he feel…bad about what he had said last night? Did he regret it, or just how quickly he acted? She didn’t miss the slight tinge in her heart when she noted the formality of his tone, the ease of conversation from the night before all but absent from his note. It wasn’t like he was outright taking back anything he had said the night before, but she couldn’t help but feel as if he had closed the door on her again, keeping her at arms length from whatever she was trying to deduce about him. 

She set the note aside, distracting herself from his wording, not wanting to read too much into it when he wasn’t even here to explain what he meant in the first place. It was better if she didn’t think too much about it anyways. She eyed the fabric finally, running her hand across it and noting its softness before holding it up, trying to see exactly what he had left her. Looking over it, she blinked in surprise when she realized it was one of his blazers and held it gently up to her face, taking in the faint but comforting smell of him that adorned the material. 

At least he had cared enough to leave her something. He wasn’t throwing her out to the wolves just yet. 

But while she appreciated the thought, was she really supposed to wear a men's blazer into the office? One that clearly didn’t belong to her? It was hard to find another option in her situation, and it would help hide the fact that she was still wearing yesterday’s outfit at least. It wasn’t like it could be traced back to him either, given that half of the men in the city wore blazers everyday. His just so happened to be a little more tailored than the rest. If anyone asked, she would say it belonged to an old friend and she was just trying out a new look, surely that would suffice. The city of love was the city of fashion, after all. 

She studied the blazer for a moment longer, admiring how structured it was before pulling it on, letting out a soft laugh at how much it dwarfed her, the tips of her fingers just peeking past the cuffs of the sleeves. She would definitely need to use her belt to cinch it at the waist if she wanted to pass it off as a statement piece, but at least that was manageable. She could make it work for a day. 

Her train of thought was suddenly broken as the ding of the elevator came through the silence, quickly followed by the sound of jangling metal and murmured french–a clear sign that someone had joined her in the apartment. She flushed at the thought of Vincent finding her in the kitchen, engulfed by his jacket as if she had broken into his closet and stolen his clothes in some kind of pathetic attempt to dress up. Quickly, she began fumbling with the buttons, desperate to take the garment off before he could see her, but had only just made it to the last one as footsteps reached the kitchen–some coming from the patterning of tiny feet, and the other ones slower, more confident as they strode through the penthouse, heading in her direction. 

She looked up, momentarily frozen with fear until her eyes settled on a crop of red hair and she let out a sigh of relief. 

Thank god, it was just Eugene. 

He paused in the doorway, watching her for a moment with a look of confusion until his eyes went wide with recognition. 

“Miss Prince, you’re awake!”

His accent was slightly thicker than his employer’s, missing the slight English tinge that Vincent often had while speaking, but was still perfectly enunciated. 

“Ah, yes…” she started, her hands pulling the blazer tighter around her in an attempt to shield herself from his gaze. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be nosy I just…” she flushed, finally letting go of the fabric and motioning towards the bag on the counter. “He left this behind.”

Eugene stayed silent for a moment before an amused expression crossed his face, and he shook his head. 

“Of course, Miss Prince. He intended for you to take it, and you certainly wouldn’t be doing a very good job at snooping around if you had only made it to the kitchen.”

He cracked a smile at that and she felt herself relax a little more, the tension from her shoulders lifting when she realized that this wasn’t his employer she was dealing with. The valet was much more down to earth, thankfully. 

“No, I suppose you’re right. Though truth be told I’m still glad you’re the one that came in instead of him. I’m not sure I could handle any more embarrassment this morning.”

She laughed and leaned against the kitchen island, watching as he leant down to unclip his companion–the small pug she had met last night–from his leash, freeing him to come and greet her once more, his tiny feet pattering against the tile as he looked up at her excitedly with a whine. She smiled, bending down to scratch him between the ears. 

“And a good morning to you too, Esteban.”

Eugene waited for her to stand back up before he spoke. 

“Mr Karm wished for me to escort you to work, if you’d find that agreeable. The metro is usually horrendous at this hour. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemies.”

Something in his tone and the haunted look in his eyes told her it was something he felt strongly about–perhaps coming from a bad personal experience or two. 

She nodded, smiling gratefully.

“Sure, that’d be wonderful. Let me just finish up this croissant and then we can–”

She paused, her eyes going wide as she glanced over at the clock on the stove for the first time that morning, realizing just how late for work she already was. She was supposed to be meeting the boss today! Why of all days…

“On second thought…we should probably get going.”

She quickly pulled the blazer on, trying her best to multitask adjusting the fabric while grabbing the paper bag with her only free hand, rapidly making her way to the elevator.

“Ah, Miss Prince–”

Eugene scrambled after her, meeting her in the elevator and pressing the button to take them to the ground floor. The door closed after a moment and he looked back over at her, finding her fumbling with the belt she had tied around the blazer in an attempt to look slightly more presentable. She paused, glancing up at him before dropping her hands with a sigh as he raised an eyebrow. 

“Sorry…I didn’t realize how late it was. I should have looked at the clock earlier, but I was a little distracted if I’m being honest…” she shook her head, tucking the paper bag under her arm and straightening her posture with a deep breath. “I know I’m probably not…exactly what you expected…”

“What I expected…?”

“I mean… in terms of Vincent’s soulmate. You probably expected someone a little more…refined. I’m not exactly up to date with the nuances of French opera, or the latest art exhibition unveilings…and I’m hardly put together…”

He watched her for a minute as she glanced away, refusing to make eye contact, before he let out a laugh. She turned to him quickly in confusion, clearly not expecting his reaction. 

“What…?” she questioned, raising her eyebrow almost in defiance, but found him watching her with the same tickled expression as before.

“Miss Prince, I think you might be exactly what he needs,” he trailed off, his gaze turning to the doors of the elevator as they opened, and he led them out and towards the car. “It’s really not my place to say, but Monsieur Karm has been stuck in this…”–he paused, gesturing to their surroundings as he opened the car door–”routine, for as long as I’ve worked for him. You’re a surprising breath of fresh air, believe me,” he closed the door, moving to let himself into the driver's seat and meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror. “I for one, am very glad you’ve thrown him off his rhythm,” he smiled and started up the car, finally looking towards the road and beginning the drive to her office. 

She watched him for a moment, running his words over in her head before a gentle smile crossed her lips and she turned to look out the window, feeling more at ease at the valet’s affirmations. Unspokenly, she was grateful for his voiced opinion, knowing that even to others, that maybe, just maybe, their connection wasn’t as far-fetched as it seemed. He was closed off for now, but that she could work with, if he would only make the effort to let her in. 

Besides, even if it didn’t work out, she could always make friends with Eugene instead.

—

Arriving at the office, she thanked Eugene quickly before hurrying out of the car, anxious to get into the building before anyone could notice exactly what kind of car she arrived in. She sighed a breath of relief once she had made it to the elevator unnoticed and checked her watch, relaxing against the bar behind her when she realized they had made it in less time than she thought, luckily only late for the start of her day and not for the scheduled meeting with the CEO that was supposed to be taking place in thirty minutes. 

She let her eyes close as the doors of the elevator did, relaxing in a moment of silence that was suddenly interrupted as a hand shot through the doors and they opened once more, a man hurrying inside and taking his place beside her. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled in French, catching his breath. “Late for a meeting…” he trailed off, running a hand through his hair and leaning against the back wall just as she was. 

He was clearly in as much disarray as she was, that was obvious. He held a stack of loose papers under his arm as he straightened his glasses which had gone crooked in his frantic hurrying. He hardly seemed to notice her at first as he straightened himself out, and she got the feeling that this wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for him, if the state of his outfit was anything to go by. He was dressed well, but not overly so, going for the ease of a tucked in white button-up and dark pants, aiming for neatness but lacking the careful attention that she noticed in Vincent’s attire, his collar unbuttoned and folded to the side. He seemed familiar, but she was having trouble placing exactly where she had seen him before. 

Finally, he glanced over to the elevator buttons, tilting his head as he noticed that they were headed to the same floor. He glanced over at her, his blue eyes studying her for a moment before going wide in shock. 

“Oh! I didn’t even recognize you!” He added, this time in english. His face eased into a welcoming smile and he held a hand out for her to shake. “You’re Isabelle Prince, right? The new journalist?”

She watched his hand for a minute before reaching out cautiously to shake, a little uneasy about the fact that this man seemed to know exactly who she was while she was still having a hard time placing his face. At least he seemed nice enough…

“That’s me. Ah, excuse me, but I’m not quite sure I recognize you…”

He tilted his head curiously for a moment before letting out a soft laugh. 

“My apologies, I should have introduced myself first.” He shook her hand in turn. “Raphael Laurent,” he announced, letting go of her hand and straightening the papers under his arm once more. “I must admit, I’m rather relieved to see you here…I thought I was the only one who was going to be late to our meeting, but I’m glad to see we’re both here at the same time!”

Her eyes went wide in realization that she was standing in front of her boss, having forgotten what he looked like and almost shutting him out of the elevator after arriving at work over an hour late. Though if he seemed to care, he hadn’t shown it. For once, she was grateful that her boss wasn’t as put together as she had expected him to be…

“Ah, it won’t be a habit, I promise. My first week here in the city has been rather…disorienting.”

He laughed as the elevator chimed, motioning for her to step out first before he followed. It seemed he had bought her excuse–either he was overlooking her choice in fashion or he was blissfully naive about its implications, but either way, she was relieved that she had managed to escape any questioning glances on his part. 

“Don’t worry, I completely understand. Paris can be a labyrinth at the best of times, even for us natives. But I promise, it does get better,” he assured, sending her a small, encouraging smile before he glanced around the room, ensuring that everything had been running smoothly in his absence. Seemingly satisfied, he turned back to her, adding, “I’ll give you some time to get to your desk and get settled. Feel free to come knock on my door as soon as you’re ready to talk.”

“Right, I’ll be there shortly then!” she nodded and trailed off, glancing over to her side of the office but not stepping away in case he wasn’t finished. 

He smiled again, this time a little more strained as the awkward silence stretched between them, the both of them seemingly unsure of whether or not they should say anything else. Finally though, he sent her a small nod and went his own way, and she let out a breath of relief, making her way to her desk and setting down her bag. 

Well that could’ve gone better. At least he hadn’t made any comments about her fashion taste–something she knew she’d have to deal with once Louise laid her eyes on her.

Gathering her thoughts, she sorted through her bag, pulling out the notebook she often kept on her for any haphazard or investigative notes, the sturdy cover worn from heavy use over the last few months. It took her another moment to locate her lucky pen–a turquoise pilot G-7 that Kat had given her to study for exams with back in their undergrad days. She had used it on almost every investigation so far, and she couldn’t imagine trying to start a new case without it, especially not in an unfamiliar city. 

She had just tucked her bag away beneath her desk when a voice came from behind her, and she jumped, her head nearly missing the edge of the desk as she stood back up, turning to face whoever had snuck up on her with a harsh glare. 

Of course. She should have known.

“Glad to see you didn’t actually fall off the face of the earth. I wasn’t sure if you were going to show up today.”

Marion watched her with crossed arms, an amused expression twinkling in her eyes as she studied the journalist’s outfit, no doubt running her own calculations in her head. Isabelle rolled her eyes and straightened her outfit before mirroring Marion’s stance, crossing her arms and shifting her weight onto her back leg. 

“You know, it’s common courtesy to announce your presence when someone’s busy, especially when they’re in a precarious position.”

The other woman let out a laugh, her posture relaxing as she looked Isabelle over, her eyes narrowing as she eyed the blazer Isabelle had on. 

“Oh, I bet you were in a precarious position. Is that why you’re late to work?” she teased, beginning to circle her as a shark would its prey. “Whose closet did you steal this from…and where can I get his number?”

“Marion please,” she sighed and rolled her eyes once more, pulling the blazer tighter around her. “It’s not what you think, alright? Just a…clothing mishap…a mistake…it happens,” she trailed off, doing her best to try and redirect the conversation. It was better that Marion think it was something casual anyways–the last thing she needed right now was for her coworkers to find out she was seeing the competition, especially when said coworker had been drooling over the competition just the day prior. “Besides, I didn’t miss anything important, did I?”

Marion watched her for a moment with an incredulous expression before sighing and rolling her eyes, making her way back to her own desk. 

“Not really. Louise is out today anyways, so you got lucky. Something about finding a babysitter,” she trailed off, sitting down and crossing her legs with a bored look. “The only exciting thing I’ve heard today is that apparently the boss is in, though I haven’t gotten the chance to see him yet. I’ve heard he’s handsome too…” she hummed, wiggling her eyebrows with a laugh. 

Isabelle rolled her eyes but cracked a smile nonetheless, pushing her chair back under the desk. 

“Is that actually all you care about?” she laughed, raising an eyebrow. “You’re working at one of the most prestigious magazines in the city and you can only focus on how hot your boss is. Honestly…” She shook her head with another grin.

“Hey! I’m just looking out for my future. You can’t fault a girl for trying to set herself up!” She frowned, tilting her head as Isabelle turned and began walking away. “Wait, where are you going?”

She had a point, Isabelle supposed. There was certainly nothing wrong with trying to find herself a catch, the journalist just had other priorities, though she wasn’t sure how biased she was given that she had already met her soulmate, and he already ticked most of the boxes for what a person could want in a partner…or at least, what Marion wanted in a partner.

“I’ll be back. I’ve got a meeting with the boss,” she grinned back at her, sending her a wink before turning and continuing on. “I’ll let you know if you’re right or not. 

She heard Marion let out a small gasp before she rounded the corner, leaving her line of sight. She would certainly be getting an earful once she got back, but she really couldn’t help herself from a little bit of teasing when Marion made it so easy to begin with. 

But that was a problem for later. Now, it was time to finally find out what she had been brought here to do. 

She hoped the job description hadn’t been lying when it had promised the adventure of a lifetime.

[high-functioning-fan]

Toi et Moi 2/?

After their incredible late night adventures in Paris, MC wonders what is next with Vincent... if he'll ever contact her for one...

Here's the second chapter of this Vincent x MC fanfic that I started a year ago! I know I'm late for it, but I was able to find my old draft for chapter 2, and I finally had the courage to fix it up and here it is! Forgive my writing, it s been a while since I wrote (also it's late at night, but I just couldn't resist the urge to write!)

Note

[y/l/n] = your last name

“Good, because I find you very interesting, Vincent.”

“Very kind of you to say, my dear.”

“But I’d like to know the man under the dark suit.”

“Is that a proposition?!”

“Haha, very funny! No I’m serious…”

“So was I Mademoiselle…”

She woke up suddenly, the words still resonating in her mind. She took a deep breath before closing her eyes. It had been two weeks since she had met that man: they had only spent a few hours together that night, but it felt like they had known each other for years. They haven’t spoken since then, and she definitely couldn’t get him out of her mind. She was eager to call him, but to say what? And she did not even had his number. She remembered his answer when she had asked for it: 

“Do not worry, I’ll contact you soon enough. You’ll have it then.”

“But I did not even give you my number yet.”

“I know everything. So of course I already know your number.”

She realized that his silence maybe signified that he did not have the desire to see her again? Like he told her himself, he was special: so who knew what was going on in his ‘special’ mind. But no, she could not make herself believe that it was the reason of his silence. Certainly not after the night they had spent together. She smirked as she remembered how intimidated she was when first exchanging words with him, but also how quickly they became acquainted that night. During their time shared at the exposition, she had learnt that they both shared similar interests, making them bond even more. He had showed her the best place to get the most beautiful view of Paris after their walk on the Champs Élysées, and he had of course led her to the Eiffel Tower. And with some wizardry, they were the only one present when arriving at the top. They had then spent the remaining of the night talking about all kinds of stuffs, while enjoying the magnificent view that Paris could offer during its best night until sunrise. She had liked Vincent Karm a lot that night, but she did not know if the sentiment had been that mutual. After all, not once did he let down his protective facade, making his thoughts still hard to discern… and him more mysterious than ever. But she was sure they would meet again, and very soon. She just felt it.

_____

To her distaste, it was only 10am when she looked at the clock; she would have given anything to have some action. She literally had nothing to do, and she impatiently waited for the end of the day to finally come.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” 

She looked up, surprised, at her colleague that had suddenly appeared at her desk. 

“Hm yes sure what is it?”

“Would you like to interview someone? The person who was supposed to do it is sick so we need someone else.”

“Why not? After all I have no work for the moment.”

“Yeah I figured that out seeing you check that clock every 5 minutes.” Her colleague chuckled. “Here are the questions. He’s supposed to arrive soon, so I’d recommend to wait in the lobby.”

“By the way, who is-’’

The ringing of the phone interrupted her. “Sorry, duty calls. Don’t forget: lobby!”

And like that her colleague was gone.

“Well,’’ she started, looking at the questions, “might as well go there immediately and get this over with."

_____

As she waited in the lobby with her coffee in hand, she realized that this interview might become a tad bit more tedious to accomplish than she previously thought. The reason? The interviewed person was Vincent. Of course it had to be him, she muttered to herself, sipping her coffee 

"Ow!" The coffee was awfully hot. 

"Oh, hello there miss [y/l/n]. Careful there, wouldn't want you to burn these lovely lips."

She looked up, staring at a dashing Vincent in his habitual 3 piece suit. Habitual? You only met the man once! Well twice now, but how would you know he usually wears that kind of outfit? You-

"Miss?"

She came back to reality, realizing she accidentally dozed off. "Hm, it is a pleasure to see you again Mr. Karm. I'll be the one conducting your interview today. Shall we?" She tried to put on a nice smile to make up for that awful awkwardness. But apparently she was the only one with that feeling as Vincent actually seemed to enjoy all her little missteps.

"Lead the way dear. Oh and may I add that you are extremely professional today…” He teased. “Anyways, I do look forward to our interview... [y/n].”

She turned her back, starting to walk toward the conference room, as she felt herself blushing again. Professional. You have to stay professional. 

“Follow me please, and thank you for giving some of your time today Mr. Karm. The team appreciates it.”

“I presume you include yourself when you say the team. And it seems like I need to remind you to call me Vincent. But your choice, really. Because no need for this to be all formal.”

“I-Sure Vincent.. Would you like  something to drink?” She asked as they arrived in the room. He asked for some black coffee and she immediately hurried to the coffee machine to avoid his flirty charming smile. Charming? Ah why am I thinking this? And why am I so nervous? What is up with me? 

She nervously waited for the coffee to pour into the cup as she looked over the questions one last time. She just had to ask him and bam he’d let leave. Easy peasy. But she continued to be worried as she put some sugar cubes in the coffee plate — she bet it was because of that dream. She did not want to admit it but she was still a bit shaken off by it, and seeing him this day did not really help her case. With the two coffees, she returned to her desk.

“Sorry for the wait.” She dared a small smile. “So-”

“How’s that reportage of yours doing for the moment?”

She blankly stared at him, startled by his question.

“Oh hm quite fine actually. Thanks to you! I was able to vaguely narrate the whole night and talk about most of the details you told me about Orsay and the Champs-Élysées.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Any idea about what your next topic will be about?” He was innocently dropping one of the sugar cubes in his coffee before mixing it with the spoon.

“That would ruin the whole surprise! But anyways, we’re not here to talk about that reportage but more likely about… you Mr.Ka–”

“Vincent. Please.”

“–Vincent. I’ll then start with the first question if you don’t mind?”

__________

The interview went marvelously well, and she was able to get rid of the nervousness she had the hour before. To her surprise, Vincent became really serious for the whole time, contrary to the impression he had first given with his flirty comments. 

"I believe that this is it Vincent! It was a pleasure to interview you."

He slightly leaned toward her, putting on again the smile he had before the interview. "The pleasure was all mine, but if I may, there is another detail I would like to discuss."

"Oh?"

"Dinner. With me. Tonight. How would you like that?"

She was taken aback. That was quite straightforward. 

"I-yes. I would love that Vincent." She answered, still flustered by his sudden request. 

"Formidable then! I will text you the details later." He stood up, taking her hand to give it a delicate quick kiss. "Thank you for having me."

And like that he went off to whatever next business he had to attend to.

"That should be illegal…" she muttered to herself, still not over what had happened for the last hour.

[denouemwnt]

the masquerade

you can also read it in AO3!

pairing: vincent karm x mc/reader

warnings: nope

summary: You are in Paris again for a masquerade and you come back to a familiar face who stole your heart two years ago.

request: Ooooh, could you do a Vincent/MC fic where they’re at a masquerade and may or may not know each other?

words: 1715

(you can see my masterlist here!)

________________________________________________________________

You would be lying if you said you didn't miss the famous city of love. You had a lot of opportunities to come back to France, but after everything you lived here, it was for the best to stay a couple of years away. A lot of memories came to mind when your plane arrived in Paris. The death of your best friend, Kat, working at the City of Love for Raphael, the flooding that you thought it was impossible to stop it and a certain someone that you still regret not telling your feelings to.

You take a deep breath and look at the mansion, where a lot of people are entering with their fancy attire and rich faces covered by masks. You weren’t one of them, that was obvious. The invitation just got in your hands because you met the hostess of the party in one of your business trips to London, you had no idea she actually lived in Paris.

After checking in your camera phone if at least your appearance is fine, you exit the limo that your friend insisted you to use. Even being successful with your career, you prefer living a simpler life than you could afford. You just don’t match with this luxury life.

When you entered the mansion, no one you know gets in your sight. Well, everyone is wearing masks, so you just probably didn’t recognize someone. From all Paris, you can’t be the only one of the group of the people you know here. Of course, you miss everyone, they were present in an unforgettable period of your life and you just hope at least one of them is here.

You find the table you were supposed to sit but instead of talking with the people you have no idea who they are, you decided to find the place where you can get something to drink. A waiter with glasses of champagne caught your attention and you happily get one.

“After two years, it is good to have you back in Paris again.” Your body simply froze when you heard his voice behind you. From all the people you knew in this damn city, why Vincent? The only thing you hear is the fast rhythm of your heartbeat. You look at the champagne and drink it all at once. He is Vincent Karm, of course, he would get invited, but you weren’t prepared to get face to face with him at this party. 

“Vincent Karm.” You smile at the always well-dressed man, hiding the side that is screaming inside you. “It is good to see you too after all these years.” He looks taller than you remembered and more handsome than ever.

He is dressed in a different black and green suit matching a black mask covering half of his face, his eyes and his mouth being the only parts of him you can see. And when you realize, you are lost in the tones of green in his iris. 

“You look stunning, Y/N.” He takes your hand in his. ”Exquisite as always, ma chérie.” Vincent brings it closer to his mouth and you can feel his breath against your skin, making your heart beats faster than already were, what you thought that was impossible. Your breath gets caught in your throat when he looks deeply into your eyes for long seconds. Oh, he is enjoying this for sure. Vincent must know the effect he has on you, playing with your feelings like this. He finally kisses your hand, caressing your skin before leaving it. You recompose yourself, calming your agitated breath.

“And you look handsome as always, Mr. Karm.” You hoped that you would get him by surprise complimenting this way, but he just smirked at you, studying your face carefully. You hear that a calm song stars playing in the background and you see couples dancing in the middle of the ballroom. “May I have this dance?” You extend your hand to him, failing to hide your playful smile.

He chuckles and nod, leading you to the center, where the other couples were. Vincent started leading the both of you around the ballroom and you followed him, dancing to the beat of the sound, moving your bodies in sync. You felt him getting closer to you, feeling his chest against yours. You weren’t the only one, his heart was beating fast too, you could feel it. He just could hide it so perfectly.

You try to look at everything around you but Vincent. You can feel his eyes on your face, trying to make you look at him while you are dancing. You are dying to say how you felt these years away from Paris, how many times you wanted to stop everything you were doing to catch the next flight just to see him. You were a fool to think that being away from him again would be better for you, that your feelings for him weren’t real. It is your chance to do it and if you don’t do it now, you know that later you won’t have the courage. It should be something so simple. You love him and that’s it. When you are with Vincent you just feel like you can finally be happy. And then you look at him again, smiling, a bright and contagious one that makes Vincent smile back at you. It is now or never.

“Why don’t we take a walk in the garden, Ms. L/N?” You were about to talk to him, but he does it first. Vincent is serious now, you can see that something is bothering him. You have never seen that expression on him, and that left you worried. You nod and he offers his arm and your hand holds it, feeling his tense muscles covered by the suit.

Both of you leave the crowded room to arrive in the beautiful garden of the mansion, filled with an amazing smell coming from the colorful flowers and large trees. You and Vincent walk around it, still connected to each other, admiring the different plants.

“There’s something that I have been wanting to tell you for some... years.” You chuckle to yourself, how were you able to keep this in your heart for so many time? “Until that party, I threw after the flooding ended, I was going to stay in Paris, I didn’t want to leave like I did the other time.” You look at his face, Vincent is looking directly at you and then you noticed that you stopped walking.

“You needed to tell me something important that day, but you never did it. I remember how anxious you were, darling, with your hand trembling when you tried to talk to me.” He smiled when the memory of that party came to his head, he was about to tell you how he felt on that day.

You wanted to tell him everything he makes you feel and why you didn’t stay in Paris, but there’s only one thing you want right now, that you have been dying to do. You got closer to him, in slow steps. Vincent noticed what was about to happen and his hands went to your face, taking your mask gently from you, showing your features. And so you do the same on him, finally seeing him. His hands go to your waist and he lowers his head, quickly closing the space between the two of you with a passionate kiss that both of you have been wanting for years. You hold firmly the piece of the suit which covers his shoulder, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. When air is needed, Vincent pulls away, reluctantly, placing his forehead against yours.

“I love you, Vincent.” You whisper, feeling so nervous but relieved to tell him this after years. “I’m sorry for being away for so long. I thought that my feelings for you would disappear if I got away, but I was wrong. I have fallen for you hard, Mr. Karm.” You open your eyes to see his green eyes staring at yours.

“When I said that you intrigued me, Y/N, it wasn’t a part of the game you thought I was playing.” He takes your hand in his, caressing your skin, making you feel shivers down your spine with his touch. “You are a brilliant woman and everything is so captivating about yourself.” He never felt this nervous before, you could clearly see it “I... I love you, Y/N.”

And with that, he pulls your body closer to his one more time to capture your bottom lip in his. You feel his tongue in your mouth as the kiss gets more heated. Your hands go to his chest, feeling the fast beating of his heart as his hands go lower, to your hips. You smile between the kiss, making him break it. Vincent looks at you without needing him to ask for you to understand what he means.

“I’m just happy... and also, we looked like teenagers making out.” You make him chuckle. Vincent kisses the curve of your neck gently and grabs the masks that were forgotten on the ground, helping you put yours. After wearing it, he holds your hand.

“Let’s go back to the party, ma chérie, unless you want to go to a more private place. We indeed stayed away from each other for a long time.” He flashes his playful smirk at you while you get back to the ballroom. And there is the Vincent Karm you know and love.

“We can have a party of our own later, what do you think, Mr. Karm?” You try to get in his game.

“Good idea, my dear. I suppose I will have to wait for the afterparty.” He winks at you and kisses your cheek before you get back to the masquerade. Vincent is finally letting himself be happy after so many things he lived. He, years ago, couldn’t tell that the person he would fall in love would be an American journalist that saved his city many, many times, one even from his own hands. Now he can let everything to the past and lives the present next to his loved one, after so many obstacles between the two of you.

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You can go to my masterlist to read more of my vincent karm series and my other stories!

Feedback is always welcome ❤️

[estebanana-fana-blog]

His face when he says he isn’t interested in anyone else’s soul thoooooooo

[eugenienie]

Vincent x MC

[pastatrolastrash]

he always teases her because of her height and she's fucking done with it

special thanks to @boughtmywayintopopculture and her precious headcanons on vincent's clothes bc otherwise i would've just left him naked

[pastatrolastuff-blog]

So this has been in a dusty file in my pc for like two months, until now that I've just discovered this fandom does exist and you guys might like it???

I've redrawn that glorious souvenir from s2 of vincent and my mc, and even tho her whole arm looks fucking weird I think the rest of this is okay...... except for her hair too omg she took split ends to another level

[omgmisshart]

Happy birthday to my dear husband! 

42 years of this handsome man: brilliant and ingenious.

 I adore you, Mr. Karm <3  

 (My birthday is in two days, what better gift than this?)

@katikut @isagrcervantes @vincentxmc @vincent-col @vincentkarms @estebanana-fana @bichiiart @askvincentkarm

[annelyseadairs]

why is this the hottest thing i’ve ever seen???

[boyshoujo]

all i want are some really bad 2008 era amvs for col/-p

[parisianprinceling]

Rumors

(on AO3 here)

Vampy Vincent is back (this is very crack-ish, and not proofread, so take it with a grain of salt please, it's just for funnies to get me through finals).

Vampires weren’t real–or so she told herself. 

But if anyone were to fit the title, Vincent Karm would be a deadringer. 

Tall, dark, and handsome, her fiancé played the role of the mysterious CEO so well he could have stepped out of one of the cheesy romance novels on her bookshelf. The grace with which he carried himself was almost inhuman at times, never losing his balance or stepping on anyone’s toes. His reflexes mimicked those of a cat’s, always aware of all the moving parts around him and evading any collisions within milliseconds. 

It didn’t help that he liked playing into the “big bad wolf” persona that TJ had pointed out all that time ago when she had asked him if Vincent actually came from the middle ages–though to be fair, she didn’t know anyone else that dressed in a three-piece suit everyday and spoke as if they were a character in some gothic, Byronian novel.

She had learned to accept his eccentricities as they came. They hadn’t given her any real cause for alarm, he was just dramatic. That was all. 

It wasn’t until almost four years later, after the events that had led to their eventual romantic union and she began living with him, that she began to notice how odd his behaviors really were. 

To begin with, the man didn’t sleep. Or at least she could never seem to catch him in the act itself. He was always the last to come to bed and the earliest to rise, and on the rare nights where they got in bed at the same time, he had always disappeared by the time she woke up, like he had never really settled in at all. Some nights, she wasn’t even sure if he had come to bed, waking up to half of a perfectly made bed and finding him poised in the kitchen, reading the morning newspaper with a cup of coffee in hand. 

But even when she wasn’t half asleep, his behavior was decidedly strange at times. 

He preferred his steaks nearly raw, and while she could understand the value of a rare steak, his were always practically still bleeding when he cut into them, the juices as red as the wine–or what she hoped was wine–in his glass. As red as the wine he often drank at parties with his signature sly smirk, keeping a sharp eye on all his guests as they moved across the room, tracking their every move with precision as if he was sizing them up. Before, she had just thought it was part of his cunning nature, keeping tabs on potential prospects, but after spending more time with him and observing his strange behaviors more and more, she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he was keeping tabs on potential meals instead. 

Still, there were no such things as vampires. Their existence wasn’t scientifically possible, and even if it was, she was sure it would have been more obvious to her that she was engaged to one. After all, no one could have a warm meal dangled in front of their face everyday without being tempted enough to take a little bite. 

So there was no need for her to worry. She just needed to let it go.

Unless…

There was no harm in making sure, right? 

At least, that’s what she had thought before everything had gone wrong. 

Trying to catch him ended up being much harder than she thought as she found herself with a half-finished dinner, the garlic bread she was planning on presenting to him reduced to smoking charcoal that was stuck to a pan sitting on the stovetop. Though he had entered with a handkerchief covering his nose, she had no way of telling if it was because of the overwhelming garlic scent or because he was simply afraid of inhaling the fumes in the kitchen that had been created by her failed attempt, and she couldn’t fault him for that. 

Even plan B had failed, if the small bandaid on her finger was anything to go by. After dinner she had pricked the tip of her finger while cleaning up the dishes, turning to him as a small droplet of blood rose to the surface. But instead of a crazed reaction, she had only received a sigh in response as he gathered the first aid kit, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and begging her to pay more attention to her surroundings.

By the end of the night, she had to concede. Whatever plans she could have used to test him had all fallen apart without any real evidence to back up her suspicions. He was just a normal human after all, albeit an outlandishly melodramatic one at that. 

And so, here she was, defeated, her head resting against his chest as they snuggled up on the couch while the night came to a close. He had shed his jacket and waistcoat to avoid creasing the fabric and was laying back against the armrest of the couch, making room for her between his arms and the book he was currently flipping through, a pair of wire-rimmed reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. 

“I’m sorry I burnt dinner,” she sighed, lifting her head to look up at him. “I’m sure you were hoping for an actual meal after a long day of work…”

He glanced down at her before laughing softly and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“The effort was appreciated nonetheless, Isabelle, “ he smiled and closed his book before sliding off his glasses, setting them both down on the coffee table beside them. “Even if it’ll take weeks for the smell of garlic to leave my clothes,” he teased, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a light squeeze. 

She rolled her eyes, her face warming in embarrassment. 

“You’ll survive,” she sighed and rested her head back against him, letting her eyes close as she got cozy in his arms, her guard falling in his comforting presence. “I’m just glad you didn’t run away screaming.”

He paused, watching her with an amused, questioning expression. 

“Why would I have run away screaming, chérie?”

Oh fuck. Now she blew it. If he didn’t think she was crazy after all of her stunts at dinner, he certainly was going to think she was now.

She groaned, burying her face further into the fabric of his shirt, desperately trying to muffle her words. 

“Because I thought you were a vampire,” she mumbled. 

“What was that?” he prompted, finding her evasion attempt rather amusing. 

“Because…” she sighed, lifting her head back up again to look him in the eyes. “Because I thought you were a vampire…”

She could feel him tense beneath her, his face unreadable as he processed her words. 

“A…vampire?” he questioned. 

She opened her mouth to respond, afraid she might have offended him in some way, but was cut off quickly as he suddenly burst into laughter. 

“You thought I was a vampire?!” he questioned incredulously, his laughter trailing off slightly but not dissipating entirely, clearly tickled by her admission. “Is that why you were cooking with that ungodly amount of garlic?” He chuckled, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. 

She sighed and nodded, her cheeks a bright shade of pink that matched her utter humiliation.

“I know… it’s stupid. I just figured…–”

He shook his head, silencing her gently with a finger as he grinned down at her.

“It’s certainly not stupid, ma chérie,” he purred. “It’s actually quite clever.”

Now it was her turn to be confused. What did he mean by that? She had done nothing but embarrass herself all night, and he thought she was being clever? Surely he must have been trying to save her dignity. 

“I’d hardly call any part of tonight clever, but I appreciate your effort at salvaging my pride.”

He watched her for a moment with the same amused expression before she suddenly found herself being flipped over, her fiancé situating himself on top of her with a mischievous grin. 

“Vincent–” she objected, quickly cut off by the intoxicating feeling of his lips against her skin as he leant in and began a line of kisses down from her jaw, his head settling into the crook of her neck. Her breath caught in her throat and she leaned back, unwittingly offering more of her neck for him to cover with his practiced affections. “What… what are you doing?”

“What if I said you were right, hm?” he purred, continuing his kisses as far down as he could, reaching the hem of her collar, just precariously above the line of her bust, before lifting his head back up to meet her gaze, eyes narrowed and lips curved into his signature smirk. 

“Would you flee? Or would you find it exhilarating, knowing that all this time you had been at the mercy of a big, bad vampire?” he teased as he leant in, his warm breath gently brushing against her lips.

Far too wound up to give a true objection to his taunting, she gave a half assed response as she pulled him in closer, seeking to close the gap between their lips.

“Oh please,” she purred back with a grin of her own. “Bite me.” 

A chuckle reverberated through his chest as he pulled back to look down at her once more with a wide, wolfish grin, finally revealing a pair of dangerously sharp incisors that she hadn’t noticed before. 

“If you insist, mon chou,” he crooned, brushing his finger softly against her cheek. “But you really should be careful what you wish for. You never know what might come true.”

No. This couldn’t be happening. After all of that, this is how she found out?! 

He leaned his head back down to slowly work kisses against her neck once again, only this time, she was frozen in place, unable to react as she processed the fact that she had been right all along. Her fiancé was a vampire, and he currently had his fangs extremely close to her jugular, much too close for comfort. 

“Are you going to kill me?” she asked finally, her voice so quiet she might as well have not said anything at all. 

He paused, halting his kisses before he jerked back away from her suddenly, the mischievous expression on his face melting into one of dubious amazement, as if he was offended by her question. 

“Isabelle…really?” he prompted with a furled brow, putting some space between the two of them.

She blinked at his incredulous reaction, pushing herself up to a sitting position as he pulled back, still watching him with a cautious, yet confused look. 

“What?!” she questioned back, her own eyebrows raising to mirror his own. “You just… flash your fangs at me and expect me to think you’re not about to drain me? After that little speech?”

He watched her for another moment with a blank stare before closing his eyes, a hand raising to pinch the bridge of his nose as he exhaled and clenched his jaw–a signal of his obvious annoyance. 

“Isabelle, why would I kill you? I was trying to seduce you!”

“Because I just discovered your big secret…?” she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

After a minute of watching her through narrowed eyes, he sighed, gently gripping onto her wrists with his hands. 

“Ma chérie,” he started. “I just willingly told you my big secret,” he raised an eyebrow pointedly. “Not to mention, you’re my fiancée. I’m certainly not going to kill the woman I’m betrothed to. That would make me terrible husband material.” 

She watched him for another moment, not pulling her wrists away but not trusting him fully yet after he had just whipped out his mouth-knives and put them so close to her neck. 

“You promise?” she questioned cautiously. “You aren’t just using me so you can eventually sink your teeth into my delicious veins?”

He rolled his eyes, moving his hands slightly to entwine his fingers with hers. 

“No Isabelle, I’m not using you to get to your delicious veins, I promise,” he started, pausing after a minute and tilting his head with his signature sly grin. “Though I wouldn’t turn the offer down, if you asked,” he purred. “I’m sure you taste divine.”

She immediately glared at him, offended that he would even mention such a thing after just assuring her that he wasn’t out to use her as a blood bag. He shot her back an innocent look. 

“Okay, okay! It was a joke,” he laughed softly and wrapped his arms back around her, pulling her back against him in a tender hug. 

She sighed and relaxed back into him, feeling much better now that she knew her fiancé, who was a vampire after all, wasn’t going to be draining her with his shiny fangs anytime soon, or at least, as long as she didn’t want him to. 

Weirdly enough though, it was somewhat exhilarating to know that she was at the mercy of the big, bad vampire after all. There was just something appealing about being in such close proximity to danger, something she couldn’t describe, regardless of how she had reacted before. Knowing that she had control over the situation…

It was actually kind of sexy. 

“You know what?” she paused, pulling back to meet his gaze. “On second thought, why don’t we revisit that option?”

She was met with the same wolfish grin as before and the two of them fell back against the couch to resume what they had started, fangs included. 

Maybe having a vampire as a fiancé wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

[rainsvvorth]

city of love: paris → vincent karm x dark!mc ; season 1 au

                  ❝ you smell like fresh orange blossom and… deceit❞ 

[denouemwnt]

dancing lesson

you can also read it in AO3!

pairing: vincent karm x mc/reader

warnings: nope

summary: Vincent teaches you how to dance for your next event as a couple.

request: Your Vincent fic was amazing (and super hot omg). If you’re still taking requests, could you do one where he’s teaching the MC to dance? Maybe she admits to not knowing the dance he references and he shows her or it’s for an event and she doesn’t want to embarrass herself, I’m not sure. I just love this pairing so much, and it’s been so quiet in the fandom lately, we could always use new fanfics ❤️

words: 1179

(you can see my masterlist here!)

________________________________________________________________

“I’ll have to do what?” 

You were talking about the first public event you and Vincent are going to go as a couple and suddenly, your boyfriend tells you dancing is required. Your eyes get widen immediately, looking at him while your mouth opens in shock.

You can’t believe it is going to be your first appearance together and you are going to ruin everything. Oh no, you get embarrassed only thinking about the disaster.

“We will have to dance the waltz, Y/N.” He smirks when seeing your surprised and shocked reaction.

Waltz? Oh, no. That’s even worse. You can’t do the waltz, that’s like worse than you expected. You are just so clumsy when it comes to dancing, the opposite of Vincent, he is just so good at... almost everything, you are sure.

“But I... I don’t dance, Vincent.” You sigh. “The last time I did it was years ago, probably prom or something, I guess. And I wasn’t even good, I always stepped on my dress or my partner’s feet.” 

Ha, they can’t make me dance. What the hell fancy people have in their minds? 

“I know what you’re thinking, Y/N.” He grabs your hands and helps you get in the middle of the living room. “This is just something common in this kind of event and I thought you knew how to dance.” He put one hand on your waist and another one held your hand. “Now, I will have to teach you.”

This is not going to end well, you think.

“Relax, ma cherie.” He brings his hand up to caress your hair. "We are not even dancing and yet you are already tense.” You take a deep breath and look deep into his eyes, giving a slight nod.

Your right hand is intertwined with Vincent’s left one up in the air. Now your left one goes to his shoulder while his right hand continues around your waist. You try to not to think about making a wrong move, but that only makes you more nervous.

Vincent is now humming the rhythm of a song as he starts leading you around the room, slowly at the beginning. Everything was going fine until you accidentally stepped on his feet.

“Careful, darling.” He muffled a groan and continued to dance with you.

“I’m so sorry.” Your hand gripped tighter on his shoulder, anxious about doing that again.

You and Vincent got back to the pace you were before the little accident. You were trying to follow him and you thought that now it was certainly going we. He gave you a nod, affirming it was indeed going fine until so and you were trying not to hurt him again with your heels.

Your heart starts beating faster of just staring at him, you are so lost in his eyes that are looking right at yours. He gives you a small smile and you give it back to him, bringing your body closer to his.

The pace is getting faster but you don’t realize that you are actually dancing well. Your boyfriend thought that now you were getting good at it, so he decided to spin you...

Not a good idea.

You lost your balance and held the closest thing you saw - his arm -, surprising him and making Vincent go to the floor with you. Your face was red, you could feel the heat in your cheeks. 

“Shit!” The only word it was heard while falling on the ground next to him.

“I should have warned you about the spin.” He turned his head to face you and you held his body, hiding your face in his chest, both of you were laying on the fluffy rug of Vincent’s living room.

“Yes, you should’ve.” He gently holds your chin and makes you face him. “Can we just stay here together instead of dancing?” 

“The offer is tempting, my dear, but you were going so well... How about we just dance to one more song?” Vincent helps you get up.

You nod and wait for him to let a song start playing because he knew his singing always distracted you. And then you are back to your old position again, dancing to the rhythm with him and trying to look like you have been doing this for years.

Before dropping his hand of your waist and spinning you, Vincent warns you about it, making it much easier, with no accidents this time. You didn’t even step on his feet again, or worse, made him fall with you.

Now you are finally getting all this waltz thing and you are doing great with your very patient and handsome teacher.

With one final move, he spins you over again and he holds your waist and back after it, making you lay on his arms and have your face so close to his. You can hear his heart beating faster like yours and both of your breathing. Dancing so close to him was a new experience for your relationship, something intense even with you making some wrong moves a few times and embarrassing yourself.

The music finishes and you are not worried about all this situation like you were before because of Vincent, who is now kissing your lips with passion. He picks you up on his lap and you sit on the couch with you on the top of his body.

Breathless, the contact is broken and you just lay your head on his shoulder after leaving a kiss on his neck. He gently pulls your hair to make you face him one more time and now your lips are touching his. Vincent doesn't waste more time, you can feel his tongue in your mouth.

He lays you on the couch and stays on top of you. Vincent’s hand goes under your shirt, resting on your belly after going to your breasts. You moan in the kiss, making him groan and bring his body closer to yours, you could feel how excited he was getting in his pants.

Seconds before the situation getting heavier, you hear the main door being opened followed by a bark.

“Oh, hi.” You and Vincent turn your heads to see Eugene looking surprised at the way both of you are on the couch. “I thought you weren’t here yet...” You manage to get out off Vincent’s hold and then greets the red-headed man. “Vincent was just teaching me how to dance,” you say.

“Oh, yeah. He was teaching you to dance, oh, I know.” He said ironically and the rest of the sentence echoed in the hallway, where Eugene was going. He left you and your boyfriend alone to go to the kitchen and soon Esteban ran to the room after seeing that Vincent was home. 

Vincent fixes himself and you were about to get next to him again when Esteban jumps on the couch and goes to Vincent’s lap, wanting to be pet by his owner.

“Looks like Esteban stole your place, Y/N.” He chuckled and there was that signature smirk of his.

________________________________________________________________

You can go to my masterlist to read more of my vincent karm series and my other stories!

Feedback is always welcome ❤️

[estebanana-fana-blog]

La tempête parfaite

Post Season 2.  The MC, Paige Turner, is forced to do an interview of Vincent for City of Love: Paris.  She flies to his vacation home in Vermont and some bad weather hits.

Rating: T for mild kissing and references to sex.

Special thanks to @boughtmywayintopopculture being a co-writer for this piece and helping me along in both the editing and writing processes!

Paige held her eyes closed for a moment, desperately hoping she was hallucinating.  However, when she opened her eyes the slip of paper left on her desk with her latest assignment still read the same: Vincent Karm, CEO Karm International, EPD: ASAP.  Not only did they want her to do an interview with Vincent but, they had the expected publish date set to as soon as possible?!

This is ridiculous! Paige thought to herself as she balled up the paper in her hands and flung it into the waste bin.  As if working for my ex isn’t awkward enou- Paige’s eyes narrowed Raphael! He had to have something to do with this!

Shouldering her bag, Paige left her cubicle and stormed into her boss’s office.

“Where is Raphael?”  Paige demanded closing the door behind her and taking a seat.

“Well, hello to you too Ms. Turner.  Please, do sit down.  I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Her boss replied sarcastically as he tried to adjust his combover so the bald spot was concealed; he wasn’t fooling anyone.

Paige just glared at the man expectantly, waiting for him to answer her question.

With a dramatic eye roll her boss explained, “Raphael is not in the office.  He is in Italy where he will be working with the City of Love: Rome office for the next two weeks.  And yes, before you ask, he had everything to do with your latest assignment,” he held up his palm to stop her from interjecting as he continued. “Don’t blame Raphael though, it was the only way.”

“The only way what?!” Paige asked not only angry but curious now as well.

“The only way Karm would agree to an interview.  He asked for you specifically when Raphael reached out to him.  He said it was either you or no interview; he only expects the best quality writer, not some subpar newbie.  His words not mine, not that everyone here doesn’t know you are our best writer.”  He replied relaxing down in his chair and folding his hands together over his abdomen.  “Listen, Paige, Raphael wants this article.  He is the boss and what he says goes.  I got your flight all set -”

“My flight?! Why do I need a flight to do an interview in Paris?!” She interrupted, jumping out of her seat.

“Well, here is the thing.  Vincent is currently vacationing in Vermont.  He was gracious enough to start the interview this week and supply you lodging at his cabin.  Which works out great because we don’t have to worry about covering hotel expenses now.” He said as he straightened in his seat.

“Vermont?!  I have to fly all the way to America to do this interview and you think I am just going to share a room with Vincent Karm for however long this takes?!”  She spat gesturing wildly with her hands which often happened when she was upset.

“You won’t be sharing a room with him.  He rents out his cabin as a bed and breakfast when he isn’t there.  When he is, he likes his privacy and has the place to himself.  You will have your own room.  If you share a room with Vincent Karm, that is none of my business and all on you.”  He said as he started typing on his computer, clearly losing interest in this conversation.

“I cannot believe this… I’m taking the day off and going home.” Paige stated as she grabbed her bag off of the floor, turning towards the door.

“Paige, like I said before you are our best writer.  However, if you don’t plan on making this interview happen, don’t bother showing up tomorrow.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as her hand hovered inches above the door handle.  Through gritted teeth she asked, “When is the flight?”

“Thursday, 8:45 am.” He answered, a certain smugness in is voice.

With that Paige opened the door and stormed out of his office going only to her desk to collect her coat, scarf, and gloves before heading towards the exit.  Before she reached the exit, she turned on her heels and walked back to her desk, reached into her waste bin and pulled out the crumpled ball she had thrown in there earlier, shoving it into her bag before heading back to her apartment.

Rain pelted the window of the plane as Paige scrolled aimlessly through her social media feed before she had to put her phone on airplane mode.  She was desperately trying to distract herself from the thought of having to spend a minimum of three days with Vincent Karm.  She didn’t hate the man, she didn’t even dislike him; he just made her feel uncomfortable.  She hated feeling awkward in her own skin.  Vincent had that effect on her, along with some other effects she’d prefer not to think about.  They definitely had a history together and Paige didn’t know what to make of it.  They worked together once.  She didn’t like to think about the events of Kat, her best friend’s, death.  But, truth be told, without Vincent’s help her killer may have never been caught.  

I shouldn’t have kissed him.  Why did I initiate that kiss… I was just caught up in the moment.  I mean, yeah, it was good.  Okay, it was a lot better than good but, still it was a mistake.  I just made everything awkward for myself.  In my defense I didn’t invite him up!  Even though I wanted to…

Paige’s internal fight was interrupted when the stewardess came to offer her a pillow and a blanket for her flight.  Her bosses may have been too cheap to get her a hotel room but at least they splurged and booked her a first class ticket.  

Paige gratefully accepted both luxuries she was offered and made herself comfortable.  She felt her eyes grow heavy, as she hardly slept due to anxiety and last minute packing.  The last thing she remembered thinking to herself before she was lulled into a dreamless sleep was, This change in timezone is going to be the death of me.

When she awoke her mouth was so dry it felt like her tongue was sandpaper.

I wonder if this is how Whiskey feels all the time, she thought idly as her mind wandered to her cat who she left in Leo’s care.

She stretched her arms above her head and rolled her head side to side hoping to alleviate the twinge she felt in her neck.

She still had 4 hours left in her flight but she was surprised by how long she was actually asleep for. She stood up to open the overhead compartment where her carry-on was stored.  She pulled out her laptop and pressed the call button before sitting back down.  Before her computer had even booted up completely, an attendant showed up. She politely asked for a bottle of water.  She drank half the bottle then she opened up the document she was working on.

By the time the plane had landed she had a basic outline for what she wanted to get out of the interview and had played roughly seven games of solitaire.  She lost every time.

She gazed up at the enormous cabin in front of her.  It looked as if it was right out of a travel magazine that featured log cabins in the woods, only double the size.  

No wonder this place can be used as a B&B when he’s not here.  It’s huge! She thought as she hitched her duffle back higher up on her shoulder.

As she walked up the driveway, a fresh layer of snow crunched beneath her boots and she heard barking coming from inside.  She felt her stomach sink as she heard the cab pull away, fighting back the urge to chase after it despite the driver’s lack of social skills and noxious B.O.  She had tried so hard to just avoid Vincent for the past couple of months but, all of that ended here as she reached the front door.  She grabbed the bronze knocker and tapped it two times on the door.  The barking, which had subsided, picked up again.  A smile played on her lips as she remembered how much Vincent adored his four-legged companion.  So much so, he had portraits of him in multiple locations.  She mentally chastised herself when she realized what she was doing.  She had been avoiding Karm for a reason.  She was here for one purpose and one purpose only: get the interview done and leave.

The door opened and she was pleasantly surprised when she saw who opened the door.  The red-haired man smiled enthusiastically at her as he gestured for her to come inside from the cold.

“Eugene!  I’m so glad to see you!” Paige expressed genuinely as she embraced Vincent’s employee.

“I was so happy to learn that you were coming!” Eugene replied clapping his hands together. “Vincent is just freshening up before dinner.  Let me show you to your room, Ms. Turner.”

“Thank you, Eugene.  I would appreciate that, it’s been a long day.” She stated as she shed off her winter coat and scarf and placed them in Eugene’s outstretched hands.

As Eugene hung up her belongings,Paige heard Esteban before she saw him slowly making his way towards her.  He gave little snorts as he tried to get to know her scent.  

“Esteban, assis.” Eugene said in a firm voice to the pug, who immediately sat down.  “ You can pet him if you’d like.  I don’t believe you’ve met Esteban before.  He is Vincent’s pride and joy.  He is also quite well behaved, when he feels like it.” The man stated with a soft laugh.

“So, you’re Esteban.” Paige said as she crouched down to the pug’s level and began to scratch behind his ears. “I’ve heard good things about you.” she told the dog as he opened his mouth allowing his tongue to hang out as he panted, clearly enjoying the attention.

After a moment of acquainting herself with the pug, she followed Eugene to her room.  The room was spacious yet cozy.  A queen sized bed with a antique looking quilt was at the center of the room.  In the corner, an arm chair was placed next to a bookshelf.

“There is no wifi here but you can plug your laptop directly into the internet via the telephone jack by the desk.  If you need assistance, I would be happy to help.”  Eugene explained.  

While inconvenient, Paige was not completely unfamiliar with the technological throwback.  She glanced at the clock;  Eugene told her to take her time making herself feel at home and he would come get her in a half hour for dinner.  Taking advantage of the time she had; Paige began to unpack.  She grabbed her laptop and placed it on the desk, letting out a relieved sigh that she remembered to pack her chargers with the correct adapters for American outlets. She just finished connecting her computer to the internet when she heard a knock at the door.

She didn’t realize that it had been a half hour already but, she figured Eugene must have finished dinner early.

“Come in Eugene!” Paige called still on her hands and knees under the desk, making sure the cable connecting her computer to the wall was secure.

She heard the door open and the sound of dress shoes on the wood floor, muffled once they reached the ornate area rug.

“Actually, I figured I would let Eugene finish up in the kitchen and that I would fetch you myself instead.”

Vincent’s voice deep and smooth was a shock when she had not been expecting it.  Paige, in her surprise, tried to stand up quickly but ended up hitting her head on the underside of the desk.

“Ouch!” Paige yelped as she held the back of her head as she got to her feet and turned to face Vincent.

“Are you okay? Would you like me to get you some ice?” Vincent asked, his eyes wide with concern.

His sincerity shocked Paige.  She figured he would laugh at her expense for being so clumsy, especially after she had denied his advances after their kiss.

“No, I’m fine.” Paige stated tersely.  “Thank you though...” she added after a minute, recognizing that she had no reason to be rude to the man.  It wasn’t his fault that she felt so awkward, after all.  

Although, it is your fault for being so damn attractive.  Must you look so good in a three piece suit?!  

“If you’re sure, Ms. Turner.” Vincent stated his eyes still searching to make sure she was in fact okay.  “Well, I wanted to welcome you and tell you to make yourself at home.  I apologize for being unavailable when you first arrived.”

“I got to meet Esteban in your absence, he’s quite adorable.”  Paige stated.

A small hint of a smile played on Vincent’s lips so briefly that Paige wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t her mind playing tricks on her, or a side effect of bashing her head so hard.

“Thank you for saying so, Ms. Turner.  I am very fond of my canine companion.”  Vincent responded.  A smirk formed and Paige knew the smile she had caught was real.  “Dinner is ready if you are.  You must be famished after your flight.”

“I am, thank you.” She sighed at her shortness with him.  This trip was going to be very painful if she didn’t learn to get over her awkwardness with Vincent.

Thankfully dinner went by without a hitch and, despite the pounding in her head after her incident with the desk, she actually… enjoyed herself.

Vincent was unwilling to talk business at the dinner table and after dinner her jetlag was catching up with her.  The two mutually decided that they would begin getting to work the next day.

Paige had changed in to her pajamas and was about to get into her bed when she heard the soft rap of knuckles against her door.

“Yes?” She called out while she took a makeup wipe to her face.

“Is it okay if I open the door?” Vincent’s voice resonated through the door.

“Umm, just a second...” Paige answered hastily tossing the used makeup wipe in the trash and hopping into bed and pulling up the covers.  She wasn’t prepared to have Vincent Karm see her in the flannel short shorts she was wearing to bed.   “Okay, all set.” she announced as she ran her hands over her hair, rolling her eyes at herself. When did she begin to care so much about how she looked in Vincent’s presence?

The door opened barely more than a crack and Vincent stuck his head in the opening.  “I just wanted to see if you needed anything before bed.” Vincent spoke softly.

Paige was about to answer when a tan blur came hurtling onto the bed to her.  Esteban circled twice then plopped down with a grunt.  

Vincent gaped for a second at the scene that just unraveled.

“Esteban!” he chastised the dog.  “I am so very sorry!  He is never like this with anyone…” Realizing the dog was paying him no attention, he questioned whether he should enter the room and physically remove the dog.

Paige let out a soft giggle.  After the long day she had the pug’s presence was welcome.

“It’s okay, Mr. K-” Paige began but was cut off.

“Please, call me Vincent.” He stated firmly, a trace of something Paige couldn’t identify in his voice; almost sadness.

“Okay, Vincent, but you have to call me Paige then.” She replied hoping that the room was dark enough that he couldn’t see the blush rising to her cheeks.   “And If it’s okay with you, I’d actually prefer that he stay.” she continued.

She laid a hand on the sleeping pug’s back.  Having Esteban there sharing a bed with her was nice.  It helped her feel more at home, as she was used to sharing her bed with Whiskey.  

“If you insist.  Did you need anything else?” Vincent asked, still perplexed over the odd behavior of his four legged companion.

“No, I have everything that I need,” She answered while trying to stifle a yawn.  “Goodnight, Vincent” she stated signaling he was free to go and that she was ready for bed.

He gave her a quick nod and pulled the door closed until the the latch clicked.

Vincent stared at the doorknob, mentally berating himself for being so hesitant and reserved.  His confident facade had faded and he half-wondered if this was how Raphael felt all the time.  It was uncomfortable to say the least.

He requested her in hopes of finding out whether or not the tightness he experienced in his chest was still there when he saw her.  A mere thought of her made his heart jump as he recalled how challenging she had been, protective of those she loved and cared for.  

Several months and an ocean apart had done nothing for the overwhelming intensity of what he felt for the woman on the other side of the door.

Who is here to do a job.  He reminded himself.  

It broke his heart to hear her call him what everyone else did, by his surname.  She used to call him Vincent and he never once asked her to do so.  That he had to ask her, after everything they had gone through, hurt and twisted in his gut like a knife.

He had seen the faint color in her cheeks when she asked for him to call her by her first name, in turn.  He should have just suffered through the annoyance of being called Mr. Karm if it meant she was comfortable.  

He found himself envious of his own dog, both because he wished he could be so open with affection and because Esteban was the one sleeping next to her.  Keeping her warm and safe.

He suddenly found himself longing to be the one next to her.  Vincent wondered what it would be like to wake up with his arms around her, her head on his chest as she slept.  To see her face at peace, something she deserved after the past few years.

She couldn’t know what he felt for her; he couldn’t allow her to find out.  Not yet, at least.  She was here to do what Raphael asked her to do. He couldn’t scare her off by letting her know that months, even years if he counted his time in prison, had done nothing to soothe the ache in his chest that came with every thought of her.

“Goodnight, Paige.” Vincent said softly to the door before heading to his own room to get ready for bed himself.

When Paige awoke she felt surprisingly refreshed.  While she was normally an early riser, waking up well before sunrise, the time on her phone revealed that it was almost noon.   She looked down at the bed to find that Esteban was no longer with her.  Eugene or Vincent must have retrieved him earlier in the morning to let him out and give him his breakfast.

She freshened herself up and dressed before she left her room to go find Vincent.  She wanted to get on with her job.  The faster she finished her article, the faster she could leave.  Then, maybe, she could fall asleep thinking of something other than Vincent Karm in bed only a few doors down from her.

Paige found Vincent in the living room, his eyes glued to his laptop, wired much the same way as hers for internet.  He was holding what smelled like coffee, steam wafting from the ceramic mug.

“Ah, you’re finally awake.”  He glanced at her before he took a sip from his mug, eyes scanning the screen again.

“That’s twice now, that I’ve left you waiting for me while I was unconscious.” Paige said, taking the offered cup and plate of food from Eugene, who silently slipped in and out of the room with ease.  She mouthed a thank you to the manservant as he left the room.

“Yes, well, hopefully this isn’t as...traumatic as the previous time.”  He said softly; if anyone from her time in Paris was aware of her suffering from her friend’s death, it was Vincent.

“I wouldn’t call that whole night traumatic.” She replied.

She kept her gaze firmly planted on her plate of food as she realized what she just said.  She stabbed a piece of egg with more force than she expected, the metal making a sound against the porcelain.

She was afraid.  Afraid to face whatever happened between them months ago, afraid of the feelings she harbored for the man who once tried to take over Paris.  The gut wrenching frustration with herself from earlier in the week came back but she was determined to push it aside.  She was here for one thing: his side of the events of the floods.

You were supposed to get here, do the interview, and leave.  No flirting. No awkwardness. But no, you had to go and screw that up, Paige.  Damn him.  Damn him for being...attractive and caring and a hell of a good kisser beneath that devilish persona.

Paige cleared her throat after a sip of coffee; it was probably one of the best homebrews she had, second only to Kat’s.  And the food was delicious, even for simple breakfast fare.

“What time did you want to start?  Is there a place you’re most comfortable?” She asked, eyes darting up just to see Vincent’s back to her, that he had shifted to face his computer again.

Thank goodness.  That meant she had a little time to hide the creeping flush across her cheeks.

“I was actually hoping we could take a walk.  Vermont this time of year is simply beautiful.”  He stated as he closed his laptop and turned to face her.  “If that is okay with you of course.” He added and something flickered in his eyes; hope.  

She was being hard on him, she realized; it was only fair for her to concede.  Plus, he was agreeing to do this interview.  Vincent, while used to being in the limelight, remained very private.  This interview was meant to be candid; he agreed to open up, to the readers yes, but primarily to Paige.  

“Sure, that would be fine.  I’ll go put on something warmer and grab my recorder.” She told him as she turned to head to the kitchen to place her dishes in the sink.

Once she was finished changing she met Vincent by the front door.  He was throwing an emerald scarf over his dress coat.  He was dressed impeccably as always despite the fact that they were going for a walk through the snow.  Paige noticed his choice in footwear; a pair of black leather Hermès boots.  If her time with TJ had taught her anything, it had taught her just how much he probably spent on those boots.  

“All set?” She asked as she began to realize for the first time this trip they would be completely alone together.

“Ready when you are.” Vincent answered simply.

The pair exited the cabin together the snow made soft crunching noises beneath their boots.  

It was pretty mild in temperature, at least for winter in North East America.  Paige had checked the weather forecast before her plane had taken off the day before and there was talk of a storm.  With the weather as temperate as it was, it didn’t seem possible for more than a light flurry.  Paige took her recorder out and pressed the red button.  She began asking some basic questions as she would with anyone to ease them into the more in-depth material she was looking for.

She continued to ask him questions; he pointed to various parts of the property while he answered.  Paige nearly had everything she needed for now.  She would work with what she got from the interview once she got back to her room.  After that, she would figure out where the gaps where and see what she needed to add.  At that moment, only one question was left for her to ask.

“What motivated you to even help save the city?” Paige began, looking over at Vincent when she asked the question. “ You clearly were trying to push boundaries the night I was arrested, considering you basically summoned me to your cell.  What possessed you to break out of prison to help?”

He inhaled, a little sharper than he probably meant to.  “One of those answers I can’t give.”

“On the record, then.” She specified.

“I couldn’t stand the idea of some base destroyer taking the city from me, from anyone.  Paris is the city of love, of light.  Of hope.  It was, and is, a refuge for artists, for musicians, for those who felt they didn’t belong elsewhere.”

He continued his train of thought and she waited until he finished before she turned off her recorder.

“And off the record?” She asked, her heart beating in her chest like a drum.  He clearly had something to hide and she would find out what.

His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, hesitating in his words.  A first for Vincent Karm.

“I couldn’t stand seeing you in agony, after that night.  I told myself I would find a way to help so you would never have to feel that pain again.” He replied with nothing but sincerity.

This was not something she had either expected or prepared for.  A silence lingered between the pair as she was at a loss for how to respond to this earnest expression.  

“So, why Vermont?” She asked for the sole purpose of changing the subject and breaking the awkward silence.  

“Honestly?” He asked as she looked at him expectantly, urging him to tell her.  “I have a weakness for maple syrup.”

Shocked by the utter simplicity of his answer Paige began to laugh, trying to cover her mouth to stifle herself.

“What?” Vincent said with a grin, amused by her laughter.  It had been awhile since he had seen her so at ease and carefree.  “Nothing compares to freshly tapped maple syrup!”

“Oh, so Vincent Karm has a sweet tooth, huh?” She asked teasingly, finally managing to get her laughter under control.

“That shouldn’t surprise you, considering the company I’m currently keeping.” He replied smoothly with a small grin making eye contact with her.

Yet again, the slightly awkward tension returned.  She knew her cheeks were turning pink but, whether it was from the cold or his compliment she couldn’t be sure.

Is he flirting with me? She thought as she hoped her blush wasn’t obvious.

“You know what my favorite part of winter is?” She asked as she stopped in her tracks to stick her gloved hands in the snow.

“What?” Vincent asked in reply, eyebrows raising slightly.

“This.” She stated as she pelted him with a snowball.  

His eyes widened as he realized what had just happened, that maybe he should have seen coming.  

“Paige…” He began.

“Yes?” She replied with a laugh.

“This is war.” He stated calmly as he bent down, forming a snowball of his own.

The snowballed arched, hitting Paige square in the shoulder, causing her to squeal in surprise.  It became an all out brawl, snowballs thrown back and forth between the pair.  Vincent’s deep chuckle mixed with Paige’s girlish laughter and shrieks of delight.

Paige felt a snowball hit her on the back of her neck and icy fragments were sent down the collar of her jacket.  She yelped against the cold on her flesh.

“Oh, you’re going down, Karm!” she cried as she dashed toward him.

As she neared the man, she stepped on a patch of ice hidden under a layer of snow.  She felt herself slipping and reached out for Vincent to steady herself.  She grabbed hold of Vincent’s arm but only managed to pull him down with her.  When they fell, he took the brunt of the impact, only to have her land on him.  They both stilled for a moment, realizing just how close their faces were to each other.

Paige felt her mouth go dry as Vincent took her hand placing it over his chest.  She felt his heart beating rapidly through his jacket and coat.  Her eyes locked on his, realizing this gesture was very unvincentlike.  It was unlike him to put himself in such a vulnerable position when he was so used to being in control.

Unable to maintain eye contact, her eyes drifted down to his lips, not that that was much better.  She knew he wanted to kiss her but she couldn’t let that happen.

“I want to but… I… I can’t do this again.” her voice barely above audible.

“Kiss me or be hurt again?” he asked, his voiced pained.

What if there isn’t a difference between the two.  There wasn’t with Raphael.  Paige thought to herself.  She was both scared that they had been so close to kissing and disappointed that she couldn’t allow herself to let it happen.

“...I don’t know.  But, when I do, I’ll tell you.” She replied her voice still soft.

She shifted off him and stood, brushing excess snow off of her before offering Vincent her hand.  It was the least she could do, considering she was the reason he fell in the first place.

They made it back to the cabin cold and wet from all the snow that they threw at each other.  The heat of the indoors warmed their cold skin as they both remove their outerwear.  

Paige excused herself to her room with the excuse of wanting to get some of her ideas down while they were still fresh.  As soon as she got to her room, she turned on her computer and set herself down to write.  All she could think about was Vincent, and not the things she needed for her piece.  

Like his emerald eyes and his lips, small but soft.  Or how she had never truly seen him smile until now.  Or laugh without a darker meaning behind his words.  This was a different side of him, the man beneath the metaphors and sinister intent.  A man who owned a house in Vermont strictly because of his taste for maple syrup.

That’s why he wanted me to do this interview.  Who else but the person he helped to capture an image other than the one he’s known for?

Paige opened her work document and set about transcribing her audio files.  

Vincent watched Paige disappear into her room before noticing Esteban in an armchair, the pug watching him in turn.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Vincent muttered.  

Esteban gave a whine, his tail wagging lazily from side to side.

“She needs her space, you can cuddle with her later.”  Vincent walked over and scratched the dog behind his ear.  

His clothes still held the chill from outside but that chill had followed them inside and clung to the air.  Had he been too forward?  He knew she still hurt from Raphael, from going too fast too quickly only to find out his jealous streak ran far deeper than she originally thought.

It hurt, to hear her words.  That she would deny herself what she wanted.  What they both wanted.  But she needed to decide that for herself, in time.

He hadn’t forgotten how her light brown hair smelled, how beautiful the freckles across her nose were, or how endearing the flush across her cheeks could be.  But for her to be so close, in that moment, and not be able to…

Vincent let out a breath through his nose and cast his gaze back down the hall.  She would be busy for the rest of the day and it was probably best if he let her be.

A shower would do him good.  He needed a clearer head.  Maybe hot water would at least remove the chill he couldn’t seem to get rid of.

He left a trail of clothes behind him after he closed his bedroom door and made his way to the bathroom.  The tile was warm under his feet; heated floors were a necessity in such a climate.

He hissed when he entered the shower, finding the water to be too hot.  Or, maybe he was just too cold.

It wasn’t like him to be so...open with his intentions, at least with most people.  Then again, Paige wasn’t “most people” and she often demanded for him to be straight with her.  She did from the start.  She had earned that much from him, certainly.  

She earned my bloody heart without even trying.  Vincent thought darkly.

Vincent began washing his hair, his thoughts of earlier coming back.  She reached for him rather than flail helplessly and he hadn’t wanted her to fall; he was hoping they wouldn’t fall at all.

He expected to catch her, to hold her against him for the briefest of moments before letting her go.  He fell with her instead.  It wouldn’t do for her to hurt herself or, worse, have a concussion.  It was purely instinctive for him to hold her so he took most of the impact.  He doubted he would have done it a few years ago.  

He thought of Paige again, her laugh as she threw a snowball at him, her hazel eyes glancing down at his lips, her weight on him.  He wondered what it would be like to kiss her, to press his lips to her neck, to her warm skin, and show her that the pain she seemed to anticipate would never come.  Not if he could help it.  

He swallowed hard as he rinsed his hair.  He thought back to the night they first kissed.  She straddled him, grabbed him by his tie, and kissed him hard and long and sudden.  Very few had ever gained the upper hand with him so easily.  He was used to women throwing themselves at him but this...was something else entirely.  It was, for the first time in a long time, genuine in its passion.

Or so he hoped.

He remembered how close they were that night, how close they had been just under an hour ago.

Vincent finished the rest of his normal routine before he shut off the water and dried off.  He wrapped the towel around his waist as he went to peruse his closet for a clean set of clothes.  Once he was dressed, he returned to the living room to pick up where he left off on his emails.

Paige ate dinner quickly, barely making eye contact with anyone before dashing back into her room.  She felt awkward, watched, and she didn’t mean to be so closed off; the relationship of an interview went both ways.  But every time she even thought about approaching Vincent again, fear gripped her gut and she was left resorting to small talk and no eye contact.

The following morning, she curled up on the couch in the living room.  Esteban was on her bed down the hall last she knew, enthusiastically chewing a well-loved banana toy.  Eugene and Vincent were discussing something near the study; the conversation darted between English and French, and she distantly wondered if they did that in Paris as well.

Paige skimmed what she had so far of the interview, catching snippets about weather and generators and gasoline.  She glanced out the window to see Eugene placing several orange gasoline containers in the trunk of the black sedan warming up.  She switched to her internet browser to check the forecast; the storm had two paths, it seemed, but the pattern was unpredictable and no one wanted to make a call, it seemed.

She went back to working on the interview, forcing her eyes to focus on the screen as she heard soft footsteps pass by on the way to the kitchen.  He had paused and it took everything in her to not turn her head and look at him.  To get up from the couch and brush her lips over his, to give in to everything they both wanted.

She still didn’t have an answer for him.

The wind started to pick up just as an emergency weather alert went off on her phone.  The notification stated the storm predicted to hit tomorrow evening had gained strength and had shifted directly towards the area where they were staying.  

Paige felt nerves begin to stir in her stomach as she looked out the window realizing how little she could make out through the falling snow.  She worried about Eugene, who had left a little under an hour ago with four bright orange jugs to get gas for the generators in the event the cabin lost power.  It was getting dark and the wind was whipping the snow around creating large drifts outside of the windows in Paige’s room.  

Esteban, who was curled up at the foot of her bed for most of the afternoon had woken up from a nap.  His ears went back as he let out a few soft whines; he was clearly not a fan of the storm.

You and me both little guy. Paige thought as she rubbed the dog behind the ears and reciting calming incantations in efforts to soothe him.

The lights flickered briefly before the power went out all together.  

Paige gave a yelp in surprise as the sudden shift to darkness.  She felt Esteban shift beneath her touch.  Paige pulled her phone out of her pocket the light providing only enough illumination to see directly in front of her and nothing else.

“It’s okay Esteban.  You’re a good boy; everything is okay.” She whispered.

“Paige?”  Vincents voice echoed down the hallway.  “Are you alright?”

Vincent arrived in the doorway holding a flashlight, which was a lot more useful than her phone.

“Yes, just a little startled that’s all.  I thought the generators were supposed to kick in only a few seconds after the power went out…” She began but trailed off.

“They are.  They must have had even less gas than Eugene and I had expected.” He replied.

“Shouldn’t Eugene be back by now?  Do you think he’s stuck in the storm?” Paige felt panic rise in her gut.  She already lost someone dear to her; she couldn’t bare to see any of her other friend’s get hurt.

“I was on the phone with Eugene when the power cut out.  The storm hit town before it came here and they closed the roads.  Eugene made it to a hotel but even if the roads were open it wouldn’t be safe for him to drive.” Vincent stated in a calm voice.

“As long as Eugene is safe.  I guess the heaters won’t be working with no power, huh.”  It was more of a statement that she was hoping Vincent corrected her on rather than a question.

“No, they won’t.  But I will get a fire going in the front room and there are plenty of blankets.”

Paige gave a weak nod, wishing she wasn’t as anxious as she was.

“I’ll get the fire started.  I brought you a flashlight, would you mind bringing some blankets for us?”

“Yes, of course, I can do that.”  Paige responded, taking the flashlight Vincent held out for her.

She gathered the quilt from her bed and a few more she found in the trunk at the foot of the bed.  The case closed with a sudden thud after she pulled out the covers, startling her for a moment.  Paige carefully made her way down the hall and into the living room, arms filled with blankets and flashlight balancing precariously atop the pile.

In less than an hour, the pair was sitting in front of a fire, each wrapped in their own blanket.  Had the situation not been as stress inducing as it was, Paige actually would have enjoyed this.

Despite the warmth that the blankets and fire provided, a chill ran through Paige and she wasn’t entirely sure it was completely due to being cold.  Her involuntary shiver caught Vincent’s attention.

“Are you still cold?” Vincent asked with genuine concern.

“Only a little but the fire is very nice, it helps.” Paige stated hoping he accepted the answer without further questioning.

Vincent, who was sitting next to her, moved closer to her.  Their arms were now resting against each other.  “Is this okay?” Vincent asked gently.

Paige nodded in reply as she continued watching the fire.

“I...I’m sorry about before, by the way.  And about my behavior this whole trip.  I’ve been cold toward you and it was unnecessary.  The truth is I’m scared.  Terrified really.”

“I terrify you?” Vincent replied maintaining his calm but clearly hurt by her confession.

“No, no, you don’t terrify me!  I’m just not sure I can handle getting hurt again…When I was with Raphael…” she trailed off but Vincent let her collect herself without interupting.  When she found her words, she continued. “When I was with Raphael, I really thought I was happy...for a while.  Until I realized that I was probably the farthest thing from happy I had ever been, up until Kat died that is.”

“Paige, you’re shivering, let me get you another blanket-”  Vincent rose to grab another blanket from the pile.

“No!” She reacted, reaching out and grabbing his hand, startling the man “I’m sorry, please, don’t leave. We’ll just sit closer if that’s okay.”

Vincent sat back down and Paige shifted, instead positioning herself between his legs with her back against his chest.  She could feel the warmth emanating from his body, feel his heart beating hard against her back, and she felt his breath hitch as his arms wrapped around her waist tentatively.

“Okay?” He asked.

“Warmer already.” She replied; it was the furthest thing from a lie.  She continued now that she was warmer, “I should have listened to your warnings about him… you are the only one who ever told me the truth about Raphael.  I guess now would be a good time to say ‘I told you so’”

“Paige, I would never say that to you.  Especially over something that has so deeply affected you.” He said sternly. “And, you don’t have to apologize.  You came here to do a job and I am sorry if I complicated things for you.  I have been wanting to kiss you from the moment you arrived, and yesterday I realized I pushed the boundaries farther than I should have.”

It was at Vincent’s apology that caused her to realize Raphael was the exception, not the rule.  Yes, he hurt her, but that didn’t mean Vincent would hurt her.  She was so upset at Raphael for holding her back in their relationship and now she wanted something, wanted Vincent, and she was holding herself back.  She was no longer with Raphael; if she wanted something, she could go for it.  Should go for it.

“You have nothing to apologize for either, but, thank you.” She rotated slightly so she was sitting slightly sideways toward him, one leg bent, her knee resting near his. “I’m definitely warmer sitting like this.  But, there is one part of me that’s still cold.  My lips.  Can you help me warm them?”  

Vincent leaned in, allowing her to come in the rest of the way.  As she felt his lips against hers she knew that one night was not just a fluke.  Kissing Vincent was like no other kiss she ever experienced.  The effects of the kiss radiated throughout her entire body sending warmth to every inch of her despite how frigid the room was.  Their kisses became deeper and more desperate until they ended up in a position similar to when they fell on the ice.  Vincent allowed her to be on top of him; be in control, set the pace.  Eventually they both fell asleep, a tangle of blankets and limbs intertwined.

Paige woke up warm despite the coldness of the room.  Vincent, still asleep, was holding her close to him; keeping her warm.  The weight of his arms around her made secure, happy.  A rush of emotions engulfed her at all she had shared with Vincent last night both emotionally and physically.  Memories of the kisses they shared last night flooded back to her.  

Paige smiled, realizing she had been brave enough to follow through with all of the desires she had regarding Vincent.  Well, not all of them.  A blush spread across her cheeks thinking about the one thing they hadn’t done last night.  Neither of them had wanted to move too fast.  However, the desire was there last night and it was back again now.  Especially with her body so close to his, feeling him pressed up against her.  His morning condition was of little help, which she noticed when she shifted her thigh slightly.  She watched him as he slept.   His hair was tousled from sleep and she realized she had never seen him look more peaceful or relaxed.

The wind was still pretty strong from what she could hear and she was so nice and warm.  She closed her eyes and let herself drift back off to sleep; a pleasure she more often than not denied herself.  This morning though, wrapped in Vincent’s arms, she allowed herself this small pleasure.    

Vincent woke with a start.  It took him a moment to wake up and realize that he was finally able to do what he only was able to imagine.  He was able to wake up with Paige in his arms.  He would be lying if he hadn’t wanted this all along when he first learned City of Love: Paris wanted an interview but, after the way Paige acted after their snowball fight lead him to believe this would never happen.  He was extremely glad that he was wrong, which was a first for him.  

My God, she’s beautiful.  He thought to himself as he ever so lightly brushed a strand of her hair away from her face tucking it behind her ear.  

As much as he hated the idea, he had to disentangle himself from her and get up.  He needed to check on Esteban and see if Eugene had tried to get in contact with him at all.  Cell service was not very good; texting was possible but took awhile.  

He pressed a kiss to Paige’s forehead before peeling back the covers.  He was careful not to wake her, replacing the covers so she wouldn’t get cold.  As he went about his business, his mind kept playing last night’s events.  He was hardly complaining; in fact he wouldn’t mind a repeat incident once Paige woke up.  To hear her open up to him and realize that she trusted him enough to let herself be vulnerable with him was… everything.  

Vincent fired off a text to Eugene, hoping his message would send before his phone battery died.  He placed the phone near the window to make the best of the poor service, only made worse by the storm.

On a positive note, the wind had begun to die down.  Snow was still falling but not with the intensity as it had been throughout the night.

Vincent walked into the study and turned on his laptop.  It had been charging when the power went out; it still had a decent charge left to it and because it was wired directly to the phone jack, he still had internet access until the computer died.  The joys of archaic American technology.  He tried to check the weather but the only updates were claiming the storm was dying down.

He was startled as Paige knocked on the door frame.  She was wrapped in one of the thick fleece blankets they had slept with and she held a mug in each hand.  He could see steam rising from each.

“I put the kettle over the fire to heat the milk.  I’m sure it’s not the best quality but it’s warm.”  She said as she offered a mug of steaming hot chocolate to him.

Vincent took the mug from her and took a deep sip, savoring the warmth of the beverage.

“It’s too cold in here.  Come back in front of the fire with me?”  Paige asked a hint of shyness in her voice.  As if despite all that they shared last night there was still a part of her that was afraid he would turn her down.

Vincent shut his computer and grabbed Paige’s free hand in his bringing it up to his lips to brush light kisses over her knuckles.  Hand in hand they walked back in front of the fire and wrapped themselves in each other as they watched the snow fall outside the window.

“Beautiful.” Paige stated as she was captivated by the wintery wonderland outside.

“Yes, beautiful.” Vincent replied, looking only at Paige.

Paige turn to look at Vincent, a blush rising to her cheeks.  She opened her mouth to speak but, before she could the lights flickered on.

“The power’s on!” She squealed in excitement as she wrapped her arms around Vincent’s neck.

“And look who’s back.” Vincent stated as he held Paige with one arm the other pointing to the window.  Paige followed his arm to the view of the driveway, a black sedan visible on the crisp white snow.

Esteban barked, running in a circle before jumping onto the nearest piece of furniture to look out the window.  His tail wagged as he caught sight of Eugene getting out of the car.

Paige turned to place a kiss on Vincent’s cheek once Eugene was hidden by the trunk of the car for a moment and untangled herself from his arms, as much as she didn’t want to.  “I’m going to make breakfast, I’m sure he’s exhausted.”  

Vincent hummed an agreement and let her go, scooping up Esteban moments later.  He turned and watched Paige head into the kitchen as he scratched the pug behind his ears, a faint smile on his lips.

[omgmisshart]

Yaaas 🌻  Here is my mini-fan arts about Eugene …. Red hair 

🌹🔥