#fdta

[clickerflight]

Muir and Joseph

Just a little art piece to celebrate the end of Fleeting. We will be seeing these guys in the future, but for now, here you are!

Masterlist

 From Dust to Ashes Taglist: @whumpsday @honeycollectswhump @writereleaserepeat @tragedyinblue @hyrules-sleepiest-knight 

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[clickerflight]

Fleeting: Part 26 - Nightmare Dawn

A.N. - Sup, anyway uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh this was the last chapter before my plans went sideways a little. Watch out, I guess XD

Masterlist - Part 25

Content: Vampire whumpee, vampire whumper, stress position, slow burning, dehydration, waiting and waiting and waiting

..........................................

Esial watched as the horizon lightened, bracing himself. With his collar, he wasn't able to reach the side of the pavilion to get the flap down to protect himself from the sun. He had tried to get the sheet down on the side he could reach, planning on holding over him as much as he could to spare himself at least a little pain, but the knots were too tight to undo, and he was afraid of being too aggressive with it and pulling down his little shelter.

So, he sat, holding the rags of his shirt in his arms, watching the light on the horizon grow and preparing himself to burn.

As the sky continued to lighten, he wondered when Amon and the workers would be there. Since they had managed to find the spot where his amulet was last night, Esial had expected them to come as early as possible.

Another spike of adrenaline and fear shot through him, and he closed his eyes. He could face the sun. It had looked down on him every day for close to 5,000 years and he hadn't died. He would be fine. And it wouldn't last forever this time. He had moved to the end of his tether, to the closest spot he could find where the canopy's shadow would cover him the soonest.

He took another deep breath, opening his eyes to look at the horizon. The clouds were lit up in a wide array of pinks and oranges, but he did not take pleasure or hope in them. In the desert, the clouds would burn off before they could do any good, and there would be no shade to enjoy. Still, the clouds on the horizon offered a small delay in sunrise, and he was perfectly happy with that.

He looked out over the sands again and was surprised to see movement. He narrowed his eyes, leaning forward slightly until he could see what was going on. There were trucks driving out over the sands, and people walking along behind them in the direction of Esial's amulet.

That explained where the workers were. They were likely setting up camp closer to the site. He wondered when they would come get their supplies from around Esial's sad little shelter.

He looked back at the horizon, tensing as the light began to take on a clearer quality. He decided he didn't dare wait any longer and hunched forward, setting his shirt on his head and spreading the bottom with his hands to cast as much of a shadow as possible. He just needed to make it a few hours. He could do that.

He folded his legs under him, trying to protect his feet and shifted to keep the chain of his collar taut so he didn't accidentally burn his back on the silver.

He saw the light flash through his shirt, and he looked down, making sure he was as covered with shadow as possible. He only had about half a minute before he started to burn if he left anything out.

There was a beam of light coming through to his navel, but no matter how he shifted and twitched the shirt, he couldn't make the light shift off of him.

Panicking slightly, Esial put his shirt down, ignoring the weight of the sun rays on his skin as he tried to sort out the tattered ends of his shirt so they would protect him.

He felt the burn setting in, heat growing in his skin until he desperately threw his shirt back over his head.

"No!!"

His messing with the shirt had left two gaps, one focused on his stomach, the other on his upper arm.

He twitched the shirt again, trying to at least protect his arm. If that started burning it would be so much harder to hold up the shirt and protect the rest of himself.

He gasped as the heat building up on his stomach reached a painful level and he twitched the shirt again, happy to see the light getting to his arm blocked. He's also managed to shift the light on his stomach over a few inches. He figured it wouldn't be too difficult to shift his shirt every so often and prevent any serious burns. Maybe if there didn't seem to be anyone coming to help, Esial would dig a hole to curl up in and hide with the shirt over top of him to protect him in the evening.

He stayed there, neck aching and stomach slowly roasting in a line as he shifted his shirt back and forth to keep anything from becoming too painful. Sweat trickled down his neck and over his shoulder, and he cursed every drop that left him. He had no idea when he would be getting water next, and he needed everything he had to stay inside.

As he shifted his shirt again, he thought about what he was supposed to do. Surely it wouldn't take the men long to find the amulet. Once they had dug it up, Esial needed to be sure he knew where it was at all times. If he could get his hands on that, it would mean complete escape. Running would be more difficult with the trucks and whatnot the humans could come after him with, but gas and water would run out at some point, and Esial would be able to get away. He was stronger than the humans and with the amulet he would even be able to outrun Amon.

He would have to time it right, getting the amulet in the day or right before the sun came up. He couldn't give Amon any time to catch up to him and take the amulet away. Esial didn't even want to think what Amon might do to him if he was caught again.

Esial licked his lips, wiggling his nose as a drop of sweat beaded there.

After an eternity, he felt the shade slowly cover him. He lifted his head first, careful to keep his shirt open in front of his chest and stomach, slowly following the shadow down with achy arms.

When the shade settled on him completely, he felt like a doll cut loose from its strings. He collapsed to the hard packed dirt and relaxed, watching carefully for the spots of light that could get through the canopy. He would need to try and repair parts of his shirt soon so he wouldn't have to slow cook his stomach again. Or dig a nice hole, but after picking at the ground with his nail for a moment he decided that would be too much effort to go to when he didn't know how long he'd be here. Perhaps he would have another go at the knots on the canopy and see if he couldn't at least get something down to protect him in the evening.

Later. He would do it later. He was hot and tired and he needed a little break.

He smacked his lips, rolled over and away from a sun spot and avoiding catching the chain on his arms before he curled up and closed his eyes.

............................................................

Esial was startled awake by a hand on his arm. He grunted and rolled over to see a surprise familiar face.

"Khalid?" he croaked.

The boy nodded. "The sayidi told me to bring you water and to lower the tarp for the evening."

Esial's eyes landed on the cup offered to him and sat up eagerly.

Khalid startled back a little, but still offered the cup which Esial took with a soft thank you.

"Did you burn this morning?" Khalid asked curiously as Esial finished his water.

"A little," Esial replied. "I was mostly able to protect myself with my shirt. I couldn't get the tarp down myself."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. But I do appreciate the sympathy," Esial replied, handing the cup back to Khalid. "Last night you were not sent to feed me. Does that mean I have 4 or 5 more meals?"

"I do not know. The sayidi has not said," Khalid said with a little shrug. He looked out over the sands at the group for a long moment, the marks on his arms from Esial's feedings stark in the daylight.

"You should go," Esial found himself saying.

Khalid looked down at him in surprise. "You do not want company?"

"No, it's not that, Khalid. You should leave this place and find your mother and your sister. Do not come back. Amon is dangerous, and I do not know what he plans to do when he gets my amulet.... well, I suppose I have an idea of what he might do, and that is what is scaring me. You should go."

"Are you asking me to help you escape?" Khalid asked, brow furrowed.

"No. Leave me here. I.... I do not know what he will do to me, but that is not your concern. You have a family to take care of, and you shouldn't be here. You should go home."

"But I am unclean. And I have not fulfilled the sayidi's wish-"

"I'm sure there is a priest in your village who would be able to purify you," Esial said urgently. "I know that you need to make money for your family, but surely there are better places to do so. I do not want to see you hurt."

Khalid pulled a face, and Esial got to his feet. He was shorter than Khalid was thanks to his heritage and the way people have become taller in modern times, but he was still a vampire and could call on an unnatural power to make himself more intimidating. "I am not calling you weak or young or stupid, child," Esial hissed, making sure his fangs were on full display.

Khalid took a terrified step back, and then another until he was out of range. Esial stood at the end of his tether and continued, "Amon is an ancient vampire, and he does not care for your life. I do care and I am telling you that you need to get out of here and find somewhere safe to be. Go home to your family, child. It is better to live as a wise man, than to die as a brave one."

Khalid stared at him, stark terror in his eyes, but he gave a tiny nod. "I... I cannot leave now."

"Soon?"

"I will leave soon.... and you do not want me to help you escape?"

Esial shook his head. "As I have said, I do not wish to put you in any more danger.... but perhaps you could help. If you could send word to the friends I have in America so they know where I am, they might be able to help me. Or perhaps if you alert the American embassy-"

Khalid shook his head quickly. "The embassy is not open. There is war here."

"Oh... okay." He wished he had been told that embassies could close. He supposed that the rehab center wasn't really thinking about preparing vampires for being kidnapped and trapped in a desert when they taught about embassies. "Then I will just have you send a message to my friends. When you come to feed me, bring paper and a pen."

Khalid nodded. "I will do that for you. I know a man in my village who has a phone that can make international calls."

Esial smiled, trying not to get his hopes up. "Thank you. Now you had better go. I will see you later."

Part 27

From Dust to Ashes Taglist: @whumpsday @honeycollectswhump @writereleaserepeat @tragedyinblue @hyrules-sleepiest-knight 

@why-not-ask-me-a-better-question @thecyrulik @gt-daboss @currentlyinthespiral @pigeonwhumps 

@not-a-space-alien @scatteriskity @hellodecisionparalysis

[clickerflight]

Fleeting: Part 15 - Art of the Trade

Author's note: My mouth was starting to hurt, so Esial gets a break.... kind of.

Masterlist - Part 14

Content: Vampire whumpee, vampire whumper, human carewhumper, muzzle, broken hand, bound to a pole, dehydration whump, verge of passing out, mouth whump, fang whump

.................................................

The body bag was hot and stifling, but that was better than the sun, Esial knew that. He was just grateful he could try to get the headpiece off during the drive. That wasn't going super well, though. Every time he got his weak, blood deprived fingers around the straps, the truck would jolt over a pot hole and he'd lose it. He fought back despair as he tried again, focusing with all his will on those little bits of metal and leather. He could do this. As soon as he gag was off he would feel immensely better.

He caught hold of the buckle and even got a nail under the edge, about to pull the strap out of the buckle as the car swerved hard enough that it slammed him hard against the side of the truck bed. With his hand between his head and the side he was able to avoid a nasty strike to the head, however, it was at the cost of a couple of fingers.

He curled around his broken hand, gasping for air and rasping out dry little cries. He just needed the gag off. That was all he needed.

He reached back with his good hand, pressing his other palm to his head to try and steady himself as he scrabbled at the buckles.

Esial tried and failed a few more times to undo the buckle, his fingers showing no sign of healing any time soon. He was too blood starved and dried out for it. Each breath was getting harder and harder, his lungs drying with each intake. He wasn’t certain how much longer he would be able to actually consume air, especially as his vision started to fade in and out and his hands shook even more than they did before.

As the car started to slow, the sound of shouts and greetings drifting to him, Esial felt a single, tiny tear drip over his nose. He was at Amon's entire mercy now. His one chance to help himself a little failed completely. If he had more water in him, he would have cried himself into a little puddle.

The car came to a stop in the middle of a camp, the language completely unfamiliar to him with a couple of English words thrown in here and there. Someone grabbed his bag, hauling him up and over the edge, dropping him roughly on the ground. Esial arched his back, trying to get air back into his dry lungs, but nothing would come as reality started to pass from his nerves.

His body went loose as he drifted away, observing what was happening to him from under drooped lids, his brain only vaguely recording what was happening and he began to fade into a state of torpor.

His bag was dragged somewhere, and when the bag was undone, he was laying in the shade, and though it was hot and the sun threatened to burn him through the holes in the canvas above, it felt like being hit in the face with an arctic breeze.

Air eeked back into his lungs, now much easier to breath with it being a little less stifling, and he got enough back to weakly shift aching arms. His muscles felt like they were on fire, screaming out for water and oxygen. Just the day before he had been fine. He had been breathing with healthy lungs, maybe a bit hungry and thirsty, but he was fine. It made him feel even more weak and fragile than when he had been overpowered by Amon.

Speaking of.....

"There you are. My, your poor mouth looks terrible, Esial. And what did you do to your hand?"

Esial couldn't even whimper with the state his vocal chords were in, so he just closed his eyes, trying hard to get oxygen to his extremities. He couldn't even feel his feet.

"Bind him to that pole there," Amon said to a man beside him, an African man wearing dusty, sweat stained robes and a turban. Despite his state, he was better dressed than some of the others Esial had been able to glimpse.

"Now Esial," Amon said, leaning on his parasol with white gloved hands in the shade the tarp provided. He continued in a tone as though talking to a child who did not often listen to instructions. "If you move too much, the pole will collapse and you will not get another shelter. Do you understand?"

Esial slowly nodded as the worker crouched down and hefted Esial up to sit against the pole, coming around to bind his hands with cuffs that rattled with the sound of wrapped silver. Esial shivered as they were locked in place, but was unable to say anything, his legs sprawled awkwardly in the dust in front of him, his shirt slipping from his shoulders, and his mouth still wide open. The pain had been traded for tingling in his fangs, and he felt as though he was moments away from going numb all over.

Water. He just needed a sip of water.

He looked up at Amon, pleading as best he could with just his eyes. He would be good. He had to be, but he would be good. He just needed water. Not even blood. He needed to be able to close his mouth and drink some water and reconstitute his lungs.

Amon was no longer looking at him though, instead looking to the man who had tied Esial to the pole. "Faheem, you have certainly done well here. I will need you to make certain there are tents for everyone. If you have run out, I brought more with me in my plane. You will just need to get Asim to drive you there and help load them into the car."

"Ah, yes! Very prepared, sayidi," Faheem said with a smile as Amon handed him a small wad of money that Esial did not recognize. "It will be done."

Amon nodded. "Good. I will take the other truck to hire more workers. You have done well in gathering men. I believe you found 20?"

"Na'am, sayidi. Men I have worked with for many many years in the archaeology. They are very well trained," Faheem said cheerfully.

"Good. That expertise will be very useful to me," Amon said with a friendly smile as he opened his parasol and turned. "I think we may require more workers for the less skilled tasks. We will have a lot of ground to cover, especially if my brother here does not help us as much as I hope he will."

Esial lolled his head back against the pole gently, sucking in another breath of dry air.

Amon glanced back at Esial and said, "If I am late in coming back, be sure to pull down the tarp to protect him from the sun."

"It will be done," Faheem said as the two began walking off, leaving Esial on his own.

Esial looked across the camp, dazed and feeling more and more distant from his body with every moment that passed. What he saw did not give him a good outlook for escape. Past the tents and people moving about here and there, setting everything up, there was only dessert. Dessert for miles and miles, endless sand and heatwaves.

He wouldn't make it.

.................................................................

Esial woke to someone nudging his leg and he jolted awake, feeling the pole behind him sway as he moved. He looked up, his neck muscles finding the strength to complain as he did so. Someone had let down some canvas as the sun set in front of him, keeping it off of him. The young man that crouched beside him watched him with intense interest.

"You are a blood drinker," the young man said eventually.

Esial stared at him, a little annoyed to have been woken up to have the obvious stated to him. Being awake was only slightly worse than being asleep, but when you were in Esial's position, 'slightly' was a godsend.

"You have fangs?"

Esial's head wobbled, but he managed a nod.

"And they are covered by the mask."

Esial nodded again.

The young man hummed, staring at him for even longer now. Esial's eyes began to droop shut when the young man spoke again. "You will not bite me. I am protected by al sayid."

Esial watched the young man, trying to figure out what he wanted, and was surprised when he reached out and grabbed the buckles of the mask, undoing them. It took the young man a moment to figure out how to release the mechanism that held his mouth open so wide, and when the young man moved to remove the device, it caught painfully on his fangs.

When it was all out, a weird tingling started up in the roof of his mouth where the metal had been pressed into where glands were supposed to be. His jaw trembled, as he attempted to close it, but gave an airy cry as the motion shot pain through his jaw.

The young man watched, staring at Esial's fangs with fascination. He looked quickly over his shoulder before he reached into his belt, grabbing a pair of pliers. Esial's stomach dropped, and he shook his head, trying with a renewed vigor to close his mouth, but there was nothing he could do as the young man grabbed him by the hair and put the pliers around his tooth.

"I just need one," the young man said eagerly. "Only one. You will have water as payment."

Esial braced himself, eyes screwed shut. He couldn't close his jaw. The muscles were too tense and blood drained. If he moved, he would lose his shelter and the sun would burn him. All he could hope was that Amon noticed he was missing a fang later and have enough pity on him to make him more comfortable.

The pliers slipped off his fang twice, but on the third time the young man got a good grip and ripped the tooth out. The cry that escaped Esial's throat was too dry and quiet to be heard past his little shelter. It didn't hurt as badly as he feared. It stung in his sinuses, but his mostly numb and dry mouth wasn't fully capable of passing on that pain to his brain. He was sure that having a simpler tooth structure and no glands made it less painful than for modern vampires.

The young man sat back on his heels, staring at the fang in awe. "Now I am a real man," he whispered. He reached into his belt and pulled out a canteen. Esial tilted his head back eagerly as the young man poured the water into his mouth. His tongue was so dry he couldn't really taste the water, and that was likely for the best, but the feeling of the water sliding down his throat was heaven. He was devastated when it ended. It felt as though the water had sunk into the topsoil of his flesh, only to evaporate the moment it ended. He supposed he couldn't complain.

The young man smiled. "I will leave this off, yes? As a promise you will not tell who did this."

That wasn't good. He couldn't promise that he wouldn't tell what had happened. Amon would surely notice, and the kindness of leaving the muzzle off would not be enough to keep this a secret.... though Esial did not know the young man's name. He could always claim to have been delirious and unable to identify the man who took his fang.

Working his jaw back and forth gently, Esial nodded and the young man grinned, saluting with the fang in hand before he scampered off, leaving the muzzle sitting in the dust beside Esial.

Part 16

From Dust to Ashes Taglist: @whumpsday @honeycollectswhump @writereleaserepeat @tragedyinblue @hyrules-sleepiest-knight 

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@not-a-space-alien @scatteriskity @hellodecisionparalysis

[clickerflight]

Fleeting: Part 25 - Spoons

A.N. - Dudes...... I really just wanted some fluff here, so we're getting some fluff!

Masterlist - Part 24

Content: nightmare and comfort

..................................................................

Neither of them had discussed sleeping in the same room when they had finally made their way home after Joseph's checkup at the hospital and most of the pressing paperwork had been filed. Muir had just brought his pillow and blanket to Joseph's room and climbed into bed with him, putting his body between Joseph and the door.

Joseph had relaxed as soon as Muir settled, and he soon fell asleep facing the wall. Muir started sleeping facing the room, but after a few instances of waking up, wondering where Joseph was, he finally turned to face Joseph, gently touching his back to reassure himself his bond mate was still there.

Muir sighed softly and closed his eyes. Joseph would be alright. He would have to see a psychologist specialized in helping vampiric victims of torture... again. But he would be fine. Joseph was already relaxed and happy to be home. He was joking and even making plans for fun things he would like to do when they had the time. Neither of them would likely have the time for a while as Muir was intent on finding Esial as soon as possible and Joseph would be working on his end with the rehab center to find out what happened as well. It would be difficult to go out and have fun when they both knew their friend was still missing. Maybe they should try anyway.

Muir closed his eyes, relaxing his shoulders and let his fingers drift down Joseph's back until his hand rested on the bed, touching Joseph only barely.

He did not get to doze for long, as a soft sound and movement woke him again.

He blinked, confused. Joseph shifted again, reaching out one hand in a clawed shape and arching his back, whimpering.

Muir jolted up in the bed, putting a hand on Joseph's leg just as his bond mate woke up.

Joseph scrambled at the blankets wound around his torso and legs before he seemed to realize where he was, chest heaving and eyes wide and fearful.

"You're alright, Seph," Muir said softly, scooting over closer. "You're safe now, remember?"

Joseph stared at Muir, relief washing out the fear in his face steadily until he groaned, burying his face in his arms and knees.

Muir hovered, uncertain what Joseph needed and what would be too far, but when he felt a nudge through their bond, he sat right next to Joseph and put an arm around him.

Joseph lifted his head from his arms and leaned against Muir's shoulder, sighing softly. "That sucks," he muttered.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I hardly even remember it now. Something something fangs and blood and whatever."

Muir smiled a little. "I see. I'm sorry it happened, still."

"Thanks.... I wish there was something I could do to prevent them from happening at all. I doubt that is the last of them. On top of my box nightmares and the ones with that serial killer, too."

Muir bore his fangs instinctively at the mention of the serial killer that had nearly killed Joseph three years before. The creature had terrorized them both for months before vanishing from the face of the earth. Muir couldn't help but feel like that wasn't the last he was going to see of the shape changing vampire.

"You're squeezing me," Joseph said cheerfully.

"Oh, sorry."

"You're good...... do it again, actually."

Muir twisted to get his other arm around Joseph, pulling him into a tighter hold. Joseph's arms came around Muir's sides and they held each other for a few moment before Joseph pulled back, his curly red hair tickling Muir's chin.

"Thanks," Joseph said, looking a little flushed.

"No problem," Muir replied. He yawned, covering his mouth and trying to quell it quickly.

Joseph glanced over at his phone, tapping at it to look at the time and grimace. "Yikes. Two hours before we have to be up."

"We could probably both call out for tomorrow. I think people would understand," Muir said, sliding back down under the sheets.

"Really? That's.... I don't think you've ever considered calling out of work before unless you were really sick," Esial said thoughtfully.

"I haven't actually slept yet."

"What? Why not?"

Muir shrugged. "Too worried about you, I guess."

Joseph smiled and draped himself dramatically over Muir, putting a solid elbow on his chest. Muir grunted, trying to shove Joseph off.

"I'm very flattered. Do you want me to hold you so you can sleep?" Joseph teased. "I'm afraid I'd be more of a backpack than a big spoon, but I can try my very best."

Muir rolled his eyes. "Oh no, if anyone deserves comforting, it's going to be you."

He grabbed Joseph, dragging him across the bed with a squeak as Muir turned over to his other side. He tucked the smaller vampire under the blankets and his chin and grinned as Joseph continued to chirp indignantly.

"Shh, I'm trying to sleep," Muir said with a laugh.

Joseph chuckled and stilled. "Alright, alright.... we're calling out of work?"

"Yeah. I doubt anyone even expects us in tomorrow."

"Good. I'm sleeping in. Night."

"Night."

....................................................

Muir woke to his phone ringing insistently on the bedside table and Joseph shifting unhappily in his arms.

"Make it stoooop," Joseph groaned, trying to untangle his arms from Muir's and the blankets.

Muir took a deep breath and reached out, grabbing his phone. He tried to swipe the call away, but accidentally answered it instead. His eyes caught on the name on the screen and decided he probably should take the call.

He put the phone on speaker, set it back down on the bedside table and cleared his throat. "Hey, Chief. What's going on?"

"Did I wake you?" the police chief asked, sounding more concerned than Muir expected she would.

"Yeah," he said as Joseph settled in again, eyes half closed. "That's alright. You wouldn’t call unless it was important. What's happened?"

"We got our hands on the phone Ashton was using."

Joseph was wide awake now, and he shot up so fast that his head caught Muir's jaw, sending spikes of pain through his teeth.

"Sorry!" Joseph yelped as Muir groaned, holding his jaw and laying on his back.

"Detective?" Chief Staton asked.

"I'm alright. Nothing to worry about. Have you traced the phone?" Muir asked, sitting up.

"Is Mr. Blackham there?"

"Yes, he is."

"Perhaps we should have this conversation in private, Detective."

"If you can find a way to keep him off the call, by all means," Muir said. "Esial is our friend. We are both invested in finding him, and Joseph is planning on using his resources at the rehab center to try and find where Esial went. I think it would be beneficial if we all spoke about this together."

"Besides, I would bully the answer out of Muir eventually anyway," Joseph said. "What did you find?"

"We did look at the calls recently made. While most of the calls had been recorded, they were all destroyed. We think there may be something that could be recovered, but it will take the lab techs a couple of days to clean it all up."

Joseph deflated, and Muir felt himself sink into the bed a little bit himself. "That's still something," Muir said. "Thank you, Chief. Is there anything you need us to do?"

"Not at this time. We will need to have a conversation about your role in this investigation and rescue when you get back to the office, Muir, but you can have the day off. I think you and Joseph both have earned it."

"Thanks Chief. And thanks for keeping us updated."

"I'll let you know when we have the report back from the techies. I'll see you tomorrow."

As the phone call ended, Joseph slowly laid back down, clutching a blanket to his wrinkled band shirt.

Muir sighed and sat up farther, leaning against the wall. "That's more than we could ask for," he said. "We just have to wait a couple of days. That's all."

"A lot can happen in a couple of days," Joseph said softly. A shiver visibly ran through him, and Muir leaned forward, putting a hand on Joseph's arm.

"I know. I wish we could find him now, but we will just have to be patient. We can eat and rest right now so that when we get the news we can jump on it immediately."

"If the Chief lets you," Joseph said softly.

Muir winced. "I'm sure she will. She let me come get you and I was a lot more wound up because of our bond than I will be over getting Esial."

He watched Joseph, but his bond mate continued to lay there, staring out into the room and picking at the blanket vaguely.

"Do you want to get up and eat?" Muir asked.

Joseph shook his head. "I'm tired, and you had less sleep than I did."

"Alright."

Muir laid back down on the bed, laying on his stomach this time, but he did drape an arm over Joseph.

"It'll be alright," he said softly.

Joseph just sighed.

..........................................................................

The two Hemijeoa vampires slept until late afternoon, exhausted from what they had been through and their strange night. They were woken again by the knock on the front door.

Muir groaned, burying his head in his pillow. "What time is it?"

"Dun' care," Joseph muttered. "Nooooo, stay!"

Muir breathed out a laugh, detaching Joseph and rolled over him to get out of the bed. Joseph grunt-shouted as Muir did so and pushed himself up to watch Muir leave, considering following him.

Muir grabbed his phone, smacking his lips and wincing at the taste in his mouth. 2:30. Not bad, but he had been hoping for 4.

He got to the front door and looked through the peep hole. He saw a familiar back retreating and he quickly unlocked the door and threw it open. "Kyle!"

Kyle turned back, a grocery bag in hand. "Oh, hey! I wasn't sure if you were home but I thought I saw your car outside."

"Yeah, we're home."

"Joseph's back then? I thought he'd still be at the hospital."

Muir shrugged. "Vampires. Were you just coming by to drop stuff off or do you have time for a visit?"

"I've got time," Kyle said with an uncertain smile.

Muir stepped back and let him in, closing the door. "Joseph!" Muir called. "Kyle's here!"

"Kyle?" Joseph's called. He came out of the bedroom with much noise as he fought with a blanket wrapped around his leg. Muir snorted as Joseph freed himself and came down the hallway, grinning when he saw Kyle.

"Hey! It's good to see you! You good with a hug today?"

Kyle relaxed and put the shopping bag down. "I think I am today."

Joseph and Kyle hugged, smacking one another's backs before they stepped back. "Feel free to sit," Joseph said. "I'm the special-est guy here today so I'm sure we can get Muir to bring us drinks."

Kyle chuckled and took a seat in the armchair as Joseph sat on the couch. "Muir, I brought some goodies for you guys. We should bring out some of those cookies to have, too."

"Sure," Muir said, grabbing the cookies in question and the drinks, bringing them over and coming to sit on the couch next to Joseph.

"So..... you're alright?" Kyle asked Joseph awkwardly.

Joseph smiled and shrugged. "It definitely could have been worse."

"Could have been a whole lot better, though," Muir said darkly.

Joseph put a hand on Muir's leg just above his knee. "It's alright. I'll be alright, and it won't happen again. No one would dare try at this point, I'm sure. It was stupid for that man to even make an attempt like that, all things considered. Really, I'm more worried about Esial."

Kyle's expression darkened a little, but there was real worry in his eyes. "Any updates on that?"

"Sort of. There's a lead, but we won't know more for another day or two," Muir sighed.

"Nothing you can do then?"

"No."

"Alright. I'll try to be a good distraction then."

Muir and Joseph both laughed.

Part 26

From Dust to Ashes Taglist: @whumpsday @honeycollectswhump @writereleaserepeat @tragedyinblue @hyrules-sleepiest-knight 

@why-not-ask-me-a-better-question @thecyrulik @gt-daboss @currentlyinthespiral @pigeonwhumps 

@not-a-space-alien @scatteriskity @hellodecisionparalysis

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Fleeting: Part 16 - Feeding

Author's notes: NGL this is my favorite chapter so far :3

Masterlist - Part 15

Content: Vampire whumpee, vampire whumper, human whumpee, bound, dehydration, manhandling, referenced mouth whump, betrayal, vampire feeding on an human.

......................................................

Esial got his jaw fully closed by the time Amon came back. He tried to swallow, his dry flesh sticking to itself as Amon stepped out of the large truck, the driver getting out and directing the few men who had come in the bed of the truck. Amon looked around, pleased with the setup of the camp. The camp butted up against an outcropping of rock, protecting them from the winds in that direction. There were tents set up in a semi circle in a few layers, breaking up the wind before it could reach the pavilions that had been put up in the center. Like the small pavilion Esial sat under, most of the tarps were tattered and the poles looked a moment from falling over. The tents keeping the wind off them were probably the only reason they were going to withstand the weather.

The only gap in the tents was the small packed road that the truck had just come up through, parking within the circle of tents.

Amon's satisfied look evaporated from his face as he spotting Esial. He glowered and stormed through the camp to Esial. Esial shrunk pack as Amon stepped under the tarp, crouching in front of him and grabbing him by the jaw.

"Who removed it?" Amon asked darkly.

Esial tried to shake his head. He licked his lip with a shaking, cracked tongue, and did his best to speak, but an airy croak was the only thing that would come out. He shook his head again.

"Bring me some water!" Amon shouted over his shoulder. "You're going to tell me who did this, Esial, or so help me, your friend is going to taste Ashton's knife again."

Esial whimpered as someone brought a small canteen of water. Amon poured it down Esial's throat, allowing him the whole thing.

Esial gasped, leaning forward and shaking his head. He wanted more, but what he got had helped. Still, it wasn't enough. He would probably need blood for it to be enough.

Amon grabbed Esial's jaw in a bruising grip, lifting his head. "Well?"

"Dunno," Esial breathed, his throat aching as he spoke. "I... I can't remember. Couldn't breath. Too dry. Couldn't see. Too.... too many visions."

Amon growled, before shoving his finger behind Esial's lip, dragging it up so he could see the gap in Esial's teeth. "And you don't remember that!?"

"Hurts," Esial whimpered. He didn't care how pathetic he needed to look. He didn't have any dignity to lose. He lost his dignity when he became a monster and had to hunt hippos for leaders he would never meet. "Please, I don't know. Water, please-"

Amon released his face and stood, turning to his men. "Who did this!? Who took the fang?"

Silence fell over the workers who had congregated to see what the yelling was about. None of them met Amon's eye, silent as the stretching sands.

Amon's expression softened and a wicked little smile curved his lips. "The one who tells me who did this with get the fang as a reward."

Several heads popped up and people began shouting all at once.

Amon held up a hand and the shouting died down. "Asim. Do you know something?"

The man nodded. Esial recognized as the driver who had helped Faheem set up the tents. He grinned with an incomplete set of teeth as he said, "Yes, saiydi! Khalid was by him earlier!"

There was a hiss of displeasure through the crowd of workers as Amon gave a satisfied nod. "Bring Khalid here."

Esial watched in fascinated horror as the group of humans struggled among themselves, some breaking free to run after the boy who had taken off with a yelp. He watched as they grabbed the young man, perhaps not even an adult by western standards, and dragged back to be dumped in front of a monster.

Amon smiled down at Khalid who quickly got to his feet, his hand wrapped tightly around something attached to a chord around his neck.

"Vampire fangs are pretty, are they not? Especially fangs as old as his."

Khalid swallowed, and Esial could see the sweat dripping down the side of his face. He nodded, almost small enough that it could have been mistaken for a shiver.

"Give it to Asim. You do not receive gifts from me unless they are given."

Khalid nodded and removed the chord, entirely crestfallen as he handed the necklace to Asim, who clapped him on the shoulder as though this were some good natured game.

It wasn't though. Esial could see it in Amon's posture. The posture of a predator. There was more he wanted from this group of workers. He wanted more than respect or greed for his money or the gifts he offered. He wanted fear.

"You will be feeding Esial tonight, Khalid."

Khalid nodded. "Yes, saiydi. I am sorry. I-"

"I don't think you understand, Khalid," Amon said with a relish as the sun crossed under the horizon. He looked like a beast standing there in the fading light, his fangs on full display. There was something in that twilight hour, where vampires seemed to transform from people to monsters. Esial had seen it in himself and his friends. There was a shift as they became more comfortable. As the world tiped to favor them. Even the moonlight gave strength to them where it shouldn't be possible.

"What do you mean, saiydi?" Khalid asked in a whisper. He saw it too, and Esial could see fear flickering in his eyes, could smell it coming off of him in waves.

"You do know what we feed on, don't you?" Amon asked, flashing his fangs in the dimming light. "I brought my own blood bags, but my girls don't like his bite. He hasn't learned how to make it pleasurable."

Amon's intonation sent a shiver through Esial, never mind the workers. Some of them fell to their knees in horror, other warding off the evil eye as Amon's gaze turned back to Khalid. "Feed Esial, Khalid."

Khalid swallowed, looking at Esial, his knees visibly shaking.

Esial felt terrible about it, he did, but he was starving and he would give anything for a swallow of blood at the moment. He needed to feed on something, and if it had to be a young man who had taken his fang in exchange for some water, so be it.

"No, saiydi, please-" Khalid began and Amon cut him off by moving at that imperceptible speed, grabbing him by the throat.

"You will do as I say," he hissed.

He dragged the boy across the sand and forced him to his knees, practically in Esial's lap, grabbing his hair to twist his head and bear his jugular vein to Esial.

Esial shrunk in on himself, looking up at Amon, feeling no older than the boy who shivered and squealed right in front of his face.

"Amon, I-"

"This is your only chance to feed tonight, Esial. If you do not, I will drain him completely."

Esial nodded. He leaned as far as he could toward the boy's shoulder, his head tilted awkwardly to try and reach with the fang that hadn't been torn out. It took him a moment to get his fang to catch, his tooth scraping over sweat soaked skin, hearing a corresponding cry from Khalid with every touch. He finally caught skin and bit down, opening a wound that immediately dripped nectar onto his tongue.

Before he could even swallow, though, Khalid flailed and knocked Esial back against the pole, sending him to the sand as the pole toppled and the canvas came down.

Esial could help the wail that escaped him as he was left with only a few drops of blood on his tongue. He lay under the canvas, fearful of what this would mean for him. Amon said he would only get one chance for this meal and one shelter. Was he to burn in the sun in the morning? Would he never be fed again until Amon needed him? He felt like a coward that he worried about feeding and shelter more than Joseph at the moment.

The canvas was pulled off of Esial and he twisted, looking up at Amon who seethed. The boy had a red mark across his face, already swelling as blood dripped down his bared shoulder.

"Sorry about that, Esial," Amon said too brightly. "I will have to train my humans to be better. Are you still hungry."

Khalid, with tears welling in his eyes, shook his head desperately at Esial, but Esial nodded. "I am," he rasped.

"Good. Faheem, get this shelter put back up. This was not Esial's fault. For that, Khalid, you will be feeding Esial for the next week."

Khalid wailed in abject horror as he was forced forward onto his hands and knees.

"Hold still while he feeds, or else I will make you his blood bag for the rest of the time he is here."

Khalid nodded, his hands trembling as he forced himself to Esial, coming to kneel on Esial's other side where he still had a fang, tilting his shoulder so Esial could reach.

He trembled as Esial sat up, leaning forward freely as the pole was pulled from his arms to be set back up. He did not open the wound further, deeming it sufficient for tonight. If he desperately needed more.... well, he knew where he was getting his next meal.

He lapped up the blood already on Khalid’s shoulder before he drew more blood from the wound. Khalid flinched and let out a piteous cry for help from the other workers, but he did not move from his spot.

Esial leaned back, licking his lips. He wanted more, but he would not take any more for tonight. It would be enough for now.

"Are you sure you're done?" Amon asked with a smirk. "There is more for you to have. He is your blood bag for the week."

Esial just shook his head and Amon rolled his eyes. "So naive. You will learn soon, brother."

He swept away, the workers scattering ahead of him as he made his way to the largest, nicest tent. Esial watched, just grateful that the muzzle wouldn't go back on, though he did have to allow himself to be shifted to where they could tie him to the pole again, this time with a strong rope around his neck connecting him to the pole. That gave him a little more freedom to move, and would likely make feedings a bit easier.

He looked over to Khalid as the worker shifted in the sand, standing up with a little sway as the others left for their tents, leaving just Esial and Khalid in the full darkness.

"I am sorry," Esial whispered through a healing throat. The words were traitorous, and likely wounding, but they needed to be said.

Khalid shrugged with his good shoulder. He made no sign of leaving, however.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen summers."

"Ah...." Esial wasn't certain when boys were considered men in this country, but he was older than Esial had originally guessed. "Thank you, Khalid."

Khalid shrugged again. "I am sorry I lost your fang for nothing."

"I can grow another."

"What a waste," Khalid muttered.

"You have my gratitude, whatever that is worth. You have fed me and I am grateful. You brought me water and I am grateful. You freed me from that muzzle and I am grateful."

Now capable of producing saliva, Esial made the expensive decision to spit on the muzzle where it lay half buried in the sand.

Khalid nodded, looking half dazed. He stumbled over to the muzzle, picked it up, and wandered into the camp in the direction of his tent.

Esial sighed and leaned his head back against the pole, enjoying the feeling of his mouth and the remnant taste of blood before he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

Part 17

From Dust to Ashes Taglist: @whumpsday @honeycollectswhump @writereleaserepeat @tragedyinblue @hyrules-sleepiest-knight 

@why-not-ask-me-a-better-question @thecyrulik @gt-daboss @currentlyinthespiral @pigeonwhumps 

@not-a-space-alien @scatteriskity @hellodecisionparalysis

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Fleeting: Part 20 - What are we?

Author's notes: These guys, man. I love them. I like watching them explore their relationship, too.

Masterlist - Part 19

Content: Vampire whumpee, recovery, rescue, mentions of previously written traumas.

........................................................

Muir didn't know if he had ever been more relieved than when he got Joseph out under the sun, Orville walking on his own two feet as the blow to his head wore off. He drank in the sight of his bond mate, relieved to see him alive and breathing, if not particularly whole. He was filthy, covered in dried smears blood. He opened his mouth, stretching his jaw like he was trying to resettle his fangs, though they wouldn't settle until he had finished growing them back out. His flesh was red and raw looking in places, pointing out where he had been injured recently, and he limped pretty heavily on one leg despite the smooth motions he had displayed when he had come to Muir's rescue.

Joseph closed his eyes, relishing the sunlight as emergency responders rushed over, circling the three of them like helpful vultures.

"Where's Granger?" someone asked from the crowd and Muir answered without looking away from Joseph.

"She's still in there. She got separated from us, but she'll be fine. She's a lot tougher than we are. She said she would probably be another 10 minutes while she figured out if there were any other vampire prisoners in there."

"Did you see any?"

Joseph answered this time. "This panther. I'm pretty sure she's a vampire, but I've only seen her in this form."

The panther sat in the shade of the warehouse, looking around a bit uncertainly. When she batted her paw out at the sunlight, she withdrew it quickly and Joseph caught the scent of singed fur.

"Any story on her?"

"No, I don't know anything. She's never taken a more human form.... I'm not sure if she knows she's not a panther."

She looked up fiercely, her yellow eyes bright.

The emergency responders got Joseph some blood to drink and things to clean up with, as well as a t-shirt branded with the Keaton Fire Department logo. Muir watched, tensing whenever someone reached out to Joseph or when Joseph glanced back at the warehouse nervously.

When the EMTs seemed to have their fill of bothering Joseph, he wandered back, coming to stand beside Muir again. Muir finally looked away as Joseph made a move to catch his eye, his hand twitching by his side.

"Thank you for coming. If you guys hadn’t been making a raid on this place, I probably would have been caught again."

"Of course, Seph. You knew I'd come for you."

"Yeah," Joseph said softly. Muir felt Joseph's fingers brush his, and he reached out, latching on without another thought.

"I'm sorry I disconnected the bond," Muir said. The barrier was still up between the two of them, and he knew he ought to take it down, but he wasn't quite ready for Joseph to see his shame and guilt. It was nice to have a bit of a break from it while he tried to work through his emotions.

"I.... I get it. You felt all of it. I guess I should be surprised you hung on for so long."

"I would have stuck it out all the way, but the Chief ordered me to close it or else I wouldn't be allowed to come along. Your pain.... it could have distracted me, but I-"

Joseph's other hand came up to cup Muir's cheek and force him to look up. His hands were cold and clammy, the blood he'd been given by the EMTs not quite circulating yet.

Their eyes met and Joseph smiled. "Hey, it's alright. I get it. I'm sorry I was angry. Could you..... would you take the wall down now?"

Muir nodded, reassured. He let the wall down, and felt Joseph poking through the bond before a surge of emotion powered through. It was wild and careful. Loving and fierce.

"What are we?" Muir murmured.

Joseph licked his cracked lips a little and readjusted his mouth again, buying himself some time to think of an answer. "I..... I don't know."

Muir didn't know how to react to that. He didn't know what they were supposed to be either. What he wanted them to be.

"Maybe..... I don't know. Not...?"

"Not boyfriends?" Joseph asked.

"Maybe? I don't think I've ever..... huh, you know, I had some crushes when I was younger, but I don't think I've ever actually felt romantic toward anyone. I don't know if this is that, though."

"Mmm..... Maybe we're bond mates."

Of course they were bond mates, but the way Joseph said it was different this time. Colored with more meaning. "I think that works for now," Muir said. "At least till we have time to talk later."

Joseph nodded. "After a nap. And some food."

"Agreed."

.......................................................

Muir didn't realize how much he had started hating the police station until he saw it again. He had spent too much time there the last... how long had it been? He was losing track of the days. It had felt like months that Joseph was missing.

Hopefully, with Joseph back, it wouldn't be so hateful. He glanced at his bond mate as they both sat in the back of Orville's car as they parked. They were still holding hands. After Muir grabbed it, Joseph had refused to let go, making getting into and out of the car a shuffly business.

Muir let Joseph lead the way out of the back and they walked into the building, listening to the radios distantly squawking with reports from the warehouse. The raid was still going on, especially as they had found a few more vampires in the back rooms. Muir wondered if the panther was going to be taken alongside those vampires to the rehab center after they had been triaged. He was having a hard time imagining where they were going to keep a huge cat that maybe didn't understand what it was.

That was not his business. Not right now. It would probably become Joseph's problem later since he actually worked in the center, but even then it wouldn't technically be his problem.

Speaking of problems. "Where is Esial?"

Joseph frowned darkly, his fingers crushing Muir's for a moment in a flash of anger. "I don't know."

"What happened, exactly? As many details as you can remember."

Joseph grimaced, trying to think as they got into the elevator that led from the parking garage level up to the offices, holding the door for Orville and Granger to step in.

"Shouldn't we wait to do questioning until we're in a room where we can get a recording?" Orville asked.

"My body camera is on," Muir said. "And the other detectives are going to be busy at the warehouse for a while. I say we need as much information as possible. You never get everything in the first interview anyway."

Joseph cleared his throat, quieting the officers. "The interviewee is trying to speak," he said, trying to be playful about it, but it was clear he was exhausted as his tone fell flat. "Esial and I went to the store to get the food we needed for lunch and then we drove to the zoo. There was a.... a van? It didn't have any markings on it at all. Just a black van, and there were some guys who were dressed like government agents, but they didn't have any badges. They said that their employer sent them to talk to Esial, I think? I told them to buzz off and make an appointment through the center and then things got out of hand when they wouldn't leave us alone."

Muir nodded, trying to remember what he felt through the bond on that first day. "Did they burn you?"

"Yeah. Lavender ash to the face. I don't remember much about the fight. Just that Esial went feral. I think I passed out? I remember laying on the floor of the van and then getting dragged out."

"Esial wasn't with you?" Orville asked as the elevator stopped and they stepped out into the main offices. Instead of going for an interrogation room, Muir led them to his desk and they all stole chairs from the other desks to sit close together. Muir was very tired of sitting around in interrogation rooms.

"No. He was locked in a cage in the van. I was sold over to.... you know, and then they left. Said something about me being a gift from their employer."

"No names, I assume," Granger said, opting out of a stolen chair and standing over them, arms folded.

Joseph shook his head. "I didn't catch the name of their boss. Just names of other gang leaders that their boss was planning on helping as well, but I don't actually remember any of them.... Maybe..... one of them was Sanchez maybe? That doesn't feel right though. I'm sorry, I-"

"No need to apologize," Granger said, surprising both Joseph and Muir. Her voice was softer than either had heard before. "It's all good. Just a little annoying, but I'm not surprised you wouldn't remember something like that after what you've been through."

Joseph nodded mutely and Muir gently squeezed his hand. "Hopefully we can pick out something. If there weren't any badges that means the government probably wasn't involved-"

"Or didn't want to be seen as being involved," Granger said with a little shrug.

Muir sighed. "Who else would want Esial- No that's a stupid question. Who wouldn't want Esial. He's too old and interesting for his own good."

Joseph snorted. He made a noise of disgust and let go of Muir's hand to reach of the tissues. Muir felt a little disappointed at the loss of contact.

Granger noticed and raised her eyebrow at him but Muir firmly ignored her, finally asking a question he hadn't wanted to touch until Joseph was far away from the warehouse.

"What happened to Ashton? I heard he was found dead."

Joseph stopped vigorously blowing his nose. He took a few moments to wipe it all the way clean before he tossed the tissue. "Its.... uh...... right. The panther killed him."

"Oh... did she get off her chain then?"

Joseph shook his head, staring at his hands.

Muir put his hand gently over Joseph's. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's alright."

"No, it's fine. It's not like I killed him."

"The panther did?" Orville asked curiously.

"Yeah. She'd been, um, I mean, she....... She changed her allegiance, I guess. She helped me out and killed him."

Muir was a little concerned about the lack of detail, but he supposed it could all wait. It wasn't actually that serious. "I wish I could have had the chance to kill him myself."

Joseph shook his head. "Any death he would have gotten from you would have been too good."

Muir smiled a little, and companionable silence fell over them. Muir took a deep breath.

"So, the last time Esial was seen or heard was when you were kidnapped. That-"

"No, wait. I mean, I didn't see him, but Esial is still alive. Ashton would sometimes get on calls with someone and that person would tell Esial to behave and then I would.... Ashton uh...."

"Oh.... OH! So there was direct tech communication?" Muir asked eagerly.

Joseph nodded. "I don't know if the phone is still laying around, or if the other kidnapper used their actual phone, but yeah."

Muir pulled out his phone, quickly typing out a text to that effect to the Chief so she could make sure the officers kept an eye out for anything like that. "And I wrote down what dates and times you were being tortured so we can cross reference them."

"It's not much of a lead," Granger said, lifting and eyebrow and Orville reached out and swatted her thigh.

"Not much of a lead is still a lead," Orville argued. "We'll find him, guys."

Muir relaxed, smiling as Joseph nodded, determined despite his exhaustion.

Part 21

From Dust to Ashes Taglist: @whumpsday @honeycollectswhump @writereleaserepeat @tragedyinblue @hyrules-sleepiest-knight 

@why-not-ask-me-a-better-question @thecyrulik @gt-daboss @currentlyinthespiral @pigeonwhumps 

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Fleeting: Part 17 - False Negotiations

Author's notes: Plot time! Ashton is very creepy. Little does he know what's coming next chapter....

Masterlist - Part 16

Content: Vampire whumpee, human whumper, struggle involving a gun, ransom call, referenced torture, mouth whump

...................................

Muir truly felt hedged in on every side now. Granger sat on his left, Orville on his right, and across the table from him sat the grinning pig who had been sent by Ashton to keep an eye on him.

Muir avoided his laughing gaze, trying to ignore Granger who was also attempting to catch his. He had to think of something. His eyes drifted to the Chief who was talking with one of the other detectives, getting every last bit of information collected and ready for the meeting they were about to have. It had been two days now, and he had yet to find a way to speak with the Chief. He did not want to be alone with her as that would surely have dire consequences for Joseph, but he needed to get some kind of message across. Something, anything, to let her know there was a rat in the hen house.

He licked his dry lips, turning his attention away from the Chief to take another sip of water. He huffed, annoyed as it did nothing to quench his thirst. Joseph had not been fed, and Muir's increased attentions on the bond meant he could feel more and more through it. That also meant that more and more was getting through and affecting his own quality of life. He knew it was stupid to keep pushing it, that vampires had lost their minds when they had pushed the bonds too far and began living in multiple places at once, but that sort of mental break took months to develop. Muir was just getting a little thirsty because Joseph was very thirsty, and that was all. He was fine. Joseph would be rescued before there could be any serious consequences for their bond.

Muir rubbed his throat as the phantom sensation of a collar brushed against the sides of his neck, rattling gently with the sensation of Joseph's pulse and he amended that maybe he should consider backing off a little just to be careful.

Chief Staton cleared her throat and the conversations between the officers and detectives quieted down.

"Thank you," she said, glancing down at the paper in front of her. She leaned forward, hands steepled. She looked very severe today with her red and grey hair pulled back tight across her head and wearing one of her more serious suits. "Now, we have tried to get in contact with Ashton and his gang. Ashton has made it clear he wants only for us to stay out of the way and Joseph will not be harmed. We have been working on a plan and we have received a warrant for the warehouse we believe Ashton is working out of. Based on the times detective Muir has sensed Mr. Blackham being tortured, paired with the evidence that has been sent to us through detective Muir's phone and the men we have sent to watch Ashton's movements, we have been able to place him at that warehouse during the times Mr. Blackham has been hurt."

A warrant was good. Muir relaxed, and he couldn't help but send a self satisfied look at Harrell, who looked rather like he had bit into something rotten.

Not much time left for you here, I'm afraid, Muir thought smugly.

"We will move in this afternoon. Typically we would have negotiators working this through and see what can be done without violence, but since we have been unable to hold contact with Ashton, it will be better for us to move in quickly and decisively," Chief Staton said. She stood up and flipped a white board where the warehouse and surrounding buildings were pinned on the board.

She started to explain the route they would be taking, whose teams would be where, and who would move first. Muir's attention had drifted from her back to Harrell who was looking down at his lap intently, likely at his phone.

What are you doing? Muir thought, getting nervous now. He had to be reporting everything back to his boss, of course. Joseph would be out of that warehouse soon, but not if Ashton knew what to expect.

Muir lashed out under the table and Harrell gasped at the sharp pain in his shin, dropping his phone. Muir dove under the table at the same time as Harrell, a shout going up from the people they disturbed.

Muir had the advantage, being a vampire, but Harrell still had a gun, and while he was grabbing for his phone with his one hand, his gun was out and ready in the other.

"GUN!" Muir shouted right as he grabbed Harrell's wrist, pointing the weapon up and away from his face, a shot going up through the table.

Muir held Harrell's wrist tightly, going for the phone again, but quickly had to abort from that as Harrell moved to switch the gun to his free hand.

Muir slammed his fist into Harrell's face, knocking Harrell back into his chair and out from under the table where people were able to grab him and someone got control of his weapon.

Muir grabbed Harrell's phone and got out from under the table, looking down at the open screen to see what Harrell had sent.

The messages were to someone named 'Cigar King' and while the text made perfect sense, there were double meanings behind every word. Thankfully, he'd only sent one message, his second one still sitting in the draft bar.

You should really talk to her about your new toy. She's getting ready to leave.

The second, unsent message was a mess of words he couldn't sort out that must have had something to do with the plan the Chief had been outlining.

"MUIR!"

Muir looked over at the police chief and held out the phone to her. "He's been working for Ashton, Ma'am. He threatened me the other day, and I wasn't able to say anything at the time for fear of what would happen to Joseph."

Chief Staton nodded, taking the phone and looking over the messages nearest to the bottom. Her eyes narrowing before she turned her attention to Harrell. "You wouldn't happen to have been the one to mess with the security footage in the interrogation room, were you?"

Harrell kept his face blank and said, "Ma'am, he is clearly out of his mind with worry and grief. I may have deleted some footage, but that was to protect him. He tried to attack me in the interrogation room when I went in to check on him-" Muir barked out a laugh- "And just now he kicked me, causing me to drop my phone and when I went for it, he attacked me under the table."

Chief Staton raised her eyebrow. "And the gun?"

"He's a vampire," Harrell replied with an easy shrug. "I'm not."

Muir could see why the man had been able to hide in the force for so long while he was in Ashton's pockets. He was an excellent liar.

Chief Staton turned to Muir, and raised her eyebrow at him next. Muir shrugged. "I am worried about Joseph, but I am not lying. I have acted responsibly and have not acted out against orders. You can tell just as well as I, maybe even better than I can, that those text messages have some sort of code hidden within them. I could see he was typing and was afraid he was giving away our plan."

She nodded. "Take Harrell into custody. Muir, you do realize you'll be staying here while we retrieve Joseph, yes?"

Muir closed hie eyes, fighting back the rising anger and protective instincts. "Are you sure I can't at least be come along and stay in the vans?"

Chief Staton was silent and he opened his eyes, surprised to see a powerful kind of respect in her eyes.

She opened her mouth to answer when a secretary popped his head in and cleared his throat.

"Chief? Ashton Keaton is on the phone for you."

She pursed her lips. "Tell him I'll take the call at my desk in 10 minutes. And get me an earbud with a negotiator. You three, take Harrell to the cells. Officer Harrell, you are being detained. You will turn over you weapon and we will go through your phone."

She handed off the phone to be sent to the tech department and moved to leave.

"Chief, he said that detective Muir needed to be there for the call as well. He said he would hang up if Muir wasn't there."

Her glower grew even darker, but she waved for Muir to follow.

He did so, glancing back at Granger and Orville who looked somewhat confused, and Orville even looked a little hurt. Perhaps because Muir hadn't told him about Harrell?

The chief's office was uncluttered and neat, but there were mementos and pieces of personable art on the walls. She sat at her desk, Muir taking a seat from the wall to come sit at the side of the desk rather than in front of it, staring at the blinking light on the Chief's phone cradle.

She settled in, thanked the tech who brought her an earbud connected to a negotiator, and turned to Muir.

"I need you to stay calm. He will try to rile you any way he can-"

"I know. I won't speak much. I can stay calm," Muir replied. "My only focus is getting Joseph out of this safely."

She nodded. "Alright. Simply let him know you're here and be careful of how and when you speak after that."

Muir nodded and she pressed a button on the phone cradle, the sound of soft phone noise filling the air between Muir and the Chief.

"This is Chief Staton. Is this Ashton Keaton?"

"That it is. It's good to hear from you, Dawn. Long time not see."

"Refrain from using my first name, Keaton," the Chief said firmly. She nodded to Muir and he cleared his throat.

Before he could speak, Ashton asked, "Ahhh, is that Joshua with you?"

Muir shivered and said, "Refrain from using my first name as well, Keaton."

"You two are no fun, and in no position to be asking me for anything."

Muir felt a phantom hand in his hair and then pain in his scalp as a muffled yelp, compressed through the phone speakers, nearly set Muir on a rampage. Still, he gritted his teeth and stayed still, waiting for the Chief to take the lead.

"I assume that's Mr. Blackham, then," the Chief said, "Let's cut the chit chat. What-"

"Hold on, Dawn. We can speak in a minute. I want to talk to Joshua."

Muir swallowed, took a breath, and said, "What do you want."

"I want a lot of things. But right at this moment I want to hear how you met your dear Joseph."

"He was injured on the side of the road. I was the closest officer on duty to help."

"That's not very romantic," Ashton said, but before he could get much farther, the Chief cut him off.

"We are not here to speak about Muir's love life," she said firmly. "What do you want?"

"I want-"

"In regards to Joseph. If you are not willing to negotiate, then this call has no purpose."

"Oh, it serves a purpose." There was a whimper across the line from Joseph as Ashton continued, "This is the only thing keeping me from torturing Joseph at the moment."

"Torturing Joseph isn't enough, is it?" Muir asked lowly despite the sharp look he got from the Chief. "He's not what you actually want. You want me."

"Ha! Yes, I do. I really really do. You impress me Muir. You probably already outed Harrell, the smart, resourceful detective that you are, just like you've outed all of my other informants. You have really cut into my bottom line, and you've threatened my operation every step of the way. You'll come down on me, sooner or later. But before then. I want you to hurt."

Joseph and Muir's screams, syncopated by the phone's latency, filled the room as Ashton tore out Joseph's newly regenerated fang.

Part 18

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[clickerflight]

Fleeting: Part 19 - Broken Collar

Author's note: Hallo! Surprise surprise! We managed to finish the first leg of the road trip in time for me to get this out. It's been a really good time. I didn't know if I liked road trips but I have been enjoying it so far. The worst part of the roadtrips are when we have to stop for the night.

Masterlist - Part 18

Content: Vampire whumpee, multiple whumpees, rescue attempt, escape attempt, blood drinking, head injury, mentioned gun violence, mentioned guns

........................................................

Muir took deep breaths as the roads passed by under-wheel quickly, sirens and lights going off all around them. He was was in Orville's car, trying to control his heart rate as they rushed toward the warehouse. Soon. His bond mate would be free soon and the Muir could apologize over and over again for leaving him behind. For closing the bond. He could take care of him, make sure Joseph would be alright, and wipe the scum that had done this off of the face of the earth.

He couldn't wait to get his hands on Ashton. (Rationally he knew he wouldn't be able to do anything at all. Ashton would be taken into custody and there was no revenge that Muir would be allowed to deal out.) He would wring the man's neck, leaving him gasping for air before he started pulling teeth.

"Muir!"

Muir's head snapped up. His hands were clenched in his pants, and when he released them, he could see the small tears he had created in the fabric. That's alright. He didn't need his pants whole to rescue Joseph.

He turned to look at Orville, who was glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, mostly keeping an eye on the road. Muir waited a moment, and then realized that he must have missed a question. "Sorry, what?"

Orville frowned. "Are you sure you're okay to come? If-"

"I'm fine. I'm just.... angry."

"Yeah, I guess I would be too. Why didn't you tell me about Harrell?"

Muir shrugged. "I didn't want to get you involved. If you had known, you and yours would have been in danger as well."

"I can handle myself, Muir. You shouldn't have had to deal with that alone."

"It's alright. I only had to deal with it for a short period. He gave himself away handily enough before too long."

"Still-"

"I'm fine, Orville. I promise, I-"

Muir leaned back with a heavy sigh that forced its way up from deep, deep inside of him, a hand running through his curls, catching on all the places they had matted together a little. He hadn't really been taking proper care of his hair, and he was sure it showed. It certainly felt pretty nasty.

"I'm trying to hold it together," Muir said softly, hyper aware of the cameras in the car. "I'm trying really hard. I don't want to snap, but I almost have to. My instincts demand it. The bond demands it. I'm trying really hard not to snap, but if people keep asking if I'm alright or if I'm going to be alright or if I think I can keep it together, I'm going to snap."

Orville nodded. "Gotcha. I can back off, a little. I just want you to know that I'm here for you."

Muir turned his head and smiled. "And I really appreciate it. You've been awesome, man. I'm glad we're friends."

Orville nodded, a grin on his own face. "It will be a pleasure taking down this rat faced creep with you."

Muir nodded, watching out the window again.

The warehouse came up quickly, the lot around it already filled to the brim with police cars. Muir was out of the car almost before it came to a full stop, looking around for the Chief as he made sure his gun was secure in its holster.

She spotted him and waved him over.

"There you are. You're going to be coming in on second wave. First wave is going to drive everyone underground, but with you at the head of a small team it will pull them back up in time for third wave to get them. Alright?"

"Alright," Muir said with a nod. "You-"

"Yes, I trust you to do this even though it's your bond mate involved," she said quickly. "You have held it together better than most human officers would if someone important to them had been taken and they had power like yours. Just don't choke here at the finish line."

"I won't."

"Good. First wave is a go!"

..................................................................

Joseph slowly got up, the chain connected to his collar clinking as he did so. He tested his weight on his leg, and winced as it shook. His tendon had healed enough to hold him for very a brief moment, enough to just barely limp. He would probably need to hop on his other leg or find something to lean on, but there seemed to be a handy jaguar available for that.

He put his hand on her coarse, filthy coat and heard her chuff happily at him.

"Can you get loose from the collar?" he asked hoarsely. His throat ached where it had healed.

She looked up at him, her big eyes bemused. He was relived he could actually see them now, despite how spooky they were in the low lighting.

He checked her collar and quickly undid the leather. He wondered why she had never taken a more human form to undo it, but, after a glance at Ashton, he shivered as he realized he knew the answer to that.

She shook herself off, almost unbalancing Joseph as she found herself unburdened by her collar.

Joseph's questing fingers explored his own collar, though he knew exactly what he would find. The lock would only heat under his fingers, the silver under the plastic threatening him. There wasn't going to be any breaking that.

He looked around, knowing there was nothing that the room could offer him to get out. He knew he should feel more of a sense of urgency about all this, that he should be desperately looking for a way out of his collar so he and the jaguar could escape before anyone could find out that the two trapped vampires had killed their boss, but he just didn't. It was all very far away and floaty, locked behind a wall. The way Muir was locked behind a wall.

He closed his eyes, searching for any sign of Muir's return to his mind, but there was still nothing there. He was on his own.

He nearly fell over as the jaguar nudged him, and an even stronger shove sent him the rest of the way. He yelped, but she put a paw under his head, cushioning it before putting the other on his chest, sniffing around at his collar and looking over the lock.

"It's silver," he croaked. "You-"

He made a noise of disgust when a dribble of drool slipped across his collarbone as she began gnawing on the lock.

"Wait! Hold on, you're not-" He heard a satisfying crunch and she shook her head, dragging him along by the throat. He coughed, grabbing for her just as the lock came away and the collar fell open.

He lay, gasping for air, rubbing his throat as she stood triumphantly over him, lock still in her mouth. He could see bare silver from where she chewed away the plastic, but it didn't seem to really be burning her.

"Drop it," he croaked, his voice box newly damaged. "We need to get out of here."

The panther spat out the lock and bits of plastic, sniffing at Joseph's collar once as he got to his feet before walking beside him as his living crutch.

He carefully put his hand on the door handle, pushing it open. It was unlocked, since Ashton had been in the room before he died. The hall outside was dark and quiet, but now that the sound proofed door was out of the way, he could hear the retort of guns breaking the silence every so often.

The panther lifted her head, tilting it and sniffing cautiously at the air.

"I don't like that," Joseph whispered.

He looked down the hall one direction, then the other, and then he and the jaguar moved silently across the hall. Joseph couldn't remember the path out, but once he was far enough that the fog of the smell of Ashton's blood and death had faded, he could sense patches of outside air here and there he could try and follow.

The jaguar walked along, as silent as an apparition of death. She slowed, growling deep in her chest.

Joseph came to a stop as voices and shouting started nearby, the sound of gunfire going crazy.

Joseph ducked when he heard something ping off a shelf toward him and he crawled across the cold cement, cursing Ashton's memory for ripping his shirt to pieces so he had to press his bare chest to the freezing floor.

He army crawled around the base of the shelf, peering around to see where they where supposed to go next, the panther's heat radiating over his back as she crouched over him.

There was a scuffle going on between several seedy looking guys and a couple of police officer. Joseph looked just in time to see one of the officers go down with a shout, the other losing his gun.

Joseph flinched back as the gun slid in his direction, but none of the gang members looked to see where it had went thankfully enough. He poked his head back around the corner to see if he recognized either of the officers, hoping they would be alright. He went to enough parties and get togethers that he was pretty certain he would at least know one.

He certainly knew them. Orville lay on the ground, unconscious as blood dripped down his forehead. The other one was-

Joseph didn't even hesitate. He slid forward, ignoring the scraped skin on his chest as he lunged for the gun, grabbing it and leveling it at a thug as he got to his feet.

His hands shook, and he knew there was a chance he might shoot Muir, but that was a chance he was willing to take. Muir was a vampire. He would survive. And Joseph wouldn't feel bad because he was angry about being left on his own in the bond.

That's what he had to keep telling himself at least.

He pulled back the trigger and nothing happened. The gun was empty. He decided to do a very rash thing. He tossed the empty gun aside and rushed across the floor, injuries forgotten. He heard the scrape of claws on cement as the panther raced along behind him.

He jumped the man pulling back his fist to hit Muir again, losing himself to a red haze of anger, only just hearing the scream of a dying man as the panther got him.

He moved like a predator, not a single thought in his mind beside the desire to hurt and rend. To drink.

Something grabbed him around the back of his neck and hauled him off of a man he had been draining. He gasped for air, blood running down his chin. That someone pulled him into their arms, breath brushing across his collar bones and shoulder as someone buried their face in his neck.

He took a deep breath, a familiar scent permeating his nostrils. He buried his own face in familiar curls, a small wail escaping his lips.

"You left me," he breathed, the words leaving him entirely without his permission.

"I know," Muir replied, his voice muffled against Joseph's skin. "I know, I'm so sorry. I had to! I was coming to get you!"

Joseph relaxed, laughing softly through an abused throat. "I can see that. You're a little late, honestly. The jaguar and I were doing just fine on our own."

Muir chuckled, pulling away. "So far, you mean. You still have to get the rest of the way out."

"I'm sure we'll manage..... though Orville may need some help."

Muir turned to look at where Orville lay, and they were both glad to see was beginning to stir. "Right. Let's get to helping him quickly, then."

Part 20

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