Younger writers. Please, just know that you could not skip to different songs on a cassette tape, that’s CDs. With tapes you pressed fast forward or rewind and prayed.
Also, VHS tapes did not have menu screens. Your only options were play, fast forward, rewind, pause, stop, or eject.
Y’all are making me feel like the crypt keeper here, I’m begging you 😭
Btw, they’re called “Tapes” because there’s literally a roll of tape inside. Scotch made VHSs.
The tape itself stores the media, and in order to properly display an image, it was necessary for the tape to be dragged along a sensor head, at a particular speed, analogous to how a special needle must be dragged across a vinyl record at a particular speed.
These are electronic devices, sure, but the signal is an analog one, not digital. There’s no program in the VCR that runs the video; it’s a live transcription; Electromechanical in nature.
The Hime was asleep for a week. Every now and then she would stir and mumble something before going still again. Toji kept close watch as he did his best to keep her fevers down. When he could not attend to her Geto did. Neither male trusted Gojo to not make the poor girl worse.
"You need to wake up soon, princess."
"Come back, Hime. Me and Satoru miss you."
That night all three men had fallen asleep in the room, they had all been staying up to be there when she woke up but missed it due to exhaustion.
Aya blinked at the ceiling while trying to grapple with what happened. She sat up quietly and discovered all her friends were fast asleep. Satoru and Suguru leaning against each other while Toji leaned against the wall behind her. She stood quietly not wanting to wake any of them before leaving out a door to the back yard.
Rubble littered the once beautiful garden, her favorite tree uprooted and twisted with singe marks everywhere. The flowers she used to tend to were all but ripped up and thrown around. If she didn't know better she would assume a tornado had done this. But this was just her.
She walked further and further from the home and the destruction didn't stop. Still weak she swayed unsteadily before dropping to the grass. Her hands balled up the roots and dirt as she tried to calm her fast beating heart. Her breath leaving in soft pants as it misted the air until a fog took over the area, concealing her from view. Her father, the man who raised her, took care of her and never let her down. He was gone.
She wanted to be angry, to scream, to throw something.
Her grip on the ground tightened and she tried to lift her hand full of dirt to throw but she couldn't and her arm sank back down. Fresh tears began to flood her eyes and she bowed her head with muffled whimpers. It hurt so much. Everything hurt, her chest was caving in as air became scarce, barely able to get past her trembling lips.
She clenched the dirt tighter and something sharp cut into her palm. Confusedly she shook the dirt out of her hand to reveal the sharp object was the Zenin clan crest. With a huff she sat back on her heels and her tears stopped. She could feel her body shaking at the anger but despite that nothing began to float.
Again she stood up on exhausted limbs and continued to walk into the fog. It didn't matter if she stumbled or fell, she got back up. She cut her hands open again on some tree and kept walking. Not knowing the blood had lured a curse toward her.
An odd clanking sound came from the foliage behind her and she stopped walking to look over her shoulder. Some malformed creature launched at her and she leaned away. "I have no time for vermin." She whispered. Raising her hand a few rocks lifted in the air before she made a flicking motion and they shot at the creature with precision causing it to scream and die.
Gojo woke with a start after hearing a scream. Looking around the room he realized that she was not there. "Wake up! She's gone." He demanded kicking Suguru and Toji, but Toji caught his foot without looking and rubbed his eyes before he too noticed the princess's disappearance.
"Fuck fuck fuck!" He cursed harshly running out the door and being greeted with fog. "Damnit!"
Back with Aya, she tilted her head at the screaming beast and turned away to continue walking. More instances of beasts came toward her but each was again swiftly dealt with. Soon they stopped attacking altogether to watch her. She looked weak, stumbling and dragging her feet but despite that she had killed many of them easily.
Another cursed spirt appeared in front of the girl, she moved to kill this one too but it raised its hand. "Need help." It said and she was inclined to listen because of its forest-spirit like appearance.
"And why should I help you?"
"Angry. You Want revenge. Help."
"Ah, I see. I help you, you help me. Is that right?"
"Save master."
"And where is this master that you, yourself, cannot get to him?"
"Locked. Guarded."
"Take me to him."
Hours passed and the day had risen but she continued to follow the cursed spirit through the forest until a clearing. The spirt stopped and refused to go further so she nodded walking past it and into the light.
"Halt! Who goes there!?" A man asked in position to attack. Three more men stood behind him with swords out.
"Step aside." She said making the men confused. "I said, step aside." With a raise of her hand the men were pushed away and she walked past them. Now more than halfway to the temple they got up and realized she was a threat. Again she breathed out her mouth in exhaustion, puffs of fog spilling out and clouding the area. The men still fought and with each one that died another sword joined the air behind her as she collected their weapons. Breathing in, the fog was pulled back into her body and the area cleared.
Only one man was left standing and she twisted her wrist causing the swords of his comrades to puncture him. "What a waste." She said tiredly. Moving forward more she examined all the seals holding the cursed spirit's master back. Leaning down she lifted one strip of paper and crouched under it to get inside. Walking further there were more talismans and charms but she kept past them unflinching.
Her energy was waning as the rooms and words began to spin. Using the wall for support she kept going until reaching another room.
The walls, ceiling and floor were covered in barrier seals while in the center was a man with four arms tied down.
Two pairs of red eyes glanced up as she entered. He had a smirk on his face as he watched her. "Now, how did a pretty bird get in here?" He questioned.
Aya leaned against the wall before sinking to the floor. Breath coming in quick pants as she watched the room spin faster. "Ryomen Sukuna, make a binding vow with me."
"And what are you offering little bird?" The curse said in amusement.
"Everything." She gave a sad smile to the grinning curse. "My soul, my life, my clan...all of it, I'll set you free."
"And what do you want?"
"What all humans want." She chuckled weakly as her eyes kept closing. "Revenge, and to protect the ones I love before I die."
Sukuna could see the woman quickly becoming weak, if she died here then he didn't know when the next poor sap would come by to free him? What if he's moved again? And how dare she not bow before him! But despite all that he watched the woman closer, her cursed energy was vast and trying to heal her, something most sorcerers could never do. How interesting. "And the consequences? Stipulations?"
"I cannot kill you and you cannot kill me or knowingly let me die nor kill the ones I love. If we break these vows then you will be sealed again and I will die." She coughed harshly and slumped further down the wall.
"I consent to this binding vow." Sukuna said before demanding she release him.
Lifting her shaky arm she touched two fingers to the ropes binging him and they began to burn quickly as they became null. She slumped the rest of the way to the floor in exhaustion causing the king of curses to look at her in apathy before lifting her by the back of her clothes.
"Weak. But it will do." He moved her to sit on his arm while the other wrapped around her to keep her still. With her closer he noticed how fragile she looked. With a dash he cleared the clearing back into the forest. He looked for an area that he could set her down, let her heal herself.
It felt so unlike him. He should slap her awake and demand to know who she wants revenge on so he can deal with it swiftly and be free. Once free he could kill her without repercussions.
But he doesn't.
He finds a shady spot far from the temple and sits down against a tree before setting her in his lap. His four arms coming around to cage her like a bird.
How strange.
He sits with her in his arms for hours upon hours. Even when he thinks she's waking up, he lulls her back to sleep. In the time he sits there he makes plans. For one he needs to find those who bound him. He will kill them slowly and curse them into oblivion. He would also like to find his subordinate. Eventually cause mayhem and destruction.
Looking down he looked at the frail human. She had not given her name nor intended target. She didn't even go into a spiel about why she wanted revenge. How did she find him? Did she also kill the guards? He thinks he should've at least stopped to eat one of the guards. It had been so long since he's eaten. Will she be hungry when she wakes up?
With a resounding sigh he lifts her to rest in his arms before standing. He then begins to wander while searching for anything she can eat.
Eventually he finds a plum tree and reaches up to gently pluck a few from its branches. That should be enough right? Sitting down again he prods at her check trying to wake her. Instead of swatting his hand away or biting him, she burrows more into his chest. He utters a curse under his breath before prodding her again. His knuckles nudge the corner of her lips. He didn't want to scratch her with his long nails. Her lips part softly in a pout and he holds a plum over them before using his nail to split the skin and let the juice drip into her mouth. Slowly her tongue peaks out to lick at a stray drop while her eyes open. He releases his grip on her mouth as she reaches up and gently takes the plum from him. Softly and a little shy she takes a bite out of the plum and closes her eyes in bliss. "Sweet."
The dark red juice of the fruit stains her lips like blood and he finds himself enamored by the sight. The idea of it actually being blood sends his chest into a flutter. Alongside the soft feeling he feels a surge of anger. But before he can curse or shove her off he hears distant shouting slowly coming closer. With quick movement he sets her under the tree before hiding. The sooner she has her revenge the better, but until then he needs to be away from her before he kills her out of anger.
"Princess!!"
"Hime!"
Two separate voices shouted and Aya turned to the noise before seeing Toji, Suguru and Satoru running toward her. She looked behind her to find Sukuna but he was gone. Where or why he left she didn't understand as her head still felt full of fog aside from her one goal.
What was her goal?
"Toji?" She asked softly and the male rushed toward her kneeling to be equal height.
"Been looking everywhere for ya princess. Where have you been? Why did you leave? Are you hurt?" His hands cup the side of her face while his other goes to her forehead. "Fevers gone." He gives a grateful sigh before pulling her into a hug. "Had me worried fuking sick." He hissed without bite. Only holding her tighter as if she could slip away again.
"Toji, I," she stopped unable to say anything for a moment. She had no defense. She left the house but then, why, and where was the king of curses she made a vow with? "I wanna go home." She said in exhaustion.
Her faithful guard nodded and asked if she'd like to stand to which she said yes. She almost dropped the plums that rested in her lap and while reaching for one she realized she had something in her hand.
"Drop something?" Satoru teased holding a plum back to her. Suguru had the others in his arm.
Instead her attention was on the metal piercing into her hand. Splaying her hand out she revealed a crest. Dirt smudged and covered in a faint layer of dried blood from her hand. It didn't matter. Its shape and color unmistakable.
Zenin.
"Oh. I remember now." She whispered under her breath but all the men heard it.
"What's that?" Toji asked having not seen the metal piece well enough to know what it was. She closed her hand at his prodding.
"It's nothing, some nails from the shed. I must've grabbed them as I was leaving." She said manipulating the metal in her hand to resemble nails before reopening her hand to show them. "See." She presented two long nails to Toji and he nodded. At the same time Suguru and Satoru shared a look.
She caught their stare in the corner of her eye but she looked away first. They wouldn't understand, she thought.
For the men and their speed it only took a day to return home when it took her two or three to walk that far in the first place. Toji insisted on carrying her back and wouldn't let Geto or Gojo switch. Insisting it be his duty, never once did he seem tired or over encumbered.
She stayed silent the way home and for Toji that only felt worse than if she were crying. Her eyes were colder, empty. Even Gojo as air headed as he was also picked up in it and made efforts to cheer her up.
She smiled and laughed but there was still something missing.
At their arrival back to the estate she asked Toji to gather the remaining housekeeping. With all the servants lined up Aya took a deep breath.
"As you may well know, my—" she choked on her words before straightening her spine with another breathe. Toji raised a his arm slightly to let her know he could take over but she turned her head away and back to the lineup. "As you may know or heard, your lord is dead. Nakamiji Hirano had passed and you will no longer be serving him. Due to his passing some staff will need be let go. This is not because of a certain person skill or ability. This is a volunteer option. Those that would like to resign will be given this months pay and rehoused under similar households. You will not be kicked and thrown to the curb for wishing to leave. I understand this is sudden but all those who wish to resign please step forward.
7 of the ten stepped forward. Some looked unsure. Others worried.
"The seven leaving will be given a week to move and will be set up with another estate. You seven are dismissed to begin packing. At any time you finish please come to the dining hall for instruction." The seven bowed and dispersed leaving only three.
"Those left will not be expected to work harder to fill the empty workers. Do as you would normally but do not over exert yourself or take on more than you can handle. I will hire another two people within the week that is my promise." Aya bowed her head and the three were dismissed as well.
All three men stared at her in shock. They had not expected that. Not expected her to immediately slip into running the estate. One of them felt pity, she should be grieving not pushing it down. One felt worry and the other shock.
"Toji?"
The man in question stepped forward to be beside her.
"With the lord dead. There are many things that will need to change. I'm asking you to bear with me on these changes. Be my confidant as always." She exhaled again and a small transparent cloud rolled out her mouth like swirling smoke before dispersing. "I will do my best to lead the estate under the radar, I'm asking you to be my figure head. This does not mean you are powerless, you will have just as much say in how the clan is run. I just need—time." With those parting words she left into the estate. Her path going to the master's study.
Arriving, Aya saw the disarray as many things had been thrown around, probably by the intruders. Rolling her sleeves up she began to work on organizing everything back into proper order.
Her muscles tight as she tried to keep her anger contained. There was a sadness somewhere but each time she let it creep through it would be stamped out by anger. Papers began to float from the floor and surprisingly made it easier to organize. Her anger kept her throat closed in a way she couldn't even scream.
The zenin clan sent the assassins.
The assassins that killed her father.
Her only family.
Dead.
The room became darker and darker until shadows covered the walls and the words too blurry without a candle. She eyed the plums sitting on the corner of the desk, Suguru had brought them to her.
One lifted from the pile and began to hover in front of her as if held by invisible hands. Twisting and turning in air as she examined it. Where was he? They made a vow, wasn't he supposed to stay beside me until it was complete? Shaking her head she caught the plum as it fell into her hand. It doesn't matter. She would get revenge with or without his help. The vow was only an insurance that she would live long enough to see it through. But still...there was something behind his touch. Pressing her lips to the skin of the plum she tried to calm the short flutter she felt.
The thought could go no further as there was a knock on the door. "Hime?"
"Come in." Gojo came inside carrying a tray of dinner and looked around the dark room.
"You really shouldn't read in the dark it's bad for your eyes." Satoru said before lighting a nearby candle.
She rubbed her eyes with a drawn out sigh. "There's to much work to do and not enough time."
"What do you need help with?"
"Hiring new guards, maids and a cook. The gardens need to be rebuilt. The finances gone over. I need to hire a team of builders to rebuild the master wing. There's too much." She said the last part sadly.
Seeing the stress in her he moved to stand beside her and ran a hand down her shoulder in a calming manner while using his other hand to help organize the loose papers. "Don't stress too much, Suguru and I can help. He helps handle most of the Gojo clan finances, he's good with money. I can help with finding maids and the construction." He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "You have us to help, always."
She put her hand over his on her shoulder and leaned into his wrist. The moment stayed frozen and when Satoru looked down in confusion he was surprised to see her fast asleep.
The next week and a half was spent setting everything straight.
Today was the day for her to pick her new guards for the estate. Some twenty people showed up ranging from 13-20. She watched them train and spar to spot the ones she wanted. Her eyes continued to stray back to the same four people.
A boy with pink hair that reminded her of Sukuna.
A platinum blonde with a mask over his mouth.
A boy with a sword and too much cursed energy.
A girl with orange red hair dressed as a boy.
"What do you think, princess." Toji asked beside her as they stood under the porch shade.
"I think those four have great potential. I also noticed the one with a hammer, a girl. She's spirited it makes me think of when I was her age."
The four bowed infront of the hime with respect. "We swear to protect you with our life!" They said in unison.
"Let's start with names, yes?" Aya asked with a smile.
"Yuji Itadori!" The pink haired one exclaimed.
"Toge Inumaki." He said pulling down his mask slightly before coving his face again. "Shake shake."
"Yuta Okkotsu." The boy with a sword said nervously.
"Nobara Kugusaki." The girl said glad to have been chosen.
"Aya Hirano. And this is Toji." She said making the large man perk up beside her. "Welcome to the Hirano clan. Please grow and mature into becoming warriors, strong enough to protect the ones you love." She bowed respectfully to them before dismissing them to settle in.
Over the next few weeks, Toji, Gojo and Geto could feel a presence watching over them when they were with the Hime. She herself seemed oblivious so none had mentioned the stalker to her. She seemed more distanced or distracted at time.
Again Gojo felt the hair on the back of his neck rise as the stalker watched them. "Aya, why don't we head inside soon, it's sooo hot out." Satoru whined childishly wanting to get her away from those prying eyes.
"It's not hot, Sato, you're just wearing too many layers."
"Oh are you insisting I strip?" He teased leaning closer to her but really he was looking over her shoulder where he could see four piercing red eyes.
"I'm insisting you go inside if it bothers you so much. I need the fresh air before I return to the study. I'm so very sorry I asked your company. Next time I'll just sit with Suguru."
"Hey."
"Hey yourself Sa-to-ru." She enunciated in a way that sent pleasurable chill down his neck. "Say ah."
Despite his confusion he did as said and was surprised when she pressed a strawberry to his lips. The juices flooded his mouth as he bit down.
"Was that so hard?" She asked rolling her eyes at him and returning to eating her food.
What none of them knew was that every morning a new plum was on her desk, no note or letter of who it came from. But she knew. And in a way it was reassuring to know that even if he wasn't beside her he still would keep his word.
Aya Hirano was biding her time, setting her affairs in order and subtly teaching Toji to take over as the clan head. It wasn't that she thought she would die on the way to her goal. No the hard part would come after, there was only so much one can get away with. No, when it's discovered who had committed the crime. It doesn't matter who her father was or that she's a woman. She will be executed for sure.
And it would be worth it.
Speaking into the dark of the study where she knew he was listening. "I have a plan, no matter what happens do not interfere until I say. I can handle whatever they throw at me.”
“And if they aren’t—“
“They are.” She said with such certainty but that didn’t stop the creeping doubt.
With a drawn out sigh she finished the letter she would leave.
Farther off was another creature. It had been watching too. Watching, waiting.
It had played dumb, played weak. Led her to the king of curses. She made the vow, the king of curses could not let her die. It was the perfect bargaining chip. He had no choice but to fall into their plans now. The king of curses would not risk his life or his freedom. He would become the pawn they needed to succeed.
Every day I reminded myself I was lucky to be born the daughter of such a wonderful father. The first and only child of a great Daimyo, Nakamiji Hirano. Recently we had been invited to another festival at the grand palace by the emperor. The ride there, father had been silent, it wasn't that he had nothing to say but that he had too much.
Father was welcomed by many men who gave me leering looks before asking when I would be married off, offering to take me as a concubine or for one of their sons. I wanted to show displeasure but my father instead took his hand in mine before denying their requests.
Yes I was very lucky, I was lucky unlike so many other girls in different clans, gifted and traded like cattle. I was still young, only 11 summers, but I listened attentively as the festivities commenced. Making note of any hushed words shared among the clans.
It wasn't until we were back in the carriages again did father let out a curse, cursing the Zen'in clan for again propositioning us.
I knew our journey would take long to return home so I occupied myself with my thoughts and watching the scenery. A little further off I spotted another carriage before something was thrown out. As we got closer and closer I realized it was a boy. Maybe 16 or 17, long black hair and—"stop the carriage!" I said as soon as I could open my mouth.
The carriage stopped harshly and I jumped out to my father's shock, he had not seen the boy yet. I tripped falling out in my hurry but didn't care. Kneeling beside the boy I rolled him over to see his face. Bruised around his eye and a severe cut thought the corner of his lip. The boy rolled over with a groan before blinking up at me, I could see panic creeping into his gaze and raised my hands with a soft hushing noise.
"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." I tried soothing.
From behind us my father finally got out of the carriage as well to approach. "Aya are you alright?" As he came closer he notice the deep scratches in my hand and knees. The side of my nose also scuffed.
"Father we can't just leave him."
"I understand." He agreed easily. Two of our guards lifted the boy into the carriage and set him on the floor. I frowned and kneeled beside him lifting his head into my lap so he wouldn't hit it on the floor of the carriage when we began moving again. He groaned a couple times at some particularly hard bumps but did not regain consciousness.
When we moved him back to our home I offered to watch over him while assisting the nurse. Father only relented if I promised to not let my studies fall behind and to leave the door open.
When the young teenager regained consciousness he looked around cautiously. His eyes drifted to a girl who sat against the wall, asleep, her hands bandaged in her lap. He remembered seeing a girl fall out of her carriage to get to him and felt a tinge of guilt. Stupid girl.
His movements must've woken her because her eyelids began to flutter like two butterfly wings before focusing on him. She made work to move toward him but the second she put her hand on the floor to move she hissed and clutched it to her chest.
"I'm sorry." The boy said in a croaky unused voice.
"Are you okay?" The girl asked at the same time. The boy stalled in surprise and the girl tried again to move toward him. The girl focused on the water pitcher and glass beside his futon and with difficulty poured him a glass of water.
The boy drank the water with greedy gulps. "Thank you."
"What's your name?" The girl asked.
"Tōji." He said avoiding his last name.
Years later the boy continued to stay at the Hirano residence. Training under the guards he quickly flourished and insisted to be Hirano Hime's personal guard. But since the Hime did not often leave the property he would also go on short travels to train himself and or bring the hime back gifts.
"Toji!" A female voice said excitedly from far off before she began to run at him. He turned expecting her and caught her as she jumped into his arms. Her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight hug as he held her up by the waist.
Aya moved her head back to see him with a wide smile. "Father said you would be coming back today." She hugged him again with a relaxing sigh. He himself felt his shoulders losen and soften at her touch and only her touch.
"I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world, Hime." He said softly letting her back on the ground.
She leaned back in the embrace to nudge his shoulder, "you only turn 21 once." She joked making Toji hum. He turned around again to grab his things and the two of them began to walk to the main building as Aya recounted everything that had happened and she learned since he had last been home. "—and the Zen'in's keep sending proposals so did a few other clans but father has turned them all down thankfully. A few Daimyo will be visiting for my birthday, father was the one to invite them, he's hoping that if I do not at least marry then I will still make allies and forge friendship with them. Since your home I was hoping we could train before they come, we haven't done it in so long and father wont let anyone else train with me."
Toji mentally thanked his lord for denying the Zen'in clan any proposals. He was miffed at the idea of his Hime being proposed to. And the idea of anyone else training her... he shook his head.
"So we can't train?" The Hime asked disappointed after seeing Toji shake his head.
"We can still train if your father allows it. My head is else where, I'm sorry princess." He said the childhood nickname with a fondness that made the girls ears turn red as she looked down.
"I'll go get everything set up while you settle back in." She said before quite literally running off toward the gardens.
After sparring with the older male she and him sat in the shade under her favorite tree. Her muscles ached as she leaned forward to stretch but she smiled despite that. "It's been too long since I had fun like that." She gave Toji a sincere smile that made his heart ache. There was no deflecting when she looked at him like that.
That smile she always gave him when her eyes would close and she would just glow. It didn't matter that her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat or that she was red in the face with flush. Instead he turned his face away before he could break composure. It wasn't fair that she could look at him like that and he couldn't do anything.
"You should go get ready for your party Hime. The first guest will be arriving soon." Toji reminded her and she jumped up.
"Ah! I guess we had too much fun." She ran back to the main building to get ready.
Within the hour the first of the guest arrived. Aya and her father greeted people as they were welcomed to the party. When everyone had arrived they all took their seats in the banquet hall. Lord Hirano took the seat at the head of the table as this was his home and Aya sat beside him in a soft peachy pink kimono. A few steps behind her leaning against the wall was her ever loyal and faithful guard, Toji.
There were only 4 guests. Gojo, Geto, Nanami, Inumaki. But between all six, polite chatter and conversation flowed. Gojo who was seated closest to the Hime continued trying to bring the birthday girl into conversation. Aya would respond of course but would let herself drop out again as soon as possible much more preferring to listen than speak. Eventually Geto began telling his friend to stop bothering her making her give him a shy smile. "It's alright, I'm used to being overlooked in conversations and prefer to just listen. It's interesting the things you hear."
Gojo's eyes lit up excitedly. "Spare some juicy gossip." The Snow White haired man asked making Aya cover the lower half of her face to hide a grin.
"I would Gojo San but I much prefer to keep my secrets to myself." She responded back playfully. This lead to the two beginning to banter and eventually her speaking more with Geto too.
Her father had to take his leave before long. He kissed the top of his daughter's head and wished that she carry on with the festivities. At the same time Inumaki excused himself having not intended to stay long.
Conversation carried on until the doors to the hall were opened harshly.
Aya paused with her cup of tea halfway to her lips as she looked up. Naoya Zenin. Her lip curled at the corner before becoming impassive.
"Ara ara, it's seems my Invite got lost in the mail, Hime." He said. "I hope I haven't missed too much of the party." He closed his eyes giving a fake smile. "Ah where is the Diamyo?"
Before Aya could answer Nanami beat her to it with the same cool tempered voice he usually used. "Lord Hinaro had already retired for the night."
"Ah that's too bad I was hoping to speak with him after the party about my propositions." He said cockily sitting down at the opposite head of the table. A seat that had been left open all night out of respect.
Aya clenched the teacup saucer too tightly and it began to snap under her fingers. The sound caused the attention to again be brought to her. "I apologize." She said flicking the glass out from between her fingers. Dark red pearled at the tip of her thumb.
From the side lines, Gojo and Geto looked at each other in interest. Before sitting back to see how it would all play out. Nanami flicked his glasses higher and focused as well.
"Careful Hime, flowers like you need to be more careful." The Zenin said, his words dripping with condensation.
Aya didn't have to turn her head to see that Toji had stepped closer to her and bringing Naoya's attention to him.
"Ah I see you still keep that trash around, Hime-" before the Zenin could say more, Aya had flicked the last few pieces of glass directly at him while he blinked. The small pin sized shards cut the male's eyebrow, cheek and neck and blood began to drip from his cuts.
"Careful Naoya, you may be a Zenin but you are still in my father's territory. Speak to him like that again and I will have you removed." Aya spoke in a cold voice that dripped with venom making the Zenin flinch. Aya then stood from her pillow and brushed the glass off her kimono with a sweeping hand before shaking her head with a soft chuckle. "I changed my mind." She started softly before turning cold again. "Get out or I will have my guard personally escort you out."
"I'm not scared of some powerless freak." Naoya taunted making himself more comfortable.
By now all the tables occupants and the few servants in the room were paying attention. The men at the table each kept silent, none had actually met The Daimyo's daughter before today and were eager to see what she would do. "I see, if that's the case then you should be more worried about me."
"Hah! What can a girl like you do..." Naoya bragged.
Aya moved to go toward the Zenin and Toji came closer gently holding the back of her elbow, stopping her. She turned her head to face him with a bright smile while being obviously angry. "Ah, it's okay Toji." She said and the Male nodded back. One second she was there and the next she was holding Naoya's head back by his hair. The man's eyes were lit momentarily with fear before Aya slammed his head into the table and effectively breaking his nose.
The Zenin didn't know what to hold first, the Hime wrist to make her let go or his broken nose. The woman turned and began to forcibly drag him out of the hall by his hair before throwing him out the dining hall doors.
"See that he is taken off the property and returned home. If I see him on the property again I will personally punish those responsible." Aya ordered before brushing her hands against her kimono to smooth any wrinkles and calmly walked back to the dining hall.
"I'm sorry for that disruption. Let's carry on if possible." The Hime said bowing to her guest before making her way back to her seat.
"Hime-Chan. If you don't mind me asking, what have the Zenin proposed that has you so...furious?" Gojo asked leaning his head against his propped arm with a coy smile.
Aya set down her now cold cup of tee with a disproving huff. "It's not polite conversation." She said dismissively.
"I don't think we'd mind." Geto encouraged.
"Very well. I have a general if not extensive hate for their clan. Not just the people but also the way it is run. While most clans have kept tradition, the Zenin are fanatical. The boys are raised to believe they're better than anyone else and the girls are treated like cattle." She paused, before breathing out from her nose to control her anger. "Their proposition is that I be gifted to them as a concubine in return they do not kill someone dear to me. They have also threatened to kill my father and take me anyway. As far as I'm concerned I'd rather see their clan burnt to the ground."
Aya stood from the table again. "Like I said, it is not polite conversation. If you'll excuse me I need some fresh air." Aya bowed before leaving again out another door, this time her silent guard behind her.
When the two were far enough away from earshot, Aya leaned into the guard. "Naoya fucking Zenin! He just couldn't help himself and had to ruin a perfectly good party and now... now." She stoped unable to say more as Toji began to run his fingers down her back in a calming manner. "It's just not fair! You're stronger than the whole lot of them and they still look down on you."
"I don't care."
"I do! Those fucking psychopaths deserve to rot in shallow graves." Aya hissed in contempt. The moon catching her eyes as they glowed.
"It's fine." Toji again tried abating the rising explosive anger of the Hime.
This time she stepped away from him to stare him down. "No it is not. You are my blade, my dearest friend and only confidant. A threat to you is a threat to me, and I do not take their threats lightly. They have a bounty on your head." Small particles and rocks began to float behind the Hime. Toji frowned at the sight, the last time she got angry she exploded half the yard before being calmed down. "I should have their clan leader's head on a spike the way he treats you. You were dismissed from the clan years ago and they still see fit to threaten and order you around."
"Princess." He said softly getting her attention.
"What!"
Toji moved closer taking both her hands in his as he rested his chin over her head. Like a chain reaction her shoulder began to sink as she sagged into his chest. Exhaling a visible cloud as she calmed down. Everything floating fell back to the ground.
"I don't want to loose you." She said slowly putting her anger into soft words. Hands clenching his as she nudged the underside of his jaw. "It's not fair when you do that ya know." She pouted.
"But it works." Toji said playfully. Using his chin he tucked her head closer to him. "Would you like to return to your party or retire for the night?"
"Could we just stay like this a little longer. I'm too worked up to sleep and I don't want to socialize much more tonight. But I should still wish my guests good night or I would be a bad host." Toji nodded before escorting Aya back to the hall.
"I'm sorry gentlemen for so many disruption this evening. But I must bid you good night, you are all free to stay the night if needed and will be provided rooms." I moved to leave the room again when Gojo spoke. "Is there a chance we can carry this party over till breakfeast. You hadn't even opened your presents." He said the last part in a childish whine that made me smile tiredly.
"We will see in the morning."
Nanami left quickly after breakfast but Gojo and Geto stayed until dinner time and left after with promises to visit more often. I had liked the two. Gojo was childish but funny and Geto was quite intelligent, he liked the idea of talking to someone on the same level as him. In his own words he called Gojo a 'good for nothing airhead.' I had to chuckle remembering the offended face Gojo gave back.
The next four years followed in a same routine with either Gojo or as he preferred I call him, Satoru, and Geto, preferring Suguru, coming over. Satoru called them play dates like we were still children.
"Toji?"
"Yes princess."
"Can we go into town today?"
"Is there something we need?"
"Yes..."
We walked around town together gathering supplies for the garden and for training. I also gathered supplies to make sweets later, knowing that Satoru and Suguru would be coming over the day after tomorrow to spend two nights. I could honestly say the friendship shared was something I treasured.
In the four years since we met the Zenin had continued to threaten, even going as far as having a guard be impersonated as they tried to kidnap me. Another time they had tried assassinating Toji. I had never been so angry and if it weren't for Him I would've gone to their compound and started a war.
"Hime, is there anything else we need?" Toji asked with his hand resting on the back of my elbow to get my attention.
"Your birthday is soon, yes? You're going to be turning- 30." I paused to be sure I did the math right. He nodded and I smiled, "is there anything you want for your birthday? Maybe the day off to woo a wife?" I teased turning to face him and walked backwards.
"Princess." He groaned in distaste.
"It's an honest question, Toji. Not once since you've been my guard have you ever been on a date. It may not be up there with taking down your clan but you should give it a thought." I turned back around to continue walking. "While I enjoy having you as my guard and I by no means want to ever replace you, you shouldn't have to stay by my side forever. You deserve to be happy Toji." I said the last part quietly.
Toji looked at the princess as she walked with a slight bounce. He didn't want some crummy wife. He didn't want to woo women. What he wanted was walking three steps ahead and didn't care for that kind of thing. She didn't want a husband or a suitor. She hated the idea of concubines.
She was loud and spirited and joyful. She was so quick to defend him at any inconvenience, she didn't sweat the small stuff but she was always planning something. She wasn't shy of training and would give everything while still having fun. She cooked his favorite meals when he was quiet and joked with him until he'd laugh. She was stubborn and didn't stand down from what she believed. But if she knew she was wrong, she didn't argue or complain, instead asking to be told why. She was his light and he wanted to protect her as much as she did for him. And it seemed like every time he was catching up he was falling back behind.
She turned around again and Toji steeled his face. The smile she was giving him was different than her usually soft ones, this one was teasing. "Are you sure you're into women? Because if your not I could always ask Satoru if he kn—" Toji threw his hand over her mouth to stop her teasing. From under his hand he could feel her smile stretch into a big grin as her eyes sparkled with mischief. She had been spending too much time with Gojo.
He must've been really out of it from her teasing or maybe he was just tired but. Quickly Aya moved his hand down and pulled on it making him stumble so his face was closer to hers. Nose to nose her grin was wider and her words took on a higher pitch. "Are you really sure?"
Toji wanted to pull his hand away and shove her off, call her a brat before ordering they return home. But he didn't do that. Because they were nose to nose and he could smell the shampoo she used, see her eyes as they caught the light. Could feel the warmth of her breath against his lips. Why does she make everything so damn difficult!
He moved his hand away and flicked her forehead, distracting her enough that he could regain composure. "Just for teasing me we're going back early." He demanded making her pout.
"Welcome back Satoru, Suguru, just in time, lunch will be ready very soon!" The Hime greeted them as they got off their horses. A few steps behind was her ever loyal guard. The two men gave a short bow to the Hime before following her into the compound.
As they walked Satoru threw his arm over the Hime's shoulder with a playful grin, "what sweets did ja make this time?"
"You'll see." She said secretively. Her head moved to face Toji with a smile, "can we take lunch outside this afternoon?"
Lunch passed and they continued to lounge outside until storm clouds came to disrupt the fun. Despite Toji and Suguru wanting to return inside, Satoru and the Hime ran and played in the rain with smiles. With a secretive smile the Hime manipulated the ground under Satoru and he slipped in the mud, landing on his face.
The Hime clenched her stomach as she burst with laughter at the mud covered male. With a smile, Satoru held his arms out for a hug before chasing the Hime around the garden.
During dinner they all ate together inside as the weather had not let up any. When dinner was over they each separated to their respective rooms.
After a loud bolt of thunder the Hime woke up with a gasp. Her room was dark but with each strike of lightning the room was illuminated for a second. Someone was in her room. The next lightning strike she met her assailant head on with one of the weapons she hid in her room. She wanted to scream for Toji but the rain was so loud. After dealing with the man in her room she grabbed her coat and ran out her room to find Toji and her father. "Toji!"
Turning a corner she rammed into a chest and not knowing who it's was she took a fighting stance. "It's me, Hime." Suguru said reaching blindly for her hand.
"Sugu?" She jumped toward him in a quick hug. "There was a man in my room, I don't think he was alone."
"He's not, Satoru and Toji are dealing with some more outside."
"We need to find father." Aya said grabbing his hand and pulling him toward her father's chambers. When they got to the room they saw the side door leading outside was broken down, blood on the paper of the door. Suguru tried stopping her from running out the house but he too was a little shocked.
She slipped out of his hand and ran into the storm. A light haired boy brought down a blade on the Daimyos chest causing him to scream. "Father!!" Aya screamed running to the scene. Rocks and small pieces of dirt began to float around her as she ran. The light haired boy ran and seemingly disappeared into nothing. Aya got to her father first and held his hand while checking him over. "It's just a scratch. It's okay. You'll be okay, right?"
"My dearest daughter, *cough* beware the challenges you now face."
"No no, we're gonna face them together, right!? You still have to help me find a place in this world! Don't!"
"I loved your mother so much *cough* that nothing else mattered until we had you. She would be so happy to see how strong you are.... We love you, Aya." He gave a final cough before going still.
"No." That one word was said quietly and after that everything stood still, the rain stopped falling as it halted mid air. Suguru who was standing behind her on the defensive looked around himself in surprise, was this her?
From the other side of the compound Toji looked at the sky in shock and slight fear. He cursed before ignoring his opponent entirely to run to where Aya was. There was only one reason she could be this distraught.
Suguru tried hugging the Hime, anything to help her calm down. But he could practically taste the cursed energy as the air became heavier with it. He backed up in fear as the feeling was overwhelming.
"Hime!" A voice shouted from across the yard.
More and more things were being ripped from the ground as they began to float alongside her. The garden shed was one thing as it was brought into the air in pieces, her favorite tree to follow. He's dead! He's dead.he's dead.he's dead.He's dead. It repeated in near loop only causing her more distress. No sounds could be heard aside from the sound of her own voice in her head. She didn't feel the hands grabbing at her tightly, begging her to look at him. Her head lolled before her eyes met his.
"He's dead." She whispered so brokenly and then everything began exploding. Everyone ducked and Toji covered her with his body. Her arms came around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder and began to cry. Each time she hiccuped something else would explode near them but despite that not once was any of them hit by debris. When the explosions died down all three men looked around to see the area was destroyed and partly on fire.
Gojo was the first to speak, "what the hell was that?!" His six eyes were being overwhelmed from the onslaught of colours and cursed energy in the air
"Her." With that simple word both Gojo and Geto looked down at you passed out. "You may use your cursed technique and call it a blessing oh 'honored one' but she doesn't have that luxury. At her worst she could kill you without intent and your six eyes could never save you." Toji pulled her into his chest to hold her, one hand going under her legs and the other supporting her neck before standing to carry her back inside.
(Just a small collection of Nightcrawler stuff I’ve had written for awhile.)
Mutation: Animal Mimicry
I was flipping the page of my book when I heard the sound of Kurt Bamfing. I closed my book and put it on my side table before getting up and walking to my door. Behind the door was Kurt rubbing his hands together in worry.
"Meine Leibe I had Hanozer nightmare. Can I sleep here tonight?" He asked with worry coating his tone.
The hairs on my arms stood up and then the sound of thunder rolled in. Most of the time Storm tried to force the lightning storms away from the school as a lot of the kids would get scared. But currently she was on a mission in Maine.
Another bamf and Kurt was gone before showing back up a second later.
"Always, Angel." I lightly grabbed his hand and pulled him into my room. Like a gentleman I could feel his eyes avoiding looking anywhere near my too short pajama shorts and tank top. I pulled the blankets back further and pulled him to sit down while I turned on my side lamp. I moved away from him and his hand squeezed mine. "I'm getting your nightlight."
"I don't need ein nightlight." He tried to argue and gold dust flew out his lips as he spoke but I smiled softly. Walking to stand between his legs I wrapped my arms over his shoulders.
My eyes briefly slitting as they followed the motions of his tail before I shook my head clearing it. "My Angel, there is no shame in your needs." I buried my nose in the top of his hair while smelling him. Like smoke and fireworks. I smiled into his hair and pulled away to kiss his forehead and then his cheek bone, his eyes and nose, the corner of his lips. His lips twitched into a smile. "Your needs are important, Kurt. Do you want fluffy socks too?" I asked softly running my fingers through his short curly hair.
"Bitte, Liebling." He whispered softly.
I stepped away and got his nightlight out of my top drawer of my dresser while also retrieving a pair of fluffy socks. I walked to the left side of my room and crouched down to put the nightlight in. It was something I bought special just for Kurt when he sleeps over. It would make stars dance across the ceiling like we were sleeping outside. He bamfed twice when another roll of thunder roared outside. I walked back to Kurt and crouched again to put the socks on him. He mumbled something in German under his breath and when I looked up he was covering his face with both hands as his tail whipped behind him.
"I could'fe done zat." He grumbled when he pulled his hands away. His face was flushed and his eyes glowing brighter than before. He blew hot air out his nose and it misted the air.
I walked in between his legs again and his hands hovered just above my skin. As touch starved as he was he's still shy and wouldn't enact physical contact often. But that just made him more charming because when I moved my hips into his hand and his whole face lit up. He looked up at me quickly and I smiled and nodded. He grinned and began to move his thumb over the little expanse of skin where my tank top rid up. He nuzzled his head into my stomach and breathed out. The hot air warming my exposed stomach and made me shiver. I ran my nails through his hair and his face grew warmer against me. "My flustered baby." I teased lightly.
"Meine Liebe don't zay zings like zat." He stuttered.
I lightly pushed him down onto his back and began to straddle his lap. I put my hands on either side of his head and he gasped in surprise his mouth staying open as his expression changed to awe. I pulled my hair over my shoulder and began to kiss his jaw. "Tell me if you get too overwhelmed." I whispered before going back to kissing his face and neck while his hands rested comfortably on my hips. His thumbs rubbing my skin. Making the area tingle like static electricity.
I kiss the scars all over his neck and face. His devotion only made me admire him more. I adore him.
His tail drew small circles on my back through my tank top. I steadied myself on one arm and set the other on his chest over his heart as I kissed his pulse and his heart sped up. I smiled at the feeling of his heart speeding up with my kisses and blushed. Deciding to be daring I tentatively poked my tongue against his adam zapple. He gasped and his hands tightened against me before he tilted his neck back and his tail began to lightly push me down again.
"Did you like that?" I asked to be sure.
"Ja, liebling, please." He said breathily.
I leaned down again and nosed the hollow of his throat before licking a wet stripe up his pulse. He shivered underneath me. He began to speak rapid indecipherable German under his breath as I left more open mouth kisses on his throat. I nosed his throat again and scraped my teeth along the underside of his jaw. He moaned quietly and threw his hand up to cover his mouth.
I lightly tugged his hand away from covering his face. "Baby, I wanna hear you." I pleaded while kissing the palm of his hand and nosing into it. Kissing his wrist delicately. Kurt began to purr and his tail slipped under the back of my tank top. The warm appendage leaving a burning trail as it crossed my skin.
"Is this okay?" He asked hesitantly while drawing his tail up my spine, raising my tank top a little.
"Mhhm" I said biting my lips as he moved his free hand to rest on my thigh. Warmth spread from his hand and it felt like being touched by sunshine and I smiled softly. "Have I ever told you how much I love your touch, Angel? It's like playing in the pool and when you get out and lay in the grass and you get this warmth from the sun. It's like being kissed by a star as it explodes." I said in awe while twirling my fingers through his hair and caressing his ears.
Kurt's eyes began to mist over and he leaned up to hug me tightly burying his face in my neck and bamfing. When we landed again I was under him as he kneeled over me, bending down to smother me with kisses. He said my name and other words in German between kisses making me giggle. The kisses turned more sloppy and I felt something wet hit my face.
I opened my eyes and he was tearing up and my heart broke a little. "Oh baby, darling, sunshine," I said petting his hair between each pet name. "What's wrong my Angel?"
"Nozing is vrong. Vu make me feel zo kood, zo loffed zat I feel like I'm imploding. Zee vorld could end put none of zat vould matter pecauze meine liebe loffes me." Kurt said thickly as his accent became stronger.
"Of course I love you!" I jumped up and put my hands on the side of his face so he would look at me. "I love you so much. I love your accent and your way of speaking. My favorite stories are anything you read to me. I love your beautiful blue skin against mine. I love your golden eyes and your sharp smile. I love your tail when it wraps around me when we walk. I love your hands and how gentle they can be. I love everything about you. I love your mind and soul." I blushed and tried to hide my reddening face in my shoulders but Kurt smiled brightly and began to kiss me breathless.
When we finally stopped making out I smiled. "Hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"The storm is gone." I said smiling.
Kurt smiled and he quickly took his shirt off and tucked his knees on either side of my chest. Tangling one of his hands through my hair while the other rested over my heart. I bent one knee behind his back and he purred. His tail wrapping around my thigh. I sneaked my arms up his bare skin and he purred louder.
"Sleep well Angel. I'll be here for you." I said pulling the blankets over us both.
—
I ran around the school looking for Kurt. When I finally found him he was talking to another boy, Warren Worthington III. "Angel!" I shouted excitedly and both boys turned toward me. "My Angel!" I said sternly and Kurt's tail began to whip behind him excitedly before he bamfed and was standing in front of me. I stood on my tippy toes and gave Kurt Eskimo kisses.
"Hallo Liebling." Kurt said softly.
"Hello sunshine."
—
I was walking with Kurt in the gardens, his tail wrapped around my waist, the spade resting under my shirt over my stomach intimately. I had my pinky locked around Kurt's and he would keep looking at our hands before blushing. Kurt's name was called and he left to go help while telling me to keep going to our spot.
I stood under the tree and closed my eyes leaning back. I let my senses expand and heard footsteps coming closer. I opened my eyes to see one of the play boys in my class.
"Fuck off." I commanded and shut my eyes again.
"I don't think I will. I finally got you alone, you're always hanging around with that freak. What do you see in him anyway it's not like he's human. Looks like something that belongs in the fucking circus."
"He's not a freak." I said and the boy waved me off to continue talking. While the boy went off on his rant I clenched the bark of the tree behind me. My nails growing and scratching harshly at the bark the tighter I squeezed.
"How he ever nabbed a chick as banging as you. Probably used his devil powers on you. Break up with him so I can show you how a real man treats a woman. You'd never want kids from him anyway, they'd look like little demons." The boy moved closer and I restrained myself from biting his throat out by biting my tongue instead.
Apparently he took my silence as an answer because he leaned over me to whisper something in my ear. But I tuned that all out.
Over the boys shoulder I could see my Angel. He was rubbing his hands together nervously and the way his ears were pointed told me he was hearing everything. He tilted his head a little and I could see the shiny tear tracks on his skin.
Kurt looked up and I felt my heart break at the devastated look in his eyes. He cowered away when he met my gaze and then bamfed.
All the sound was racing back to me and I realized the boy was still talking and saying insulting slurs about Kurt. "He's always butchering his English and being a nuisance. He should of stayed in Germany."
"How dare you." I whispered and the boy didn't hear. I repeated my self louder and reversed our positions. I pushed the boy against the tree and held him there with a clawed hand on his throat. "How dare you! Kurt is a sweetheart. He's never done anything even remotely insulting to you and you." I growled loudly as my mind replayed Kurt's broken eyes. "Next time you see him your gonna beg and your going to apologize to him or I swear to all that is Holly I will put you in the fucking hospital." I take my hand off his neck and move to turn around before going back and punching the boy in the nose. He slams his head into the tree and drops to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Blood begins running down the boys noise turning the air tangy.
I look around ignoring the whisperers from other students and put my nose to the air. Fuck I can't track him because he teleported. Guess I'll have to check everywhere.
I walked back into the school and the whispers didn't stop. I hear steps rushing toward me and a hand is placed on my shoulder. I turn my head and follow the hand to Scott before pushing his hand away. "My Angel is hurt I couldn't give two shits about my class grade or what I did to that punk, excuse me." Scott reached again but my hand whipped out and caught his. "I said I don't have time for your lecture." I said my eyes flashing dangerously as my teeth elongated in anger making Scott pull his hand back quickly. I'm sure he would've fought to talk to me or scold me if I wasn't on the verge of going feral.
An hour later and I had searched the entire school and still hadn't found my Angel.
"Scott went to the infirmary while holding his arm. That was you wasn't it?" Logan asked.
"Didn’t mean to, I'm just so angry. Some play boy was hitting on me and insulting Kurt. Kurt heard everything. I bit my tongue so I wouldn't kill the boy but he couldn't take a hint. I restrained myself because I know Kurt doesn't like me reacting violently to what people say about him. He says they are his battles to fight but he bamfed away. I punched the fuck face and knocked him out. But I can't find kurt anywhere and I'm getting really scared. What if he's gone gone?" I said my eyes tearing up and hands shaking.
Kurt didn't come back for a week. I spent most of that time sparring Logan or being in the danger room so I wouldn't hurt other people.
"Don't get why your so worked up about him being gone. He'll be back." Logan said dodging another kick.
"That's not the point." I grit my teeth as my chest grew warm again with renewed anger. "I let him leave. I let some boy distract me while my love's heart was breaking. Kurt's a cry baby and clingy and needs attention but I wouldn't change any of that for the world. He is my world. He's my sunrise to sunset. He makes me feel wanted and that's more than I've ever felt. He— he makes me want to be just as good and sweet as he is. And I'm still working out the kinks to becoming a better person but he makes me want to be that person." I landed a hit to Logan's chest and he slid back. "I'd fight the gods for him. And someday I'm gonna marry him." I said strongly.
Logan gave me a proud smile and I had to look away before I cried.
I heard the sound of Kurt Bamfing in the vicinity and I ran tackling him. Wrapping myself around him so he would land on top of me. Kurt bamfed in surprise and I felt the fast approaching ground. I landed with Kurt curled up in my arms with his tail wrapped around my wrist. I didn't pay any mind to where we landed as I just held him tighter while breathing him in before a slew of word vomit and cursing escaped me. "Fuck! I missed you so much and I never should've let him say those things. I should've fucking decked him the second he opened his mouth— I know you don't like violence on your behalf but fuck it all! I love you and I can barely restrain myself when someone so much as says your name with contempt. I should've ripped his god damned throat out when you left but didn't. I searched for hours until Logan made me go to the danger room because I went feral. Don't even try and call out my language. Fuck my language and fuck being holy, god damnit Kurt I love you with my soul. Your my whole universe, Angel, and no one can change that but you. And someday if we live that long I wanna make galaxies with you. I want your kids, I want little babies with the same blue skin and golden eyes." I ran my hand through my hair angrily. "Shit, I'd love our kids no matter what they looked like because they would be a part of you."
I finally startled out of my rant by a sob. I looked down and Kurt was bawling heavily as fat wet tears fell down his skin. I pulled his head to mine and kissed him softly. "I love you Kurt Wagner." Pulling back I pulled his head into the space between my neck and shoulder. I didn't care if he soaked my whole shirt. His tail wrapped around my arm tighter. "It's okay. Let it out."
Kurt hiccuped before a short whine left him. "Wahhhhhhnnnnn"
Looking around I realized we landed In the library. I carried him to our reading chair and held him with one arm to adjust him so when I sat he would sit in my lap with his legs over the armrest.
I let Kurt cry and continued to rub soothing circles on his back and my other hand rested over his tummy, making him purr. I nosed my head into his neck.
"Ich liebe dich Kurt Wagner. Und du hast mich um deine Finger gewickelt." I said in butchered German making kurt begin to laugh. "I wasn't that bad, was I?"
"No. It was good. But you didn't pronounce them right. Try again."
I did. and repeated myself while my Angel moved my lips and jaw to get the right sound. Kurt moved to pull his hands away and I grabbed them both holding them to my face. I tilted my head and kissed the palms of his hands. "Will you be the beauty to my beast?" It took My Angel a second to understand and then his cheeks started turning purple. He opened his mouth and I kissed it making him smile. "Angel, you are the most beautiful person I've ever met. And somehow someway you have tamed this beast. Before you I didn't give a damn if I was an asshole. I was bred for killing, the daughter of Sabertooth. When the x men saved me it was so hard to leave that life behind but then I met you. Gods did you make me want to be good. Your my inspiration and my reason for existing. I want you to have this." I reached into my jacket pocket and I pulled out a ring box. Kurt's tail whipped anxiously behind him. "It's not an engagement ring. I thought you'd want to wait a few more years for that. It's a promise ring. It's my promise that I will fight every day to be deserving of you."
—
I was siting in the woods by the lake like I did when I had free classes. I still had trouble staying inside for so long and the stiffness of class didn't help. Kurt knew this and whenever he had a free period as well we would meet up.
I was sitting against a tree when I heard the sound of leaves shifting. I didn't turn to face my attacker and was thoroughly surprised when a cat entered my peripherals. The cat was healthy looking and with silver and black fur. It approached me and moved to rub against me after smelling me. The cat continued to be affectionate and I pet him some. I learned he was male by his scent.
The cat nuzzled it's head into my hand and purred before licking my finger tips.
I heard the telltale signs of Kurt bamfing into the tree above me. He swung down by his tail to look at me.
"Angel." I said in greeting.
Kurt smiled widely before the cat started hissing at him. He jumped down and tried to approach the cat before being swatted at. When Kurt backed up enough the cat turned its attention back to me. It crawled into my lap while giving Kurt glares and then stood on its back paws to nuzzle my neck.
"I don't zink zee cat likes me."
"It's okay he will leave soon." The cat did not leave in fact it continued to glare at kurt and anytime kurt tried to come near me he was met with a hiss. I could tell this was wearing on his patience as he glared back at the cat.
The cat then began to lick my face while looking back every few second to watch kurt. I could hear kurt begin to growl and my eyes widened.
"Are you jealous of the cat?"
"He is schtealing all your Haffeczion." Kurt argued while crossing his arms in anger.
"Baby?" I picked up the cat and set him down away from me while opening my arms for Kurt. Kurt began to crawl towards me but before he could land in the my arms the cat jumped back into my lap to hiss at him.
Kurt tensed and I could see the anger in his eyes as he hissed back. His back arching and tail going straight, even his ears moved back. The cat was clearly not expecting it and looked affronted before standing down.
The cat backed off and Kurt quickly curled into my lap. Using the long sleeve of his jacket he began rubbing where the cat had licked me and nuzzling his head into my neck.
Not jealous I thought mockingly.
—
Kurt jumping on your back to nuzzle you in the hallway and one day you turn around and catch him from the front and dip him into a kiss. Making him blush heavily.
—
“Sunshine?” I whispered weakly across the battlefield as I saw him. He was flashing back and forth while grabbing mutants and bringing them back to the med tent. This was only a training exercise so we would know what to do in the case of a real war.
It was when he was flashing to the front lines again when I heard a high pitched scream. Knowing it was him I ran to the scene. There was the smell of blood and he was holding his arm.
One of the metal soldier enemies approached and I saw red, crouching and lunging for the metal man and violently ripping its pieces apart with my elongated claws and sharp teeth. Jumping from one enemy to another I took them out until there was no more in the vicinity and then I returned back to Kurt with a whine. Nosing his neck in greeting before being very careful to bandage and care for the injury.
:Some mentions to songs I like or have listened to in the last month since writing this.
Hotchner said there would be a new team member for the BAU, he didn't say much more after that but to expect them today. Spencer carried his still-hot coffee in his hand and his other hand rested on the straps of his ever-present messenger bag. He didn't like change much and he felt curious about who would join, an ex-military, maybe a student in training, or another genius like himself. The possibilities flooded his brain with theories and percentages. It could be another guy, he thought worriedly. Spencer gets enough teasing as it is, he just hopes whoever joins won't be a bully.
Spencer opens the doors to Quantico, making small greetings as he goes to the elevator. he presses the button and waits, already knowing how long it will take to reach him, 14 seconds on the mark. When the elevator opens he enters it swiftly and someone else enters behind him.
A woman only a little shorter than him by maybe an inch, with long bangs that hide half her eyes. She is wearing an old, well-loved, Dale Earnheart t-shirt with flared blue jeans. The entire outfit seems too dressed down to belong in a government building while still suiting her so well. But what is the most surprising is the loud, blaring, music from her earbuds.
"Too tired to sleep, good morning
And I'm too wired to heed the warning
That there's danger in the summer
The calm before the thunder
I'm an American cliché
Missing a girl in a French café
I say, "Goddamn, you're beautiful"
You blush and duck out of frame" ~American Cliche by FINNEAS
The music is upbeat but the voice is monotonous and deep. It's not really Spencer's style but the tune is catchy and the way the woman taps her thigh tells him that it is something she enjoys. She notices his staring and raises her eyebrow making her bangs shift to reveal more of her eye. No gaudy fake lashes or swirling eyeliner, just plain hazel eyes that catch his breath.
They turn away from each other when the doors open to the floor Spencer gets off on. He's again surprised when she gets off behind him, Spencer expected the woman to get off on the floor above. She follows feet behind him, her music still clouding his ears, he glances back as he turns the corner into the bullpen and notices her steps are in time with the beat.
Again, Spencer doesn't expect much until she walks up to Hotchner's office and knocks three times on the door. The woman hurriedly pulls the earbuds out and stuffs them in her pockets before putting her arms behind her back and waiting.
Hotchner opens the door in surprise before greeting the woman and leading her into his office.
"That our new member?" JJ asks as she turns her head to Hotch's office.
"Guess so." Prentiss parrots.
Everyone waits for Hotch to come out with their suspected new member. "Team, meet your new member, Cosette, Nadine. She will be joining us on our case." Everyone moved to the conference room for debriefing and Spencer noticed she slipped an earbud back into her ear, although the music was turned down marginally to not be blasting. Despite Hotch and the new member being closest to the conference room, She did not enter the room until everyone was seated. She paused before deciding against sitting entirely and leaning against the back wall where she watched her new teammates through her bangs. Spencer being close enough to the back, could only faintly hear her music.
"Okay .... Blah - blah - blah. Case explanation or something." Hotch began with some help from Garcia. Emily Prentiss who was sitting near the middle of the table turned toward the new member during the case explanation. "Can you please take out your earbud and focus on the case."
Everyone turned toward the new member some with surprise and others with disappointment. She ducked her head sheepishly. "Sorry, Ma'am. Swear I was listenin'." She pulled her earbud out and stowed it in her pocket. "Was reading their lips," she mumbled while tucking her hair behind her ear.
Spencer picked up that she was nervous by the way she pulled at her ear after saying the last part. Everyone else noticed too and turned back around to continue the debriefing of the case.
"Wheels up in ten, Cosette, you can put it back in now," Hotch said turning to leave the conference room. The way Hotch said the last part was soft and with understanding.
"Got it, Boss!" Cosette chirped: It was the first glimpse into her personality, the team noted. The team noticed that while she did reach into her pocket, she did not pull out her earbud again. She frowned as if scolding herself.
JJ was the first to approach Cosette, "Got a to-go bag?" She asked.
"Yea- I mean Yes Ma'am!" Cosette quickly corrected. "Left it in the car, may I go get it?" She asked back sheepishly. JJ agreed and the newest member of the Bau quickly went to get her bag.
"She's looked really nervous, guys," Garcia said to the team.
"When she settles, she might have a very energetic personality." David Rossi added.
"I feel a little bad for calling her out. But she should know better than to listen to music during a debriefing." Prentiss commented.
"Maybe she had a reason. She took them out before going into Hotch's office."
The team gathers at the jet and all of them notice the newest members' apprehension. "You need to sit down for the plane to take off," JJ says soothingly to Cosette. JJ became the designated person to ask or tell the new member to do anything because of her background as a liaison. "Okie Dokie," Cosette responds back before scurrying to sit next to Spencer, again surprising the others. She sits and quickly buckles herself while clenching the straps tightly.
"First time?" Derek Morgan jokes and Cosette's eyes widen comically when the plane begins shaking and lifting off. She doesn't respond immediately until the jet levels out more. "Not fond of planes or flying in general." She mutters.
Cosette then turns to Spencer, "Sorry for not asking first before sitting." She shivers, not from cold but from holding her muscles too tightly. "I'll move as soon as I can." She breathes deeply and seemingly calms. She moves again to take out her earbuds but doesn't. Instead, she begins tapping some unknown beat with her finger on her knee.
"What song is that?" Spencer asks.
"Frank Sinatra, Fly with me." She responds immediately.
"That's an oldie," Rossi says appreciatively. "What is your favorite song by him?"
"Girl from Ipanema or Blue Moon."
"A blue moon is not actually blue, the term actually refers to the rarity of the occurrence. A blue moon is when there are two full moons within a month. This falls some way short of the 365/366 days in a calendar year: therefore, roughly every two and a half years a 13th full moon is seen. The term was-" Spencer says smartly.
"Spencer." Morgan interjected before the doctor could say more.
Cosette turned left and right in confusion. "But it was interesting," she whined. "The term comes from the saying, The moon is blue, right? Because it means something is impossible?"
Spencer felt strangely warm in his face from the way she finished his thought, and the way she asked if she was right was like she was asking for more facts. He realized he may have stared too long and adjusted his tie, "Yeah, from the 16th century."
"Don't goad him on much or pretty boy will talk your ears off with facts," Morgan warns.
"So," Cosette responds bluntly. The others shake their heads while coming up with their own guesses as to when she would tell him to shut up. But that didn't happen, no matter how long-winded or obscure the fact was. When passengers were allowed to move about the cabin, most had expected her to get up and run but instead, she unbuckled and sat sideways to pay closer attention to him.
"Didn't you want to move?" Spencer asked between facts.
"Do ya want me to? I mean I can! I know you have a book and you may prefer it to talking." Cosette asked pulling on her ear. Now that he was paying more attention he noticed she had a small metal hoop in the upper half of her ear. It was actually the only piece of jewelry she was wearing. No ring, bracelet, or necklace. She ducked her head at his stare and her ears began to twitch. "I swear to Veritas that I'm listening, but I can't tell you what the last three facts were even if you held me at gunpoint." Seeing Dr. Reids' face shift, she quickly tried to say more to stop his disappointment. "It's not that I'm not listening! I really am!" She clenched her hand and began to scratch her palm. "Sometimes I can be staring right at someone but the words don't register. It's a disconnection between the sounds and words, Auditory Processing Disorder. I didn't wanna stop you because even if I wasn't really hearing words, your voice was really nice and kinda excited."
Rossi again speaks up from across the plane aisle. "If I may ask what caused the disorder?" He looks worried when she can't answer immediately.
"It was a head injury. The full story was that I was a kid and the plane I was on crashed. At the time I was listening to Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra. It's why I was tapping it earlier. Not to like crash the plane or anything but like how killers develop rituals. I play or tap the song when I'm nervous on a plane and it tells me that no matter what happens I'd be fine because I was back then." She scratches the back of her neck. "I've been told it doesn't make much sense."
"Actually that does make sense. You're associating the song with the crash and surviving it so you subconsciously tap the song. Most likely a coping mechanism to help you not panic in the event of another crash." Spencer said.
"In not as many words, yes." Cosette said before yawning. Spencer wouldn't admit it to anyone but himself but she reminded him of a cute gerbil when she yawned. "Maybe I should take a nap?" She asked herself quietly.
"We'll be in the air for another hour or two. A small nap wouldn't hurt. Actually napping for half an hour can improve productivity leaving you feeling rested but not drowsy." Spencer added. "This is due to your brain never entering REM sleep."
"We get it pretty boy." Morgan added and when Cosette turned around she saw that Derek Morgan was in fact trying to sleep. She nodded toward Spencer before leaning back in her seat and quickly falling asleep.
~
Weeks later at another case. The team get to the police station, Cosette has her earbuds in again, this time, no one on the team blinks at the faint music. Even Spencer moves closer to hear it as he wonders what it is.
Spencer notice's when they arrive to the police station and begin giving a profile like they always do. Cosette doesn't stand with them. As Gideon and Derek and Hotch all give words on the profile; Spencer watched her eyes bounce from one face to another as she reads lips. Even when a cop speaks up she sees it out the corner of her eye and turns her head toward them. She picked a place to stand that let her both see her teammates and the cops when they talk.
He's again surprised by her intellect when even she comes up with the killer before him. A strange feeling erupts in his chest when she brushes against him to get the papers to Hotchner. It's like his heart beat harder but it was pleasant. Something warm tingles in his chest as she fist bumps the air after they've caught the suspect.
The team had to get conjoined rooms for another case and while most of the team went out for dinner you decided to stay in the room and take advantage of the hot water.
Spencer had also elected to stay with you not of your knowledge as he hears you begin to sing. And while he did enjoy hearing your music from time to time as it blasted through your earbuds, Spencer Reid found he liked hearing you sing even more as you belted the lyrics to another song he didn't know.
"I'm no James Dean
Heartthrob daydream
Bad hair, black jeans
Not cool suits me
Girls won't date me
Guys all hate me
Guess that must mean
I'm no James Dean
James Dean~
I'd got into Nirvana
And smoking marijuana
My first year in school
But you don't really wanna
Get busted by your momma
If you want to stay cool" ~ James Dean by the Wrecks.
Spencer hears through the open conjoining door as you get out of the shower. The song ends and you begin another while your shadow dances under the door with the steam.
"Please forgive my ugly I
Should've picked to be born more lovely I
Should've picked a face
That would've more easily won a place
For me in your heart rent-free
Please forgive my dimensions
I just should've designed myself for your bad intentions
I just should've picked a form
That would've made good mental porn
For all of your odd fantasies"
~ Ugly by Cloudfooter
While the lyrics were sad, you said them with a chirp. But Spencer finds himself not appreciating the song for how it made him feel. Even if he isn't the prettiest as he's been told by women and men alike. In a way he calls into question that maybe why he's viewed as ugly could be his need to give facts and explain things. Sometimes he can't help it really as it is just the way he thinks and sees the world. And while he does have some problems being complimented because he feels he doesn't deserve them he still wants to deserve them. In a way wanting to be praised.
"What're you thinking about so hard? I'd have thought ya went with the group for chow?" Cossette says from the foot of the bed startling him.
"Nothing." Spencer answers too fast.
"Uh huh. And I'm the queen." She says sarcastically. Spencer felt surprised to note that he liked her sarcastic comments. Few they were but still made him smile.
Cossette turns her back to the bed and falls back on it with a jump. She closes her eyes and curls up with a pillow. "Don't think too hard so late. Save the stressful thoughts for later."
"Do—do you think I'm pretty." Spencer asks.
Cossette opens one eye to examine him and Spencer thought he imagined it but her face does take on a redder hue but he simply explains it away with her having taken a hot shower.
"Honest truth? I think you're beyond pretty. I mean Derek is all macho and Hotchner has that stern vibe but you." Cossette pauses and closes her eyes again with a yawn. "Ya know, you're cute when you ramble those facts and you're damn near gorgeous when you wear those blazers. So yeah I think you're pretty. Where's this coming from? Did one of this cops say somethin'?"
"No I just."
"Do you doubt what I said was true?"
"No, but.."
"No butts. You're hot, pretty and gorgeous. Any bastard who tells you different is just jealous of you. For one you're kind and sweet. Super polite and well educated. You're easy to talk to and have a wonderful voice." The more she talked the quieter her voice got until Spencer looked over to see her sleeping.
"Spence! S-pence! Spencer!" Emily calls him a third time as he had been staring at Cossette'a empty desk after she left. And with her departure the buzzing of her music through her earbuds has also left him. It had only been a week since the last case and when Cossette had complimented him while also pushing away his fears. But in the process she also made him feel something strange. Unlike before the interaction, now whenever he had long conversations with her his eyes would unintentionally drift to her lips as she talked. And when she hummed or mumbled any song under her breath then he moved a little closer to hear. It was bad enough that he had even gotten a sharp grin from Morgan afterward.
During another case that was solved moderately swiftly the team still needed to stay in their hotel for the night (for sake of plot.) Spencer, who was awake as usual when all the other guys had already gone to sleep, heard as somewhere around four, one of the females left their room. Quietly he pokes his head to the conjoined door and notices Cossette isn't there in the bed with JJ. Standing, he slowly sneaks to the door. Not that he knows, his movement awakes Derek. He has to contain himself from telling the doctor to go get his girlfriend.
When Spencer finds her it's with her feet hanging over the edge of the pool. He hears her ragged breaths as she sings and mumbles through tears.
"Who gives a fuck about my nightmares?
'Cause I can barely focus when I'm like this
And lately, forty wings would be just priceless
I wrestle with myself and with my vices
But no one gives a fuck about my nightmares
But it's nothing you should worry yourself about (oh oh, oh oh)
It's nothing you should worry yourself about (oh oh, oh ohhh)
It's all a bit of fun until somebody gets hurt
I'll take it with a pinch of salt, another lesson learned"
~ nightmares by little life
"Is that how you really feel?" Spencer can't help himself from asking. He moves closer to her now still form as she tensed with his presence. Sitting beside her he lets one hand dip in the water. "I really hate cold water because on one of our cases a man kidnapped a boy and was going to drown him in a lake. I was the first one there so I had to swim out to save the boy while Derek and Hotch took care of the unsub. The water was cold like this." He says the last words with remorse. Could he not save the child?
"I just had a really bad nightmare," she shrugs her shoulders and wipes her eyes. "Wasn't about any case we had but, it was an unsub and he had this girl and I don't even know the girl but I swear to you it was happening on the front porch of my childhood home. He asks her if she wears hearing aids, maybe she's deaf or close to it. She says no and he said good, you won't be needing them. And then he screwed a bolt into the side of her head through her ear canal. I could hear her screaming, and then it changes and I'm the one being drilled into. I can't open my jaw or move my mouth because it it all hurts. My ear feels so hot like it's burning and there's something wet going down my neck. I can't breathe and then I wake up." She gives him a dry grin. "It's made no sense but it still freaked me out." She shakes her head again and her hair moves around her catching his eyes. She places her hands down against the edge of the pool and leans her head back to the stars. There weren't many due to how close they were to the city.
Spencer feels something bubble in his chest, like the feeling of drinking too much fizzy pop. Tentatively, scared, he gently places his hand over hers making her snap her head to him.
"What are you—?"
"Is it helping? 85% of adults have at minimum one nightmare a year. I'd...I'll be here if you have more." Spencer quirks a shy grin. Cossette smiles back and holds his hand before leaning against his shoulder.
The relationship between them became closer after that night.
Cossette walked out of the elevator into the bull pen with two coffees in hand while nodding her head to her music. She twirled around Spencer's desk before leaning against the corner with a bright smile. Spencer ducks his head with a smile as she sets the coffee down. "Crap ton of sugar, doll face." She says under her breath before turning and leaving with a skip away to see Penelope.
"What was that!" Derek asks with a laugh. "Ohhhh," Derek begins to raise his eyebrows up and down making Spencer fluster again.
"It's nothing."
"That didn't look like nothing," Rossi adds in passing while setting his things at his desk for the day. A soft smile melts the Italian man's face.
"Guys what's got everyone so smiley?" JJ asks as she too walks into the bull pen with folders in her hand.
"Pretty boy got coffee from his girlfriend. She made it just the way he likes it." Derek says the last part with more tease.
"She's not my girlfriend," Spencer reaches for the coffee and takes a sip with a soft smile.
"Not yet," Derek badgers.
It was only after a few more mornings like this that they began to go out on occasion. Spencer taking her to the book store when he found a book he thought she'd like.
"Don't expect me to read as fast as your Spence. This is— 300 pages in the least." Cossette smiled up at him.
"I don't expect you too but..." Spencer said sheepishly but she didn't let him finish.
"I'm just teasing, doc. At the very least I need an afternoon, hopefully we aren't called in when I get to the best part." She jests while gently holding the side of his vest. They hadn't progressed to holding hands yet. There was one time where she hooked her pinky around his. The innocent action made the boy genius flush and hide his face from her eyes.
"Hey Spence?"
"Yeah?"
"You should know something." She turned to stand in front of him. "You're pretty swell." She said in a mock English accent making Spencer crack a smile.
(Songs that will be included when this is finished. (This is reference for me but they’re good songs)
I pulled back from the hug to smile down at my brother, Gabriel. "Thank you." I said in a choked voice.
"Always." Gabriel says just as emotionally.
I pat his hair as I try to calm not only myself but him as well. I meet his eyes with certainty as I rebuild my resolve. I show the ring to him, "if anyone will lock our brother away, it will be me, not the Winchesters. I swear to you I will fix this. I was absent the last time, but this time, nothing will take my attention away from our brothers. If I have to drag them by the ear I will. If I have to chain him to me I will, however long it takes." I spill the words as fast as I think them. "Our fighting will end."
Gabriel snorts a laugh before hugging me again. "You'd really drag luci by the ear?" He says laughingly.
"I will." I say bluntly letting the necklace drop to my chest.
~~
It had barely been a day before I was being prayed to by the Winchesters. My feathers felt ruffled as I was reminded of the oldest Winchester, what I said may have been done out of anger but it was no less true. He has no right to judge my brothers while ignoring the sins of his own brother. I left the woods in a huff as I flew to them.
I landed in the somber motel room. Sam was giving his brother worried looks from the motel table. Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed, a bottle beside his feet.
"Winchesters." I said bitingly making both of them jump at my entrance.
Before Dean could open his mouth to start a fight, Sam but in. "Thank you for coming mars." Sam said cordially.
"Being polite will not earn you his ring." I said under my breath but audible for both to hear. The tv began turning static as my annoyance became apparent. "I want the other rings, if anyone will put my brother away it will be my choice."
Dean jumped up to argue. "Hell no!"
"Dean." Sam said trying to calm his brother.
"No Sammy, this dick bag Angel is just gonna take the rings and let Lucifer walk free." Dean argued as he stood up clutching the bottle.
I could feel my grace warning me of my impending anger. "Winchester, I have already leveled one battle field today and cleared every monster from this state, do not anger me further or you will be the reason I kill more." I said darkly as my eyes began to glow with grace. "I meant what I said. Lucifer will never walk free as long as I live. But Michael is no saint either. Both will be dealt with by my hand. They fear me more than that cage."
"Then why didn't you deal with them earlier?!" Dean asked in aggravation.
"There comes a time for every fight, I will fight on my time, on my terms. If I have to leash them to me I will." Then thoughtfully I added. "If I were to attack one then the other would go into hiding. It is best if I see them both. That time has not presented itself yet."
~~
"The time had in fact presented itself no more than a week later," a very sarcastic narrator announces.
~~
It was the great big showdown as they said. Lucifer had possessed some man while Michal had possessed the Winchester half brother Adam. They met in a graveyard and before any words could be thrown I walked between them both with precision and speed beyond their comprehension as I wrapped my hand around their throats. They hadn't even noticed me before that as I had watched them both arrive in full dramatics.
Lucifer's eyes widened in fear while Michael was a little slower on the uptake. When he did catch on he began to shake like Lucifer did.
Loud rock music began to play as Dean Winchester drove the impala up the stretch of road to the cemetery. I bit down a snarl but from the way both my brothers flinched they could probably feel my grace lighting up in anger. I didn't release my brothers nor did I let up my grip while I watched the oldest Winchester exit the car and proceed to lean against the hood.
"Why are you here?" I said my words bordering on enochian as the Winchester holds his head in pain.
Sam exits the car next and approaches with his hands raised in defense. "I tried to stop him from coming but he wouldn't listen. He wants to see you put Lucifer way. To see you end the apocalypse." Sam says placatingly.
"You filthy!" I hiss. "My brothers are my problem and they will be dealt with. Their punishments are not some spectacle for you to use against them. Leave with your lives or die, that is your only warning Winchester."
"Dean. He's not joking. You see him and Lucifer and Michael. Mars knows what he's doing."
"Final warning Winchester. I'm only letting you leave with your life because for a short time we did hold a friendship until you betrayed it."
Dean sighs and enters the impala. His eyes flash between annoyance and anger before Sam persuaded him to leave. When the impala is out of sight I turn back to my brothers. While they both are still fearful they have not said a word.
Gently I release my grip on their throats and set them both back on the ground, not realizing I had lifted them in the first place. "You will Not Move from this ground until the problems are dealt with. There will be no war and there will be no apocalypse, am I clear?" I demand.
"Yes." Michael says.
"Crystal." Lucifer parrots.
My hand that was on their throats moves to their shoulders as I grip them both tightly. "I am sorry for neglecting you both. I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop your first fight. Apologies will never take back what happened but I'm trying. I knew what was happening but I was forbidden to step in. And I'll never regret anything more than the fact that I let this happen." I breathe deeply as the crack in my chest begins to grow and with it the pain follows. "Michael as the second oldest you knew what you did was wrong. Your brother was in pain! He was wounded and biting at anything that moves and you didn't care. Amara is gods sister, she is darkness, but one cannot exist without the other so they sealed her away just like you did Lucifer. Did you even know Lucifer put her away. That he struggled and fought tooth and nail to survive but the mark of Cain took its toll and corrupted him. But instead of helping you turned your back on someone, your brother, who needed you." Michael flinches at the cutting blow. "It may be hard to understand the feelings and emotions we feel but we all have always loved you. Lucifer wasn't trying to disregard fathers creations." I sigh.
"Michael, I want you back in heaven. End this revolution! No more bloodshed among brothers. There will be no apocalypse, we can not simply fix earth by bombing it. Do either of you understand the troubles you would bring about if you decimated earth. The gods, Greek, pagan, Norse and Egyptian would riot with a fury that heaven could not withstand. Please return to heaven and if I see the revolutions are not dealt with peacefully I will return home to deal with them myself." I demand and Michael nods before leaving in a flap of wings.
Not a second passes before Lucifer throws himself at me in a tight hug. "M/n" Lucifer croaked on the edge of tears.
"My you've grown." The ache pains me again and I bite my tongue to not collapse. "You were so young and I could never fault you. Yes you have done bad things. Some outside your own control. I see your pain, I know your suffering and it does not make me love you any less, brother. You have been so strong. You have fought so hard and I have seen it. I know I was absent. I know."
"I'm here. I won't let you go this time." I pause and lightheartedly begin to joke. "Although I should apologize. I had to kill one of your princes." Lucifer pulls back with a questioning look. "Loki sold Gabriel out after your little showdown. Sold him to the highest bidder and that was...Asmodeus. I felt Gabriels discomfort and stormed the place. He was feeding off our brother like a junkie. I may have taken too much pleasure in the princes departure." I joke and Lucifer smiles.
"I never did like him." He jokes back. He pauses and becomes somber. "My punishment?"
"You will be by my side for the next decade at least. Chained or not is your choice. But I will get you the help you need and you will no longer feel that ache. You won't fight your darkness alone. Not anymore."
A strong smell of sulfur invades my nose and I turn expectantly to see Crowley. "Crow." I greet.
He grins and I feel that strange feeling again. Maybe I'm Ill.
"Mars." He greets. His accent as usual draws out the ar sound. He then gives a reluctant bow to Lucifer.
"Crowley. Lucifer, while free, will be absent from hell for a time. I ask that you begin your campaigning. If possible I'd like monthly updates on news downstairs and that you do your best as the king of hell for a time. If circumstances arise you may become a semi permanent ruler if my brother does not want to take his throne." I give him a small smile. "I wish you luck toward being the next king of hell."
Crowley becomes thoughtful before a devils smile develops. "And what if I wanted someone to rule by my side."
"Two rulers is not uncommon among the humans. I don't see why anyone should stop you." I answer.
In the background Lucifer rolls his eyes before hanging off mars and whining.
"Quiet, brother. Crowley was speaking." I admonish Lucifer making him pout. I don't think I've ever seen him do that and I feel the urge to do something I've seen Dean do to same on similar occasions. Unwillingly I raise my fingers and lightly pinch Lucifer's cheek. "Don't be bratty." I then turn back to Crowley and address him again, the slight redness of his face is lost entirely on me. "As I said, you're welcome to have someone rule beside you if you can also get opinions from your closest demons. Pick someone who wouldn't try to usurp your power, your running for king. Take Asmodeus for example, he attacked an archangel for more power, you can safely assume he was disposed of. Am I making sense?"
"Crystal." Crowley says with a resigned sigh.
"Is something else the matter? You're usually much more—chipper?" I ask in concern.
Crowley eyes Lucifer from behind me before coughing and stepping closer. "I was hoping that you might perchance spend an evening with me... to go over plans for my campaign." He finishes the last bit rushed.
"I don't see why not, Lucifer will have to remain in the vicinity while I watch him." I tilt my head slightly. "I hope these talks won't involve the older Winchester or any Winchester for that matter, I understand there is some...truce between your two parties but I want no place in it while I take on the responsibility of setting heaven straight."
"Obviously, I'll pick you up at 8, wear something snazzy." The demon says before leaving quickly.
I turn to Lucifer with confusion, "snazzy? Why, I haven't heard that term in at least a few decades. I think the last time I was considered snazzy was when I had my hair longer than a buzz cut." For emphasis I try to measure how long my hair actually is and it's only a few centimeters longer than the original cut. With focus the hair begins to grow until at least an inch or two long. Making it flop charmingly.
I check myself over in a procured mirror. Adjusting it to my desires. Lucifer pokes his head over my shoulder in the mirror. "Where will I be stationed?"
"Near me, you will be joining us at the restaurant but you shouldn't be at the table in case this is a business deal or he plans to introduce me to his secondary ruler. You've mucked enough up as is. Starting forward I'd like heaven and hell to have good relations." With another snap, me and Lucifer move to my human home to discuss things in more depth.
When Crowley appears again both me and Lucifer have fully changed for whatever the occasion may be. Crowley holds the crook of his arm out like he had done each time he has teleported. With practiced ease I slip my hand over his. In a blink we are in front of a nice restaurant. Crowley asks for his reservation and then we are seated. Lucifer somewhere within eyesight of our table.
Within seconds of sitting down a waitress approaches with menus and asks for our drink orders. Crowley takes the lead in ordering a dark wine with a pomegranate undertone. I tip my head at the choice while keeping an eye out for any other guests. I'm curious who he would choose for a second ruler. If he could subdue Abadon she would make a good secondary leader. Even Cain would be a good candidate if Crowley could convince him to come out of hiding. There's also Alastair, while I don't appreciate torture it can be the easiest way to get anything. Even the threat of torture can bend knees. I continue to think thoughtfully while perusing the menu.
"Do you have any preferences? I come here often so I may be of help." Crowley offers and I nod folding my menu back up to look at him.
"I am curious who you would recommend as your secondary ruler. I've considered multiple possibilities but..."
"But?"
"Well of all those I considered, no one has been introduced yet. So maybe it's someone you think I wouldn't approve of. But that's absurd. I trust your judgement whole heartedly."
Crowley coughs into his wine and uses his napkins to cover his mouth. The tips of his ears turning red making me tilt my head in confusions.
"Are you well?" I asks sympathetically.
"I'm fine." He barks.
"I see." I respond. "You should know that Lucifer is glaring at you for some reason." At that moment the waitress arrives to take our order and refill the wine.
"It's so lovely to see a father and son having a wonderful meal. Most sons can't even give their fathers the time of day after they leave the house." The waitress admits. In the background Lucifer begins to cackle much to my confusion.
I could See Crowley revving up for a freak out. "We're not father and son! He's my bloody date for crying out loud! Damned seven hells!!" He shouts in aggravation as he still coughs.
"Oh, I, I'll be back with the second course." The waiter says sheepishly and backs up nearly tripping into another table.
I feel a warmth in my face that I don't understand, "this was a date? I hadn't even realized you were persuing me. Not that I don't mind, your charming, and polite, easy to talk to, with a particular handsome smile. But..."
Crowley opens his mouth but pauses before moving his hand forward to take my own. "I was hoping to express my affection more appropriately. I had been feeling this way for a while and at first I didn't understand if you knew or not. Gabriel had cleared up some misunderstandings."
I raise my eyebrow, "what misunderstandings? You're persuing me and I appreciate your companionship. What more is there to be?"
"Then you're denser than a ship anchor. I've been bloody following you since the beginning. And then you kept giving me gifts and... well I thought you knew." He simmers into a pout. I don't think I've seen that expression on him before. Maybe once or twice I've seen it on my soldiers as they try to puppy eye their way out of chores.
I let my forefinger hover over his lips. His face is getting red again and gently I thumb the corner of his lips. "Don't pout so hard or your face will get stuck that way." I give a wry grin, my lips barely lifting but my eyes showcase most of my smile. "I think, If I knew how, I would've been able to be more affectionate." I huff and my smile becomes softer, more real. "So, will we peruse this?"
"As long as you'll have me?"
I twist our hands and link our fingers. "I don't mind."
<Something really short but came to me at work. Lighting thief concept thingy.>
I carried the groceries into camp borders with ease despite there being many. As I passed kids, I gave them their specific item from the bags. Most campers were given money over the year when they were outside and they would save it until they got to camp to buy things they couldn't usually get like gum and candy.
I walked toward the big house and reached into one of the heavier bags I pulled out a can and chucked it at Mr D. The camp director. He caught the can with grace only bestowed on the gods.
"And what is this Mr Domino black?" He sneers at me. Messing up my name like he does every camper.
"A work around. I'm finally 21, Mr D." I answer smiling brightly and mischievously. It takes a moment for lord Dionysius to catch on but when he does he materializes a glass and pours the can into it. Instead of turning to water like usual the glass stays the same colour and Mr D looks at me in disbelief. We wait for the boom of thundered disproved but none comes and I roll my hand for the god to take a sip and he does with interest. Pulling away he smiles to himself.
"And how?"
"Non alcoholic, can't get drunk but they still don't sell it to minors. They got loads of things that are non alcoholic, brandy, tequila, sparkling wine." I'm close enough I'm now standing beside him and pass off the heaviest bag to the god of wine and madness. "Cost a damn lot but I've been saving up since I first saw it." I admit sheepishly. I know the gods aren't ones for Thank yous so I give a little salute and turn around to continue handing out things to the campers.
An hour later I make my way back to the Hermes cabin where I have been since my arrival at camp halfblood. Not that I was a Hermes kid, I've just been unclaimed.
Mindlessly I toy with my leather necklace that holds more beads than any other camper. 12 various decorated beads hang from the leather cord and display how long I've been at this camp. 12 years to this day. Making me the oldest camper in camp half blood. Aside from those in Artemis cabin but they don't count!
Hermes cabin is littered with children, claimed and unclaimed. Most of the claimed Hermes children are given beds while the unclaimed have mats on the floor. I've been here so long I have my own hammock in the far back, no one has ever tried to steal it because they all know it's mine.
I continue to pass the things out while speaking respectfully. "Please try not to steal candy from each other this time. Only trading." They all nod but I know the second I turn my back there's a complaint that someone stole someone else's candy.
"Hey! New camper! New camper!" A kid yells running into the cabin. "Clarisse has him!"
I groan in aggravation before stalking out the caving with a following crowd. "Clarisse La Rue!" I shout making her stop where she's standing. "Put the damn kid down!" I order and she drops the boy like he's poisonous. But instead of walking off like she usually does she turns and begins to attack me. I sigh and easily block each attack unarmed. "Clarisse, I will break your spear again." I threaten. She doesn't back down and attacks more ferociously. "Oh Cmon la Rue, is it that time of the month again." I mock and she growls before lunging just like I wanted. I doge and hit her in the back of the neck knocking her out and catching her. With ease I throw her over my shoulder and approach the boy she was bullying.
"I'm sorry about the unwelcoming committee, I'm the welcoming committee, welcome to camp Half blood. If you have any question or need help your welcome to ask me anything and I will answer to the best of my abilities." I easily pull the boy up and pat his shoulder before stalking toward the ares cabin.
Expecting my knock, one of the less argumentative Ares children let's me in and I easily set Clarisse on her bunk, having done this a couple times before. I take her shoes off so she's more comfortable and tuck her in. Doing all this under the watchful eyes of the ares cabin.
"Best of luck at capture the flag tonight!" I cheer them on.
During capture the flag I’m placed near the river that divides the territories. I stand beside the kid, Percy. I have my bow on my back while I use daggers as my primary. I can sense Annabeth Chase near us as she watches Percy under her invisibility cap.
I shouldn’t be able to see or sense her but strangely I can, it’s still fuzzy like looking through the mist but not hard to discern.
Clarisse fights her way to the border with all the fury I would expect. She goes for Percy first and I give a lamenting sigh after she strikes him harshly with every intent to harm. The second time she goes for the same strike I catch her spear by the pole.
“La Rue, cease.”
She growls, pulling her spear back making the bladed end slice my hand open. Blood begins to drip down my fingers and I shake my hand out. For a second she looks fearful.
While I have stopped her many times from hurting other campers, she has never hurt me. Even when we had our little spars, we had never drawn blood against the other. Be it out of respect or fear I do not know. I breathe deeply and close my eyes. “It’s okay it was an accident. I’ll need stitches but I will live.” I kneel toward Percy and his face is pinched in pain. Clarisse had cut from sternum to shoulder and the cut grazed his chin as well. “Let’s get you to the water, yes?” Percy nods and I lift him with me to pull him toward the creak.
Within seconds of Percy touching the stream I can see a faint glow as his cut closes on its own. For a moment the teen looks fearful, not understanding what happened.
Even worse is when annabeth pulls off her cap, revealing herself and she gawks at Percy with something I care not to dissect. Clarisse herself watches in shock. All of us know what this means. And just as expected, a blue glow hovers over the teens head. Proudly presenting Poseidon’s trident. (Say that five times fast.)
“What?”
Campers converge on the location and all look on with shock, fear and trepidation at the claimed son of Posideon.
I can see the rising panic when campers and nymphs alike begin to kneel. I bend down and hold the teens hand. “It’s all going to be okay.” Turning to the crowd I announce the game is over and the blue team has won. After that statement I turn again to the teen and pull him with me while leading him back to Hermes cabin. Along the way I explain what I can about who and what happened.
“Due to being claimed, you may not be able to stay in Hermes Cabin. Poseidon has a cabin but no one else lives there. You’d be getting a whole cabin to yourself. “ I try to joke but the boy still is in too much shock.
Entering Hermes cabin I see two campers no older than eight, fighting over something. “Stop it. Is that Percy’s stuff?” The one boy tries to hide it behind his back but under my glare he reveals it to be the minotaur horn. I hand the relic back to Percy and help pack his things.
Some campers have already returned from the field and they all watch us from their bunks. We ignore them and I help Percy carry what little belongings he has. On the way out Luke puts his hand on Percy’s shoulder.
When we leave the cabin he turns to me with a frown. “Why does it feel like everyone’s expecting me to die?” Percy asks and I give him a wry grin.
“The main threes’ kids don’t usually last long.”
“But. You’re the oldest here, aren’t you?” Percy questions.
“Oldest that I am, I’m unclaimed. I’ve shown affinity for most godly parents but since I have not been claimed I stay in Hermes cabin. Most demigods wouldn’t stick around that long if they’re unclaimed. They go out into the real world and then…we don’t know what happens to them. One or two may come back throughout the year to check in but…” I shake my head. “I am the oldest but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been hunted down before. Every month I go into town I have to face a lot of monsters. You even had your own tussle with one of the sisters. My point is, yes, I’ve outlived most of my friends. Claimed or not we all are hunted.” With those last bitter words we reach the door of his cabin.
Looking down at the offending bloodied blade I grinned sharply.
“Oh, if you wanted to kill me you shouldn’t have missed.” I turn my puppy dog eyes to the man in the ghost face. I grip the blade and pull it out with a soft whine. Lifting my shirt to see the entry wound, “next time don’t miss, baby boy.” I say teasingly, my words obviously have an effect as he stands still with heavy breathing. Clearly startled.
I reach across the counter nearest to me and grab a rag before packing the entry. The killer flinches back at how brutally I’m treating my own body.
“If you came here to kill me because I’m part of her friend group then you clearly have me mistaken.” I look up at him again. “I’m just a punching bag, mr killer.”
When he still gives no reaction I turn away from him and half limp to the living room where I try the phone. “Damn.” I Mutter when I hear the dead line. In response a blade is placed under my throat making me hiss. “Put that thing down I was just trying to order a damn pizza.” Then quieter I mumble, “I get munchies when I patch myself up. And if I don’t eat I’ll just pass out and bleed to death.”
With a sigh I let myself fall to the dusty couch and bend over the side to grab the ever present med kit that I had stashed there. “Are you just gonna stand there and watch or are you going to get me a warm bowl of water?” I order the male, I can tell he’s male from whatever deodorant he’s using. That and his shoes are too big to be female, same with his hands. He’s shocked enough to actually do as I said and returns with a bowl of water. I dip my finger in it and sigh at the warmth.
I shake my head, gotta stay awake. Reaching over I turn on the tv and switch it to the channel playing horror movies. The killer beside me instantly becomes entranced making me bark a laugh. “Horror fan too, my good sir?” I joke and he shakes his head yes. This whole time he hasn’t spoken and maybe it’s the adrenaline or the blood loss but I teasingly say, “cat got your tongue, baby boy?”
“No.” A distorted voice responds.
“Voice modulators in the suit, nice.” I say as I turn my attention back to the open med kit. I struggle to thread the needle but eventually get it. All while the ghost faced killer sits on an opposite arm chair with divided attention between the movie and me. By the credits I have stitched the wound closed. I’m wrapping it in gauze when he finally stands up.
He’s almost nervous like he doesn’t know what to do. He’s holding that bloody knife again and pointing at me. “Don’t tell anyone.”
I throw my head back in a laugh, “who would I tell, baby boy.” At this point I’ve called him that couple times and while most of the jocks at our school would feel threatened. This man seems to almost preen at the words like they’re a compliment.
It’s a week later and I’m visited again. I don’t ask how he got in I just lean against the wall with a soft smile. “Back again, Baby boy?” I realize my mistake when I see his gait. “Not baby boy. So there’s two of you, smart.” I say with a shrug turning to walk back into my living room.
I hear the floorboard behind me creak under pressure and I lean hard left barely avoiding a knife stab. I grab the males arm and lift it up while turning. Pulling his arm to his back and pushing him against the wall with force. I hiss at the pull in my abdomen and press him into the wall harder. “Don’t get pissy or your going to rip my stitches.”
I Take the blade out of his hand and while I’ve taken a visible weapon away I don’t doubt he has more hidden on his person. “I don’t trust you so I’m going to pat you down.” I move one hand around and over his shoulders and then down his back and around his waist. I find another knife and a concealed cellphone that I stuff back in his pocket. The hard part was checking his legs because I couldn’t reach down and still hold his arm up.
So I do something mildly stupid and let his arm go to crouch by his legs. I give another hiss at the stretch but check him thoroughly. When the pat down is done I use the wall to try and get back up but I feel something tear and curse under my breath.
When I’m standing again I let my head rest against the wall with a sigh as sweat is already coating my brow. The second killer had backed away to watch me. I put my hand on the wall and continue to limp my way to the living room. Halfway there I take my bloody shirt off and throw it in the opening of the laundry room.
Being shirtless exposes my thin but muscular frame covered in patchy white scars. I’m really thankful I was wearing my sports bra too or I’d be more concerned taking my shirt off around the serial killer. “Getting undressed for me already sweetheart.” He flirts through the Modulator.
“In your dreams, brat.” I lower myself into the couch with a Hmpf. I reach my hand underneath and blindly search for the medkit like last time. This time I’m thankful I also stashed a bottle of scotch. I take a Long sip of the amber liquor before I even bother to look at the damage.
Two stitches had ripped and began to needlessly bleed. The second ghost face killer comes closer to the couch with interest. Kneeling beside me his dips an ungloved hand in the blood puddling my chest and slips his fingers under his mask. A little bit of the blood catches on the white face and I can just barely make out his chin.
I roll my eyes at his behavior and grab the alcohol to pour over the wound. When the skin is well and numb I smile and take the broken stitches out before restitching them. When I’m done I let my head fall back into the cushions with a sigh.
“You didn’t go to the hospital?”
I quirk a lazy grin. “No, they wouldn’t have helped me anyway. Because I don’t have money to pay them.” I say the words slowly to make my point. “Can I please order a Pizza this time?” My response is silence that I then try to fill. “I already told your partner, I get the munchies when I’m hurt. If I don’t eat I will fall asleep.”
“What’s your favorite scary movie?” The man asks through distortion.
“My bloody valentine, next?”
“Why.”
“Um duh, because it was good. I liked the idea of people dying on Valentine’s Day it was a little ironic ya know with the whole death do us part vow.”
The ghost face killer gives a breathy chuckle and begins to run his fingers through my hair. It’s not that bad and I kinda sink into his hand. “Your really not scared, are you?”
“I’m really hungry if that helps?” I tease through a yawn.
Soon I’m falling asleep with a killer stroking my hair. I wake up ten or twenty minutes later to the smell of warm pizza and when I open my eyes there’s a pizza box on my living room table.
I slowly position myself to kneel next to the low table and I open the still warm box of pizza. Cheese pizza <3
Hungrily I dig in to fill my appetite and sway side to side happy.
“Look at that.” A Voice says to my left. I turn and see the same killer as before. His new defining marker being the tinge of red at the bottom of the mask from where he tasted my blood.
“Don’t tease me, brat, I was hungry, I haven’t eaten since…well shoot.” I blink rapidly at the realization. Was it really that long.
“Shoot, What?” Another modulated voice asks. I turn my head with a perky smile. “Baby boy!” Excitedly I wave him over. “Pizza!” I hold up a slice for him and I can tell he rolled his eyes at me. “Don’t roll your eyes at me.” I snuff turning back to my pizza. The second man chuckles.
“She really isn’t scared at all?”
“What? Do you seriously want me whining and crying like some dumb girl in a horror movie?” I lift my lip in a snarl. “Hate when they do that, it does nothing for the movie.” I mumble around a mouthful of pizza.
A silent conversation goes on behind me and then both killers move to opposite ends of the couch and sit down putting their feet on the table in synch. “Cute.” I tease again. “You should really get a slice, boys, before I eat the whole damn thing.”
The one on the left moves to get a slice and I notice it’s the same one with red on the mask. That lets me assume the other is the first one I met.
I reach across the table and there are two electronics barely in arms length. The phone and the remote. I feel brave for some reason and pick up the phone, two bodies tensing behind me. Visibly, so both can see me, I take the batteries out. I then reach for the remote with a giggle. “You boys are way too tense, cops couldn’t catch ya even if I pointed you out, dumb hicks they are. And like hell I’d do that,” I lean back against the couch to see them both. “That lady you guys killed a couple years back had it coming, so did those kids.”
“And what did they deserve, sweetheart.” The one on my left that I had been calling brat said.
“Well you gutted them but I would’ve cut out their tongues and broke their fingers. Casey was a cheater, cheated on my tests and on her boyfriend. Dunno how he’s doing but she was sleeping with the dumb jock while datin Macher.” I dip my lips into a frown. “He didn’t deserve a bad girlfriend, I think he’s dating Tatum, I don’t like her either. She was involved in a hit and run that was never investigated. Suspicious!” I say the last part in a high pitched voice.
The one on the right speaks up this time. “What did miss Prescott deserve?”
My grin dips before realigning. “Bitch had more kids than she had marriages, I know that. But if that’s true then why does little ol Sydney have no siblings in the house.” I pause and the one on the left is the first to catch on.
“You don’t mean?”
“What—that she killed them? No, Miss Prescott had a set of twin girls. I’m Sydney Prescott’s twin, I don’t look it do I?” I reveal to them and both seem startled at the information. “I got put up for adoption and was adopted by my lovely parents.” I stretch the word lovely and rub a scar over my shoulder. They pick up on the message and leave it at that.
“Not that my twins a Saint either. She has a porn blog about herself. All that talk about virginity and not giving it up but she’s got a blog selling her body. Her boyfriend, Loomis, the shit I could tell you about him. Okay so like her mom, my mom. Totally slept with his dad and fucked up the entire marriage. I mean, what a Home-wrecker. If I were Loomis…”
A hand is placed under my chin and my head is turned toward a smiling face. Billy-fucking-Loomis. “You’d do what, Sweetheart?”
“Mother-fucker!” I curse sharply in shock. “No fucking way, I mean it only makes sense. She would’ve been your first kill, then…” I can’t stop the sharp open mouthed smile. “Sydney’s so fucked!” I give a disbelieving laugh. I turn to the other killer with a smile. “If he’s Billy,” I get up and put my knee on the couch to steady myself and take off the other killers mask. “Stu Macher, you son of a gun.” I put my hands on both sides of his face and give him a quick kiss. I turn to Loomis to do the same. Before pulling away I bite his lip drawing blood making him pull back with a hiss.
“What was that for sweetheart?” Billy asks.
“Payback, you had my blood,” I then lick his blood off my lip.
“No hard feelings about the stab?” Stu asks.
“None,” I turn to him with a teasing smile, “you were so cute when you were confused.” I let my eyes drift back to Billy. “He couldn’t kill me so you were sent to finish the job but I’m clearly not dead.” There’s a question somewhere in there and Billy nods running a finger through my hair.
“You’re interesting.”
A month passed and both boys had continued to visit, my stab wound was still aching and I couldn’t move much. I was really thankful I had graduated early because I could not imagine how I would’ve gotten around school with a stab wound. Billy or Stu would drop off after school to see me. Eventually becoming affectionate, I was a little confused at first and asked about their girlfriends. When I did, both boys looked at each other over my head before saying in synch that they dumped them.
I guessed as much when stu couldn’t keep his arms from around me during a scary movie marathon. Billy would give short kisses to my hair while keeping an arm over my shoulders. It was strange at first but I shrugged it off and soaked in the affection with a bleeding heart.
We have been dating for three months and It was hot. My ac had broke again, so I was lounging in my sports bra and free flowing pajama shorts. We were watching a horror movie, Stu had his face buried in my lap facing the movie while I leaned against Billy. Stu moved and rolled to face my stomach and began to bury his nose in my bandages with a sigh.
“Your blood smells so good.” He whined clenching my hips. He began to leave love bites and hickeys along the available skin.
Billy began to take control of my lips and make out. He pressed a hand lightly to my throat when he let up and he too began to mark me up.
I rolled my head back with a sigh, “couldn’t we have finished the movie first?”
“You already know how it ends,” Billy murmured against my skin. Stu chuckled as well, sending vibrations of his voice against my stomach.
“You both suck,” I whined after missing my favorite part.
“And bite,” Stu added with a sharp bite to the skin over my ribs. I held his hair tightly in my fist at the pain he caused. I could feel a drop of blood then running down my stomach which he hungrily licked up. Billy did the same with my collarbone and I hissed.
“Like vampires.” I said sarcastically.
Billy pulled away to smile, my blood staining his teeth. “We were watching Dracula.” He says smartly.
“Then allow me to return the favor?”
Stu nods quickly and sits up in front of me to expose his throat with excitement. I side eye Billy for reference and as much as I can tell, he didn’t hate the idea.
I start by leaving kisses up Stu’s neck until I find where I want to bite and I suck on the spot first giving it a purplish bruise. I lick the spot again and bite down, metallic liquid drips into my mouth. I leave his neck with a few soft kisses to the reddened area. When I pull away his eyes are misty and drunken.
I let my hands softly trace his face and speak softly. “Are you okay, Baby boy?”
“So good.” He whispered back. He leans forward and begins to make out with me, he holds a thumb over my throat and cuts off my air slightly to make me pant. To get back at him I let my cold hands explore under his jumper, nails scratching his skin as I hold his waist.
“Sharing is caring, sweetheart.” Billy says as he tries to get our attention.
“Never watched Care Bears.” Stu jokes under his breath and continues to kiss me. He straddles me and rolls his hips against me for friction. I let one of my hands move from his waist to grip his thigh making him groan through a hiss.
Billy decided to watch while he waits his turn as patiently as a psychotic boyfriend could. It was not very long. Not long at all. He shoves stu away and pushes me down to cover me with his body. “It’s my turn.” He says but both me and Stu can hear the whine he tried to hide.
I reach up to let my hand run though his hair before pulling his neck back. Leaning up I begin to mark his skin like I had done with Stu only more aggressively. Nipping at his Adam apple as I went. “Are you happy, brat?” I question against his throat and he puts pressure on my wound in response.
“Don’t Call me that.” He demands.
I bite again at his throat with an open mouth while one hand moves down from his hair to dig my nails sharply into his shoulder. “Don’t be a brat then.” I say back with a smirk.
“Guys!” Stu whines wanting our attention.
Billy sighs and gets off of me letting Stu again shower my face in kisses. His stubble makes me giggle “Your so pretty.” Stu says in amazement as he hears me.
“No, your pretty, baby boy.” I nip at his ear and his face gains a reddish drunken hue. A combination of the compliments, teasing and calling him Baby boy make him go misty eyed.
More months pass and the end of their school year is fast approaching. “We should finish what we started.” Billy says out of the blue over breakfast. After another bad beating from my parents, Billy and Stu helped move all my belongings to Billy’s cabin. From there we all kinda started living together.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I want to finish what I started. It’s not over yet.”
I hold my spoon pointing it at him, “let me guess, the principal, Tatum. Your not really gonna leave Sydney alive, are you?”
“We could frame her dad. Not that hard.” Stu adds.
“That would be a hit, local father now suspected for the murder of his wife four years prior and the killing of 5 teenagers and the Highschool principle. More tonight at 6.” I add sarcastically making us all share matching grins. With a nod we all disperse from the half eaten breakfast. “I’ll gather the dirt,” I say over my shoulder on the way to our room to change. Before I leave I kiss Stu’s shoulder in passing as he sharpens the blades. I also give a quick Kiss to Billy’s jaw as he holds my coat out to me, it’s actually his, but semantics.
“Be safe.” Stu yells.
“Come home before dark.” Billy adds.
I stand over the principle with a sneer. “Sick bastard, Little Kids, really?” I pull back my leg and kick his nose, hearing it snap brings but little satisfaction.
The boys take care of the body by literally hanging him up by the flag pole. School is canceled and we plot how to get Tatum away from Sidney.
While both boys had finally agreed that Sidney must die, they still wanted her to be the last possible victim.
Tatum is easily killed at a party and it is covered up by police to look like drugs. The reason it was so easy is because it was a ghost face party, literally everyone dressed in the dime store costumes to mock or commemorate the killer.
Slowly I had been releasing dirt on those that were killed, enough dirty secrets and bad decisions that people began to praise the killers.
“We’re like Batman!” Stu said throwing his fist into the air.
“That means your Robin,” Billy teases Stu with a light shove.
“What does that make bunny,” Stu says calling my nickname for me.
“Cat woman?” I ask aloud. Stu agrees and buried his head in my neck, shaking with excitement as he left pecks on my throat.
“Our girl is so smart, and pretty.” Stu gushes before chuckling. Sometimes he got into moods where he couldn’t sit still and would be twitchy when he did move. Usually it was from being over excited. I did like always and began to run my hands through his hair while humming soothingly. He sank into me while pushing me to lay down on the couch. Soon I was laid down with his head barely below where my bust ended while he tried to calm down. “You always treat me so well.” He said full of affection as he rubbed his face into my stomach.
“Where’s my kisses and cuddles?” Billy jokes with little heat to it. I lift my upper body as much as I can and he slides under me. My head resting on his thigh as he leaned against the arm rest. I teasingly bite his thigh through the jeans.
“Is my brat satisfied?” I say and he gives a groan.
“The buttons you push…” he exhales.
Soon it’s time for the final kill. Because I’m the smart one of the three of us; I decided that taunting her was not the best option. It would’ve only felt good for a moment and the more we taunt the more likely she could learn who was the killer. Bad idea.
So while Billy called her, Stu chased her through the house much like what was done with the other murders. But this time I was also there for backup in case my twin got too brave. I had already switched the bullets on the gun in the house so it would be useless. All the knives were thrown into the dryer where she couldn’t find them.
Unfortunately there was a complication as gale was also there at the time. I heard Gales scream and ran to the scene where she was. Quickly I dispatched her by stabbing her through the back of her neck.
Stu was wrestling Sydney on the ground and when he saw my display he gave an audible groan, “that was soo hot Bunny.” He said breathily.
“Focus!” I said back and Sydney looked between us back and forth with confusion.
“Right!” Stu said through the modulator and banged her head against the floor making her black out. Jumping into action we posed the bodies to make a more clear murder. I had stabbed gale a few more times before he fully passed to really sell it.
Sydney was posed in her room, scantily dressed and tied to the headboard with her blood on the walls spelling slut. Her computer was also pulled open to show off her porn site. “Like mother like daughter,” was written on a note I left behind.
The three of us planted the evidence and left before the cops ever arrived. And when they did they found Mr Prescott passed out drunk with a bottle of scotch close to him and covered in blood.
“Billy you should’ve seen it! She fucking stabbed that bitch like it was nothing! I almost came just from seeing it! So so hot!” Stu gushed as he held me in his lap. In between sentences he’d give me feverish kisses and touch me lovingly like something divine.
“Oh I saw, saw everything our sweetheart did. Damn hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” Billy said tightening his grip on the steering wheel while speaking huskily. He leaned over to squeeze a hand on my thigh and stroke the inside of it.
“Cmon, it’s not over until it’s on the news. Don’t celebrate yet.” I admonish them both. Then taking the conversation a complete 180 I say, “So what college are we going to?”
Outside of training for battle with Jasper and sometimes the major, I also stopped going to school. Unless Jasper dragged me out of the motel or Esme kicked me out of her house, then I went to school. Where the Cullens had no reason to talk to me and I had no reason to talk to them.
Sometimes Jasper would brush against me in the hall or stare at me during lunch. Little things to be affectionate.
Balla found out about the Cullens little secret and then her and Edward went public. She was surprised to see me the first time she went to the Cullen home.
// I was laying over the couch while I played Mario cart against Emmet. He had challenged me to an all out war over the game and I decided I would put him in his place. If that involves cheats then so be it.
"Oh come on!" Emmet whined as he was once again taken out by a turtle shell.
Even when Jasper moved to sit beside my upside down form I didn't tear my eyes away from the game until I passed the finish line. "Need something."
"Bella's coming over." Jasper said like it solved everything.
"Awww big scawy soldier don't wanna eat the humie." I tease. I turn until I'm sitting upright and then jaspers hand goes around my back to my waist. His other hand lifts my legs to lay over his. "If worse comes to worse I'll restrain you and major." I say patting his hand on my knee.
"You know about major?!" Emmet asks in surprise as he falls off the couch.
I glare at Jasper from the corner of my eye and snort. "Fucker is clingy and needy as all hell. Like a fucking cat." I joke. If Jasper could blush he would be as he hides his face in my hair. I pat his shoulder as I smile at his embarrassment. // flashback end.
~~
Then there was a baseball game. Unlike Bella, I could play and keep up with the Cullens.
I planted my feet into the ground as I held the bat securely in my grip. Jasper was pitching and I watched as he raised his arm to throw and I flexed my fingers before hitting the ball. It left the bat with a sharp crack and began to smoke as it caught fire mid air.
"Hot potato!" Emmet yelled as he avoided the ball. It zoomed into the surrounding forest before hitting a tree making another crackle sound.
Alice gasps and informs everyone that the nomads in the area heard us and are coming.
Edward rushed to Bella's side and tries to lead her to the car. "They're traveling so quickly" Alice continues.
"You said they left the county" Rosalie says bluntly.
I sigh and lean against the bat as I wait.
"They did, but then they heard us and changed their minds." Alice defends herself.
The family goes silent with tension as the three nomads approach from the woods. Two blondes and an African male. All with striking red eyes that alerts me to their diet. I tip my head in amusement and excitement.
The African male holds up the scorched ball by two fingers. "I believe this belongs to you." He then tosses the ball with blinding speed toward doctor c. Who catches it easily. "Could you use three more players?"
"Of course." Carlisle says cordially.
"I'm Laurent and this is Victoria and James." The male introduces himself and the blondes.
I lick my lips at the information. Grace burning under my skin in excitement. "I'm on their team." I say kicking the bat under my arm and twirling it in my hand before it rests on my shoulder. Either the Cullens are too shocked or they hide it well as no one stops my movement. "Would you like to bat first?" I ask while I walk toward them.
"Thank you, and if I may ask who hit the last ball?" Laurent asks in curiosity. He's not very good at hiding it.
I'm giddy as I skip toward him and twirl the bat for emphasis. "Guilty."
"I'm impressed, not many could catch a ball on fire like that. Are you a pyromancer?" Victoria asks as she approaches me.
"Oh hunny buns I'll be whatever you need me to be." I say flirtatiously.
She's surprised before she leans closer with a smile. "Is that a promise?" She teases.
Behind us two vampires growl. James and Jasper. I turn to Jasper with a glare and when I meet his eyes their flashing between golden and black. I roll my own eyes with a sigh. "Yer never any fun." I whine. Me and Victoria stoped flirting but casually her hand brushed my skin as she passed me and she recoiled in fear before playing it off with confidence. No one else saw the interaction.
The game was played until James catches Bella's scent. "You brought A snack."
"Told ya the humie smelled." I chirp after the interaction. When the Cullens spilt I go with Jasper and Alice. I didn't have much choice because they thought I was at risk as well.
~
The hotel had a stocked mini fridge at least and while Bella moped in the bed room I sat in the living room drinking the mini bottles.
I know when Bella leaves and follow only steps behind her where I'm led to a ballet studio. James waits and before he can pounce on her I get to him first. Hand on his arm.
"Hiya! While Bella may be clumsy and dating a loser she doesn't deserve whatever torture your gonna put her through." I chirp as the dark beast rears its head. My stomach is tight with excitement and ideas of violence. My fingers clench tighter over the vampires arm as I tilt my head and lean toward his face. He's stock still in shock but it only last a second.
"She said your dangerous. That I should watch out for you." James murmurs under his breath.
My smile stretches almost psychotically. "Bel—la why don't you run along now. Me an Jamie wanna play." I say liltingly as my voice rises with my excitement.
"But."
This time I do turn my eyes from James. I stare Bella down and she flinches back a step. "Hell's bells child! Get out." I demand before turning back to the vampire.
Lightning fast he puts his hand on my throat and I chuckle despite the tightness. "Always the throat." I say unflinching as I pry his fingers from my neck and begin breaking them. My free hand goes to his shoulder to hold him down as I rip his hand and some of his forearm. "Need a Hand?" I say waving the appendage before throwing it behind me.
He crumples holding his handless arm in pain before rushing for me.
A fight ensues and I begin to dance around him while throwing taunts between laughter. When I felt like it's been long enough for bella to get away I begin to strike back. A hit to his leg or arm and he slows considerably as it takes time to heal the cracks. I mostly aim for joints so that the appendages will be easier to tear.
In a Lucky Shot he throws me at a mirror and it shatters against my back. The pain is numb and easily ignored as I stand up again and begin laughing and dissolve into giggles while holding my arm. I rip the largest piece of glass out and it scrapes the wound wider but I only chuckle. "Your so cute when your angry! Just wait I'm gonna break down your ego bit by itty bit, boy." I stand straight and walk toward him while he watches me with apprehension. "Awe is the wittle hunter scawed?" I pout. I jump in excitement. "I know!" In a second I'm beside him. My hand on his good arm and the other on his neck. "Your gonna kneel, or your going to die. Isn't this fun?"
A noise escapes his throat. Maybe it's whimper or a growl but I don't care enough and push him forward. He tries to vamp-speed away but I hold him down on his stomach and step on his back as I rip his leg clean off. "Oopsies! I was gonna leave you at least a knee but you know how these things are—" I press my own knee deeper in his back. My hand on the back of his head. I put my other hand on his good arm and begin pulling it from his shoulder. "— don't know my own strength!" I grunt ripping the arm from his shoulder. Bones exposed and visible. "Oh look here, that's your collarbone poking out isn't it?" The vampire whimpers and tries to wiggle away but I slam his head into the wooden flood. "Sit still. I wanna see all your pretty insides." I cheer as I examine the limbless shoulder. The muscle and tissues are solidified into a strong marble like material. Small veins run throughout, but no longer transport life force.
I grab the heavy body by the back of his neck and drag him to a chair in the middle of the room that I materialized. James's body is dropped on the chair and he makes no move to get up.
I slap his face lightly. "Where's that big ego? You were going to kill a measly human for a little bit of pleasure, not out of necessity or anything but for your own amusement. See, I don't like monsters like you. Killing for sport." I walk around the chair as I talk. "I don't like the girl much but someone would miss her. Her daddy is the chief of police. If you killed her, I'd be the top suspect or the Cullens." I grab James hair harshly and pull his head over the backing of the chair. Small spiderweb cracks run along his neck from the pressure. "We can't have that James. I've already sent Laurent on his way, he can make it up to me in the future. But you and your lady bird..." I suck my tongue in a tutting noise and release his hair harshly. "And she was so pretty too!" I whine.
At this point the vampire is whimpering with the use of torture. "I won't get her today or tomorrow. But soon. And I promise to be the one to put her down. You understand? Don't you?" I tilt his head up gently with my finger under his chin. "She'll want her revenge won't she? An eye for an eye." I snicker. "But she'd need an army to take me down." I shrug my shoulders apathetically. "I always liked a challenge. Let's say, little under a year." I let my head dip backwards as my eyes lazily find Victoria hiding behind a curtain. Hands over her mouth to hide her pain. "Whatdya say sweetheart?"
She throws her arms back and screams as she moves to vamp speed toward me. "Tch, bad kitty." I say waggling my finger. "If you want a fighting chance, you need an army."
James head snaps to the side. "Victoria! Run, run! Don't come back for me. Get out of here!!" James says rapidly.
The blonde vampire looks around and then begins backing away before running off.
"Thought she'd never leave." I huff turning back to James. "Where were we?"
When the Cullens do arrive, Jasper is the one to open the door. What greets them is the sight of a heavily mutilated body sitting upright in a chair while Marcella sits in front of it on her own chair, holding a dismembered head that can only manage to whine and whimper. Blood litters the far corner near a broken mirror and Marcella herself is covered in blood around her back and arm.
Marcella drops the head carelessly and stands to greet them. But something is off. This isn't happy go lucky. Her head is tilted just slightly and she moves too quietly. Like a predator prowling in the jungle. Her heartbeat doesn't fluctuate at all other then a rapid beat every couple few. "Oopsie! He was supposed to last much longer." She speaks like she's telling a funny joke. But no one laughs. She nods with what she said and turns back to the head on the floor and crouches beside it. "This is all your fault, dummy." She shrugs dropping the head in the lap of the body and they're set on fire before anyone can blink. "Mhhm marshmallows would be nice." She continues. Carlisle is the first to notice the signs and gently pulls his children back out the building.
"This must be what she was talking about when she mentioned going dark. I didn't expect it to be this—" Carlisle pauses for the right word.
"Unhinged?" Rosalie offers.
Carlisle sends her a disproving look but doesn't correct her wording.
"This is way worse than anything major has done." Alice interjects. "She explained it so plainly.—"
"I can handle this."
"Son," Carlisle is cut off before he can protest.
"I can manipulate her emotions or at least calm her down. She's my mate."
Jasper enters the building again to find Marcella is looking at herself in the mirror. She's looking this way and that as if she's never seen herself before. Then her eyes meet his in the reflection. "Hello cowboy. Here to reel me in?"
"We need Marcella back." Jasper speaks plainly.
"No no no! You see while major may be a separate personality that you can just push and pull around. I'm not!" She doesn't shout but it still rings loudly around the room. "I am not some change in personality I'm—pure, angelic. I am warrior over death. I am a fraction of the seal that holds back the darkness. Nasty thing really. Wouldn't want any of that here." She ends her sentence jokingly before becoming silent. "Why am I explaining this to you. It all goes over that nice pretty head of yours. Marcella never left." Marcella turns away from the mirror to fully address the vampire. "Right now we need a little chat. In under a year the war will start. Victoria and at least Half that army is mine to slaughter. The puppies on the reservation need to stay out of it. In the original timeline they did help but with me here they will become." She clicked her teeth as if searching for the right word. "Ah, redundant." She tilts her head downward to look at Jasper through her lashes. "So let's keep them out of this. Okay." She perks up smiling.
"Can Marcella come back yet?"
Marcella stomped her foot. "I am Marcella." She turned away again and her face turned sad as she continued on in a quieter more somber tone. "Why does no one ever listen to me? I didn't ask for any of this. I want to be home. I want dean. I want to watch movies with him. I want to go on car rides. I want to make breakfast with them and crack jokes. I want to read with Sam. I want to listen to Cas tell stories about the beginning. I want my brothers. I want— I want! I just want to go home!" She threw her fist into the mirror and it shattered leaving a red trail down her arm. "All this time and I'm no closer to going home." She whispered and began to collapse. Before she could slam her knees into the pile of glass, Jasper grabbed her and held her up.
Marcella clung to him as she sniffled. She did not wail like she did the first time the rift closed but it was not a soft cry either. Jasper swooped down to pick her up completely in a princess carry as it was the only way to hold her and keep her restrained. Each exhale she shook so violently with silent sobs as she clung to him tight enough to almost crack his marble like skin.
Jasper exited the ballet studio and when his family saw the sight of the shaking girl they all felt remorse. While being a vampire is no walk in the park, none could imagine how it felt to have fractions of an angels grace in their very soul. She described it like it was tidlewaves of emotion that threaten to swallow you in sadness or kill you in anger. Was that anger in the studio? Was this sadness?
None of them could understand or imagine a fraction of the emotions the girl was feeling. Except Jasper. The skin to skin contact only made his gift stronger and while he couldn't shed a tear to match her pain he could feel his chest clenching for needed breath he would never require. His whole body felt weightless in a sense that every joint was burning so hot it felt cold. Even his face felt like it was on fire as he tried to contain screams of pure agony. The pain was almost blinding and he nearly stumbled as he walked.
"Are you okay Jasper?" Edward asked after hearing his brothers thoughts.
For a moment jasper's eyes appeared dead, lifeless and Edward flinched. Jaspers only response was to look back down at Marcella and hold her closer in hopes that the physical contact would help some with her painful feelings.
~~
Marcella was quiet for most the ride, her shaking stilled to only small tremors. She refused to release herself from Jasper and sat in his lap the whole ride. While Jasper could feel nothing but pain from his mate, he still took pride that she clung to him and not anyone else. He let himself breathe in her smell and hold her closer. He used his gift to send calm waves every few minutes.
Marcella moved for the first time in what was probably hours and buried her head under jaspers chin. Her warm nose nudged the hollow of his throat and he tilted his neck further back in curiosity. Her lips brushed his collarbone as she spoke her first words in a quiet voice. "Thank you, cowboy."
Jasper didn't verbally respond, all the response he could say would not amount for the emotions he felt. "I love you, I'll always care for you. This and what you are could not make me love you any less, only more." Instead he settled for hugging her tighter. He could never tell her those words. She made it clear that romance was out of the question and he would respect her wishes. But he couldn't help himself from loving the feel of her lips on his skin. He wouldn't stop his affection unless she said so. And if she asked him to, he would die a little inside without her. But he would respect it.
Soon Marcella fell asleep for the rest of the drive home. And even after, there was no way he would wake her. He carried her into the Cullen home and up the steps to his room where he tried to set her on the couch. In the end he had to lay down with her still clutching him. Anytime her emotions took a dark turn, he used his gift to give her a peaceful slumber.
~~
Marcella woke up from her slumber, cold but not unwelcomed. Strong marble like arms held her close to a still chest. Breath fanned against her neck as whoever was holding her breathed her in like a bouquet of flowers. "Cowboy?" Came her strangled whisper.
"I'm here, Darlin." He whispered back, accent thick. "I'm not leaving you for a second." He said possessively.
She didn't respond verbally but curled further into him, hands balling themselves in his shirt while one cupped his face. As the thought occurred she pulled the hand on his face away. "I didn't hurt you or anyone else, right?"
"You killed James. You said there would be a war. Threatened that half the newborns were yours to kill." Jasper grew a teasing smirk. "The major found your 'dark side' irrevocably enticing. Said he wanted to lick the blood of you and shower you in compliments. To worship you." He leaned down and nosed my jaw. "I would worship you if you asked." His voice turning pleading and my chest clenched to hear such a sad tone.
"Jasper?"
"Yes?"
"Can we stay like this a little longer. There is a war going on in my head and until my situation is clear, I can't give you an answer that doesn't hurt us both." For emphasis I let my hand cup his face so he could feel my emotions. By the grimace on his face he was experiencing my pain, fear, longing, homesickness and resentment.
He clasped his hand over mine, "I understand. But I won't stop. I will do everything I can to court you properly until you provide an answer."
"I expect no less." I respond not taking my hand from his face I move back into his chest and burry my head under his chin. "Just another hour before I have to socialize?"
~~
When the hour was up Jasper was reluctant to pull himself away from his mate. To relinquish her from his arms. But the time came anyway as Marcella stretched and yawned. Marcella turned to move out of his arms but he tightened his grip.
"Uh uh. Nope. I can smell your moms cooking from here, you are not keeping me away from her food." I easily pried his arms off me with his compliance and left the room jumping over the banister. Only this time Jasper had gotten to the bottom before me and caught me. "Spoilsport!" Regardless, I let jasper carry me to the kitchen and set me on a stool. A large plate of pasta and salad is placed in front of me and I dig in with gusto. "Oh my gods! Miss Cullen this is so good!" I say around a mouth full of food. I finish the plate and look up to see the rest of the Cullens had gathered.
"So—" Marcella draws her words trying to start conversation. "I went a little killer on him. And may have threatened Victoria. But like I lived!" The say nothing for a moment until Alice speaks up.
"Are you okay now?" She asks in worry.
"Oh yeah! I'm great. Something aches but it will pass." I clench my chest.
"While you were out I did scans on you just to be sure. There's multiple fractures and tears in your body. The newest ones are around your heart." Carlisle states. "But you don't seem surprised?"
"Stress fractures. It's ironic really. If Lucifer didn't imbue me with grace while he tortured me; I would've died a most painful death as my heart would explode in my chest. Because of his grace I was healed or am healing. Using grace makes me heal faster. But if I put too much stress on my heart while using grace then..." I tilt my head.
"You'd die?"
"Ha! No. I just fall into a mildly inconvenient comma until the damage is partially restored."
"Sleeping beauty much." Emmet teases.
"I'll break your arm again." I threaten and he booms with laughter.
~~Bella's birthday party.
While I didn't particularly want to attend the event, Jasper was still a very real threat to Bella.
Bella and Edward came down the stairs, she had gotten her boot taken off sometime in the months before. She was now a year older than Edward in physical age and even I could see how it worried her. Alice bounced around with Bella's camera in hand as she took many photos of the happy couple.
Problems only arose when Bella began opening gifts. From Rosalie a necklace Alice had picked out. Emmet had gotten her new speakers for her truck but not before dissing it. The real problem came before we knew it, clumsy Bella had cut herself on the envelope from Carlisle and Esme.
I saw the minuscule moment as he flexed his jaw but before he could lunge I had an arm around his throat and the other around his hands as I kicked his leg making him kneel. He struggled in the kneel so I moved my head closer, bowing it beside his. My hair draped around him and he began to calm at my scent being close to him.
I looked up through my eye lashes to see Edward holding Bella back to protect her if need be while both Emmet and Carlisle watched Jasper with apprehension. Shocked gasps and the way Jaspers posture changed showed his change in personality.
I smirked into his curls. "Major." I said releasing my hand holding his back but not letting up my arm around his throat. Instead of fighting to break out the Major began to cradle my arm around his throat and a soft purr left him as I tightened that arm. A dopey smile flooded his face. "Bella, me and Jasper will be going on a walk. Please see that your cut is taken care of by the good doctor." I inform her before dragging Jasper up and then holding him by his neck as I marched him out the house. Before I left the house entirely the last things the Cullens heard was "you clingy fucking cat."
—
Getting outside and further from the house the more major whined as he tried to touch me but my hand on his neck only let him get so far. "Please. Need to know your okay." He said.
I let my fingers up one by one until my hand was off his throat then he zoomed toward me and began furiously sniffing me and running his hands over my body. When he was done he sank to the forest floor and rested his head on my stomach, arms around my waist keeping me trapped. My hands ran through his curls as I let his mind wander. "Calm yet?"
His response was to grip me tighter.
“Edward sees himself as a threat. He loves Bella and he will ask you all to move away. Forget forks.” Major growls and I grow a teasing smirk. My nails rake through his hair before pulling his head back from my stomach. He groans in pleasure from the tight grip, he elongated the noise to make me react. But ignore it in favor of continuing to talk. “The Cullens will leave. I don’t suppose you want me to leave with you. I’d rather not stick around while Bella becomes depressed.“
I brushed my short hair behind my ear as I listened avidly to the lady beside me as she talked animatedly about the garden as part of her ongoing tour to show me around. Today would be my first day starting classes since I arrived at Xavier's school for gifted children.
"My husband, bless his soul, planted these rose bushes. It was in the middle of June when the first owners had moved in. We were younger then." She said smiling brightly.
I laughed into my hand as I ducked my head. "Tell me more, please?" I said in a whisper.
"Tell us more! Tell us more!" A little girl said as she jumped to hang off the woman's arm.
"Jane don't pull on people, it's impolite." I scolded the child quietly.
The little girl turned to me and with as much sass as a seven year old could manage she said, "she's not a person, she's dead, like me!" The girl said bluntly and I snorted before patting her head.
"Manners are important—"
"—even for the dead. I know I know." The girl said bouncing her head as she finished my statement. She said the words like they had been said a thousand times before. They had because I've known Jane since I was a child, when my mutation first started. It has been many years since then.
"Well, have I told you about..." she said and soon we stopped to sit beside the fountain and listen to her tell us more stories.
*ring ring*
"That's the bell dear's, off to class with you." The old maid said sweetly.
"But I Wanna hear moreee." Jane whined, kicking her feet.
I put my hand on her head and she looked up at me. Then in a conspiratorial whisper I said, "you don't have to come to classes, miss rose might like your company. And you don't want to go to math class anyway, do you?" I teased.
Jane stuck her tongue out in disgust before turning to the lady. "Can I stay with you while big brother goes to classes."
I blushed. It's not the first time Jane has called me that but it's always embarrassing when she tells other dead people so proudly.
I went to class with some apprehension, it was strange to even be remotely removed from Jane, but I pushed on in favor of fitting in. At least I tried, until rumors began and then I was avoided by most the schools populace. The only ones not to actively avoid me would be children younger then myself that would sit and hear me tell stories. I'd tell them that they were not my stories but stories told to me.
"Can you tell us another story?" A young boy asked me with wide eyes. "They're much better then anything we learn in history, or English."
"But they are history, not big roles in history but they happened. Have I told you the story about the soldier and the captain?"
"There's a teacher coming." Jane said pulling on my sleeve.
I frowned before turning to the kids around me. "Sorry kiddos. I just remember l have a test tomorrow." I lied, out the corner of my eye the teacher was closer. I think it was miss storm, a kind woman with a gentle temperament. She was nice to me even after the rumors persisted. Some teachers would eye me behind my back but I knew because Jane would always tell me. She was angry with them for how I was treated.
The kids whined before dispersing back to other activities while I stood and dusted my pants. Jane held the corner of my sleeve as we approached the teacher.
"Good evening miss storm" I said softly making her smile.
"Hello Alexander, telling stories?" She asked.
"Always, I like telling their stories, otherwise they've died without anyone to remember them."
"That's thoughtful." She said in cheerful voice.
I smiled and pet Jane's hair, "everyone's story deserves to be told someday."
"Would you tell us yours?" She asked.
I flinched before covering it by smiling brightly, "not today miss storm, maybe soon." I shrugged my shoulders for emphasis.
"The Professor knows nothing about you, which means us teachers know even less. Some of us have a hard time letting you stay here, you don't make it easier. If you could just tell us why you were there then we can help you better." She persuaded.
Jane pulled on my sleeve making her turn to me. "We gotta tell her something. Or it will just get worse. They'll send us back. The man in glasses was very angry about us." She then hid her head in my side as she trembled. My arm moved from her head to her shoulder as I pulled her closer.
"Okay miss storm, your professor may ask three questions."
Her eyes turned white before she came back to herself. "What is your full name? Why were you in the Psychiatric hospital? Are you a harm to yourself or others?"
I chuffed a laugh and dipped my head. "Not goin easy on me? My full name is Alexander Monroe Grant. I stayed in the hospital," I paused to roll my tongue over my teeth, "for many years. I have never harmed another person or mutant intentionally. And as you've seen I can be pretty clumsy." I scratched my neck and ducked my head further with a smile.
"Thank you, Alexander. Dinner will be at five please come to eat this time."
"Yes ma'am." I said politely while turning to walk away.
"You lied." Jane accused but couldn't tamper her own smile. "That was impolite." She said cheekily.
"Which time?" I whispered picking her up to set on my shoulder.
"Both. But why?" She asked wrapping an arm around my neck.
"Freedom without limits. They'll know everything eventually. There is only so much time. We could run, they would never find us?" I offered.
"No. I think we'll like it here." Jane said hugging my neck. "Let's go, I wanna see miss rose!" Jane giggled.
"As you wish!" I said bowing to where she almost fell off my shoulders before running off to the garden.
~~
"Logan would you stop by the mansion on your next visit. There is a student I think would interest you."
"Alright Professor." A gruff voice responded. Cigar smoke rose from the man's lips as he spoke. He burned the cigar out on his hand and mounted his bike. Setting off for Xavier's school for gifted children.
Personally he didn't know why he agreed so quickly but something pushed him to drive faster.
~~
It had been another week at the school. For the last four days a man in leather has watched me in between classes. Anytime I left the building he was there a distance away to watch me.
"Are you sure he's not here to kill us?" Jane asked for the hundredth time causing me to giggle.
"Not today." I said leaning back to lay on the grass. Jane curled up beside me, head on my shoulder. To anyone else the grass would look flattened but they wouldn't see the sleepy child.
"Rock or Blues?" I asked her pulling out an old beaten handheld radio. I slipped the headphones around my neck so we could both hear.
"Rock!" She said enthusiastically.
Soon the soft sounds of early rock and roll began to play with intermittent commercials. I let myself dance between sleep and awareness as we listened to buddy holly. The sun that warmed us was blocked by a tall shadow and I opened my eyes to glance the leather clad man.
"Howlett." I greeted him with sleepy doe eyes.
"And how would you know that?" He asked curiously.
"People talk." I say in a run around way.
"Listen kid," he begins and I rise to a sitting position knowing this will be a good conversation.
"Big brother." Jane yawns, waking up from my movement.
"Go back to sleep Jane." I whisper and she nodded laying in my lap as she continued to snooze. "I'm sorry my sister is napping." I say quietly.
"Uh huh." Logan responds sarcastically but I can see his curiosity is piqued. "Listen kid, the Professor looked into it and the only Alexander Monroe at that hospital was administered in 53' so tell it to me straight, who are you?" He asked.
I leaned back on my hands. "So this is why the Professor summoned you. A lie detector test because he can't get inside my head." I said softly. I tapped Jane awake, "we're being interrogated." I told her and her dazed sleepy expression became hyper aware.
"Kid, I want answers."
"Imortalis, the immortal." I rolled my hand toward him before holding my hand to myself and repeating the words. His face dawned an understanding and I continued to speak. "I am Alexander Monroe Grant, I was born sometime before your professor, I don't look it do I?" I joked giving him a dopey smile. "My parents at the time were worried I was schizophrenic, I would talk to people that weren't there and know things I shouldn't. They were scared so they sent me away. My mutation allows me to see the dead, they talk to me and I interact with them. I was given meds, electroshock therapy with no change. Eventually my doctors forgot me and my treatments stopped. I was just a faceless patient and was easily ignored."
"And you didn't leave?"
"Would you leave a safe heaven for somewhere different." I sneered and showed my first sign of anger. "Here I'm called crazy around my peers when I'm no different then them. There I was part of community and was never belittled for my ability." I tilted my head mockingly. "Strange, how judgmental people with mutations can be toward their own." I nodded glad to make my point known before slipping into shadows and landing in the forest surrounding the school.
~flashback to Logan seeing Alexander the first time.
The Professor had given me the rundown on what they knew about the kid and his medical files from the hospital. I felt myself tense with phantom pain as I read the words Electroshock therapy on his records. The bell rang for lunch and I expected the kid to eat lunch but storm told me he usually sat outside so I stood against the building as I observed him.
He was talking to some unseen figure, most likely a child based on the way he treated it. The wind swept through his hair and carried his scent toward me. Smoke and something sweet. It was a pleasant smell that I have never smelled in combination before but strangely fit him.
I wanted to approach closer but decided to observe for now. The sound of his voice was pleasant too. (Logan low key feeling attracted to someone he hasn't even met.)
-the day Logan does talk to him.
Scott had been raving about Alexander again, calling him an unstable threat, I asked what his beef was and he said the kid was inherently evil. But from my observations there was nothing evil about him. He has a sunny disposition with a soft voice that drew me in no matter how distant I heard it.
A soft giggle drew my attention back to him, but what had me moving was the sounds of old rock he began to play. Soon I was standing above him...he blinked his doe eyes and I felt entranced.
We talked and I was surprised he was immortal. The way he spoke about his family gave me violent urges but I stowed them to listen further and not scare him off. Then he said something that surprised me.
"Strange, how judgmental people with mutations can be toward their own" he said referencing the constant belittlement he faced among children I now know are much younger than him. Then he slipped into shadows and disappeared from my sight.
"Professor, was that enough information to let him stay?"
"Yes Logan, please find him and bring him back." A voice answered back in Logan's head.
~~
A game of cat and mouse ensued, Logan would hunt Alexander in the woods and the second he found them, Alexander would slip into shadows again.
"Cmon, kid, gotta eat sometime." Logan bargained.
"I'm not a kid." Alexander then paused and held onto the side of the tree he hid behind. "I haven't needed to eat since I was a child." The male said bitterly.
"Then at least come back. Storm misses you." Logan persuaded.
"I know. But everyone else wants me gone. Just because I can see and interact with the dead doesn't mean I'm a killer or evil."
"I get that, but you can't keep camping out here."
"But don't you like this game, Jane said the man with glasses likes to be mean to you." I whispered knowing he heard perfectly.
"That's adult business and I'll deal with it eventually. So leave it be kid."
I felt blood rush to my face as I slipped into shadows before reappearing in front of him. "I'm not a kid." I pouted.
"Yeah, but your companion is." Logan said back. He grinned knowing he was right.
"It's Not like I send her to gather information, she just does it on her own. You try controlling a forever five year old." I bite back before crossing my arms and turning to walk away. A hand on my shoulder stopped me and my head dropped to my chest. "Your gonna make us go back?"
"One more week." Logan offered.
I turned to him in excitement and nodded. I couldn't stop myself from hopping foot to foot.
I love being outside but when I was locked up I was barely given recess time. Then with the school I couldn't be outside without being belittled by peers.
"Will you count to ten?" I ask tilting my head.
Logan smiled before spinning me around, "ten, nine..."
I bolted into the other direction. Slipping into shadows here or there to confuse him.
The next week we grew closer, I didn't mind how he'd pick me up when he found me or pet my hair when we talked. It was different then how I treated Jane. The way he treated me made my rib cage home to a dozen butterflies. It didn't help that I once walked in on him washing in a river. He was waded into the water with pants on as he washed his chest and hair. I bit my lip before turning away from the hormone inducing sight.
"Hey! Waters fine, no leeches or anything. We've been out here and you haven't showered." Logan yelled at my retreating back.
"I'm I'm good!" I stuttered. A short scream left my lips as I was picked up and thrown into the river.
I swam to the surface before staring wide eyed at Logan. "Uncool." I said brushing my hair back from falling in my eyes. "I'll catch my death in this water." I hissed unpleasantly as I dragged myself onto the shore when I took of my shirt and began to ring it out. "Jane stop poking me!" I whine as I shivered from the cold breeze.
Logan came up beside me with a wide grin, unfazed by the water dripping from his hair and down his torso.
"Not all of us have super heated bodies." I say spitefully as I ring my shirt out again. Logan chuckles and rubs his hands up and down my shoulders to warm me up while pulling me close to his chest.
"I can share." He teases and I blush before hiding my face in his chest. Soft hair like fur covers his chest and happy trail. His fingers dance along my back as he purrs. Do wolverines purr? He then nuzzles his face into my neck. The 5'o clock shadow scratches my neck and makes me laugh.
He backs up so I can see his face, softly he says. "Your real pretty when you laugh like that."
I chuff disbelieving that he even said that and he puts his knuckles under my chin, tilting my face toward him. "I mean it, your pretty. Was something about you the first time I saw you that had me entranced." He admits sheepishly and ducks his head so his nose bumps against mine. "I'm kinda glad you ran away, gave me a chance to chase ya." He says huskily, his fingers move from my back to my hips as he begins to stroke them softly. His hands radiate heat like two suns and I lean into him more. My hands going to rest on his chest making him smile. He shivers when my fingers begin to play with his chest hair.
His whole body shows impatience and he keeps glancing at my lips but instead he takes it slow. Leaving a gentle peck on my nose, check and then the corner of my lips. When he does kiss me it's not rushed or messy. It's soft and I savor the feeling of lips on mine. When we pull away it leaves me breathless and I lean even more against him as he become the only thing holding me up.
"That good huh?" He says teasingly and I blush.
"Not really, I think I need a another one."
Logan grins and dips me before kissing me again and again.
Life in the pack was fun. Unusual but fun. The only girls were myself and Leah. I shifted before all of them and at a younger age. I didn't have the fever or the sickness like them either. I was 8 and I felt a sharp pain and an urge to run so I did. Leaving the reservation school and running into the woods where I shifted. I screamed but no one came to answer and when I passed out everything went dark.
When I did wake up again things were more vivid and bright. I could hear sounds from miles away and when I looked down I realized I was on four legs not two. I didn't panic. I jumped around and stumbled a few times before getting ahold of the controls and then I was racing through the underbrush with vigor. Shifting became a guarded secret for me. Until.
The next person to shift was Sam Uley. He did so in his sophomore year of Highschool, having vanished for two weeks at the time. He sought me out with instinct alone. A month after the fact, he tried ordering me around after claiming the alpha title.
"I am your alpha you will listen to me." A 17 year old Sam ordered me. And at 15, I was not a very cooperative kid.
"I was here first and I won't be taking orders." We fought often about this until he reluctantly gave up at the elders request and while he technically was an alpha he was not my alpha and I would only listen on certain requests. Patrol the border, was about the only thing I listened to.
Something lured me to the border that day and I met a cold one. He had shaggy blonde hair and dressed formally. He looked around in apprehension before finding me. I walked closer on my belly. Trying to be unthreatening because I didn't want to scare him off. I had been told how dangerous they were. And the way he tensed, proved that he thought the same of me. But I like this vampire. He radiated calm and serenity.
He watched me in apprehension and I stopped moving and laid on my tummy waiting for his next move. He didn't move for at least an hour and I tilted my head in confusion.
My ears perked at a fast approaching sound and I scrambled to get up and back away. I backed away again at the now closer sound of footsteps before a giant man came out of the tree line and I bolted in fear.
"Your scaring her." A soft southern accent said and the big man paused and shrunk in on himself.
"Sorry." The big man apologized in a booming voice that made me tuck my tail between my legs as I sunk lower.
"Quiet emmet, don't worry sweetheart I'm not going to hurt you. Can you come back?" The southern man spoke again.
I moved closer but always kept my eye on the bigger vampire. Soon I was close enough to nose the blonde with my snoot. I sniffed him and he smelled like raspberries and Citrus. It was pleasant.
"Ma'am, we're part of the Cullens, I'm Jasper and that's my brother Emmet. We're vegan vampires. We only eat animals."
I wrinkled my snout. I don't agree with the killing of animals but...what if.
I ran off and grabbed a deer in my jaw, snapping its neck and bringing it back to the vampires. I moved it toward the vampire and he tentatively took a drink. When he was done I took the deer back and left back over the border. If they drain it of blood then they won't be as messy to butcher. Before I disappeared entirely I bowed my head to the serene male and he nodded back. As an understanding was formed.
I carried the deer all the way back to my backyard and then shifted in the tree line while getting dressed again. I looked young for how often I shift. I still had the same childish face with short stature. But I imagine if I lessened my shifting to a couple times a month then I may get a growth spurt.
Bringing the deer to the back porch I began to butcher it just like my father had taught me and prepared it to be put in freezers, that which we didn't need for tonight's dinner. I made dinner with what I had cut and waited for my parents arrival. My dad wasn't actually quillete, but my mother is. My dad works as an airplane pilot for the nearest airport and doesn't come home often. Mother works at one of the restaurants on the reservation. Usually being passed from one to the other depending on the days. She came home and was surprised by my cooking and asked if I had hunted it.
"Just one, It was already dead." I lied. It probably would've been eaten by a vampire eventually. At least I killed it before he fed on it.
~~
Eventually I did shoot up to be as tall as Sam was, I grew stronger with respective shifting and patrols. Most of the others who had shifted did not like patrolling but I did and so those duties were passed onto me more often than not. And my interactions with the blonde southern sounding male only increased. Soon to a point we were considered friends. He likes to read and would bring books while telling me the stories. He respects my wishes to not shift to a human in-front of him and he grew used to my now bigger wolf form.
Emmet the loud one had come as well on some occasions but only to pet my fur and call me a pretty doggy. To that I bit him lightly. Or pushed him with my bigger size. Once laying on top of him after commenting on how my wolf was getting fat with deer. Jasper only smiled and pretended I wasn't bullying his brother.
~~
Soon I was to be turning 18, a momentous occasion. I ran home after my patrol with excitement to see what cake my mother had made. To see what exotic gift my father had gotten. But everything stilled when I smelt and saw the blood on the door.
Opening the door wider I stepped inside. Blood painted the walls and floor in deep red that clashed with the cheerful yellow and blue. My father was propped against the hallway with his pilot uniform still on. He had just gotten home. I didn't check for a pulse because I couldn't hear his breathing. I walked further looking for mother. And there she was in the kitchen. Butchered like a pig, blood spilling around her like a deranged halo. My cake, burnt in the oven. Presents on the table next to birthday candles and a card. All spattered in blood.
I fell to my knees and this time I did check her pulse, hopping and praying to the moon that she might just be alive. She was so cold and her blood felt like ice. They had both been dead for hours.
I looked at my hands before clenching my arms as the pain took full force. Bones shaping and snapping as I tried not to shift. Tried not to scream. Pain won out and I phased, my fur becoming stained with my mothers blood as I raced out the house crashing into walls I ran so fast. I skidded out the door and didn't stop running.
I followed the scent trail as far as I could but still kept running in the direction of a pulling sensation. Soon I came to Arizona, a ballet studio to be exact. I don't know what brought me here other then pain but when I opened the door with my teeth I was greeted with screams from a brunette female as she was being held down by a blonde, red-eyed vampire. I didn't waste time and pounced ripping the male off the girl. Saliva dropped from my maw as I growled loudly. Echoing through the the high ceiling.
My eyes drifted to something shiny on his collar and I realized it was my fathers pins. Rage fueled me and I began to fight the vampire with renewed strength. Blood was rushing so fast in me ears that I couldn't hear the threats or taunting from the vampire. Soon I held him down and ripped his head viciously from his body but I didn't stop there and kept biting and ripping and tearing at his marble flesh until he was a disfigured corpse.
I tilted my head back and howled my victory before it became more sorrowful. A whimper brought my attention back to the brown haired female and when I met her eyes; gravity no longer held me down, only her. My imprint.
I sank to my belly and moved closer. She threw her arm out to stop me and I whined. When she let her arm down I came closer until I nudged her with my nose. I whined again and she began to pet me. I licked her face and she laughed before whimpering in pain while holding her leg. I knew I had no hopes of taking her to a hospital unless I change back. But where would I find clothes. Shifting back might also scare her. So instead I curled up around her and gave her comfort as it was all I can do. Soon she fell asleep clenching my fur in her tight fists. I felt my pride swell that she took comfort in me and began to purr. I had only been twenty minutes or so when there was banging on the door and it was thrown open.
I jumped quickly and stood over my imprint while growling at the new intruder. A bronze haired male with golden eyes. He hissed and tried to move closer but my growling grew louder and I lowered myself more to cover my imprint from his sight.
My imprint stirred at the sounds and looked around before seeing the bronze boy. "Edward!!" I growled louder and used my head to tuck her further under me. "No, no he's my friend! He's a good vampire."
I huffed in what would be considered a wolfy scoff and continued to glare down the male. Soon other vampires joined us. All with the same golden eyes. When I saw Jasper my tail began to wag and gave away my enthusiasm to see him. I looked to my tail and growled at it for betraying me.
"Everyone take a few steps back. Your crowding her." Jasper ordered the others and they did so reluctantly while he began to walk forward against his family's wishes. When he was closer he began to talk to me. "Hey sweetheart. No one's gonna hurt you. We just need to see Bella," Jasper pointed over his shoulder at another blond male, "he's a doctor and can tell us if Bella's hurt."
I whined as I dipped my head lower toward my imprint. Bella, he said her name was. Bella began to explain that Carlisle, the vampire doctor, had helped her before when she almost got hit by a car. I growled at the mention of my imprint being hurt. Images of my parents murder flashed behind my eyes and reluctantly I helped Bella get up. I nipped her jacket and gently helped her stand and when she grabbed handfuls of my fur to keep from falling I winced but didn't move away. I helped-half carried her to the doctor while glaring at the other vampires. I don't trust them one bit but as long as Jasper was doing that empath thing then I tried not to growl.
When Carlisle touched her leg and Bella winced I barked angrily at the doctor while pulling Bella away. "I'm okay. I'm okay." Bella mumbled under her breath and I again let the doctor touch her.
"It's definitely sprained, she'll need a brace for a few weeks." I whined and began to weave small circles between bella and jasper.
"Would someone explain how a quillete wolf got here?" A blonde female asked up tightly. I growled before shaking my head and going back to pacing. The walk to the car were tense and when emmet tried to deny me seating. Images of my parents smiling faces before seeing a bloody door flashes into my mind. I shook my head but the pain continued to build. Jasper was by my side in seconds as he tried to calm me down. But all I could see was burnt cake and unopened presents. I could smell my mothers blood. It was still on me and the urge to take a hundred showers grew.
"What's—what's wrong with her?" Bella asked shakily from the backseat of the car.
"Her parents are dead, that's why she came, she was tracking James. He killed her parents." Edward answered. He said it without sympathy and I growled.
"Edward, back off." Jasper said helpfully and moved my head to look at him, calm seeped into me until I began to grow sleepy. My head dropping onto his shoulder as he carried me to his car where he laid me in the backseat. I buried my head into my imprints lap and that eased the pain some but I still felt empty. The closer we got to home, the clearer the pack link became until I could hear the panicked voices of everyone looking for me.
"Where could she have gone?"
"I can't track her!"
"Has anyone got her cell?"
"Where could she be, we've already checked the beach and the border four times."
I didn't answer the question. All I could do was send images of ripping apart the vampire in the studio, unintentionally I also showed them me imprinting. Congratulations began to spread but all I could think of was the hole in my chest that seemed to grow. Soft fingers began to thread through my fur and Bella said her first words to me. "It will be okay. We'll figure this out." Did she even realize she said we?
When Bella was dropped off at the hospital I was not allowed inside. I was told I could come in if I shifted back but I didn't. The pain was horrible as my imprint went inside without me. But I couldn't move.
Jasper stayed outside as well as he said he was still new to the vegan diet. His presence kept me calm.
I did not shift back for at least a week and would follow my imprint around no matter where she went. I know she had no romantic feelings for me or if she ever would. I would be anything she needed me to be but for now I was her protector. I followed her to and from school, sometimes she let me ride in the back of her truck. I stayed close as I could be in hopes that she would not meet the same fate as my parents.
When I finally did phase back it was to properly introduce myself to Bella. Jasper had been a big help in convincing me to phase back; otherwise I think I would've stayed a wolf for well onto another month at least.
The pack knew I was a wolf and I would sometimes get hopeful messages sent to me over the pack link. Things like we miss you. Emily is worried or come save us because Sam is being grumpy.
Knocking on the door I waited for Bella to answer. I didn't expect her father, chief swan to be the one to answer.
"Hel- Holly shit! Kid, we've been looking for you for days! Where have you been?" Mr swan said as he jumped into police mode.
I had been so caught up in Bella that I overlooked the part where my parents died. Of course I know they died, constant pain and hollowness was a dear reminder. But for a moment I forgot how worried people would be or that anyone would look for me at all. "I've been fine, I stayed in the woods mostly. I just needed time to grieve." I said detached. "I'm the one who found them and the experience was very traumatic and I had to get away. I didn't think." I trip over my words as they come out of me faster. "I just wanted to go away."
"Well it's good that your back, here come inside so we can talk more." Chief swan said lightly putting his hand on my shoulder to move me into the house. "Would you like water? Something to eat? Have you been eating?"
"I—thank you but just water." I admit overwhelmed with his care. In a way he reminds me of mom and how she'd pester me after my longer patrol shifts. Of course my mother knew I shifted, she was Quilette after all.
"I wasn't joking." I say pulling up to the crummy looking liquor store. We had driven near an hour out of town to not get caught. I opened the door before closing it again as he was too in shock. "Gimme your card." I say holding my hand out.
"My What?" Jasper says snapping out of shock.
"Your card, so I can buy the good stuff." I say making grabby hands.
Soon a card is placed in my hand and I examine it with a smile. "I'll give it back. Hunters promise." I say cheekily. I open the door and step to the door. "You'd better stay out here. Your not exactly old enough kiddo." I joke and he makes a face at me.
I laugh while walking into the store and buying a bottle of expensive liquor and an a bottle of my favorite. The whole trip went off without a hitch.
Jasper continued to eye the bottles as I drove. "Looking at em won't make em disappear doll face. It's just part of the hunter lifestyle to be an alcoholic. Unless your Sam. Then your a health nut." I crack.
I pull up to the motel and turn off my car. "Now you know where I sleep. If you try to kill me I will decapitate you with my bare hands." I say tilting my head with a sweet smile. My tone sounds flirtatious but my threat is very real.
He nods and exits the car as I do. Again opening my door. I tilt an invisible hat toward him as I open my motel door. "Night night cowboy. Don't stay up too late." I tease.
Before I close the door his foot stops it and he speaks in a rushed voice. "Do you think, could I join you tomorrow?"
"Mr Hale, whatever crush you think you might have on me, ain't gonna happen." I clench the brown paper bag. "I'm going home soon, I'm going to see my brothers and my friends. I'm gonna shoot Chuck and all this," I wave my free hand, "will be some distant nightmare." I drop my head at his hurt expression. "I have to get home, I have to know they're okay. I have to know or I can't—" I choke on a lump in my throat as it rises higher. "Most hunters don't get to have families. When we do, we hold onto it with claws and teeth, your argue and fight but you don't let go for a damn second because the second you do they're gone for good. I bided my time in this place thinking it was in my head. I wasted enough time playing nice with teenagers. I wasted even more time waiting for some villain to show up. I'm going to bed and then I'm hightailing the fuck outta here even if I have to rip a rift myself." I looked back at him with angry glassy eyes. "Your the empath, tell me if anything I said was a lie." I bite.
He turns away unable to make eye contact as he feels my emotional pain. He then tries to manipulate it to at least ease the pain in my heart but I hold my hand up.
"Don't. Let me feel for myself." I close the door more. "Goodnight Hale." The lock clicks into place and I drift to the bed before putting the expensive bottle to my lips. I swirl it in my mouth before swallowing.
The next morning I wake at the asscrack of dawn and begin packing my few clothes and strapping myself with weapons. I open the door and am met with a broad chest that I follow upward to see jaspers nervous expression.
"If you stayed out here all night I'm officially calling you stalker till the day I die." I say grouching as I tug my duffle over my shoulder. "Cmon Bronco. Burning daylight." I say opening my passenger side door and throwing my duffle in the back. At the same time another door opened but not to my car. I turn and am greeted with Carlisle stepping out of his pristine car.
"I hope you don't mind but my academic curiosity was peaked and I'd like to come with." Carlisle says.
"Fucking Victorians." I mumble under my breath. "Yeah yeah, follow me." I slid into my car and Jasper sits himself in my passenger seat as I pull out the motel parking lot.
I'm sure I sped the whole way there but no cops stopped me so I didn't care. I wasn't going nearly as fast as the Cullens drive. As I drive old tapes of bands play through the speakers. Highway to hell and fly by the night to name a few. They were mixtapes dean had made me for my own car. They were in my hunter duffle and that's how they came to here.
I pulled off the road and grabbed both the tape and the duffle as I stepped out the car.
"You walked from here, all the way into town?" Carlisle asks in surprise.
"Little further doc." I say before walking further up the road until I reach past the sign that says forks. I walk another 20 feet before stopping. "Here." I set my duffle and things by the side of the road as I start to examine what was my entry to this world. I begin to mutter under my breath as I walk around.
"No sulfur, not a demon. No hangin bodies, not a djin. Leaves one more option." I kneel on the ground and put my hand flat on the asphalt as I try to channel energy. After a few minutes I shake my hand from the hot asphalt and snarl in anger. "Where the fuck are you?" I whisper under my breath.
"Whats wrong?" Carlisle asks coming closer to my side. Both vampires had been silent as they too took their own examinations of the site.
"No sulfur, no grace. Nothing." I say growling as I glare at the ground.
"Isn't that good?" Carlisle asks.
"No captain obvious. It means I can't track what brought me here! It means I don't know what brought me here. It means I have to rip the rift myself and with no angels on your side!!" I say with growing anger as I begin to breathe heavily. My chest begins to hurt but I ignore it in favor of getting chalk from my duffle and then writing various runes and symbols.
"And these are?" Carlisle asks in curiosity. He knows I'm angry but he asks in hopes that talking will calm me down.
It does some but I still have an angry disposition. "Symbols. This is for travel and that is time, this one is for sacrifice." I say explaining a few.
"Sacrifice?" Carlisle asks in worry.
"The virgins are safe doc, not that kind of sacrifice." I joke. I tip my head back down to the sacrifice symbol. "Needs blood. No, I won't be needing a donor or anything. Not human. And not neither you. Needs grace, or angel blood if you wanna get technical." Before they can ask how I would get angel blood I slice my wrist open and blood begins to steadily drip over the chalk sigil. The blood begins turning white and glowing faintly. Not nearly as bright as a pure angle would be, but it's something.
I hear a scuffle behind me as Carlisle is holding Jasper back. Probably expecting him to go rabid with bloodlust but Jasper starts pushing Carlisle away.
"I'm fine! Im fine! Look at my eyes." Jasper says referencing how his eyes haven't darkened a shade.
"I'd be poisonous anyway, doc." I shout to them before turning back around to continue. When I feel like enough blood has left and I feel lightheaded I hold my hand over the wound to stop it. I dip the hand not holding the wound in the puddle and drag it with my fingers toward time, grace and travel until I've made a bloody triangle. I stand up and say some Latin mixed with the first language and a small rift grows into existence with a screech. When the sound of ripping dulls I can hear talking then yelling.
"Sammy get the hell away from that thing!!" Dean screams in a distorted voice.
"It appears to be a rift?" Shadows move through the rift and then a light flashes inside the blurry window. "It leads to a world called twilight. Created by a..."
"Cas?" I say nervously.
"Marcella?" Cas responds immediately to the sound of my voice.
I can't hold myself up any longer and fall to my knees before the rift. "Sam? Dean?" I call out to them.
"Marcella! It's good to hear from you kid." Dean says as his shadow moves forward toward the rift.
I choke on a sob as I clench my arm tighter.
"You okay where your at?" Sam asks in a worried tone.
"Yeah," I sniffle as my eyes fill with tears. "I'm safe now, no ghouls or anything on this side. Been laying low at forks high. Waiting for rescue."
"I know kid, but we'd been looking everywhere for you. Heaven, hell, purgatory. We never considered..." Dean says. "We miss you."
"Do you know who did this? And why twilight? Why not mash or the matrix. Did you know they don't even have fangs!" I said with a sad kind of laugh.
Dean laughs too but it's guttural and starts too high pitched to be his normal laugh. "Yeah, you seen the werewolves yet, they don't eat hearts or anything." Dean jokes further. "Big ass puppy dogs!" He laughs again.
"Marcella, how long have you been there?" Sam asks with his usual worry.
"Month, month and a week?" I bit my lip.
"Marcel, it's been a week." Sam says in a sad tone that carries his shock and fear.
"Can't—can't be." I shake my head. Best not to dwell. "Is there a rescue plan, a escape plan, anything?"
"Yeah, find you and get your ass home, where you'll be grounded for the forceable future." Dean orders jokingly.
"Hey I didn't ask to get kidnapped, old man!" I yell back at him but I can't help the smile.
"Well you still can't leave the bunker. And no boyfriends and no joyrides in the impala. Until we gank the sonof bitch that took ya." Dean adds.
His humor and teasing makes me laugh and start crying again. "Can we watch scooby doo and westerns?" I ask in a small voice.
"Always. We can even eat popcorn and complain bout Sammy being a—" before Dean could finish there is the sound of him being hit while Sam whined his name.
"Marcella?"
"Yeah Cas?"
"When you get back do you wanna help me plant flowers for my bees? Recently I found a very beautiful flower and it grows best in late may but you'll be back by then so we can plant a lot of them." Cas says in his monotone voice.
"Hell yeah!" I agree immediately. Before realizing his words. 'But you'll be back by then.'
Will I? A pit in my stomach forms but I smile.
Then the light from the rift begins dulling. Panic swells in my chest. "Cas, Dean, Sam! Guys?!"
"Marcel!" "Marcella."
"Dean! Sam!" I reach for the rift as if I could hold it open. "Cas!"
"Marcellla!" A fearful scream distorts its way though the rift and I stretch my fingers over the rift but it closes and my hands fall through open air and I fall on them.
"No, no nonono." I begin to shake as I take gulps of air though my collapsing airways. Everything is constricting the longer the silence stretches. "Sammy?" I ask in a broken whisper. "Dean? Cas?" My head begins to spilt as I cry harder. I bang my fist against the middle of the triangle where sacrifice is written. My hands splash in the already sludgy puddle of my own blood. I beat my fists harder as I cry. "Open, aperta, Άνοιξε, отворен, otevřít se, offen, opna." With each word I bang my fist again until they begin to bleed with the force. Strong hands grab mine as they stop me from my continued abuse.
I twist in their grip as they pick me up and pull me from the area. "No, Jasper put me down. Put me down! Jasper!" I struggle harder as I begin to hyperventilate. "Let me Go! They were right there!" I feel myself growing lightheaded as I scream what little oxygen I have. Soon passing out.
~~
When I wake again I feel the bandages on my hands and a splitting headache that I recognize from crying and not a hangover. I blink at the ceiling before cracking again. My ribs feel like they are splitting from the sadness and longing that force their way down my throat. I choke on my tears and feel the overwhelming urge to scream but I bite my lip and pull myself up. I unwrap my hands to see the healing wounds and the slit in my wrist gone.
I set my feet on the floor and stand up. Quickly someone blurs into the room to my side. My hand catches the person by the throat as I hold them there. Their hand moves to my waist to keep me from falling and I blink again to realize it's Jasper. His hand is the only thing keeping me from falling and mine keeps him at an arms length.
I push any feelings of sadness and anxiety to the side until it's easily ignored. Compartmentalizing. Something Dean unintentionally taught me in the years I spent with the brothers. You don't need emotions when your a hunter.
I tilt my head and squeeze his neck and feel him flex his arm as he swallows his venom down. Teasingly I say under my breath, "too kinky for you, cowboy?"
His eyes flash a dark amber. And he grins. Jasper leans forward and I let him by bending my arm, hand still on his throat. I expected him to stop sooner but he moves even closer until my arm is bent completely as I keep it on his neck. I can feel his chest through where my forearm is pressed against him. His hand that was on my waist wraps around my whole back until it's on the opposite hip. "I don't know, Darling." He whispers huskily and my cheeks flame up but I tamper that down as I flirt back, challengingly.
"You play dirty." I nose his cheek as my free hand moves to his hip and slips under his shirt to rub my thumb against his hip bone. He gasps for unneeded air as his grip on me becomes tighter. "But One thing about hunters is we play dirtier." I tease as my lips brush against the shell of his ear with my parting words. Then I'm slipping out of his grip and twirled around him to walk to the door. My hand is on the door knob and I turn to him. In a completely normal voice that doesn't give anything away I say, "well your house, ain'tcha gonna show me around?"
"Yes ma'am." He says drawling the words purposely. I roll my eyes and open the door. Im blinded by the countless windows that let the surrounding forest be visible and let light in. We pass a wall of graduation caps and I chuff the air our my nose in a short laugh.
"Think it's funny." He teases me.
"I'm twenty two. You couldn't catch me dead with a cap an gown." I shivered. I leaned against the banister of the stairwell. I could hear the other Cullens in the house, moving and trying to be quiet. I turn to Jasper with a mischievous smile before jumping over the railing and landing the two floors below with precision. I turn around with a beaming smile to see Jasper.
"Took you long enough, trouble on the stairs?" I say with amusement.
"Did you really have to do that?" He asks.
"Yes." I say seriously before walking to the living room where I sit not on the couch but on the floor leaning against it.
"Why is she on the floor?" Emmet asks in a loud whisper.
"Wouldn't you like to eat, honey?" Esme asks in a mothering tone but instead of comfort the hair on my neck stands on end.
"Not hungry." I dismiss regardless of being hungry. "You have questions...again." I say addressing the elephant in the room.
"The—" Carlisle stalls unable to find a right word to fit what occurred yesterday.
"Ritual, or spell if you prefer." I offer.
"The spell you did yesterday, you said it required sacrifice. Not human blood, not vampire either. It required angel blood—grace. If so why did you slit your wrist?"
I sigh dramatically while rolling my eyes. "Geez gramps couldn't take you any longer to get to the question." I tease. I suck my teeth in agitation. "When I met the Winchester it was just after the apocalypse started. Before sealing Lucifer away, dear ol Lucy took interest in me. Kidnapped me away and tortured me for a month straight." I grin darkly at the ground. An odd amusement grows in my chest making my words come out chirpy and sarcastic. "You'd think you know torture until your in the hands of an Archangel. He would remove limbs before restarting. Skinned my whole arm." I chuckle and meet the doctors horrified eyes. "Anything he thought would be fun to try, he did. Then he got this sick idea. Angels can have children with humans, the term nephilihim comes to mind. But he wondered what would happen if he was to forcefully and manually imbue his grace into my blood and body. Archangels have so much juice that just a fraction can be lost without making a dent to them." I calm my excited jitter with my other hand. "I'm not a full angel by any means. Angels are their grace, without it they are human. But you can imagine how your venom reacts differently than your wife's. Some grace is soft." I think of cas and the time he healed my broken arm. "Some so savage and full of fire that it burns from the outside in."
I take a deep breath as I try to calm my erratic excited heartbeat. "To imbue me with grace was give me some of him. His pain, anger, bloodlust and hate for humans. Like two souls arguing over a body." I wave my words away dismissively and bend my knee to my chest. "I never told Dean any of this. Cas knows I go dark. Sam might suspect because we've both been so close to Lucifer. But how would you tell your big brother you've been grace-raped by the devil?"
"So your an Angel but like part devil?" Emmet asked after the potent silence.
"Part Angel, and I don't have devil in me. It's a fraction of the mark of Cain. Least that's what Gabriel theorized." I sigh and let my head fall back on the cushion as I expose my neck. "Being part Angel means I heal faster, got better reflexes and am stronger. Basically it's a power up."
"But who's stronger?" Emmet asked and my head snapped to him.
"Nephilihim, god, archangel, then pagans, then monsters, lastly humans. I'm between archangel and pagan." I says in a contemplative voice.
This time Alice was the one to speak. "You said there was a war Coming, I haven't seen a war."
"Something about new bloods or— led by some red head. Something something something baseball!" I look away from the ceiling to meet the Cullens exasperated looks. "What? Oh so now it's my fault for not paying attention. You try listening to dean talk about sex every other sentence. I lost interest." I shrug.
~~~ months passed and I tried to have weekly rift calls with my brothers. Sitting on the pavement in front of the rift as I talked to them like everything was normal. When all I wanted was to be home in the bunker.
"You shouldn't call so frequently. Sam he uh... he told me how you can do this. Cas filled in the rest." Deans voice cracked even under the distortion. "Cas said it's dangerous for you. Doing this, using his grace. He said you go—" deans voice cuts out. "It's like Sam with the wall, you can't keep doing this or your gonna break. Whether that makes you a vegetable or you go full blown ripper. These personality changes can't be healthy." Even though the rift I could hear the pain and guilt in his voice.
"I never blamed you. Not even when he told me what you were doing at the time. He could hurt me and tell me you were eating a sandwich and I not once blamed you. The hunt before I was kidnapped you saved my life and I could never imagine what happened after. You are my brother in all but blood. I would never blame you or Sam for the pain I went through. To you it was a month to me it felt like a lifetime. You said the same thing about hell once and did you ever blame Sam for being in hell?"
"Well no because—"
"That's kinda what makes a Winchester, the ability to live and die for family and still love unconditionally. Do you remember anymore about the newborn army?"
"You aren't actually planning to fight with them?" Dean asked in exasperation.
"Time moves quicker here. What may be a month to you will be many to me. The army will still come. And I'll keep calling every week. If I contain it until the army comes then I can let lose and not harm anybody. Nobody human." I say the last part sarcastically.
"No! No!" I hear shouting and the silhouette of dean turns over his should. "Sammy come in here!"
Sam enters and the two begin to talk fast under there breath. "She's gonna pull another —?"
"What do you mean another? She's done this befo— you've done this before?!" He shouts while turning back to me. "No! End of discussion, your not doing it."
"Dean!" Sam admonishes dean. "Marcella if this is what you need to do, I know this is hard for you. I support whatever decision you take."
"No no no this isn't Winchester approved until I approve it!" Dean argues loudly making me smile at his behavior.
"You guys are the best brothers a hunter could ask for." I say softly. Both sam and Dean stop talking and sam is the first to respond.
"We love you too Marcella. If you do fight be safe and kick some ass." Sam waves as the rift begins closing on its own. This parting is not full of regret or anger. It's just an until next time. Hopefully when deans calmed down and came around to the idea of me fighting against newborns. Or after. I add cheekily.
~~~
The drive back to the Cullen residence is hopeful for me. Sam's okay was all I needed. Deans would've been better but...can't always get what I want.
Jasper opens the door for me and helps me out of the car. The first month after the Cullens found out, I felt edgy around jasper. He obviously shows interest in me but I would shoot it down with reasons why not. He was undeterred and continued his polite gentleman behavior. Like a suitor courting a lady. Eventually I stopped correcting him and just let him do as he pleases.
His fingers moved down my hand as he held it gently in his icy grasp. The cold wasn't unwelcome, temperatures stopped affecting me some time ago.
"Will you tell my family about—"
I cut him off with a small yeah. I smile and walk faster and when I approach the door I swing it open widely and chant "the fun has arrived!" Like in Tarzan. Emmet zooms to my side and tries to tackle me and I sidestep him. "Too slow." I mock. Jasper holds my hand tighter and pulls me to the living room. "Ya know I spend so much time here I'm only at the motel to sleep."
"Your still paying for it?" Carlisle asks in surprise like he only just realized I'm homeless.
"Well duh. I mean it's under Burt Afrihamian but whoop de do."
"Credit card scams, great." Edward says under his breath.
"Cork it angel, Not like saving lives pays good money." I say spitefully. (Because Edward totally looks like angel from Buffy)
"How do you make money then?" Esme asks in curiosity.
"Poker, pool, gambling, sometimes taking a job in the area like day worker or something. Never make enough to sustain ourselves but if we save it then we can buy things like new guns and ammo. Under the counter shit."
"Full blown criminal." Edward says again.
"Say it to my face you limp noodle." I hiss. "Point is. Im fighting with you, not against you."
~~~
Jasper began training me outside of school to see if I was fit for battle as he put it. So far I had taken him down more times then he had taken me down. So I was deemed battle ready but we still spared for fun. The first time I had him pinned his eyes went dark and I met his other personality, the major.
"Hello Darlin'" the accent he used was much thicker than normal. My first clue. "I've been itching to meet you for a time now. You made him flustered enough for me to slip through." His words dripped like honey and venom as he held my waist and lifted the both of us.
This person who isn't Jasper, had a military presence that made him respectable. Second clue.
"And what should I call you?" I say tracing my finger around his eyes.
"Major, that's what everyone calls me." His eyes drifted. "He's worried I'll hurt you?"
I snorted and leaned heavier against him, my hand slipping to his shoulder as I laughed. "Cute. If you've seen it then you know I'll put you on your ass and smile doing it." I grinned sharply and the man practically purred. "So your his dark side? Maybe our two sides will meet, hit it off and slaughter a city." I say sarcastically. He chuffs and noses his head into my neck.
"You smell like pine trees and lightning. Bitter." He purrs pulling me closer. He just barely brushes his lips against my pulse when I wrap my hand around his throat.
"Ah ah ah," I admonish while moving him back. "Keep your nonexistent fangs to yourself, Major. Poisonous, remember." I tease.
He huffs before grinning. "You refuse his/our advancements? Do you not find me attractive?" He teases back.
"Very 'tractive. But I haven't got time to be foolin with a vampire. I'm not really into necrophilia, ya know." I say sarcastically. "And my brother would kill me twice over for it." I joke. He wouldn't really, he'd probably make a bunch of vampire jokes.
(Stay tuned for part four when I finally write the newborn army fight. I’m moving fast cause the fight was the whole reason I wanna write this.)
Because I had to write part two to this budding relationship. Look for pt one on my account. It’s not far.
| 1 | two | 3 |
I heard the loud noxious music before I entered the vehicle. The windows were down so I could only assume it was to air out the sulfuric smell crowley gave off. He was sitting in the backseat with his arms crossed as he tried to yell over the music.
I allowed myself a smile knowing they couldn't see me yet as I still flew over the car. I pulled my wings in and fell to the road and landed into the back seat beside the grumpy demon. The radio began to blitz between static and incomprehensible rock.
Dean grumbled over the static as he began to twist and turn the knobs on the radio. "Oh come on man! That was Zeppelin!" He said in aggravation.
My lips quirked at the corner into a small grin. They didn't use to do that. Through spending more and more time with the Winchesters I had more chances to see life and experience it outside the battlefield. In a way becoming more human.
My life had always been one war after another. There were not times for laughter or joy. Only fear as it clouded my nose and I prayed for the soldier beside me to survive this hell. There was that one Christmas when we crossed our trenches and dance and sung and drank until we would wake up the next morning and kill the same men.
"Seriously M/N, even Cas doesn't fuck with the radio!" Dean continued to grumble, finishing off with a glare through the assistance of the backup mirror. "Fix it!"
I nod and twist my frequency to stop fritzing the radio. Instead of zepplin playing there is Frank Sinatras voice as he begins to sing the opening stanza to Come fly with me.
"Frank Sinatra?" Sam asks in confusion.
"I heard this song when it first aired in 1958, during the Vietnam war. After the war I had to meet him, and did." I paused, "he died while I was off fighting in Kosovo Conflict." I admit sadly.
"How could you have heard this if you were in Vietnam?" Dean asked in confusion. "I mean I get you had radios but wouldn't that have been too far?"
"I would play with the frequencies, bounce signals. Everyday I saw my soldiers say 'we are in hell'. So I gave them radio. I amplified signals from home so they could listen to music, all along the watchtower was a favorite, it ain't me by CCR, we gotta get outta this place by the animals. It was all I could do to help." I lean back into the backseat and smile to myself. "I even think one of them caught on. He would follow me around asking me questions." My lips thin into a tight line. "I was sad to see that one go." I said creating a somber mood as come fly with me began to sizzle in the background.
I turned to the side to see Crowley when he bumped his leg into mine. "So frank Sinatra?"
I nod and began to talk with Crowley. Not noticing of how the once staticky version of come fly with me became clearer again and went on to play strangers in the night. Sam and Dean share a uncomfortable look as they both look at the back mirror to see Crowley and Mars having a pleasant conversation. The Angel has a small smile when Crowley speaks.
Dean coughs into his hand while turning down the music. "Not that I don't like this blast from the past, but driver picks the music and shotgun shuts his cakehole." Dean says loudly gaining the angels attention.
Sam slaps his brothers arm. "Dude! You can't just say that to an Angel."
"Why not! My car!" Dean protests. "Besides he has wings, he doesn't need car rides to get places so he doesn't have jurisdiction on the music." Dean argues.
The brothers begin to bicker more and it brings a fond smile to my face. Crowley taps my leg and I turn to him again. "What would you say we just go to the destination and let these two chuckleheads chit chat?"
"Are you offering me a ride?" I tease lightly. As soon as it leaves my mouth I blink in confusion. Where did that come from? Maybe the Winchesters have made me more human than I thought.
"If that's what your asking, tall, dark, and scary." Crowley offers and puts his hand on my shoulder. Soon we're standing outside a park. Crowley takes a seat and I choose to sit beside him.
I let myself relax and lean against the bench's arm rest. "So what is the monster this time?"
"A nest of vampires, they've been draining men. Most of them last seen coming out of a gay bar." Crowley says bluntly.
"I forget how much our world changes." I shake my head, "how many would you say occupy this nest?"
"10 or 12."
I think it over before standing. "Then let's go."
"Go? Go where?" Crowley asks in confusion as he stands as well.
"Deal with the nest? I can handle most if not all. I need someone to guard the exits." I respond bluntly I close my eyes and focus, finding the nest easily. "It's not far. It's the old roller skating rink."
Time skip ~~~
I walk into the building with Crowley, he chooses to stand by the door as I walk further toward the rink. I whistle and it echoes; slowly people began to creep out of dark corners. The lights begin flickering and music plays through the over head. Puttin on the ritz began to play and I couldn't stop from tapping my foot.
"Who are you?! Why are you here?" One of them asks.
I stop tapping my foot and turn to the vampire. "I'm here to— dispose of you." I tilt my head. "I have nothing against your kind but I really must kill you. I'd rather be the one doing it than the hunters that accompanied me here. I hope you understand." I say before lunging and pushing him to the ground as his head is ripped from his body. His nest mates begin to hiss as their fangs drop and they lunge for me. I dance between the bodies sometimes dismembering them as I go.
A brave vampire wraps it's hands around my throat and growls threateningly as spittle flies onto my face. I raise my eyebrow and break it's arms before crushing its head under my boot.
The vampires begin to back away from me in fear and realization they cannot win.
"Running is futile, Take your death standing and fighting." I demand in anger. "I've led soldiers with more bravery then you lot." I swing my arm and my wings follow as they decapitate three vampires at a time. The blood outlines them enough to become visible. There are five more alive and I make quick work of four. The last one kneels before me in a pitiful state. It's right arm severely broken as it begs for mercy. I put my boot on the coven leaders broken shoulder and grip his head tightly, snapping his neck while simultaneously ripping it from his body.
I throw the head behind me and flick my wing and the blood flies off leaving my wings untainted and invisible again. Crowley claps his hands in appreciation. The music dies down and I hear banging before Sam and Dean burst into the entrance.
"Hello boys, you just missed a most delightful performance. Nearly brought me to tears." Crowley says sarcastically.
Sam and Dean examine the state of the room and Sam is disgusted by the amount of mutilated corpses while Dean is morbidly interested in how I managed spill so much blood. I ignore them in favor of cleaning my hands with my ever present handkerchief.
"Clean up on aisle— everywhere." Dean jokes and pats my shoulder. "Nice job."
"Dean, he is literally the god of war." Sam says pinching the bridge of his nose while avoiding looking at the bodies.
I snap my fingers and the bodies and blood clean themselves, "better?"
"Much." Sam says making dean snort.
I roll my head and stretch my hands above me. My wings flex as well and stretch out. "That was an okay fight, ghouls put up more effort." I complain.
"I'm sure you'll find a fitting fight soon enough." Crowley said soothingly.
His tone made my ears buzz and I smiled back at him. "I hope."
Crowley then left for demon business and I wished him luck.
Time skip ~~~
The brothers had continued to search for the horsemen rings; regardless if I did not agree with locking my brother back in the cage.
War, of course, bowed in my presence. The brothers asked if I was his boss as the god of war and I lifted my lip in a snarl. "He is a cockroach, starting feeble conflicts that lead to all out war. As a god of war I do not start wars, I fight in them. In a way he thinks he is serving me but his interferences have always angered me. I would be glad to be rid of him."
Famine did cause trouble among the brothers, leading Sam to nearly relapse on his demonic diet. It was amusing to see Castiel gorge himself on White Castle burgers. But I did not appreciate famine forcing him to eat raw meat like a dog. And for that I was the one to kill famine.
Pestilence made me angry. Of all my brother's creations among the demons. The horseman pestilence was the most obnoxious. There is already enough sickness in the world. Castiel killed him at the last moment. I would've ended it but I was off with Gabriel while we watched from afar.
Death, I had no qualms with. I much appreciate him and his reapers. When Dean and Crowley located him in Chicago I flew in with excitement. With a flutter I was standing in the Chicago Pizza shop while Dean was sitting in front of death.
Dean turned over his shoulder, "M/N."
"Death." I said with soft familiarity. "It's been long, old friend." I smiled before walking closer.
"M/N, what're you doing here?" Dean asked in confusion because he hadn't seen me since I killed famine.
"Winchester, you're dismissed." I asked politely.
"No, not until we get his ring!" He demanded in aggravation. Nearly leaving his seat with his shout.
"Winchester, stand outside with Crowley before I drag you out." I demanded without raising my voice.
Deans throat bobbed as he was reminded I was not to be taken lightly. He left silently aside from slamming the door harshly like a petulant child.
I released a breath as I tried to calm myself before taking deans abandoned seat. "I have told them I do not like this plan." I leaned my elbow against the table. "I will deal with my brothers when the time presents itself. But the winchesters are impatient, they want him caged yesterday."
"They are mortal, (male nickname, preferably embarrassing in context)" Death said smiling.
I looked away to hide my embarrassment. "That's not the point." I shook my head before becoming serious again. "Are you happy to be back? My brothers haven't chained you or anything?"
"No chains, I'm free to do as I wish. And I wish to enjoy the fast food of this time. Have you had the deep dish pizza?"
I smiled seeing death speak with excitement about the food he'd like to eat. Those who do not know my friend would not assume he's excited. But as we have been friends since my creation, even I could see how he smiled and would speak with enthusiasm.
"It's all molecules to us."
"Lies." Death said in jest before some cheese cake appeared before me. "Very same from Venice."
"You spoil me." I said smiling and eagerly dug into the slice. While most angels would only taste molecules. After years of passing for human during wars, I could pick out flavors and tastes while ignoring its components. "I almost forgot what cheesecake tasted like." I ate another bite before speaking again. "Did the owners change the recipe?" The soldier I mentioned earlier, the one who had me figured out. His children and descendants are the owners of this restaurant in Venice. Of course when the boy figured me out he would ask questions, most I answered. He saw my displeasure at eating rations so he would eat with me so as to conceal my lack of appetite. One day he made me a cheesecake. While I couldn't taste the flavors then, I have always appreciated it. The recipe was passed down and his family started a restaurant.
"No, regretfully the owners passed and left the restaurant to their children. Only one of them has real talent for food."
I hummed. "That is regretful. I'll have to visit the family at some time to pay my respects."
"You could always visit him." Death said raising his finger off his cane as he motioned up.
I scoffed before leaning back against the chair. "Jupiter would be angry if I were to visit home. I haven't been to heaven since the Vikings migrated. Most of the angels have forgotten me or deny my existence. I may be an archangel but heaven is no longer home." I dropped my head to my chest to hide my sullen expression. I missed the garden, the gates, the warm gooey feeling of the sun. I miss the angels, the cherubs I would take care of. It was by chance I came into contact with Castiel.
"But have you not visited at least once in the last millennium? Not even the gates at least?" Death asked in worry.
"No, not once. I've been busy with wars and conflicts. I fought for the Roman's all those years ago but I am still leashed by that—" I bit down my anger with a contemptuous sigh. "My mark has not changed from the day I received it." I said the word received with as much sarcasm as my monotone voice could manage.
Leaning back in a more controlled voice I continued. "Heaven has been peaceful for so long that while I feel nostalgic for its warmth, I have not tempted fate. Infighting only began after my brothers were freed. I have Castiel giving me updates whenever possible. If the fighting becomes more aggravated then I will take action regardless of him." I said reluctantly.
I looked at the clock and realized we had been talking for so long that my whole cake was barely crumbs and the pizza was much the same state. I turned to the window and was unsurprised to see Dean pacing outside while looking at the sky every couple seconds. Crowley noticed my stare and with a smile he twinkled his fingers in a wave that made me feel—something.
Death mumbled something into his napkin and I was too distracted to catch most of it but what I did made my grace burn in embarrassment.
Death chuckled before leaning over the table to present the silver ring with swirling white stone at its center. It was not my first time seeing his ring but I was surprised that he would present it to me.
"Understand, that while I could give the Winchester some horrible impossible task to earn this, I give it to you in hopes you do not have to use it. I know how you miss your younger brother, and I wish you the best in controlling him and keeping him out of his cage. Until next time my friend." Death finished his last sentence by standing and placing his hat back on his head and vanishing.
I smiled sadly at the open air he had just occupied. "Goodbye friend."
I stood from the table and left the pizza parlor at a leisurely pace. When I opened the door the first thing the oldest Winchester did was pounce on me for answers.
"So did you get it, did you get the ring? Is he on our side? How do we lock up your brother?" Dean fired off in rapid succession.
The last question made me clench the ring tighter in my first and even Crowley winced. I stared down Dean and spoke in a even tone. "Death is on no one's side, he is an entity older than time. He does not take sides."
"But you two are all buddy buddy?" Dean said bluntly.
"I am an archangel and god of war, death is not new to me. I have known him since my creation. We are not buddy buddy." I answered spitefully.
"But what about your brother, you got the ring that means we lock him up now, right?" Dean asked oblivious to my growing anger. I had kept my temper as we collected the rings but it has been building since the first time the Winchesters suggested it.
"Squirrel, you may want to step off it." Crowley said informatively. But it was already too late as my anger had loosened my lips.
"You sound no better than Michael," I spat hatefully. "No wonder you'd be his vessel." I grit my teeth as I tried to control my temper and refrain from killing my father's favorite toy. I held the ring in front of Deans fearful eyes before bringing it to my chest where I felt it brush my necklace before joining it beside my dog tags and godly weapon. "No matter if you beg or plead, you will not have this ring so long as you continue to speak ill. You may kill me or die trying and you would still not pry it from my neck." I threatened harshly as I towered over him making him shrink into himself. "Sam is as much your younger brother as Lucifer is mine. I do Not comment on his binges in the past or his blood purity. So do not spite my brother as if you know him." I spoke venomously before leaving in a riled flap of my wings. I left with such force that the Winchester was knocked over and scrapped his hands on the concrete sidewalk.
I flew circles around the state as I watched for monsters, swooping down and swiftly ending each one I came in contact with. There was no hesitation and no seconds wasted on banter or baiting. Soon I had cleared the whole state of every monster aside from the rare few species I let live. Beneficial species mostly.
Still the anger inside me continued to grow and I took off to the nearest battlefield. The nearest being across the world in a conflict I didn't care to acknowledge before I wiped out the opposing side with my godly weapon. Some bodies made out with whole corpses while others were butchered beyond recognition. My once clean attire and skin were stained with various bloods of monsters before being bathed in the blood of those dead on the battlefield. The viscous liquids dripped off me in fat splatters on the ground. The scent of ozone and iron was overpowering any other smell, I couldn't even taste the cheesecake through it all.
I threw my head back before screaming in anger, anger at the gods, at my father, at my brothers, at humans, at fate, destiny and everything between it. I never hated the sun til that second. Wishing it would explode and end it all. Grace exploded out of me in time with my anger, burning the corpses and scorching the ground black. My wings stretched like they were trying to rip themselves from my body and leave me flightless.
I sank to my knees in exhaustion, my wings, now sore, wrapped tightly around my frame as if they could shield me from my anger, my hate, my sadness.
God created us first, like some science experiment or lab rat. We are flawed to a fault. Archangels being the first off the shelf, we are emotional to a point of destruction. We feel so much stronger then our lesser angels. We feel pain and sadness like a disease. Our anger could level continents without control. Our love is near obsessive. We feel so much stronger and have so little understanding of our own emotions that it cripples us. Michael being father’s pet, Lucifer becomes the betrayer. Gabriel left because he was so saddened by their fighting he couldn’t cope. Raphael feeling so neglected compared to Michael that he took over heaven and the angels to garner favor with father.
In a way I am better than my brothers. While I have always felt just as deeply, my duties and my control keep me from acting on those emotions. I was the perfect doll, as much as I may feel I did not outwardly show it like my brothers. I have the perfect military temperament, as I’ve been told by many throughout my time in war. But this was the straw to break the camels back as they say.
I don’t know how long I sat there as the ground began to radiate with my grace. Providing a beacon for any nearby Angel to find me.
“Big brother?” A soft timid voice asked from afar. I raised my eyes to see my brother, Gabriel. He was shifting from foot to foot as his wings moved erratically behind him.
I smiled reassuringly before trying to stand, I stumbled slightly before trying again. When I was standing straighter I opened my wings from my body so he could come closer.
He sped toward me with a smile and trapped me in a hug. I smiled softly into his hair. My love of my brother is what causes me pain but I would not stop loving them regardless. I rested my head on his while we hugged.
(I’m sorry for the gif. But this is just so funny to me to write. I’m poisoning you with horrible fanfiction.)
| 1 | two | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
I drove down the road to the hospital and staked the place out. Sneaking inside to steal Dr Cullens schedule. He won’t be getting off for another hour so I waited in his car for him to leave. I waited laying down in the back of the car for him to get off. When he opened the door I held my machete to his neck.
“Vampire.”
“Are you the one my children are worried about.” The doctor asks calmly.
“I wouldn’t know. I don’t associate with fangers. How many are in your nest?”
“Just myself, my wife and children.”
I snort, “fangs don’t have kids. You’re Just monsters that run on blood and hunger.”
“We don’t. We’re different.” I press the blade closer. “We don’t feed off humans. We eat animals. See.” He nods his head to the mirror. His eyes shine a bright golden color. “Our coven are not killers. We hunt the woods. Boar, deer, mountain lion, one of my sons likes bear.” He appeals calmly.
I think it’s the calmness that throws me off. The certainty and softness in the way he speaks. Love for his children and wife. I Slip my thumb along the base of the blade and even as the blood pearls he doesn’t react. I nod and pull my blade back to me. “Must be a good enough vampire to be a doctor.” I concede before opening the door and leaving his vehicle. I hear the window opening behind me and turn my head.
“Will you come after me again?” The doctor asks.
“Not if I don’t have to and I don’t want to.” I run my hand over my face. “I don’t kill unless it threatens human lives or my family.”
I see him nod his head before he backs out of the parking lot and leaves down the stretch of road. Most likely driving home to his nest to inform his wife and then their kids.
I shake my head and scuff my boot. Dean would call me a softie. Technically I should kill the entire coven. They threaten Bella’s life, time and time again in the future. If they become a threat then I will kill them, no different than a case.
I go back to the motel I continued to stay at, reapplying seals and sigils that would prevent any supernatural entry. This is the last straw, I’ll leave in the morning.
Time skip ~~
Due to reasons, which I suspect are foul play, I was again stopped by Chief Swan and escorted back to the school. I figured that I would play along and as soon as he leaves, book it out of this place.
Unfortunately due to what I’ve coined as hunters luck, I was then mobbed by Angela, Jessica and Bella. Like a stampede I was herded into the school and into my classes.
I could feel a ‘Cullen stare’ in every class and it set off every instinct to fight. Durning lunch their stare was increased tenfold and while I was not outwardly affected. Mentally I was a tiger pacing a cage. Ready to rip and tear my way out.
I grit my teeth and angrily bowed my head over my tightly clasped fists. I had lasted this long, I was glad I chose to sit by myself because of what I did next.
Looking around the lunchroom for wayward glances I bent my head down and began praying.
"Castiel, Angel of the lord, Angel of Thursday's and travel. Please get me the fuck out of here or give me guidance." I whispered into my balled fists that were clenched so tightly they turned white. I gave it a minute before I shook my hands and clasped them again. "Gabriel, Lucifer. Or whatever Angel who's got the radio on, I'm calling in a favor. Please!" I said in agitation. I waited for something happen but nothing did. No lightning, ringing bells or shattered glass. “I swear if I make it out of this shit show alive…” I didn’t finish my sentence because Jasper hale turned to me.
His face said confusion while the rest of him was tensed. Chuck, if he didn’t look pretty when he’s confused—I shook my head before glaring and standing to leave. I left the lunchroom and could feel as I was being followed. Under my breath I whispered. “Follow me, and I’ll expose you as what you are. I have nowhere else to run.”
The person continued to follow me but with more slack. I nodded to myself before climbing up to the roof. I knew that just because I was on a roof didn’t mean they couldn’t get me. But that is where I stayed for the remainder of the day. There was a constant feeling of being watched but I ignored it in favor of planning.
I withdrew some knives and the gun I had strapped to myself and began to sharpen and inspect every piece. It was all I could do to keep myself still.
This felt like any regular hunt but more electric. Adrenaline running fast enough to make my heart explode while being so calm I could plan seven different outcomes on a dime. When the bell rang I took that as signal to leave. I easily jumped off the roof and landed into a barrel roll before dusting myself off and making my way to my stolen vehicle. I tried starting the vehicle and was unsurprised when It didn’t start.
Bella came running over to see, “hey is everything alright? Do you need a ride?”
I put on my best easy going smile. “It’s alright. I just gotta Pop the hood and fix it. Happens all the time.” I lied easily.
I pretended to work on my car for the next thirty minutes while cars continued to clear out of the parking lot until it was only me and the Cullens.
I chuffed before turning around and leaning against my car. The short pixie, Alice and Edwardo began to walk toward me from their cars. I rolled my eyes and tilted my head mockingly. “My place or yours?”
Alice seemed to brush off the sarcasm and smiled blindingly. “Wed love for you to join us at our house so we can clear everything up.”
I reached behind me and scratched my head. “Rather not. See I told your coven leader that I would leave you alone. As long as you aren’t a threat to humans or my family. That sounded like a threat, pixie stix” I held the machete infront of me so they would stop their approach. “I’m obviously not being rescued so you know what, I don’t give two helleva shits what you do. I want out this town. Give me back my radiator cap.” I said waving the blade nonchalant.
“Emmet.” Edwardo said and soon the tall one had broken my machete. I looked between the broken blade and the lumbering giant before snarling.
“You son of a bitch!” I growled out, I could feel my adreniline spike before I lunged for him. Grappling him to the ground as we began to fight. I punched his torso while grabbing his arm and pulling him so he would roll over my back. I felt something crack in his arm and I held my foot over his throat when he was laying flat on the ground. The fight stalled before he pushed my foot off and we began to fight again. He picked me up and threw me. I stoped my fall by landing on all fours. Before I could lunge for him again I was held back by another pair of arms. I looked behind me to glance short golden hair.
“Let me go cowboy!” I growled while struggling. I could feel him falter before holding me tighter.
“Our family just wants to talk, Ma’am.” He responded in a unused voice, Texan accent thick.
“Yeah right, heard that shit before! I don’t care what you fuckers do to this town!” My adrenaline began to falter and I sank in his arms. “I just wanna go home. This game isn’t funny anymore.” I whined.
I was then led into a car with cowboy, emmet and Rosalie. I sat with my head back in the seat as I just drifted in my depression. We got to their home in under two minutes which didn’t surprise me at the speed they drove.
Jasper held my arm as he led me into the house where I was greeted by a smiling auburn woman. “Hello, I’m their mother Esme.”
Not outwardly responding I bowed my head lightly in greeting. I was led further into the house to a living room and asked to sit. I didn’t fight, I had lost all fight. I sat on the couch with my legs apart while I sank back and let my head rest over the back so I could examine the ceiling.
“Would you like anything to eat or drink?” Esme asked politely.
“Nothing against your hospitality but no thank you.” I said monotonously.
I did not talk no matter how they tried to coerce me. They don’t seem the type for torture and so I waited for their maker. Strangely, the cowboy, Jasper. Continued to sit beside me.
Everyone jumped to attention listening to the sound of the Good Doctor’s car and then the clinking as he unlocked the front door and then entered the living room.
I rolled my head to face forward and leaned over my knees to address him. “Good evening doctor Drac.” I said sarcastically.
“I really prefer Carlisle.” He said smoothly.
“I really don’t care. Due to interference I’m still stuck here. I could’ve been gone by morning but someone sent a Smokey after me.”
“I wanted to talk to you again.”
“I didn’t.”
“My family and I want to make it clear we are not a threat to humans. We can coexist peacefully.”
I waved my hand for him to stop. “Look Nosferatu, I don’t care. I’ve let fangers go before. There was a woman, Lenore, her coven fed on cows blood. We let her and her coven leave.” Under my breath I mumbled, “tried to.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rosalie asked venomously.
“Was another hunter. Had it out for all fangs, kidnapped her and tempted her with blood. At first she was bloodthirsty before she began to reject it. Fucker killed her anyway, nothing me or my brothers could’ve done.”
“Are these the same brothers you call everyday before school? Sam and Dean?” Alice spoke up.
I jumped up ready to fight her when jaspers arm came across my midsection and pulled me down again.
“She meant no offense.” He said softly when he had me seated again. Calmness began to blanket me in a way that made me angry.
“Don’t patronize me, cowboy.” I said heatedly.
“Earlier you said you didn’t want to play this game anymore? What game?” Edwardo asked taking my attention away from Jasper.
I chuffed before turning to the coven leader, “got any whiskey?”
“Aren’t you…”
“I’m 22, yeah, I look 16 going on 17. I just went with it when the cop picked me up. Wasn’t gonna waste my fake IDs on some Smokey.” I said cutting him off. In a flash he was back with a glass of whiskey. I kindly accepted it before throwing it back without pause. “Better than any dive bar.” I rolled my neck as I felt it kicking in. A sudden feeling of trust and family began to bleed into the blanket calmness. I turn to the person in question. “Don’t toy with my emotions, I know what your doing.”
I turned back to the doctor. “Want the beginning beginning or just cliff notes?”
“The beginning please.”
“I was born in a family of two hunters, in a world unlike your own. Monsters roam the earth, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, djinn, wendigos, skin walkers.” I paused.
“I wasn’t raised like the other kids, most hunters have a kid and wanna settle down, leave that life. Bout as easy as leaving the mafia. My parents didn’t want to settle down. I was raised from the age of four to carry a gun with silver shells and rock salt rounds, a blade and holy water. I had exorcisms and monster research for bedtime stories. I killed my first ghost at five.” I said proudly. “Like I said the life was hard to leave but having a kid with you just makes you a bigger target. They died in a werewolf attack around 8 and I went on to bounce around with other hunters until I started going solo around 14. Nothing to big, I looked pretty young so I couldn’t really do the whole, ‘I’m a cop, tell me everything’. Just went and killed things, helping people. Met the Winchesters after Dean got out of hell. Went for sellin his soul for Sammy. I’d join them on a couple hunts and met some of their big Bads.” I smiled widely. “Some of em didn’t like me too much. Crowley, the king of hell, oooh we have fun. Shot me in the shoulder, got em back some.”
“There was Gabriel, of course at the time he was under witness protection as Loki. He likes games, made us relive the same day over and over and over again while dean died over and over. A real Groundhog Day. Then put us all in a rolling commercial. Archangel’s got juice to create separate realities and stuff. But I think we’re on truce with him.”
“Archangel, hell? Like the hell?” Carlisle asked in confusion.
“H-e-double hockey stix, doc. All real, never been of course. And the angels are real too, great bag of dicks with wings, cept Cas. Castiel pulled dean out of the pit, of course that started the apocalypse; but semantics ya know. Then there was Lucifer rising.”
“You called out to him and them in the cafeteria?” Alice asked.
“I’m tired of their games. I want to go home. I want out of this warped reality! I want—my brothers.” I said defeatedly. “We were on a ghoul hunt, nasty bitches, and we had just finished and were walking to baby, my brothers car, when I’m no longer with them. I’m on the road outside your town and I just keep walking. I call every number! And I get nothing! I thought I was just on the other side of the country. I tell myself; they’ll come for me. And if this is some kidnapping then I can wait to find my captor, I can play along. My brothers will come find me.” I end softly.
“If it was Crowley, he’d have come to gloat by now or play cards at least. If it was Loki there would be more candy and mischief. That leaves dear old Satan. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s held me captive.”
“Why do you keep saying that? Held you captive. Your not captive. Your.” Edward asked.
“Your missing the best part, edweird, this is a prison world. You all are characters from a book series geared toward young adults. The love story of Edward and Bella.” I say laughingly before sobering up. “Never read the damn books, was too busy. Dean saw the movies because some chick made him watch it.” I snorted. “Didn’t realize I was even in the book until you stopped Bella’s car. I was so pissed! Me in some pansy ass vampire romance novel. Fucking shoot me.” I snarled the last sentence. I looked disapprovingly at the empty glass and regretted shooting it back. “Can I have more?”
Esme looked disapprovingly but Carlisle did refill my glass. I tipped it toward the matriarch. “I promise you I’m not getting sloshed off two glasses, no matter how old it is.” I sipped the glass in appreciation.
“You called us fangs, and fangers?” Jasper said from beside me. His family continually watched him when he would move or shift. Wincing when he had pulled me back down earlier.
“Ya know, fangers, vampires?” I put my fingers over my mouth in mock fangs. “Fangs.”
He showed no outward reaction so I leaned over and lifted the corner of his lip. I blinked in confusion, when I lifted higher and did it see the cavity where the teeth extended from. “Say ah and hold this.” I handed him my whiskey and put my finger further in his mouth, poking and prodding for fangs. I pulled back in disbelief. “Seriously?! What kind of vampire hadn’t got fangs?! That’s inconvenient as all hell! So what you just slurpy the vein?” I fell back into the couch and gazing at the ceiling and grumbled. “I fucking hate twilight.”
I turn to the doctor, he had a tense expression and was watching Jasper out the corner of his eyes. “What?”
“It’s Just, Jasper is the newest to our diet and—“
“You think he’ll attack me?” I snorted. “I’d put cowboy on his ass.”
“She could, Carlisle.” Emmet said before shows casing his arm that had spiderwebbing cracks running through it. “She can crack us.”
“Wicked.” I said nonchalantly.
“Not wicked, you shouldn’t be able to do that!” Rosalie argued. “We should kill her and be done with it.”
“Come at me grease monkey.” I threatened.
Again Jasper distracted me by handing me back my glass and trying to calm me with his ability. I began to explain myself “In my world, you don’t crack, the only way to kill a fang is to behead them, preferably with a machete. You broke my machete so I said fuck it and started fighting. Not first time I’ve been out of options.” I sipped the drink again. “No matter what happens on a hunt, you don’t give up until the monster is dead. Too many good hunters get caught and killed by the things we hunt. It’s a cycle. As many hunters die, new hunters are born. Some because they seen the things that go bump and others who just want answers.”
Alice perked up and flounced toward me making me tense. “You said your brother had watched the movies. So that means you know what happens next.”
“I know you got some royalty, I’d compare that to the alpha vampire. I know Bella and edweird get together, married, have a kid. Something is going down with the natives, you got beef with them. There’s a war, two actually. One against newborns and another against the royals, but dean said It was a premonition and then there was no war.” I rubbed my forehead. “I didn’t pay attention he would just keep talking about the chick and her—” I shook my head and leaned back “never mind.”
“We aren’t real?” Jasper asked in confusion.
“You are, that’s the wonder of the multiverse theory. Every story is another world, with its own rules. Your reality is as real as mine. This isn’t some fever dream, I really am in another reality, it’s not impossible, told you that archangel’s have the juice for things like that.” I swirled the liquid in the glass as I thought over my next words. “I’ve been here a month, I laid low, I stayed put. I prayed for fuck sake. If I make it out of here I’m gonna shoot chuck, that’d be nice.”
“Chuck?”
“God. Ya know big G.” I snorted and took a deep gulp of the amber liquid that tasted like honey. “God is a disappoint, if any of you were praying when you were alive, then you were wasting breath.” I chuckled to myself as I held my hand over my mouth to muffle my amusement. “God left after the first ‘pocalypse, couldn’t stand the fighting. God’s been absent since the beginning.” I said sardonically.
“You’ve met god?” Edward said with extreme skepticism.
“Met him? We thought he was a fucking prophet!! He was masquerading as a man named Chuck Shurly while he wrote books about my brothers. Dean was pissed when he found out that every little thing they did was being written for the masses. Their blood shed and pain were broadcast and mocked! My brothers ain’t perfect but for someone to write down their darkest moments like that—” I ran my hand over my face. “Chuck is lucky to have his head.” I said darkly.
“Your world, do you know how to get back?” Carlisle asked.
“I might. Go back to the source. Look for markings or any disturbances.” I looked outside the numerous windows to find it was already dark. “That can wait for tomorrow. For now I just wanna go back to my motel and watch reruns of M*A*S*H while I paint my tonsils.” I stood up and tipped back the last of my drink before setting it on the table and approaching Rosalie. “I’d like my radiator cap back?” I said holding out my hand.
“How do you know I took it?” She sneered.
“I know a grease monkey when I see em.” I answered and then the cap was back in my hand. “Thanks.”
“Will you be leaving town?” Jasper asked as he sped to my side.
“Don’t see how I can. I see you as much as you see me. We are at an impasse. Your coven is not a threat to me and I’m not a threat to you. But you wouldn’t let me leave even if I wanted too. I say I’ll keep your secret but you have no reason to trust me.”
“So, you will be staying?” Jasper asked again.
“For the time being. Cmon cowboy, you’re driving me back to my car.” I said pulling his collar as I walked.
“That might not be the best idea. Jasper—” Carlisle began.
“I’m fine.” Jasper added quickly and his hand hovered behind me, not quite touching as he led me out the door.
His hand never came in contact with my back even as he led me to the car and opened my door. Soon we were barreling down the dirt road and back to the school.
I had my hand on the door and he was already opening it from the other side. “Charming.” I said sarcastically. “I always knew Chivalry was dead.” I joked and he quirked a smile.
I walked to my car and popped the hood and began to maneuver the cap back on. I had expected him to excuse himself and leave but he didn’t. He stood beside my hood as he watched me work with rapt attention. “It’s Not like it’ll blow up.” I said raising my eyebrow at his strange behavior.
“You know what your doing.” He explained.
“Course I do. Dean would have a fit if my car wasn’t in tip too shape. Keeps his the same too, he drives a 1967 Chevy Impala. Badest car ever. When I first joined em he would show me how to tune up a car because he wanted me to get my own. Found a Chevrolet chevelle and he helped me fix it up till it was road ready. Sammy doesn’t like old cars as much, so Dean was always happy to show me how to fix them and make them new again. It was—is my favorite memory of my brothers.” I paused before backing up. “Move your hands.” Was the only warning I gave the vampire before I shut the hood.
I walked to the driver door and started the engine with a smile. “She may be stolen but that’s no excuse to neglect her.” I turned to the cowboy who had continued to keep me company. I pondered the actions he took today and recently. While I did feel an attraction to the honey haired male I did not feel ambition to per-sue such novelty. I closed my driver side door and he walked closer to my open window to talk more.
“Could I accompany you to your lodgings?” He asked with a near pout.
“Lodgings? Cowboy I’m going to a bar before I go home. Unless you want to buy my whiskey, go home.” I said thinking he would back down.
Instead he chose to flash to my passenger side and open the door. “You vampires are unbelievable.” I muttered before putting the truck in gear.
Since I joined the Winchesters I've noticed that most of the monster fighting lands on Thursday's and I brought it up to the brothers. Sam being the smart one who was well read and knew most of the lore, began to laugh leaving me and dean confused.
"Shit! She's right?" Dean said but instead of laughing like his brother his face looked like he was having an existential crisis. "Sammy, why you laughing?"
"Castiel, Angel of the lord and Angel of thursdays." Sam said bluntly pointing his thumb at the Trenchcoat wearing Angel.
Dean rubbed his mouth before grinning as well.
I turned to the ever present Angel. "So it's your fault!" I said sarcastically.
Castiel blinked rapidly before bowing his head a little. "I'm sorry." He apologized.
"No, no, Cas! Sarcasm! I'm being sarcastic— I don't actually blame you." I spoke rapidly to the Angel while waving my hands rapidly.
"I know." Castiel said and smiled mischievously. Dean bumped the angels shoulder and snorted.
"Your a punk!" I said while getting up to get another round of beers from the fridge.
"Hey, only punk here is you kid. Still look like your 16 going on 17." Dean teased me because I was the youngest of our little hunter group. Cas being a whopping billion years old and Dean going on 32 and Sam on 28. I'm only 21, but I still look like some bright eyed teen getting ready for Highschool. Helpful on cases with children and teens because they were more likely to talk to me and monsters underestimate my age. But it makes it really hard to pose as a fbi agent or go to bars looking so young.
"Hardy har-har old man." I tease back. Easily popping the seals on the beer before handing them to their respective owner.
"I'm not that old." Dean grumbled but smiled anyway knowing I was joking.
Just like every Thursday, we were once again on another monster hunt.
"You know this is great, fighting on Thursday's. Because then we always get a nice three day weekend between cases." I say between killing another monster.
"Oh yeah nice for you! I'm the one who has to drive us to the next case. And you sit in the back snuggled up to my Angel, sleeping." Dean argues, ducking under a monster's arm.
"I offered to drive!" I say laughing as I block another hit.
"Nuuh no way in any hell I'm letting you drive baby after what you did to that stolen car!" Dean shouts back.
"I was running over a werewolf!!" I defend.
"Guys! Less fighting, more fighting!" Sam says from the left trying to hold off his own monster.
I rush to his aid and decapitate his monster. I wink while handing him a machete he dropped and run back into the fray. "If your so bothered, me sleeping with your Angel. Why doesn't he sit in your lap while you drive or would that be too distracting for you!" I tease at dean while twirling out of the way of another monster.
"Marcella!!" Dean said scandalized and was almost hit by his monster before killing it.
All the monsters were killed and we began dragging them to make a fire pile. "How the hell you two have a conversation between fighting is beyond me." Sam says while throwing another body on the pile.
Dean slings his arm around my shoulder. "It's a talent." He says proudly.
I shove his arm off and smile. "It's telepathy." I joke.
We stand around the burning pile and continue to talk. We walk back to the impala and are greeted by Cas asking if the hunt went well.
I blink and instead of standing in knee high grass I stumble on an ansphalt road. I look around, expecting to see Sam, Dean or Cas and met with crickets. I take in my surroundings more before reaching for my phone out of my back pocket. The phone has no service so I begin to walk down the stretch of road in what I hopes toward civilization. I pass a sign that says:
"The city of Forks, Washington. Welcomes you."
I continued to walk down the barren road until arriving at a little town. I found the nearest pay phone and began dialing every number I recall the Winchesters using, even calling Castiel's phone.
"I'm sorry but the number your calling cannot be reached." A dial tone responded.
I hung up in aggravation before moving to the nearest motel and checking in for the night. I sat on the bed and put my head in my hands.
It could be Crowley playing another game. It's not the first time I've been zapped somewhere else or kidnapped. Even Lucifer has had his chance to fuck around.
This isn't heaven. Because I may have never been but even I know my heaven wouldn't be some rando town in the middle of Washington. And it's not hell, Dean told me some of what hell is. And based on my lack of torture...
Did I really just get dropped off in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason?
The next day I walked around town and was confronted by an officer. I read his name tag and it said Chief Swan. What surprised me was when he spoke, to summarize he scolded me for playing hooky and then gave me a ride to the local Highschool. He even asked if I was from the reservation to which I shook my head no. He dropped me off and pointed me inside, not leaving until I entered the building.
For a moment, while I was riding in the back of the cop car, I considered using a fake ID on him to make him leave me alone but decided against it. Who knows how I got here or when I can get back to the guys. So for now, I wait for my captor/kidnapper reveals themself. Until then I guess I lay low until Sam and Dean get my messages.
It was much harder than I thought to lay low. I had only been in the building for twenty minutes and was already turning heads. Was it the oversized flannel I stole from Sam or the clunky boots that could crush skulls. Maybe it was my posture, and the way I kept my hand on my knife in my pocket. It could have been any of those but 95% of the student body population avoided me for the first hour.
I had been dropped off so late in the day that by then it was lunch. I followed the overbearing noise with gritted teeth and got food before sitting. Apparently 'avoid the newbie' was over as a boy and two girls walked over to me.
A brown haired girl with a preppy attitude and a black haired girl that seemed more nerdy. The boy was black haired and also nerdy.
"Hi, I'm Jessica and this is Angela. Your the new kid right?" The brown haired girl said.
"And I'm eric, the eyes and ears of this place! And there if you need a shoulder to cry on." The boy flirts and my lip lifts in a snarl, even when Dean jokingly flirts he does a better job.
Being around new people in an environment I didn't like was putting me on edge, so my response may have come out harsher than I'd liked. "That's cute did you find that pickup line in a Tween magazine?" I bit my tongue to keep from being overly aggressive any further. "I'd like to eat my lunch in peace."
"What the hell! He was jsut trying to be polite!" Jessica screeched and I held my ear in exaggeration.
"Woah lotta lungs on you, prep." I said grouchily while resting my head on my elbow before going back to picking my food while flipping my knife open and closed under the table.
Chuck do I wish the Winchesters were here! I closed my eyes before remembering what Dean told me. "Treat the situation like your on a case, you can't outwardly be stressed, you need to be calm and collected. Look at it from all angles until it works. Play along and blend in."
I grit my teeth but I did what he said. Running my hand down my face I exaggerated my breath, my lip wobbled and eyes watered into a pitiful expression.
"I'm sorry, yeah I'm the—the new kid. I'm sorry it's." I crossed my arms tightly and looked away while my eyes watered more. "My uh parents recently died and I've been having a hard time not lashing out at people." I wiped my eyes and looked toward Angelica and Eric who would be easy to sway. "It's been hard I mean it was only last week and then I got dropped off half way cross country where I don't know anybody. It just sucks." I whimpered pulling on my young appearance so that I looked more innocent.
Angela's eyes widened before she quickly sat beside me and pulled me into a hug. "Oh my god that's horrible, are you okay?"
At the same time Angela asked if I was okay, Jessica also asked what happened.
Bulshitting the first lie I could think up I ducked my head like I was scared. "It was a hunting accident, we were hiking and some hunters had too many beers they started shooting as us. My dad covered me and mom but she was already dead." I whispered in a wobbly voice. Angela hugged me tighter and began consoling me.
I inwardly smiled and mocked Dean because again my youthful appearance and brilliant acting have saved my life. Whatcha got on that old man!
I would like to say I survived the first two weeks. I smiled so much my face hurt when all I wanted to do was snarl at people. I was integrated into Jessica's friend group and met other people. Classes were spent reciting rock songs that Dean would play in the impala while I tried not to bang my head on the table. The hardest part was I would read something I didn't understand and turn to ask Sam and he not be there.
And I know it sounds strange to miss the Winchesters so much but they're family. Since Dean got out of hell I had seen them off and on for cases until eventually we just combined forces. For the last four years it had been me and the Winchesters, saving people, hunting things, the family business.
I missed cas just as much. We would watch movies and shows and gang up on Dean singing pop songs in the car. Sometimes when I was really aggravated I would mentally replay Cas and me singing lollipop while we chased Dean until he bought us ice cream. It's my goal to make the Angel try every flavor.
I clenched my hand around my phone; it had rarely left my hand other than to charge. They should've called back by now, they should've found me or something. I may be a hunter and I've been on my own for some time before permanently joining them, but there was no way in hell or purgatory I would be crossing the country without some kind of idea where they are. I tapped my foot in aggravation while watching the clock. It's moving to slow I thought before leaving the classroom and ignoring the teacher yelling.
I slammed into the bathroom and quickly began dialing Dean first.
"The number your calling is unavailable or turned off." The robotic voice said and I growled.
Okay try Sam—"the number you are calling is unavailable or turned off."
I even tried Bobby and got the same message. I had called every number, every day for the last two weeks, always expecting a different result. I turned to the wall behind me and punched it in anger. My knuckles popped but did not split open despite the force. I'd expect they being turning purple by the time I get back to class.
Before I could punch the wall more or call another number, the bell rang and signaled lunch. I turned and threw one last punch at the wall before walking to the lunchroom. Mask back on place to be the person my "friends" expect.
"Howdy doody." I say as I sit beside Angela and across from Bella, the chiefs daughter.
"Hey Marcella!" Eric cheered and hugged my side before sitting next to me. "How was math?"
"Bite me, Yorkie." I hiss but play off my tone with a smile. He smiles back and bumps my shoulder.
Mid way through lunch someone finally notices my purple knuckles, unfortunately it's bella who is the most awkward person I've had the displeasure of meeting.
"What's wrong with your hand?" She asks, reaching out to touch the blooming colors.
"Got in a row with a vending machine." I joke but everyone is now looking at my hand and it makes my hand clench. "Really it's nothing, done worse." I shrug my shoulders and put my hand in my pocket.
After school when everyone is moving to leave the building I exit with Angela. Screeching tires fill the air and I turn to see a truck sliding on the ice about to hit Bella before a fast moving blur stops it with his bare hands and saves her.
"Motherfucker." I curse in disbelief. The scene rings so clearly in my head that it continues to replay on repeat while I slip away from the crowds and toward the back of the building mumbling about fucking fangers and twilight zone.
I stand against the back of the building and call the Winchesters numbers again with repeatedly no luck. "Trapped in this dead ass town with a nest of Vamps! And no fucking backup!!" I curse loudly while slamming my boot into the brick wall until it begins breaking from repeated abuse. "Son of a Bitch!" I shout into the empty air. I lay my forehead against the brick wall and control my breathing, switching to what Dean has often called my hunter mode.
Sam has told me once it's an unconscious decision. A survival instinct I built from being alone so often before I met them. Just one of those things I didn't kick when I went domestic, as domestic as a hunter gets. Eg having a home base and a bed every couple nights, having a makeshift family.
The next day, everyone gossips about the chiefs daughter almost being killed in the parking lot. Bella is fine of course. Coming back to school like nothing happened and the Cullen mysteriously leave because it's sunny. There's gossip about that too and for once I'm paying attention to gather every clue possible.
"So, what, you got like a crush on one of them." Jessica teases.
My lip lifts into a smirk. "I'm not into-" necrophilia- "brown eyes." I respond while taking a bite of my burger. Chuck, even dean wouldn't eat this shit they call burgers. I jokingly think but continue to eat it as it's the only meal I get free. "They're all yours Jess. Ogle them all you like I don't want none of it." I say out loud. "I'm done eating see you guys later."
For the next week I write every little detail I can remember from Dean telling me about the movies. He says he only watched them because this chick wanted to. Like I believed that.
So far I had accumulated a basic premise, the chiefs daughter falls madly in love with Edward. I'm pretty sure Rosalie and the tall big one are dating. Theres something going on at the Reservation. There might be vampire royalty. Is that like the alpha vampire? There was a war with other Vamps. There was a red head bitch, why is it always redheads?
When the Cullens do come back I pay close attention to them. I'm not the only one either, Bella carefully watches every day for a sign of Edward but he did not return with his family. He only shows up again a week later, making effort to befriend Bella.
In the middle of history I begin writing a list of things to do. I feel eyes on me as they watch my every move and act normally. I write my list using code words I had come up with.
Period supplies:
Tampons (machete)
Juice (dead man's blood)
Fruit loops (rope)
Meet the fawkers (find the Cullen coven leader)
I look up from my list and meet honey golden eyes, I find myself loosing thought as I'm drawn in. What clears my mind is when I watch them shift and darken and I examine the person as a whole. Jasper Whitlock-Hale, the Cullen in pain as the gossip goes. I grit my teeth and my eyes sharpen as we continue to stare at each other, he becomes the first to look away.
I Look down at my list and decide there is no time like the present and leave the class, regardless of the teacher protesting. I stalk the itinerary office and when the lady leaves I sneak in and skim the Cullen files.
Father: Carlisle Cullen
Occupation: Doctor at ####
His wife's name being Esme Cullen and she holds no current job beside interior decorating. Moved to forks Washington from Alaska.
I write the phone numbers on the back of my hand and slip out the office unnoticed before driving to a pawnshop on the reservation. Buying two machete and rope, I'd rather not break into a morgue.
