Drum rolllllll 🥁… after voting commenced Isadora Capri came out on top, so here is a long awaited fic… and if it goes well I might consider making it a multi part story!!
Pairing: Isadora Capri x reader
Summary: The day she died, you did too... only slower. After Larissa's death you thought you would never find happiness let alone love again. Well, until you meet Isadora and she teaches you to breathe again.
TW: there are mentions of death, character death, some mental health.
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Almost a year and a half from the day you lost her, your wife, the love of your life.
The day you married Larissa was the happiest day of your life, and the day you lost her was the day you broke. You remember it like a fresh wound.
You remember the students rushing to Wednesday as she walked out of the front gate, battered and bruised. You remember the way you looked for her, praying to see the pristine white hair towering over everyone, but it never came.
You called for her, your magic rippling under your skin as you started to panic. The look in Wednesday and Enid's eyes as they saw the green flowing through your veins when they told you she was gone.
You didn't wait, you ran as fast as your muscles would let you, superhuman vampire speed wasn't even fast enough. When you reached her she was lying on the greenroom floor, she looked peaceful her eyes closed, lips parted, not a hair out of place.
Larissa, my darling, please... open your eyes, please baby... let me see those blue eyes...
Larissa, please, please, please, breathe... I just need you to breathe...
You felt a hand on your shoulder, but didn't bother to see who it was.
Her heartbeat, I can't hear her heartbeat... Please baby please... Why can't I hear her heartbeat...
You let out a raw and guttural scream, holding her in your arms.
That was almost 18 months ago, now you're sitting in her office, long since converted to yours. After her death, Nevermore closed down for some renovations following the fire, and they attempted to replace the staff, but found it difficult to find someone willing to rebuild. That's when you stepped in, transitioning from professor and head of occult studies to principal. You went from teaching classes like hemomancy, dark alchemy, arcane history, ritual magic and shadows, even parapsychology. Now your spending your days keeping her legacy alive.
You spent every waking moment at the school, you made sure everything was perfect, including yourself, you used to show off your sense of style, students loved your tattoos, a stark contrast to Larissa. Now you wear pristine suits, tattoos covered, no hair out of place.
It’s been a few months now and the memory of your wife lives on, her portrait now hangs up in the grand hall, the students whisper stories of the great principal Weems and how she gave her life for the school.
But you remember her in different ways, the smell of her favorite perfume still lingers in the office, a bottle sits in the corner of your home vanity, you now wear your wedding ring on a gold chain around your neck, to painful to see it on your fingers most days.
You plastered on a bright smile as you walked the halls, greeting students, you tried your best to teach classes and not sound like a drone.
That was until you met the new music teacher, Isadora Capri. When her application came across your desk you didn't think twice, a child prodigy, a legend in the music industry AND an outcast, you couldn't say no. She immediately jumped in and took over the music department.
You told yourself that was all she was… another phenomenal professor added to the Nevermore roster. But she had a way of drawing attention without meaning to. Laughter followed her down the halls, the kind that used to echo here when Larissa was alive.
You were halfway through your morning rounds when you heard it… that laugh… bright and effortless, carrying from the large auditorium. Students had gathered around the new music teacher, their notebooks open, some whispering about how amazing she was, and others watching intently lost in the stories she shared.
You should have kept walking. You were never one to hover. But the sound was disarming in a place that had been silent for too long. You found yourself pausing by the doorway, sliding your phone into your pocket, your fingers finding the cool metal hanging over your beating heart… the wedding ring heavy against your chest.
That was a sound you hadn’t heard in so long, an unapologetic laugh, uncontrolled and alive.
Isadora looked up mid-sentence, catching your gaze. Her smile faltered for just a breath… polite, composed…before she turned back to her students. Still, something in the air shifted. A subtle pull that you couldn’t quite shake.
You smiled softly back at her before straightening your posture and walking back to your office. You told yourself that she was just being polite and that the smile didn’t mean anything. I mean what if it did, you recently lost your wife, could you really turn your back and start another relationship.
That was one of the worst nights you’d had since Larissa died, you hated yourself for even thinking of someone else, even with Larissa’s words echoing in your mind… promise me that if anything happens, you move on, find happiness my love… it still felt like betrayal.
You had tried to keep things professional but you were avoiding Isadora to say the least, you spent long nights in your office making sure everyone else was gone before leaving. It wasn’t that you disliked Isadora; if anything, she scared you. She represented something you hadn’t let yourself imagine since Larissa: laughter, warmth… a future.
Tonight was no different. Your office was dim except for the lamp beside your desk. A half-written lesson plan sat in front of you, emails and research cluttering your laptop screen. You pretended to be at ease, until something interrupted your silence.
You know that song. Larissa played it the night before the fire, humming it under her breath as she pinned up her hair, glancing in the mirror to find you sitting on the bed content with admiring her.
See something you like darling?
Well of course, though I would like it more if you weren’t clothed… you smirked
Now the melody curled through the corridors like candle smoke. Filling every empty and silent space. You set down your pen, staring at the closed office door as if the sound itself were calling to you.
Before you can stop yourself, you’re moving… heels clicking softly against the stone floor… following the sound down the hall like a ghost chasing warmth.
When finally you found it, Isadora was seated behind a gorgeous grand piano, eyes closed as she swayed, her hands moving like they were apart of the music itself. You watched for a moment, tears pricking your eyes before you knew you were crying.
Finally you stepped forward, your hand hovered over the polished piano surface, terrified that if you touched it the sound would fade to dust.
You hadn’t noticed that she looked up, her dark eyes studying you softly. Her hands started slowing and the music faded gracefully.
“Principal Vale… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you.” She apologized.
You just shook your head, unable to form words. She didn’t push, only watched you gently, letting you breath, letting you feel safe.
“That song… she was humming it the night she died…” you whispered softly, as if your voice break the very foundation of the school.
“I’m so sorry, I had no idea… I just started to play and it came over me.”
“It’s okay,” you said, your throat tight. “Maybe it’s her. A sign. Telling me to be happy again.”
Isadora nodded, her lips curving into the faintest, understanding smile. She moved aside and gestured to the seat beside her.
You were hesitant at first but then slowly sat with her, you hadn’t been this close to someone in so long. The warmth of her arm brushing yours almost startled you.
“Please call me Isadora.” A smile crossed her lips as her hand settled on top of yours for a moment.
“I want to say I’m sorry, for your loss… she sounds like a remarkable woman.”
“She was.” You didn’t look at her; your eyes stayed on the ivory keys, “She made this place feel like a safe haven. I’ve spent every day since trying to make it feel the same again.”
"For me, no place has ever felt like home, until you brought me to Nevermore... I'd say you've more than lived up to that goal." she smiled softly.
your fingers brushed the keys a soft sound resounding and filling the deafening silence of the room, "It wasn't easy," you whisper.
"But you made it look easy."
Her hand slides to your thigh in an innocent and comforting way, but it lit your skin on fire. You could feel your stomach twisting, your heartbeat racing, a feeling you haven't felt since your wife.
You hesitated before closing your eyes taking a breath to let your body calm, thoughts flooding your head, she's a werewolf she can probably hear your god damn heartbeat.
She just sat there admiring you, she didn't mean to stare, truly, but she couldn't help it. From the moment she arrived at Nevermore, she admired you, the quiet authority you carried, the way people instinctively softened in your presence.
You made power look effortless.
Her gaze drifted over you now, lingering on the once sharp lines of your suit, your button-up slightly undone, and your pants slightly wrinkled from working tirelessly in your office. It made you look softer, still intimidating but more human, and all the more attractive. You always did that, balanced strength with humility and gentleness, never raising your voice and yet always being heard.
She thought of times passing by your classroom, catching your voice flowing so elegantly and gracefully... You could somehow take something so clinical and grim, and make it sound like a story worth listening to. You spoke like someone who had seen the darkest parts of the world and still chose to believe in it
And your eyes... god those eyes. A breathtaking silver-grey, with a faint green that surfaced when your magic stirred... like life breaking through stone. When you smiled, it felt undeservedly intimate, as if you'd let her see something you didn't show anyone else. It made her feel, for the first time, that she'd finally found home.
Her hand lingered on your thigh, feeling the warmth of your skin, and she heard it... the quickening of your heartbeat. Her chest tightened at the thought of causing you any pain. Slowly she pulled back, not wanting to push you, not when grief still wrapped itself around your ribs like iron.
Instead, you reached out, your cold fingers wrapping around her hand to still the movement. The silence that followed felt fragile, as if a single sound would shatter everything. You turned to glance at her, and you could see the emotions swirling in her dark eyes, like ghosts of feelings unspoken.
For a moment, neither of you moved; the air between you felt suspended, trembling with something neither of you dared to say. Your eyes met, slowly studying the other, you took in the warmth of her hand under yours, the weight of it softly resting on your thigh.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." she murmured, voice barely above a whisper, "I didn't mean to overstep, I j-just..."
You shook your head slowly, your thumb brushing over her knuckles.
"You didn't. I just..." the words caught in your throat, "It's been a long time since someone's touch felt safe, since it didn't hurt."
Her gaze softened, and hope flashed in her eyes, "Maybe you weren't meant to hurt forever." The smallest smile ghosted over her lips.
"Maybe you're right..." you murmured, returning the msile as tears welled in your eyes. "Before she died Larissa made me promise, promise to move on, to find love again, to be happy."
"And have you?" she asked gently.
"I think so. I found someone who makes me feel again, who makes me believe in a future," your voice trembled, eyes searching her, flicking down to her lips before finding her gaze again.
"Have you told them?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, you could hear the tiny sliver of hope.
You lifted a hand to her cheek, your thumb brushing softly along her skin. A small smile tugged at your lips, tears tarting to fall as you felt her hold her breath. You leaned in, your breath mingling with hers, waiting for her to pull away.
But she didn't, she met you halfway, her plush lips soft and tentative against yours, your tears wetting her cheeks. Both of you letting out a sigh of breath, almost as if you could finally breathe again after months of pain.
When you finally pulled away, she leaned forward again, instinctively chasing your warmth before catching herself, her eyes flickering open to meet yours.
"I think she already knows," you whispered with a quiet laugh, the sound breaking as a sob as happy tears traced down your face.
“She does,” Isadora laughed softly, the realization dawning in her eyes. “I didn’t know your story when I first came to Nevermore. But the more I saw you… the way you carried grief like it was a kind of strength… the more you amazed me. Every time I saw you, every time you flashed that charming smile, or I listened to you teach, even just watching you when you used your power… I fell in love with you. I wanted to know you, to understand you. But I also knew the pain you carried, and I didn’t want to push or cause you more.”
“You didn’t,” you said, your voice steady but soft. “You saw me in a way not many do. I didn’t want losing Larissa to be the reason people respected me. I wanted to earn that on my own.”
You hesitated, then took a quiet breath before continuing. “When I first came to Nevermore, it was just to teach. Larissa had heard my story and welcomed me with open arms. What I didn’t realize was that she already knew my whole story.”
Your smile wavered. “I was born into one of the oldest and most elite vampire families… but I wanted more, to make something of myself. I always admired witches and others with wild, untamed abilities. So I searched for ways to have that power for myself. I went too far… I delved into dark magic, and it changed me. I became something new. Something both vampire and witch.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “You’re a hybrid?”
“I am,” you said quietly. “One of the first. And Larissa knew. She understood what it meant to never belong anywhere… to always be too much of one thing and not enough of another. She loved me anyway. She wasn’t afraid of what I was, of the power I held. She taught me to love every part of myself.”
You smiled faintly, tears threatening to fall. “We built a life together. And I promised her I’d never let another outcast feel that kind of loneliness again.”
Isadora was quiet for a long time, listening to you. Then she exhaled softly…not quite a sigh, not quite a laugh. “I think I understand that more than you know.”
You tilted your head, curiosity flickering in your eyes.
“I was eight when the world decided who I was,” she said. “The prodigy. The girl who could make pianos weep and violins sing. Everyone wanted the performance, the perfection… but no one wanted me. Not the temper, not the fangs, not the full moon.”
Your brows furrowed softly. “You’re a hybrid too?”
She nodded. “I don’t know how, My parents were both werewolves, my father part Hyde… and they were ashamed of my powers. They kept it hidden as long as they could. I wasn’t allowed to shift, wasn’t allowed to talk about what I was. When I played, I had to be human… graceful, untouchable, contained. But when the wolf came out, I lost that control.” She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers like she could still feel claws. “One night during a recital, I shifted. Right on stage. And everyone saw me for what I was.”
She scoffed softly. “Overnight, the prodigy became the monster. My name stopped being whispered with admiration and started being spoken with fear.”
You stayed quiet, your heart twisting as you listened.
“I ran,” she said simply. “And I stopped playing. I didn’t touch another instrument for years. Until Nevermore.” Her gaze lifted to yours again — dark, vulnerable, and steady. “Because this is the first place I’ve ever felt safe. You made it that way.”
You swallowed hard, words catching in your throat.
She smiled faintly, her voice almost trembling. “You built this school out of grief and love, and somehow you made it feel like home. You gave me a place where I didn’t have to choose between the wolf and the woman.” Her eyes softened, searching yours. “How could I not fall for the person who gave me that?”
You looked at her again…really looked at her. The way her fingers fidgeted with the rings in her lap, the nervous rhythm she probably didn’t even realize she had. The soft red curls catching the light, glowing gold around her like a halo. Her skin seemed to hold its own warmth, faintly illuminated in the hush of the piano room.
You reached out, your fingers brushing hers before taking her hand fully. She looked up at you then, and you could see it — the quiet sorrow swimming in her amber eyes, the kind that mirrored your own.
“How could I not fall for the one person who saw the pain I was trying to hide… and loved me for it anyway?”
For a heartbeat, neither of you breathed. The air between you felt sacred, fragile, alive.
Isadora’s lips parted, but no words came. Instead, she squeezed your hand, her thumb brushing over your skin like she was memorizing it.
Outside, the wind howled against the windows, but inside the music room, it was still — just the faint hum of the piano and the sound of two hearts finally steadying.
For the first time in 462 days, you didn’t feel alone.