This is dedicated to gregoryjameshousewilson (his name at the time). He thought the world was in need of more Russell and Talbot, and I agreed. :)
Summary: Rebuilding his life, and sanity, after losing Talbot is a slow and painful process, but Russell proceeds with some success until miraculously, he sees Talbot again.
Reunited
Loving You, Part I
Some lovers keep mementos of their affection on display. Russell Edgington was no exception to this. The sealed crystal bowl and its contents were, and would be, the most cherished memento he would have in all of his three thousand years of existence. He carried it with him as he walked outside of the motel room. It swung closely by in an old leather bag Talbot had purchased for him almost fifty years prior.
Most people wouldn't believe time flies when you are an immortal, but it does fly, Russell thought on his way home. It flies away, fleeing from you, differently than it does for humans. Humans live their lives based on how much time they have, but vampires... Vampires exist on a different kind of clock, counting the years the things around them have: People, eras, seasons, empires and dynasties, wars, and times of peace. Everything has its time, he thought. And now, he and Talbot had had theirs. It wasn't supposed to be this way.
They were supposed to conquer the world with forever as their prize. Forever. It was the joke they played on themselves when they were naive enough to believe that they could have such a thing. Russell laughed bitterly as he walked through the door of their mansion.
He felt empty. He had said goodbye in the best way that he could, with a dead hooker as a cheap substitute for the man he had loved for the better part of a millennium. He loved him still, but soon, it would be time to move on if he was to survive. And Russell was a survivor. He gently propped the crystal bowl containing his husband's remains against the pillow on Talbot's side of their bed, and then he collapsed beside it. "I don't know what I'm gonna do," he said aloud. He curled into a ball, the grief closing in on him. There it was again. Russell felt a stab of pain through his chest as if it were a stake through the heart, and in a way, it was. He would have to move on.
It wasn't supposed to be this way, he thought again. He reached out for the bowl and held it tightly. His mind wandered to the first time they met. It comforted him.
Talbot was the youngest prince of the Byzantine empire during the Paleologi dynasty, and Russell was the leader of a very successful mercenary detachment hired by Talbot's father, emperor Andronikos II, to fight for him as his private guard. The year was 1323 A.D., and they were in the empire's capitol city, Constantinople.
Russell's attraction to Talbot was instant. The young man had come to him for training after receiving his father's blessing. He wanted to prove himself, to show that he could be a warrior capable of holding a command one day. He wanted to restore the empire to its once held greatness, and for that, he would need to be an expert in military affairs and not just diplomacy.
Russell watched how the young man moved as he came toward him, just after dusk, for a private session. He was tall, lean, and athletic looking. Perfect, like a marble statue, Russell thought. "Have you ever fought a man before?" he asked.
"Yes, many times," said the young man. His voice was soft and slightly high-pitched. And his eyes... They were innocent. They had never seen the unforgiving hardness of battle, Russell was sure of it. He concealed a smile.
"When?"
"During my training," answered the young man.
"If it pleases you, please, show me what you can do."
The tall, muscular frame charged at him, and quickly the young man was subdued. He had a lot to learn if he was going to fight without dying, but Russell would teach him over the course of the coming years with a patience he reserved for no one else. He liked watching Talbot's body move. There was an artfulness to it, and a grace. Over the next year, they slowly became lovers, and Russell reluctantly revealed his true nature. "You cannot hide it from me," said Talbot. "Whatever it is you are, I want to know. You are stronger and faster than any man I've ever seen, and your touch is cold," he said, "but I like the coolness of your skin."
"And I like the warmth of yours," added Russell. He had already made the choice to start a relationship with the young man, in spite of his better judgment, so it only made sense to tell the truth. Besides, he could always glamour him if he needed to erase the memory of his true identity and their intimate times together, but he didn't want to have to do that. Russell found that he wanted someone he could share his life with, openly, after going solo around the world for so long without rest. "You're like a drink of fresh water from a spring, and I never knew I was so thirsty," he said as they laid beside each other one night. "Not until you."
"Then drink from me," beckoned Talbot. "I am not afraid."
A/N: This story is coming in about 4 parts, with some Russell and Steve towards the end. This will be my first time writing chapters, and I'm trying to keep from making them too long, so any feedback will be very appreciated. Thanks. :)
