#while mae realizes 'oh wait. that was a vampire'

[sesamenom]

more of Mae's adventures in Castle Dracula

aka: Maedhros used Punch! It's super effective!

[clairenatural]

CONGRATS MAE *showers you with hearts* YOU DESERVE ALL THE LOVE AND FOLLOWERS

ummm canonverse destiel: lazy, date, morning

(thank you Sophie!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ thank u for letting me write this tooth-rotting fluff :’) I hope you like it! ~800 words)

Dean wakes up one Sunday, a few months after they had done the tearful confessions thing and somehow stumbled into becoming an Honest to God Couple, with the startling realization that he’s never taken Castiel on a date.

It’s startling because, over the course of 12 years, Dean can point to lots of things that feel like dates—bars and diners and stakeouts. But they weren’t dates, were they? More like…mutually pining over beer and burgers and the occasional vampire hunt.

It’s also startling because, in his 42 years of experience, Dean can count on one hand the amount of times he had actually wanted to go on dates with someone. He never dated Lee, they just killed monsters and got drunk after. He took Cassie to dinner, but mostly because she wanted him to, and he liked that it made her happy. Lisa, too. But Cas?

He loves Cas.

He is in love with Cas.

He wants to date Cas.

He stares straight up at the ceiling for a while, basking in this realization, before pushing himself up and leaning over Cas to press a kiss to his cheek. “Cas,” he whispers. “Wake up.”

Cas groans, forces one eye open, takes one look at Dean’s grinning face, and screws it back shut. “What,” he grumbles.

Dean rolls his eyes. “Okay, grumpy. Come on.”

Cas’ eye stays open for longer this time.

“Let’s go on a date.”

Cas stares at him for a second before closing his eyes again, sighing heavily, and rolling onto his back. “Dean,” he starts, in the voice he uses when he’s trying to gently remind Dean that he’s being a dumbass. “I love you very much, but it is 6 o’clock in the morning.”

Oh.

Cas pauses before rolling onto his other side, the one facing Dean. He throws a leg and half of his torso on top of the other man and Dean gets pushed back down willingly. “You can date me when it’s light outside,” he half-mumbles, half-yawns into the crook of Dean’s neck, before promptly falling back asleep, and—yeah, okay. It can wait.

When he wakes up again, at the much more reasonable hour of eleven-ish, Cas is awake and watching him—something he’s never stopped doing, not even as a human. Not even in the same bed. He doesn’t even flinch anymore; he just reaches out to ruffle Cas’ hair with one hand, the other rubbing sleep out of his eyes. “Mornin’ sunshine,” he mumbles, and the ex-angel smiles and leans into the touch.

“We’re going on a date today,” Cas reminds him as he leans in, conspiratorial. Dean’s heart skips like he’s goddamn seventeen, and Cas looks happy enough that he forgets to be embarrassed about waking him up at 6am.

“Hell yeah we are,” Dean grins, pushing himself up on his elbows. “Where are we going?”

“I believe you asked me.”

“Yeah, so I want you to choose.”

Cas’ smile falters, just a bit. He shifts, uncomfortable.

Dean frowns. “What?”

“You know I’ve never actually been on a date.”

Dean blinks at him, then hurries to push himself up on his elbows. “Fuck.”

Now it’s Cas’ turn to stare at him, confused.

“It’s just—it’s gotta be special, then.”

Cas frowns and follows Dean up, so they’re at eye level. “Is whatever we were going to do today not special?”

Dean keeps his eyes on the comforter and shrugs. “Nah, man, I was just going to take you to some diner, but—”

“Dean,” Cas cuts him off with a squeeze to the shoulder. “Everywhere is special when it’s with you.”

Dean feels himself blushing. He shoots Cas a grumpy look, but he knows that won’t hide it. “Come on, dude. There’s a difference between chick-flick special and the same shitty diner we always go t—”

This time, Cas cuts him off with a kiss, and Dean makes a startled noise and falls backwards before leaning into it.

“You said I get to choose,” Cas starts, when they finally pull back, “and I would love to go on a date to a shitty diner with you.”

Dean grins, somewhat breathless. “Yeah?”

Cas mirrors his smile. “Yeah.”                                                          

It still takes them a while to get out of bed—Sundays are for being lazy, after all, and neither is in any rush. They make it to a diner in town well past noon, and squeeze into a tiny booth cramped enough that their knees bump together under the table. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t blink an eye when they order coffee and milkshakes and too many fries for two people to eat by themselves.

Cas has milkshake on his cheek and Dean watches him miss it twice before leaning over to wipe it off himself, and he sneaks in a kiss before he sits back in his own seat and he thinks that yeah, Cas was right. This is plenty special.

[for my follower celebration]

[xbreezymeadowsx]

A Telford Tea Party

A/N: Pure, unadulterated FLUFF. Inspired by my favorite thirsty Flanagan obsessed girls and what’s said in our chat.

Chibs x Reader

This has not been proofread and therefore may contain spelling or grammatical errors. Oops.

TW: Nothing should be triggering unless you hate daddies having tea parties with their little girls.

PREPARE YOUR OVARIES!

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(this gif just seemed appropriate somehow. Not mine, credit to the maker.)

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Dada... Chibs grumbled burying his face in his pillow. "Dada." He cracked one eye open and squint, scanning the bits of room he could see when a little face was suddenly taking up his whole view. "Daddy." The four year old girl said firmly, letting him know he wouldn't be going back to sleep. He smiled sleepily and moved an arm from under his pillow to tuck some of her silky brunette hair from her face. "Mornin', Tilly." He graveled. Her hazel eyes lit up and she giggled. "Goo monin'!" She smiled brightly. Chibs groaned as he rolled to his back again and stretched as his daughter knelt on the bed, the empty half of the bed. "Where's yer Ma?" He asked with a yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Da movie place." She told him. "Aun'ie Lyla as'ed her fo' sum'tin. Baby Mal wen', too." "Oh, okay." He thanked her for explaining it further. "Daddy, can we have a tea party?" She begged, giving him puppy dog eyes. "Do we hafta?" Chibs grumped. "Pweeeeeeease?" The little girl plead and clasped her hands in front of herself. He sighed, it didn't take much for the little one to get her way with him. "Fine." He huffed, scoffing at his lack of will power. "Lemme take a shower quick, okay?" "O'tay!" "Go ge' yer sissy an' set up in the playroom." He told her, tickling her side and making her squeal and jump off the bed. "BRINNNNAAAAAAA!!!" She hollered as she raced out the bedroom door. After showering and quickly dressing in black jeans and black SAMCRO t-shirt, Chibs went into the kitchen to grab a jug of sweet tea and tin of shortbread. However, as he turned the corner, he was greeted with the sight of his six year old standing on the counter next to the fridge, the four year old standing on the chair they'd pushed over there, and their six year old brindled shepherd mix Jameson prancing excitedly in place watching his little humans going after something near the treats he couldn't reach and hoping they'd knock the container down. The pajama clad girls- the pair looked nearly identical save for the elder being a head taller- froze in place and stared wide-eyed at him. "Sabrina Rose. Matilda Mae." Chibs said sternly, setting his fists on his hips. "Uh-oh." They gasped in unison. Chibs scooped them up and set them on the hardwood floor. "Couldn' wait ten minutes, eh?" He asked in amusement. He shook his head, chuckling and ruffled their long hair. He reached on top of the refrigerator and took the blue tin the girls had been after, handing it to his oldest. "I'll get the tea." Y/N opened the truck door and reached in to get the three month old out of his carseat as he babbled and waved his orange rattleball around. The neck of his green dinosaur onesie was covered in slobber and drool. "Yes, yes, yes. We're so happy, aren't we? Yes, we are." Y/N cooed as she picked the baby up and held under his butt as he leaned into her shoulder. "Auntie Lyla and the girls spoiled you, didn't they? I saw them sneaking you whipped cream. All that damn sugar's got you wound up." She slung the Harley Davidson diaper bag over her shoulder and grabbed the bag of groceries she'd picked up on the way home before heading to the front door. Once inside, she set the bags on the kitchen table and shift her son to her other arm. "Now, where's Daddy and the girls, huh?" She asked the baby. He looked at his mother curiously before letting out a shrill scream of joy. Y/N cringed. "Malcolm Robert Telford, you're gonna make my ears bleed." In the playroom, Chibs shift uncomfortably in his tiny, tiny pink chair. He would've liked to have sit on the floor, but his girls insisted he had to sit at the table like a proper gentleman. He watched Tilly- a sky blue fairy costume on over her pajamas including wings with an Anna from Frozen glittery tiara- pick up the little plastic pink teapot in the middle of the round white table and pour nothing into a mismatched tiny purple teacup in front of one of their guests. "Mo' tea, Mr. Bear?" She asked the large teal teddy bear. She turned to her other side and poured some into a large blue teacup for her sister's yellow lab, Jax. "May I have more tea, Daddy?" Brina asked in a horrible attempt at some kind of European accent. While her younger sibling was clearly a typical girly-girl, Sabrina wasn't. She, too, wore a costume dress but her's was black velvet with gold trim. She looked like a regal witch or vampire... if it weren't for the mini felt top hat and the headband that made it look like she had an arrow through her head. "Of course, sweethear'." He replied warmly and picked up the larger stainless steel teapot. Clinking came from inside from ice cubes sloshing around as he poured iced tea into her cup which was actually a black enamel camping mug. "Can I have a'nudder cookie?" Tilly asked sweetly, not bothering to fake an accent. "Haven' ya already 'ad three?" Chibs asked, raising an eyebrow and already knowing the answer. "Nooooo." His younger daughter trailed off not looking her father in the eye. Sabrina cackled at her sister's bad acting. Chibs pretend to wipe his face to hide his smirk. "How abou' we split one?" He compromised and picked up a shortbread from the Santa platter the girls had piled them on. Tilly nodded eagerly and held out her little plastic Disney Inside Out Joy dessert plate. Chibs broke the cookie in two pieces as even as he could and set one half on her plate and the other on his red Elmo face plate. "Daddy! Your hat!" Sabrina exclaimed realizing Chibs had taken it off at some point without them noticing. He reached up and felt his head. "Oh no! It's gone!" He cried, faking shock. "Someone stole it!" He shout, so clearly upset at this revelation. Tilly started frantically looking behind the plushies and lifting plates up as if the rainbow striped pinwheel hat would be hiding under them. Brina searched in the nearest toy chest, suspicious. The last two times the hat went missing, that's where it was. She slammed the lid shut hopelessly when her search came up empty. "Sissy, look'it!" Matilda ordered pointing a little index finger across the room. Chibs internally cringed and prayed the hat was destroyed by now. "Jamie, no!" Sabrina rushed the dog and began tugging the hat from him. He growled lightly and tugged back, wagging his tail and thinking she wanted to play. Unfortunately for the mutt, he'd done enough damage already that one more solid yank and the fabric seperated with an audible rrrrrrrip. The little girl flopped on her behind with a thump. "Bad dog!" She reprimanded him. Jameson spit out his half of the rainbow and whimpered, approaching the little girl and snuffling around her head. He licked her cheeks and she scrunched her shoulders, shrieking with laughter at his tickly whiskers and unable to stay mad at the innocent beast. "Wha's Daddy supposed to wear now? He needs a hat!" The young toddler declared before scurrying to the dress-up closet. Chibs whistled and called the dog off his daughter, her face having been slurped on enough. "Go lay down, ya mongrel." He chide goodnaturedly. He helped his daughter wipe her face off with a napkin. "I found a hat, Daddy!" Matilda proclaimed, emerging from the closet and holding something up triumphantly. Chibs face feel momentarily at the sight before changing his expression to something neutral. "Maybe no' tha' one, princess." He denied gently. The green plastic bowler hat was missing a chunk of hat and the white ribbon with four leaf clovers that usually wrapped around it was dangling over the edge of the rim like a graduation cap tassel. The little girl frowned and studied the hat. "I guess not." She agreed sadly and chucked it in the small trash bin between the girls' drawing tables. Seeing her sister on the verge of crying, Sabrina hurried over and ushered her back into the closet to help her find a more suitable hat. Y/N stood in the doorway watching her husband interact with their girls. Malcolm was quietly sucking on his thumb, head laying on her shoulder. It melt her heart every time she saw them all. Filip was always so good with his children and the girls had him wrapped around their little pinkies most of the time. He was stern when he needed to be, but honestly the girls were rarely brats. She swooned when she saw Matilda run to her father and hold up a plastic gold crown with colored jewel beads adorning it. Chibs gushed at how perfect the item was and scooped the girl up, standing her on his knees so she could place it on his head. Thrilled, Tilly set the crown atop his head and declared him king of the tea party. She hopped back to the carpeted floor as Sabrina joined her and the pair curtsied before their king. "Greetings, my liege." Chibs snapped his eyes up and found his wife and baby boy watching them from the doorway. A loving smile gracing Y/N's face. "Miladies," He addressed his daughters. "Look! Tis my Queen returned from her travels!" The girls curtsied to her. Y/N curtsied back with a soft giggle. "I do apologize for missing tea time. I needed to acquire more covers and a rash tincture for Prince Malcolm's royal fanny." Her daughters roared with laughter, falling to the floor in a pile of wiggly court jesters. The baby picked his head up and watched his big sisters before giggling sleepily. Chibs groaned as he stood. He pressed his hands to his lower back, leaning backwards to stretch his aching bones. He carefully skirt around the flopping sillies on the floor and held his hands out with wide eyes and big smile. "There's ma'boy!" He cheered. His smile threatened to split his face in two when he saw the baby boy excited to see him. Malcolm screeched and giggled, trying to fling himself from his mother's arms towards his father. "Hiya! Were ya good fer yer Mama?" He questioned in a voice he reserved for babies. "Didya go see Auntie Lyla? Was she filmin'?" He heard Y/N scoff as she fixed the little one's cotton shorts. "Ha! No. Say we didn't see any of that naughty stuff, Daddy." Y/N told her son to say knowing he'd just babble or blow a spit bubble instead. She looked to her husband as he kissed the light haired, blue-grey eyed bundle of joy all over his head and cheeks. "They were on lunch... brunch, I guess? when we got there. Everyone in robes, dirty bits hidden from innocent eyes." "Tha's a shame." Chibs joked earning a backhand on his free shoulder. He snickered and winked at Y/N before leaning in for a kiss. "Missed ya." He muttered against her lips. "Mm, you missed sleeping till noon." Y/N teased. "Tha', too." He agreed with a cheeky grin. "Daddy, can we go to the park?" Matilda asked, the girls' laughing fit having subsided finally. Chibs turned to his wife. Before Y/N could answer Malcolm started grunting, his face going red before the unpleasant sounds of a much needed diaper change filled their ears. "EEWWW!" The girls exclaimed, faces scrunched up in disgust. "We can go later, okay?" Y/N told them. "It's lunchtime now, then naptime." The girls started whining. "Hey, no whining." "No nap, no park." Chibs said, backing up his wife. The girls scowled, knowing it was too late to try to persuade him otherwise now that he showed he was with Mom. "Keep makin' tha' face an' it'll stick like tha'." He threatened, a sideways glance to Y/N who gave him a mischevious half-grin. "I'll ge' the lad changed an' down fer his nap." He told her, kissing her cheek. Y/N sighed softly, leaning into his lips. "Okay. We'll clean up in here and get lunch going." She decided, stepping aside to let the boys out of the room. "Come along, ya wee bug. We'll get a fresh nappie, read tha' book abou' a wee mouse an' a biscuit, play some o' tha' Celtic lullaby music ya love, an' have a bit o' dreamin'. Sound good?" Chibs spoke softly to his son as he moved down the hallway to the baby's room. Y/N turned to her daughters, taking out her phone and snapping a picture of the dressed up pair before smiling at them. "Shall we have chicken fingers for lunch?" She quiered. The girls nod enthusiastically. "Anything else?" "Neeps an' tatties!" Chibs called down the hallway. Y/N rolled her eyes, but the girls were already getting more excited. The girls loved her homemade mashed potatoes and turnips. "Alright, then. I think we have some mash leftover from dinner." She sighed. "Start cleaning and I'll get the chicken in the oven." She told the girls. "Okay, Mama!" They agreed as she turned and made her way to the kitchen. Once the food was warming up, she was jotting something down on the grocery list on the counter when the sounds in her house distracted her. Sabrina and Matilda were giggling with each other, toys and make believe sets were clattering here and there as the siblings no doubt were throwing everything haphazardly into random toy chests, the rumbles of Chibs' Scottish brogue float down the hallway as he read a bedtime story to their baby, and the sounds of yipping and collar tags jingling were heard from the living room as Jameson dreamed of chasing squirrels. Y/N breathed deeply and sighed, content. This was her favorite thing in the world. The sounds of home.

[arofili]

for the character ask meme: sauron?? >:3c

How I feel about this character: evil twink. terrible. i love him. for real tho i think fandom has woobified sauron to angband and back, and while i get people who are frustrated by us forgetting he’s a villain....like....he’s just so FUN, you know? he’s done so many things, he’s so complicated, why wouldn’t you want to play with what’s going on in his head? i know i do! there are days i want to just sit down and rewrite the entire legendarium from sauron’s POV, because he was there for all of it, causing trouble the whole time. my version of sauron is Evil And Loving It almost the whole way through - but he did it out of love, for melkor at first and then for himself, and while that’s no excuse for evil it’s a fascinating motivation.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: i mean, melkor, obvs. angbang’s probably the second biggest ship in the fandom after russingon, and it’s a GOOD ship. my particular flavor of angbang isn’t the abusive/controlling melkor kind, i like it when it’s reciprocated and sincere - though there’s still absolutely room for evil and possessiveness. idk, healthy(ish) angbang is just more interesting to me? like there’s gonna be a power dynamic there, but i’m so much more interested in mairon having almost equal footing in his relationship than him being some pawn of melkor - i think that makes the times where he has the harsh realization that he’s not equal, just almost equal, even more impactful. like, he can tell melkor “no” and melkor will listen - except when he doesnt. idk, i like that more than him being afraid of saying no at all. (though i certainly do enjoy other versions of angbang! this is just my favorite) Like, i think Sauron carries his love for Melkor through everything he does after the first age. At first he’s doing it all for Melkor, thinking about when he breaks his master out of the void, and then slowly starts to realize that wait, that might not happen. but he keeps going anyway, with melkor as his grounding for what he’s doing, as he becomes more invested in his own future.

THAT BEING SAID i also love silvergifting because im PREDICTABLE. again, my flavor of sauron is one that’s in love with melkor first and foremost and always intentionally planning to fuck celebrimbor over, but the trope of sauron being like “i’ll seduce Tyelpe into evil, it worked when Melkor did it to me” “didn’t Melkor fall in love with you though?” “SHUT UP” becomes Annatar in a way that he almost forgets who he used to be, which is also interesting, but i’m the kinda person who wants Sauron always consciously aware of every thing he does to Tyelpe-  I want him feeling guilty about it by the end, but, importantly, doing it anyway.

[cw rape] Sauron/Maedhros is also really fascinating to me, especially since it’s (almost) always nonconsensual... it’s a good reminder that sauron is at the end of everything evil and practically irredeemable. and i’m more interested in mae’s feelings on this ship than i am sauron’s, considering sauron is abusing him because melkor wants him to (and he probably wants to toy with maedhros too) and isn’t particularly apologetic about it. ALTHOUGH. sauron maybe fucking with Maedhros to the extent of actually pretending he cares, that he’s genuinely here for Mae - that is also some really fucked up interesting shit especially as foreshadowing for Silvergifting.... [that being said! i linked a fic up there that has consensual sauron/maedhros and oohhh boy is it good! heed the warnings, and it’s a modern AU ft. abusive!melkor, but definitely check it out if you’re interested in these two!]

I can get down on other Sauron ships (like him and the Nazgul, him and Ar-Pharazon) but most of those are Sauron playing a game of chess - but, critically, not making the same mistakes he made with Tyelpe. he keeps himself detached and distant, not actually falling in love.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Eonwe!! I looooove headcanons about him and Eonwe having been bros in the past! makes everything at the end of the war of wrath so much more tragic :)

Sauron and Aule are also great, I think Aule was fatherly toward him and heartbroken to lose him. Which leads me to: Sauron and Curumo/Saruman, considering they were both disciples of Aule - and perhaps Curumo tried to replace Mairon after everything went down, but never quite could... Them having been friends puts their collaboration in LOTR into a different perspective, too. it’s sooo juicy to think of Saruman coming to Middle-earth determined to be Better than Sauron was, to prove to Aule that he’s the superior Maia, maybe even hoping that he can convince Sauron to repent...and then falling into the same trap of evil, being outsmarted by the friend he always wanted to impress, being cast aside and defeated. 

AND i’ll also throw in that he and Thuringwethil were definitely best buds in Angband, sorry I don’t make the rules. she’s an exasperated lesbian vampire who has to put up with his disaster gay stunts all the time, less of his lieutenant and more of the friend who tries to keep him out of trouble!

My unpopular opinion about this character: idk, he’s evil? like unrepentantly evil. we woobify him, and i’ve done a lot of that in this post already, but it’s worth really making it clear that he IS very evil. [cw rape] and i definitely think he raped maedhros, and probably tyelpe and a lot of other people too. which is just awful awful awful no matter what way you slice it. so like yeah, i feel for the dude, and it’s hard for me to wrestle with how fun and sexy i think sauron is but at the same time be a huge maedhros stan. it’s strange how we as fandom can excuse murder and war crimes and torture and shit but we draw the line at sexual abuse (which!!!! is bad and shouldn't be excused!!!). like all of the other things are horrifying and terrible and aren’t condoned irl, but in fiction i guess it’s like “meh, violence is fine, i stan a villain” but then this other violent thing is Not Remotely Ok because it’s also sexual. (again!!! not saying that we should be ok with sexual violence!!!!! more like...questioning why we’re ok with other kinds of violence, why sexual things in any form is more taboo. tho im saying this as a person who enjoys a good gory fic, so. yeah. im ramlbling at this point)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: frankly i dont KNOW, he did SO MUCH in canon already?? i want a more fleshed out, detailed version of everything he did (remember when i said i daydream about rewriting the legendarium from his POV??) but i think events wise he’s done EVERYTHING he could do lmao.

[roraruu]

wip: soft

even more vamp au... 

Silque hates that he is right. She does see him the next phase of the moon, when it is only a fine crescent hanging in the sky. The Festival of Flostym—a celebration of spring—takes up most of her time. She attends the festival hand-in-hand with Genny and Celica and Boey and Mae. They dance and make flower wreaths and spread the Mother’s bounty of spring.

Genny wants to take a handful of flowers to the cemetery, but is too scared to go. “Will you do it for me?” She asks. Silque cannot day no to such a sweet plea.

She takes the handful of wildflowers from Genny and says she will only be a moment. Her feet carry her to the gates, stopping to admire the crumbling posts. If they had more money, more workers, perhaps they would repair the old stone and bring in new gates; but it is not so.

And, though it sends a chill down her spine, there is an eerie beauty to the forgotten ruins of the cemetery. The air is cool and chilly, and she wishes she had brought a robe or worn a thicker dress. She kneels to the earth and lays Genny’s offering of wildflowers at the cemetery gates.

“Silque.”

She looks up into red eyes. He is in the shade, hidden from the scorching sunset. She can barely make out the folds of his cloak and the curve of his sharp jaw.

“Python.”

As he’s done before, he smiles when she says his name. He flicks his head towards the town. “Ditching the party?”

“Only came as a favour to a friend.” She says.

“Ah, and here I was thinking you were all dolled up for me.” He says. “Nice dress. I like it better than the hunting one.”

“Apologies, but I am not.” She says. She picks up the bouquet. “Would you do me a favour?”

His brow raises. “Depends.”

Silque holds out the delicate bouquet to him, just before the gates. She can feel the pull of Mila’s holy hands on her body, pulling her away from the world of the dead. “Lay down some of these flowers on the graves?”

“Oh riiiiight you can’t go in.” He says.

His skeletal hand comes out from the gates. His fingers curl around the petals, avoiding hers. He’s not willing to repeat the same mistake as last time.

“Forget me nots. Didn’t know you were so sentimental.”

“It is not mine. Someone else made it.” She says. She doesn’t suspect that he’d go after another member of her priory now that they have an understanding, but she cannot be sure. Although it is not like Genny to leave the priory most days, it is still a matter of safety.

The bouquet disappears behind the gates and she turns away.

“Where you going?” He asks.

“Back to the festival.” She says, with a furrowed brow. He must have expected her to stay a while, y’all as they did before. There is a thin huff. The cemetery gates whine as his hand curls around the iron.

“I have a question for you.”

“And that is?”

“Do you intend to keep me?” He asks.

She blushes red. Clerics and priestesses of Mila are married to her and onlyher. Raising children is barely accepted even, unless they too are indoctrinated to her faith.

“What do you mean?” She asks. “I need explanation.”

The sun is fading more and more into the earth, the golden hour rapidly approaching and ending. “Well, you haven’t chased after me with that holy shit for awhile.” He says. “And we talk civilly now.”

She stays quiet.

“It isn’t proper behaviour for a vamp hunter, let alone a cleric. So I’ve been wondering if you’re planning to keep me or if you’re getting close just to plunge the dagger in my back.” His voice is low, almost a painful lull.

“I don’t know what I intend to do.” She says. “I suppose I want a little more information on your kind.”

“So you intend to keep me?”

“If that this what you want to call it yes, I’ll keep you.”

“Good.” He says. His face appears against the wrought gates. He holds out one of the forget me nots. “Come back later, bring your journal.”

“All right.” She says, and takes the flower. She turns away from the cemetery and goes back to her friends in the town square.

—

“Silque, may I have a word?”

The festival has ended. The priory is thankful further from the town, but the calls and chatter carry along the sea, reaching their little haven. It is mostly dark, some young priest having gone around to light candles and lanterns before they’d arrived home.

Celica’s voice is soft and sweet and stops Silque at her chamber door. “Of course.”

“May it be in your quarters? It’s of private nature.”

Alarm rises in Silque’s mind. “Yes, of course.” She says, opening the door to her room and shutting it quietly behind her. Celica is kind enough to use her fire spell to light the lantern on the writing desk. “What did you want to discuss?”

“I heard you talking with someone tonight.” Celica says.

Nervousness rises as Silque folds her hands together. “Mae thought you were in trouble, but I talked her down.” Celica says. “I just wanted to let you know in case you did have someone in your heart.”

Silque feels heat rise up her neck. She shakes her head quickly. Celica takes her hands, cold in hers. “Silque, it isn’t a bad thing to have someone you like.” She says, peering closer. “It is one of Mila’s tenets that we love others. To love is to be human.”

Human. Could humans only love? Terrors are not, of course, they only know fighting to survive. But does he—

Gods.

“If you do have someone, I could keep Mae and Genny closer to the priory, but only if you promise to stay safe?” Celica offers. She gives a soft giggle. “After all, there’s still that vampire, although we haven’t seen him for a while now...”

Silque thinks about her choice carefully. She nods slowly. “Yes, I’d appreciate it if you could keep the girls closer to the priory.”

Celica beams. “Of course. You know, it makes me really happy to hear you’ve found someone new.” She says. “When you came to the priory, you relied so much on the Mother—it’s important to rely on people too... Seems you’ve learnt that.”

Silque only forces a smile as Celica excuses herself from her room and Silque waits until the paces in the hallways stop and prayers fall silent.

Guilt washes over her. How can she fraternize with the enemy so easily? He poses a threat to them, should he just decide to change his mind and sink his teeth in the body of a fisherman or seamstress or—Mila forbid—a child...

She doesn’t realize her feet have taken her to the edge of the Priory, where he waits among the trees. A smile in the dark, her worries fade.

—

“Bring your journal” is a signifier that he will tell her everything he knows. Most of their meetings end with that command, save for a week where he disappears to the mainland to feed.

Somehow, he knows what nights she has patrols on, although they’ve decreased thanks to Celica’s words to Mae. The mage gripes that she wants to torch the “bloodsucker” alive and splash him with holy water so his skin burns away. She is thankful for Celica’s intervention.

They abandon the riverside darkness and instead roam out to the beach and sea. Sitting on rocks, he tells her secrets and things that disprove almost every theory in her book. A sense of pride washes over her: she has been able to tame a beast, as well as prove scholars wrong. And although too much pride is bad to have, Silque revels in it, albeit the smallest bit.

He kicks his boots through the dirt as she sips water from a skin and makes notes about holy water on the skin. She brought a little vial with her and it burnt his skin, sizzling like water in a hot cast iron pan. She’d offered gauze again but he refused, instead cussing under his breath and saying that it was a new finding.

“I want to know about your charm.” She says, eyes still on the paper.

“What about it?” He asks.

“Does it work on anyone? Or is it only women?”

He shakes his head. The corner of his lip turns up. “Nah. Anyone really.” He says. “Granted they’re not under Mila’s protection.”

“Right.” She says.

“Take off your necklace.” He says. Silque doesn’t listen. “See? Didn’t work.”

She rests her journal in her lap, her hands reaching around her neck and pulling off the necklace. He stares at her for a moment.

“Try now.” She says.

He continues to stare for a moment after she sets the necklace on the rock beside her. Almost immediately she is washed in nausea of allure. “Come over here.” He orders.

Her thoughts are muddy once again, thick and drowning out the don’t go and staythat her mind tells at her. The words become quieter and muffled as she pushes herself off of the rock and her journal falls into the sand. His order drowns out all other thoughts and actions. She feels her feet against the sand as she moves closer to him.

She must remember this, the ache in her head, the swimming feeling, the lack of control over her body. She wants to tell herself to keep all these thoughts in the front of her mind but they are all drowned out by the lull of his voice, the soft and sternness in it.

Charm, he calls it. He is attractive like a magnet and she that grains of sand on the beach.

She stands before him, looking deeply into his tired red eyes.

“Give me your hand.”

She holds it, palm up. His fingers, graze against her palm, over the soft pink flesh that was once cut by herself. It has begun to scar. She watches as his gaze narrows on the wound, then meets herself again. She feels his intoxicating touch, freezing cold against her warm body. She feels his own wound against hers, although his is not healing, instead degrading.

Her thoughts are muddy as he drops her hand. He stoops low, her eyes following his. “Go get your necklace and put it back on.” He orders and she follows. Her mind becomes clear again, her lungs filling up with a full breath. She didn’t realize how short of breaths she became under his charm.

“How do you do that?” She asks almost breathless. She fumbles with the necklace, catching between her fingers. When she turns around, her eyes widen. His fingers are on her papers. The sermons she’d wrote. Hymns for the goddess. She flushes.

“O holy divine one, let your feeble children be moulded by your hand. Guide and teach them with your love. Save them as you saved me—“ His eyes flicker to hers. “The Mother saved you?” He shakes his head. “What she come off her holy throne and dry your tears?”

She stiffens. Most everyone on the island knows about what happened to her. What is she, who she is.

“Yes.” she says. “May I have my journal back?”

He laughs a little bitterly, a little softly. “I want to know more about you, Silque.” He says.

She can only oblige. It is fair after all. He mentioned his career in the army, albeit without many details. It is only fair that she give him a little bit. “In my dreams she came to me and told me to hold hope.”

“You don’t look so destitute to me.”

“I was found at the greatport as a child.” She says thinly. His face falls from his menacing smile. “My Mother had been... like you are and before the sun rose she aimed to...”

She can’t finish the sentence. Lowly, she adds. “I heard someone calling me to the priory, and it was Mila. She saved me from that thingand delivered me to love and guidance.” She says. “I took it as a revelation to be a cleric and a hunter.”

“I’m sorry.” He grumbles. It takes her back for a moment and she glances away.

“Don’t be.” She says.

He holds out her journal and she takes it, beginning to write down her observations. She can only think of the leer he’d given her. He obviously wasn’t a believer in Mila in his last life, most definitely in this one too. She sits back against the rock and tries to focus on the paper before her and find the words to describe how muddy her mind had become, how she lost control of her body, how she almost felt like she was in a trance—

His voice breaks the air. “I have a friend back on the mainland. Sometimes when I go back to feed, I’ll go past our old encampment to see if he’s there...”

“Do you miss him?”

He meets her gaze. Then he half shrugs. “I just wonder how he’s been keeping. He’s... soft.”

“I’m sure he misses you.” She offers.

He laughs, breathy and not quite joyous or mocking. It’s... pained. “Sure he does.”

[flamegodess]

Let The Darkness Fall

Chapter 11

Genre: royai vampire au, romance, angst, fluff, ugh soon a little gore and violence, it's a vampire story, what did you expect

Rated: T

Enjoy!

-----

“Bridge, you went too far this time. She has nothing to do with this.”

Riza was panting hardly, feeling like she couldn’t breath. The cold fingers wrapped around her neck were making her whole body feel numb. But she could still...

“She has! And she deserves to die. Right in front of you, Roy.”

Her grip tightened but in that instant, Riza drew out the silver dagger and stabbed the vampire. She let go of her and fell on the floor chocking to death. Roy hugged Riza closely and nuzzled the top of her head.

“I cannot die... By the hand of a human... Not like this... ” she begged as she was rolling in a puddle of her own blood.

“You shouldn’t see this.” He whispered to Riza and lifted her bridal style. “Let’s go home. Maes, thank you again for staying by my side.”

Hughes nodded but didn’t avert his eyes from Bridgette. Roy knew she had been his friend. It must have been hard to watch such a terrible scene. They left. Riza felt very tired all of a sudden as the events started to sink in. She had just killed a powerful vampire. And she had told Roy how she felt about him. Fuck, she had told him she liked him. She still wondered...

“Aren’t you hurt? You’ve been like...bleeding for a long time?” and yet he was carrying her just like nothing happened.

“Vampires heal quickly. Especially because I drank your blood. By tomorrow I will be perfectly fine. What about you?” he asked as he entered the room through the window and placed her carefully on the bed.

“C’mon, just worry about yourself and stop behaving as a mighty vampire... You have been stabbed.”

“You don’t believe me? Fine.” He replied and unbuttoned his shirt. She lifted her head and starred at the nearly healed wound on his abs.

“That’s kind of cool.” She whispered to herself and he smiled in response as he lay next to her. Looking in her eyes, he suddenly frowned and sighed.

“There’s something I need to tell you. But you really have to trust me.”

She rarely saw him so serious. It seemed important. What could have been more to be said that night?

“Of course I trust you. What happened?”

“The only vampires who are allowed to turn people are the ones that are part of the council. If an ordinary vampire would turn a human, he would be terribly punished while the new turned vampire would be killed right away.”

“What? But you weren’t turned by the council.” And he was like... Alive.

“No. However they decided to allow me to live because they wanted to benefit from the fact that I was learning alchemy from your father. They asked me to spy on his studies so I could continue to live. They know your father is preparing a strong weapon against them. And that is”

“The flame alchemy. But you wouldn’t...I mean... You... ”

“That’s why I told you that you need to trust me. I’m not betraying you or your father. I have told no one about the flame alchemy...however I need them to trust me so all I have told them is that your father is preparing something powerful. I am so sorry I haven’t told you earlier. I can totally understand if you want to hate me or think that I am a traitor.”

“And you said I was the one who wasn’t thinking straight. I can’t hate you. If you say that you’re telling the truth, then you’re telling the truth.”

“I told you I might betray your father and you’re taking it so lightly?” he asked a little confused by the lack of drama.

“Am I a bad daughter if I don’t really care about what’s between my father and your vampires? Besides, you’re a good person, Roy. You might tear vampires’ heads off and maybe you have killed people in the past, but that’s not changing the fact that you are a good person. ” Riza replied and stroked his cheek.

That moment he forgot that he was a vampire. A creature meant to kill. She reminded him of his human side. Of who he had been. It sometimes amazed him how she could see right through him, inside.

He wanted to say something more but he noticed her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly, one arm resting on his chest. He leaned closer and kissed her forehead. For the first time after a while he could fall asleep without blaming himself for what was happening.

----

The bell that announced the end of the class woke Riza up in the most non gently way possible. She lifted her head from the desk and blinked a few times before realizing that she was supposed to leave the classroom and head towards the biology lab. She was tired. Killing Bridgette drained all the energy out of her. And the scene where Roy was bleeding to death on the floor of Bridgette’s fancy house. She shivered as she walked down the corridor.

“Hey.” She heard and someone wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“What are you doing here?!” she replied trying not to make a scene in front of the crowded students.

“What do you think I’m doing?” Roy answered casually. Riza frowned and looked at him carefully. His eyes had a subtle shade of red. Of course. “Fighting Bridgette made me hungry. And I couldn’t have woken you up in the middle of the night for that.”

“So you decided to come to school instead? It makes sense. ” she said and rolled her eyes. She realized that many students were looking at them so she gestured to him to continue to walk down the corridor. “I have a reputation for not attracting boys, don’t spoil that. ”

“What if they knew I am your boyfriend?”

“You’re not.”

“Yet.”

She shook her head defeated. She wasn’t entirely sure what was between them but there was one thing she knew for certain, especially after last night: she liked him more than in a crush way.

“Look, you can’t feed on me here. It’s too risky.”

“Well then your father will realize that my eyes are slowly turning red.” He wasn’t expecting either that his master would return so soon.

“Riza!” she heard Rebecca’s voice faintly down the corridor. No. Rebecca was the last person she needed now. Fortunately they were passing by a service room so she didn’t wait for more. She opened the door quickly and pushed him inside.

“Good.” She said as she entered and slammed the door behind her. It was a small room designed for keeping cleaning stuff. In the dim light she could see indeed the glimpse of hunger in his eyes.

“You’re going to be the end of me... ” she murmured as she brushed her hair away from her neck. He smiled softly and kissed her. She didn’t find the strength to oppose. Not that she really wanted to. She flinched when her back hit the wall and managed to murmur something.

“Hurry, I’ve got class-”

“Shh.” He silenced her as his lips traveled down her jaw to her neck. She wanted to let go of every worry and feel him. To show him that she liked him just as much as he did. But there was always some kind of barrier that didn’t allow her to. She forgot about everything as his fangs sank into her and her arms travelled down his back.

Before she could react, the door of the cleaning room was opened and the light from outside crept in. The intruder froze in shock and Riza managed to pull Roy away brusquely. He growled confused and wiped away with his wrist the blood on his lips at the sight of the young girl who was starring at them.

“Rebeca I swear... ”she tried to murmur awakening from the earlier trance. “It’s not what it seems.”

Rebecca inspected them carefully before speaking.

“Well it seems like your father’s hottie apprentice is drinking your blood.”

Riza gestured to her to come in and close the door behind. She didn’t need more people in this. Rebecca did as Riza said and tried to keep the distance pressing herself against the door. Riza knew that Roy’s crimson eyes might look scary to someone who had never seen him feeding on her.

“What are you... ” her voice tremble as she looked at Roy. Neither of them knew what to say. Rebecca bit her lips at the sight of the blood that was slowly flowing down Riza’s neck and closed the distance between them.

“Riza... ” she added not knowing what to do. She got a tissue from her pocket and wanted to wipe away what looked like a terrible hurting wound. She flinched as Roy gripped her hand. “Don’t.” Was all he said.

He was trying to hold back the urge of continuing to feed on Riza. He felt a strange anger boil inside him because of the disturbance. In fact, he was trying to hold back from throwing Rebecca right through the door out of the room.

He let go of her hand and she stepped back startled.

“He’s a vampire... ” she concluded. “And I haven’t even drunk so much last night... ”

“Rebecca. Please, you have to forget about this. They might kill you. ” Riza finally managed to speak.

“They? Are they more? Oh my gosh Riza why haven’t you told me?”

“I swore not to. And as I said, you have to go away from here and pretend this didn’t happen. Okay?”

Rebecca moved her gaze back to Roy and again to Riza’s neck.

“Was he turning you? Or are you one of them already?”

“No way. He was only... ”

“Hungry. And I still am. ” he continued and crossed his arms threateningly.

“Umm... Wow.” She hummed.“That’s so freaking awesome. Oh my god, make me a vampire, please! ” she said as the glimpse of fear in her eyes was replaced by one of excitement.

Roy shook his head annoyed and fixed Riza’s neck.

“Rebecca-”

“I can’t just forget about this. It’s so cool...”

Riza noticed the way Roy was starring at her. “Come to my place after classes so we can discuss everything. Now,you should leave before you see something that might Umm... Traumatize you.”

“But I want to see how he drinks your blood. ”

“That’s kind of private.” She replied and realized her cheeks turned pink.

It was true. She hadn’t felt comfortable when the council was starring at her when Roy branded her. It was a thing between her and Roy.

“What if he kills you?”

“Oh I can assure you she’s not the one who will die.” He said and shot her a ferocious look.

“Umm... OK. But you’ll tell me everything about this.” She added to Riza. “And, nice to meet you Mr. Hot Vampire. ” she said and held her hand to him.

“Do you have any idea how easily I can break that?”

Riza bumped him in the shoulder with her fist. “Sorry, Becky, he’s not really sociable when he’s hungry. See you later.” She apologized and waved gently to Rebecca who still had her hand held. She nodded quickly and left.

Roy didn’t wait for more and pressed Riza back against the wall and continued what he was doing earlier. All she could think about was fuck fuck fuck, but somehow his touch and the burning sensation on her neck gave an optimistic note to the situation. Soon, his fangs were replaced by his soft lips and tongue. He fixed her with his now black orbs and pressed his forehead against hers.

She used her thumb to wipe away the blood in the corners of his mouth.

“I didn’t want to be a complete jerk to your friend. It’s my fault.”

“No, it’s not. And it’s good that you came to me before my father could realize. We’ll figure everything out with Rebecca. She’s a good person, I promise. I’m just afraid that the council might find out... ”

“And that would be the end of the three of us.” He said worried. She wrapped her arms around his neck and their lips met in a short peck. The bell rang announcing the end of the break.

“I’ve gotta go.”

---

Rebecca was again startled that day when Roy used the window to enter Riza’s bedroom.

“Sorry for earlier.” He apologized and ruffled his hair. “Roy. But Mr. Hot Vampire works also. ” he introduced himself with his charming smile and held his hand to her. She shook it and smiled friendly. “Rebecca.”

“So you really are a vampire?” she asked as all the hesitation seemed to fly away. He nodded and Riza rolled her eyes. He had a huge ego anyway. “And you are extremely fast?”

“Yes.”

“And strong?”

He nodded.

“And you sparkle in the daylight?”

“What? No...” Roy answered confused.

“Sorry, Rebecca has a thing for supernatural stuff. Now, we should discuss the important part. If someone finds out you know about Roy, they are going to kill us.”

“Who exactly might kill us?”

“The vampire council.” Roy replied.

“What? And I thought this thing couldn’t be more awesome!”

“I hardly think this is awesome.” Riza mumbled.

They explained everything that Rebecca needed to know, repeating again and again that they were all in mortal danger. The brunette girl let it all sink in. The silence was stabbed by the buzz of Roy’s phone. It was a text from Hughes. He scanned the message two times to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood it.

“Riza. They are summoning us tonight at the council. ”

[justfangstvdto]

Open Coffin | Chapter 20: “Crossing A Line”

Pairing: Kol x SalvatoreSister!Reader

Warnings:  (this is all over the place emotion-wise you guys) lots of fluff, a little bit of angst, teeny tiny bit steamy, questionable coping mechanism,  swearing (but that´s a given), canon &timeline divergence

Word count: 3478

Tags & Author Note at the bottom. Feedback is welcomed and appreciated.

Open Coffin Masterlist

Your name: submit What is this?

The forest surrounding the burned ruins is dipped in darkness.  The only guidance you have is the orange flames on the top of the gently rising hill, and Kol´s hand that's holding yours firm in his grasp.

You emerge on the top of the hill next to Kol and Klaus and Elijah right in front of you. The flickering flames of torches fitted as a circle hide Esther and Finn behind the magic boundary.

“That's lovely. We're stuck out here, while the favorite son plays sacrificial lamb.” Kol scoffs, glaring daggers at his oldest brother  “How pathetic you are, Finn.”

“Be quiet, Kol.” Esther scolds him “Your brother knows virtue you cannot even imagine.”

Says the witch who wants to kill her own flesh and blood.

“Whatever you think of us, killing your own children will be an atrocity.” Elijah weighs in as he steps closer to the circle

“My only regret is that I did not let you die a thousand years ago.”

“Enough,” Klaus says, the tone in his voice angry, scared and annoyed at once. “ All this talk is boring me. End this now, Mother, or I'll send you back to Hell.”

“For a thousand years, I've been forced to watch you.” She looks at each of them briefly before moving on to the next “Felt the pain of every victim, suffered while you shed blood. Even you, Elijah, with your claim to nobility, you're no better. All of you. You're a curse on this Earth. Stretched out over generations. If you've come to plead for your life, I'm sorry, you've wasted your time.”

“I’m sorry, but this is ridiculous.” You step forward, right to the edge of the circle. The magic barrier radiating its warmth to the pores of your skin.

“Oh dear.” Kol chuckles. He knew you wouldn't be able to keep quiet. Not that he would ever demand such a thing.

You step forward, right to the edge of the circle. The magic barrier radiates its warmth over the pores of your skin “How dare you decide who lives and who dies? You might be the creator of our species, but you’re certainly not the judge of life and death.”

“That is what a vampire does, is it not? Be the judge of life and death?”Finn scoffs. The word vampire never sounded so atrocious.

Must be a great feeling to hate oneself so much, the only way out is to eliminate the own species. You almost feel sympathetic. Almost.

“Perhaps, but the world is full of monsters. Not all of them have fangs or claws. If you punish us, what about all the others out there?”

“Us?” Esther laughs “Even with your greatest enemy present you consider yourself equal to them?”

“We are the same species after all.” You look over to your companions, stopping at Klaus who looks over when he feels your eyes on him “Well almost.”

“How refreshingly loyal. But doomed nonetheless.” Esther replies.

“Doomed maybe. Question is for who.”

Esther's seems to be perplexed by your threat hiding behind the words you´ve just spoken. But a moment later her eyes widen with horror as the magic she and the Bennetts share severs. 

“No sisters, don't abandon me!” Esther screams and Finn rushes to his mother's side

Finally, something played out according to plan..

While Kol, alongside Klaus, check the surrounding area to find Esther or Finn, you and Elijah are on your way back to meet up with Stefan and Damon.

“That went better than expected.” You breathe out in relief  “Now we just need to find something to break the link.”

“Y/N I.. “ Elijah stops midway, “I want to thank you. You chose to stand with us despite the grievances we have caused you.”

“There really wasn't much of a choice.”

Elijah nods. If someone understands that, it's him.

In the distance, Kol emerges on the slight hill, Klaus right behind him blabbering something that Kol doesn't seem to pay attention to.  

“I must ask you, and I vow to never ask again.” Elijah begins, eying his younger brothers “Do I have to be concerned about Kol´s intentions regarding Niklaus?”

He looks at you after speaking this question that seems to lie so heavy on his heart. There is absolutely no doubt that lying right in Elijah´s face is nothing one should ever dare, but in this case, it is a better alternative than revealing your true intentions.  

“No.” You reply, looking directly into his expecting eyes. 

But I said nothing of my own.

“I'll take you by your word then,”Elijah replies, not sure if he can or want to believe you.

“Mother and Finn are gone.” Klaus informs as he and Kol rejoin.

Near the parking space, Stefan and Damon emerge from the other side of the hill, Damon´s ice cold, and resentful stare

“I'll be right back.” You announce. Kol opens his mouth to protest, he doesn't want you anywhere near Damon at the moment, but he swallows his worry.

“I see you took care of it.” You cross your arms in front of your chest without realizing it, building up some kind of separation between you and them.

“Are you gonna shoot me again to say thanks?” Damon spats.

You press the top of your tongue against the top row if your teeth, exhaling loudly through your nostrils. He seems to actually mean what he's saying. Great.

“You attacked us, not the other way around, don´t forget that.”

“Fine, but don't pretend like you wouldn't have killed me if Stefan had not come along.” His voice layered with such distaste it's almost unrecognizable

“Damon-” Stefan warns him, growing tired of the constant bickering.

“Just admit it.”

“Wait, you actually think I would be capable of killing you?” You ask him, the anticipation of possible answers he could give rising the pressure in your blood.

“Yes.”

The quickness of his knocks the air out of your lungs. Your own brother believes you would be vicious enough to kill him.

Have you fallen so far?

“Then our relationship is worse than I thought.” You barely get the words out, the gut-wrenching sensation of the guilt spreading through your body so sickening you feel like throwing up.

“Y/N..” Stefan begins. He knows that the words that came out of Damon´s mouth cut you deep. And they did. It hurt.

God, it hurt.

Without uttering another word and hands nailed to a fist,  you turn on your heels, walking away without even having the desire to look back.

Your heart beats hard against your ribs, the intoxicating and familiar rush of anger pulsating in your veins. You need to put as much distance between this place as possible, or you might actually turn into the beast your brother paints you as.

“Let's go.” You say as you walk past Kol, who returned to his usual murderous look that should have annihilated Damon by now.  

“Leaving so soon?” Klaus asks as you pass him “And here I thought-”

“I don't give a shit what you thought, Klaus.” You cut him off “We´re leaving.”

Klaus arches an eyebrow at your words, sharing an amused look with Elijah next to him.

“Y/N I understand your desire for peace,” Elijah intercepts “However, an additional problem has arisen. Rebekah discovered-”

“I don't want to hear it.” You interrupt him “The last weeks I’ve done nothing but run from one catastrophe into the next and I’m done. We’re taking an off day. “ You look at Kol and he nods immediately, agreeing to your plan “Call Mae if you need help.”

“You heard her, brothers.” Kol wraps his arm around your shoulders and the two of you walk away, heading for a  set car that's sitting on the side of the road.

Hot-wiring the car turned out to be less of a problem then you thought. It has been a while since you´ve had the necessity for said skill. One of Mae´s inner confidantes, Shank, taught you a few ticks back in the day, and it seems you still got the knowledge. Who knew it would come in handy again?

Somewhere between the classic rock blurting out of the speakers and the coming and going of the rain, your anger bled out into nothing but sorrow. It's similar to a fountain pen that's scraping the barrel of its ink and only the fading color stains the paper, resembling nothing of its previous glory.

“Are you alright?” Kol's asks from the driver's seat, his fingers tapping along the rock song on the radio.

Silence.

“Y/N.”   

Silence   

A feeling of agitated anxiety spikes through his whole body. You have done nothing but stare out of the window, looking at passing cars, every street sign whenever the headlights illuminated it and every tree that´is flying by, all in an attempt to avoid looking in his direction.  

Had he done something wrong?

“Darling?.” He hesitantly brushes his hand over your knee and you flinch at his touch.

“Sorry, what?”

“What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Kol forces a smile, getting more and more worried by the second. Who or whatever caused you to suddenly become so full of sorrow will pay a heavy price, that he knows for sure.

“If just been thinking about…..”

Everything and nothing at once.

“Did you know that my brothers and I made something similar to an oath like your family did? It was right after we turned, we promised to face whatever´s coming together. And now, I just… I think I just now realized that it's just another promise I can't seem to keep.”

“They don't deserve- “He digs his fingernails into the steering wheels fabric. Anger, rage, fury, it always came easiest.“They were the ones who abandoned you, Y/N. You are not to blame for the reaction they forced.”

“But did they really force it? I´ve been doing nothing but point fingers at villain after villain, but maybe I need to point it towards a mirror next time.” You press your lips together as the last words escape. You didn't mean to say that out loud.

“I´m just so.. torn I guess.” You backpaddle “ I don't know if I should be running from them and never return, or hold on to that hope that somewhere down the road, we´ll finally feel like a family again.”

You words struck something inside Kol´s mind, something so hidden and buried under decades of dust he almost jumped in his seat.

He too, feels this way, despite what pain his family caused him. Would he ever admit that out loud? No. But the teeny tiniest part of him believes it's true.

It fills him all the more with content that you´ll always be there by his side, even if he one days decides to reconcile with his family. There's no doubt in his mind, and he loves you all the more for it.  So of course, he gladly returns the favor.

“However you decide, I will be by your side. Always.” His hand joins the one on your lap and you immediately interlace your fingers with his, as if you´re holding on for dear life.

In many ways you are.

“And I will be by yours. Forever.”

He feels like he's floating on the highest of clouds. He was never part of his families oath, “Always and Forever” always excluded him, but this, hearing these words from you is better than anything his family could offer him.

Forever……. how heavenly.

“Let's just keep driving and never turn back.” You speak through the momentary silence  “Somewhere where no one knows us. Just the two of us.”

“Are you sure?”

“No. But right now I just want to pretend that we could just run away. Even just for a little while. “

He knows as much as you do that running away won't be a possibility, at least not while there's still some threat hanging upon his family. But for a fleeting moment, everything seems possible, so he closes his hand around yours and drives along the nameless road, with a plan you don´t have or even want to waste time thinking about.

Miles after miles you stop at a somewhat shabby Motel to refuel on the nearby gas station

The red digits on the clock on the side table read a few minutes after midnight as you open the squeaky door of the Motel room. You don't really need it, but the thought of pressing pause on the world to feel the comforting support of a mattress rather than a car seat seems like the right call.

“Well, this isn't quite as bad as I expected,” Kol says, and kicks the door closed with the back of his shoe. He walks over to the window and tucks curtains covering the window and brushes them aside.

There's a bar on the other side of the road, the neon sign flickering every few seconds or so. Next to it, there's an abandoned motorcycle leaning against a dirt wall and a run-down gas station, with a half-collapsed roof that looks like it's caving in any minute now.

The sound of something solid crashing against wood grabs his attention and he turns around, startled by the noise. You´re sitting on the table in the middle of the room, deep in thought, tipping you daylight ring on the edge.

“Hey.” He covers your hand with his own, your agitation slipping away ever so slightly.

“I'm sorry, I just-”  

“I know.” He smiles sympathetically,“ What you need is a distraction. Come on.”

You grab his hand with hesitance,  follow him out of the door. You round the building and cross the road only to heading through a swing door with a broken set of glass on the top.

The bar smells like old leather and booze and a very questionable stench you don't even want to begin to imagine where it originated.

“Wow, this place is disgusting.” You say, your eyes roaming over the thrown together interior “I love it. But I don't know how-”

“First, we drink. Then we dance. And then…” He gestures over to a very intoxicated pair of men “we eat.”

Heavy rain is pattering down on the streets. The neon lights reflecting in the puddle of water stir and blur as your rushed footsteps hurry over them, a second pair of feet following right after.

You fumble for the motel key in your pocket while Kol places kisses on your skin. But they are not just ordinary kisses, no, they are promises.

I will never leave you again. I promise

He leaves another pair behind your ear, whispering sweet nothings before moving on to your exposed shoulder, alternating between kissing and nibbling at your skin.

It's you and me against the world.  I promise.

Once the door opens, you hurry inside, closing the door with such force the numbers on the outside falling out of their hinges. You waste no time, pressing Kol against the door, leaving your own promises against his skin.

I will love you forever. I promise

Kol gently tucks at your chin, and you lift your head, gazing breathlessly into his eyes that are filled with nothing but love… and desire.

As if pulled by a magnet, your lips collide with his, hungry desperate for his touch, more intoxicated by each other than the alcohol or the blood you consumed.

His hand trails down your arm to your waist, pushing up the fabric of your shirt to grip at your skin before pushing off the wall, only leaving your lips to pull his own shirt over his head, guiding you backwards until you hit the edge of the bed.

And then there´s just kissing and biting, scratching and moving - as easy as the wind but as powerful as the storm rolling over the town itself.

The sun burns yellow against Kol´s skin as his eyes flutter open halfway, eyes dilating due to the rays of sunlight peeking through the shutters.

He reaches over, to pull you back into him, but his fingers grasping nothing but the empty bed sheets. With eyes snapping open, he sits up, sheer panic running his blood could, just inches beneath his skin.

The bed is empty.  

Panic panic panic

His eyes bounce from one item to the next, from the spot where your clothes landed that is now empty, up to the table that is empty too. It is then when his sleep-fogged brain registers the open door, leading out to the small balcony opposite of the windows.  

He slips into his pants and heads for the door, instantly relaxing at the sight of you

“There you are.” Kol cautiously wraps his arms around your waist and nudges you against his bare chest, resting the side of his face against yours “Hm, the storm has cleared.”

“Yeah, it has.”

Usually, there is a calm before the storm, but for you, in this moment, it's the calm after the storm. While a storm, depending on its severity can cause destruction, your internal storm has left you with nothing but clarity.

You tried to ignore the line in front you ever since you came back to Mystic Falls, a line to leave the past behind and to focus what's in front of you, rather than what has already come to pass. And that includes Stefan and Damon.

If they choose to pursue their own happiness, then why waste time trying to reconcile what is already lost? On your own no less? To get where you want to be, means crossing said line.

So you cross it. From here on out, there´s only going forward. No going back.

And it feels euphoric.

“I'm sorry for being such a downer yesterday.” You turn in his arms, facing him “But you know you make me happy, right? So fucking happy.”

“You make me so, uh, fucking happy too.”

“That's all I want and need. Just you and me. Fuck everyone else.”

“Screw ´em.” Kol agrees in his version of an American accent.

“That was...the worst accent I have ever heard.” You laugh at his attempt and Kol can't help but let his eyes fan over the curve of your mouth and the little laughter lines around your eyes. He missed hearing you laugh.

“And your laugh is the most beautiful thing I ever heard.” He says, tracing his thumb over your cheek with care, before pulling you into a kiss, the sunlight creating a vibrant outline around your connected bodies.

You are so entranced by the sheer bliss you're experiencing, you don't even hear the sound of a new message arriving in your phone.  

Mae: Up for a trip to the Mile High City? Got another Gilbert to use for our gain.Call me for details.

Looks like you get to press pause for a little while longer….

A/N: I wrote the first draft to this on my road trip by hand. Probably why it's all over the place emotion wise. But I felt like there had to be some kind of emotional response to everything that happened in the past chapter.    

And this was also just an excuse to get as much Kol and reader time as possible. They deserve one day without impending doom hanging upon them, right?

That being said, what did you think? Where there parts you especially liked or disliked? Was there anything I should explore more? Did my more poetic approach work, or was it too much? Let me know!!

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Crossed outs are not taggable anymore.

[lostinsantacarla]

In light of my addiction to AHS and Michael Langdon, I decided to bring him into the Lost Boys universe in our role play story, and he is going to be David’s son. His name isn’t Michael. I think that would be a horrible hell for David.  Granted, I don’t take lightly to giving the boys kids, because vampires can’t have kids, per say and, let’s face it, David doesn’t fit the father like bill. However, I felt that Cody was the perfect example of someone who might be his child. David was with a hell hound for quite some time. This little snippet I wrote shows his intro. Lylith is the resident witch and oddly enough all of the story aspects put in place have been in play with us long before AHS: apocalypse started. It’s long, but I hope you like it. Mae’s part is written by @unchainmesister

When David received an urgent message from Lylith, asking for his presence alone in her little shop on the boardwalk, it raised some suspicion. The old witch never asked anything of him and rarely did he step foot in her place of business. Unlike old times when he roused Max by hounding his employees, he preferred to stay out of this one's hair.

 His only thought was that it had to do with the angels, both inside the city and out, because after all, Lylith had been the one to summon Jax back into town. Perhaps the old woman was finally going to offer up some real help to Sant Carla's supernatural citizens.

 Regardless, David practically tip toed in his boots through the door, fretting at the heavy smell of incense, essential oils and tonics. Few magics had ever set well with him, but more and more it seemed his ever-growing family was bound to it in one way or another.

"Are you around?" he asked, bowing his head as he stepped up to the counter.

"I am." Like a ghost from the shadows, Lylith appeared, stepping out slowly from behind the curtain in the back. She had her hands folded over one another, poised in the air as if she were about to create a spell. "I'm surprised you made haste coming here. I thought for sure you would take your sweet time and put me on hold. But, now that you're here, I'm going to get right down to it. You have a situation."

"We all have a situation. Even you, Lylith. You live in this town. Don't you think it's about time you stepped up and helped out?" One gloved hand rested lightly on the counter, but he refused to lean against it. The witch made him uneasy, as most did, which meant being ready for anything was important to him.

Lylith, who rarely laughed, threw her head back as she did. The vampire had no idea what was in store. Not even the tiniest inkling. "Dear boy, open your eyes. I didn't ask you here because of that angel nonsense. I asked you here because I have something for you. Sit down!"

She snapped her fingers and a chair quickly scooted across the floor, stopping short behind David.

Yet despite her demand, David refused, looking back over his shoulder at the chair before looking ahead with a slight smirk at the witch. "Is it something big?" he mocked. "I thought you chose to get right to the point?"

"Oh, you'll want to sit down for this, David," she beamed, her smile on the verge of sadistic, as if she couldn't wait to see his discomfort. "But by all means, stand."

She waved behind her and a more cushioned chair appeared, to which she seated. "Be a dear and pour me a cup of tea, would you? This is going to take a while."

The tea kettle was on the shelf behind the counter. Steam rose from the spout, telling that it was newly made, and Lylith waited.

David didn’t want to serve the witch, knowing she was poking at his buttons on purpose, but with respect, despite his glare, he did as she asked. While he poured her tea, another bottle appeared out of thin air next to the kettle. Bourbon. It surprised him, and he glanced back at her. The look on her face was unnerving. Whatever it was she was about to divulge was bigger than anything she'd ever given before, because the luxury she now offered him was more than just a drink, it was new hospitality on her part. Regardless, he kept his poise, always cool and calm, and helped himself to the alcohol before handing her the tea.

"Thank you." She took a sip and waited for him to do the same before she started to explain and tell the story.

"A few weeks ago, I got visited by someone I never thought I would see face to face.  This someone asked a huge favor of me, and David, when I say huge, you know I mean huge. I wondered at first why they'd picked me of all things to carry this wish out, because after all, there are plenty of others out there suited for the task. Then I realized that with my experience and the circles I follow...I'm the only one left in town with the knowledge and power. Don't get me wrong. I know you have one of my own in your family. She's a lovely girl and will rise, but I digress." Another sip of tea was taken. "I decided to accept."

"What's this got to do with me? You're not telling me you sided with those assholes..."

Lylith huffed. “David. Will you stop acting so damn naïve for once!! Open your mind, won’t you? Stop thinking about the outside and think about what’s in here. That person was your beloved hell hound, and she asked me to keep it a secret from you, knowing you were busy and didn’t want to burden you with it. She loved you enough to know this but knew that the only way you might have a chance at getting to know it, would be to place it right here in the open, in the middle of Santa Carla.”

She rocked forward and pointed. “I kept my promise, and I still would, but there’s been a drastic change.” She threw something at him. It wasn’t solid, more like a cross between dust and smoke and it covered his head, placing a vision there.

 David batted at the magic, but never looked away from Lylith, until the vision hit him. Then his eyes couldn't help but wander up and down a bit as he looked it over. He saw the witch and a young boy sitting in her chair. The boy had blonde hair and a playful, loving smile. He also had blood on his hands and cheeks. 

Suddenly and unsettling feeling came over David and he shifted in his seat. His smirk faded, and a dreaded seriousness took him. "What is this?" he said under his breath, even though the doubt was lifting and pulling him into the evident truth.

"Your son," she stated, matter of fact. Not much more explanation was needed. She could see it all coming together on David's face, especially the shock, and to her surprise, his unease wasn't appealing to her anymore.

"I care for the boy. He's quite remarkable and deserves more family than what I can offer, which is why I asked you to come meet him. You see, I didn't fully understand what he is until the night I put him to bed, and when I woke the next morning, he'd aged, nearly fifteen years." She paused once more, slightly tilting her head. "Cody, come out here, won't you please?"

From behind the curtain the boy emerged, dressed in black, his hair slightly long, past his ears, blonde, and the bluest eyes his father had probably seen since his own.

He was nervous, and uncertain of how he would be perceived by the king of Santa Carla, but stood beside Lylith, placing a hand on her shoulder for support.

"Hello, father," he said directly, not a hint of falter in his voice despite his nerves.

The reality was unjust, and just enough to send David into the shock of his undead life, but it was also plausible, and he couldn't deny that he saw his own eyes when he looked at the kid. At the same time, it rendered him speechless. He'd never planned on having kids, even deemed it as impossible until the rest of his boys started having them with their mates. He was glad for that, but this was abrupt and unexpected. He was a leader, not a father. Still, was there much difference aside from letting his guard down to fluff and emotion? On the plus side, Cody wasn't a toddler and could more than likely comprehend rules and lessons. "How is this possible?" he asked of Lylith, unable to look Cody straight in the eyes at that moment.

He is a child of vampire and hell hound. To say he could rule the underworld with the power he has is an understatement..." Lylith began but was quickly interrupted by Cody.

"Forgive me, Lylith, but my mother gave me all I needed to know when I was born in the form of energy like a crystal ball. I know I have much to learn about the world, but don't underestimate me. I've seen things. Had visions. You shouldn't be surprised to see me. My mother loved you, and you left her." His unease turned to anger, and he frowned. "Now I'm here and you're all I've got."

David could feel his power already. His presence matched his own and then some and for a second, he knew he was being talked down to by his own kid. "Surprise is an understatement. And for the record, kid, I didn't just up and leave her. We went our separate ways. Your mother had a lot on her hands and my place has always been here. We both appreciated that about each other. It was a mutual understanding, so don't ever assume that I'm the one who let things go to shit. There was never an inkling given as to her being pregnant. I wouldn't have known. I need a minute to process this. No one is throwing anyone out. Not yet. So, tell me, what do you know? Cody? Besides the fact that you seem highly educated for a youngster who aged into a teen overnight."

Cody shook his head and looked down, placing his hands behind his back. "That's all I know. Like everything is coded in me and my head is spinning."  His eyes, still reddened by anger, welled with tears. It was too much all at once. He could hear everything in the small town, and everyone with their whispers about him through David's blood, but most of all, he could hear the angels plotting against them.

"Who's Mae?" he asked, throwing a cruel glance up at his father.

Lylith could see David was taken aback and she stood fast, placing a loving grip on Cody's forearm to pull him back a bit.

"He's another chosen one, David. Quite possibly another reason those higher ups want to turn back time, to keep the possibility of him being born away. I would suggest he stay here with me for a little while longer in order to adjust."

David could hear Mae out on the boardwalk wandering around, concerned about what was going on. How would he even go about explaining this one to her? 

In his defense, he'd warned her about all the crazy shit happening in Santa Carla. This was one more thing, but instead of throwing up the usual rock-solid wall, he felt compassion for his son. He was, yet another being thrown into the mix head first, right into the middle of chaos. "Care to meet her?" he asked, Cody. "She is...human," he said as delicately as possible. There was something about his kid that seemed unstable at that moment and he knew why, but he didn't want to put Mae in harm’s way. "I know you don't know much about me yet, but I trust her with everything I have. As for Lylith being your mentor for the time being, I'd consider it a good idea. Just don't take that as me pawning you off on someone else. We'll figure this out, just like everything else."

David stepped forward and put a hand on his son's shoulder, finally able to look him square in the eyes. "I keep my word. Can you feel that?"

Cody did feel relief and his hyper awareness died down. He gave David a simple nod, relaxing under his touch.

"Good. Give me a few minutes, I'll have her here in no time." He turned around to face the windows as if he were going to make a phone call. It was similar, but completely mental as he told Mae to meet him at the magic shop. The tiny details included the fact that it was hidden in plain sight, inside the carousel and that she would have to believe it was there in order to see it. The part about Cody he left out. He figured it would be better to tell her in person, once she arrived.

Mae didn't know why, but something had told her to be at the boardwalk tonight. She'd driven her new (well, newly bought) truck to the pier and spent a while wandering around, worried about what had drawn her here. Soon enough, she'd felt David nearby, his aura going from coldly annoyed to intensely shocked. His call had come just as she'd decided to call out to him and find him. 

She made her way to the carousel, following David's instructions, slowly becoming used to the strangeness of Santa Carla and its residents. Mae stood before the carousel and willed her mind to believe that the magic shop was there. Stepping inside, she quickly found her boyfriend, always drawn to him first, no matter where he was. Then she saw the others, an old woman and a young man. Mae hesitantly made her way to her David’s side, smiling politely at the strangers, even though her hand was in her pocket, curled around her switchblade. "Hello."

"Ease up, Mae," David said calmly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He didn't want to speak to her mentally for fear that Cody might hear it and be on edge again. "This is Lylith, our oldest resident witch. She owns the place. And this..." he paused, gesturing towards his son. There was no other way to say it really. "This is Cody. I've just learned that he is my blood. In the literal sense, he's my son."

"Welcome, my dear. Would you like some tea?" Lylith asked, as if the information David just gave was no problem at all.

"You two are connected," Cody stated, leaning in to study the human in front of him. He smiled at her. "I can see it. Right there." He pointed to the spot on her neck where his father had marked her. "Does that mean something? Were you connected to my mother like that?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you..." Mae practically whispered, her eyes wide, her body trembling. 

There was very little that David could have told her that would have surprised her more. She was still unused to shielding her thoughts, and anyone could read them. Did David cheat? No, Cody was too old. He only just found out about him. Who was Cody's mother? Where was she? Was Cody like her, abandoned by his mother with a father who never knew about him? He's so young. What the hell does all this mean? "Yes, we are." She said aloud, replying to Cody as she let go of her switchblade. She held her hand out for him to shake. "My name is Mae. Mae Clayton. It's a bit of a shock to meet you, but any family of David's is my family too."

Cody took Mae's hand. It was very warm to the touch and she smelled very sweet, but she also smelled like his father. In fact, the smell almost overwhelmed her own. "Your mind is very loud," he noted. "You have a lot of questions. So do I. My mother left me here, I don't know why. I guess she felt the need, but I was before your time. Mainly. She's gone now." His head drooped.

“He's a very young soul still in an older body. Very intelligent and very powerful. Which is exactly why we must tread lightly." Lylith poured Mae's tea and added a bit of honey. "The cream is there if you need it, dear. Anyway, as I was saying, he needs all the guidance we can give him, and forgive me, Cody, for talking as if you're not in the room with us. There is a war hot on your family's heels. You need to be ready. David, he could be the one to stop all of them. You see how powerful he is already."

"I do." David didn't want to say out loud that it worried him a little. The kid was unstable. How could they turn that around? "But I'm not going to use my own son just to get the upper hand. If he's ready, he's ready, if not, we'll find another way. Seems he has a purpose here, or he wouldn't be here at all."

David bent down and kissed the top of Mae's head, thankful for her understanding before he went back over to Cody. "Your mother might be gone, but I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere. You do have a family here. How would you like to meet them?"

Mae thanked Lylith for the tea, then she rested her free hand on Cody's cheek, feeling an immediate empathy for him. This kid had been left behind by his mother with no explanation in a world full of danger. At least Mae's mom hadn't been a supernatural being. 

"No matter what happens, Cody, we'll look after you." She smiled sadly. "Kids shouldn't have to grow up alone. My mother left me behind too. David won't, and neither will I." She said with confidence. "It's okay to be angry and scared. I was too. I still am. But here you have family. It'll be okay."

Cody raised his head and his eyes lit up. They were electric blue, almost more so than his father's. He knew they were speaking the truth. He knew he could trust them. "I'm going to make you all proud," he declared. "I want to meet them. I don't care how."

[flamegodess]

Let The Darkness Fall

Chapter 7

Genre: royai vampire AU, angst, romance

Rate: T

Warning: a little gory at some point, nothing too serious

Author’s Note: the action in my AU happens in a more modern era than in the canon:)

Enjoy!

“Bridge, this has to stop.” Roy said as he pulled away from her and wiped the blood from his lips. “I told you... It’s over.” He said as he stepped away from the brunette woman. “You wouldn’t have said that a few months ago.” She replied fiercely and her eyes burned with a shade of red. “It’s because of your feeder, isn’t it? She made you lose your mind.” “You know these are things we can’t control. Bridge,  I owe you a lot for what happened in the past, but...” “You’ve fallen for that weak creature.” “She has nothing to do with this. Now, please excuse me.” He added and left the room. He felt crappy for trying to feed himself on Bridgette. That was a chapter of his life that he had to close. And he hoped he just did. He needed to see Riza. “Roy.” Gracia said as she gripped his shoulder. “Riza has just left.”

Riza walked down the streets trying to remember the way home. She hugged herself as the cold air of the night made her shiver. She couldn’t believe she had been so stupid to believe that she was more than a source of food for him. And what hurt even more was the fact that he was drinking someone’s else blood. She felt betrayed. Futile. Their connection... The way he touched her before they left to the party... The way he spoke to her... Everything was for the sake of her blood. Of course a handsome vampire like him had someone. She didn’t even know why it was bothering her so much. “Got lost, Blondie? It seems like you are branded now.” She recognize the voice of the guy who attacked her at school. But she had a brand now, so he would just leave her alone, right? “Where’s your protector, huh? It’s not safe for such a pretty lady to walk alone in the middle of the night.” He added and before she could increase her pace, he was right in front of her. “Leave me alone!” she said and tried to walk past him but he gripped both of her wrists and pulled her against the wall of the building nearby them. “Only after you let me taste your blood...also, I can’t guarantee you that you’ll survive afterwords. I’ve been starving for days.”

She tried to free herself, but any attempt was useless. He was too strong. Fuck, she should have stayed home and sleep. Such a nice way to end your life, to be killed by a vampire because other vampire betrayed you and you felt so hurt that you decided to walk alone on your own at three in the morning. He leaned on her and she started to scream, feeling hot tears running down her face. All of a sudden, the guy’s head flew away and his body went limp and fell in the middle of the street. “Oh my...” she started to sob realizing what she had just witnessed. Roy was standing right in front of her, his eyes glowing angrily. “It’s alright... ” he murmured and wanted to hug her but she pulled away. “Let’s go home. It’s okay. ” he tried to calm her down. “No, it’s not! Look at that! ” she ordered pointing at the body that was bleeding heavily. “You... Killed him.” “He wanted to hurt you.” He explained casually. “I just couldn’t stand it.” “And why did you care so much about me anyway? I was right from the start, I’m only your puppet.” “I’m not following. The guy was killing you. I just save you.” “What I’m saying is that you don’t need me anyway...You...you can survive without me.” She added remembering the passion he had when he bit that woman. So hungrily. “Riza...why are you being like this? You know how much our relationship means to me.” “Some minutes ago it didn’t look like that.” She replied averting her gaze from the corpse. She was trembling. Both because of the shock and cold. Then it hit Roy. He wished for the earth to swallow him. She had seen him and Bridgette. She had seen him feeding on her. He felt like crap. Indeed, she had every right to act like that. “Sorry. It’s a long story...but I swear, it wasn’t what it seemed.” “Let’s just go home.” She said not enjoying the view of the dead vampire. It had been exactly as it seemed. “No, you deserve an explanation. Please... ” he begged as he approached her. She sighed, realizing how naive she was. “That woman had been the first person I have ever feed on. She is a vampire. And a friend of Maes. At the beginning, after I’ve been turned, I was extremely thirsty, I wanted to drink blood at every couple of hours. I was so desperate that I let her think that I loved her. She really had feelings for me, but I didn’t. I was only a beginner vampire who had no feelings and needed blood. After a while, I learned to control myself. I told her as gently as I could that I didn’t share her feelings. And I didn’t even need her blood anymore. I could control myself. I was a jerk, I know. Tonight, she tried to talk me down, and for a while I’ve been too weak. I am sorry.” Riza crossed her arms and looked at the ground. If he was telling the truth then he had no relationship with that vampire and he didn’t even like her blood anymore. But how could she believe him? “Sincerely, your blood is the only one that attracts me. And I have no reason to lie to you. I thought I showed you these days how much I treasure you. And again, I'm not talking only about your blood.” “Truth to be told, I don’t even know why I care so much. It’s not my business...you’ve got nothing to explain to me.” She replied defeated. She even felt awkward for having a jealousy crisis in front of him. He got off his black jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. “We are in this together so of course I have to share some things with you. Seriously, I haven’t been flirting with you while being in a relationship with another woman.” She froze and rolled her eyes seeing his mischievous grin. “Now, may I lead you home?” He suggested and held her hand gently. “I suppose you could.” They chatted casually on the silent and dark streets and soon, all the tension between them disappeared. Again, she continued questioning herself about her jealousy and he continued blaming himself for being so weak. The didn’t rush home, but enjoyed the night. “I hope I didn’t scare you tonight. I told you I would kill anyone who tries to hurt you. Your brand means more than you think.” “Well I am kind of traumatized...believe me or not, but no one ever cut someone’s throat in front of me....especially for saving me.” She explained trying not to think about the view of the bleeding corpse. “It’ll turn to ashes till morning. He didn’t hurt you, right?” She shook her head as they reached the front door. The sun was already setting up. It was the exhaustion that made them both forget that they should have used the window. They entered casually and the light was suddenly turned on. They both froze at the sight of Mr. Hawkeye who was waiting for them in the hallway.