Carrying a bottle of hard lemonade wrapped in a paper bag, she cuts through the parking lot to get to the small park behind the motel. A year ago she may have been wary about going to deserted spots after dark but not anymore. There is a small handgun tucked into her ankle holster to protect her against human attacks, but the supernatural ones - that's something she's still learning to cope with. But there are no vampires in this town - she and Seth have hunted for them far and wide - which means she doesn't have to worry, at least not tonight.
She sits on the empty bench, pulls out the Swiss army knife that Seth gifted her for her birthday, and uses it to pop open the cooler. She takes a sip, and immediately jumps up when she hears a rustling noise behind her. The bottle drops to the ground, and she's already pulling out the gun and turning around to aim and shoot. Immediately she pauses, speechless at the tall figure standing in front of her.
Richie.
She hasn't seen him since that night at Titty Twister. He's dressed in a dark suit, without glasses, and somehow taller, leaner and even more predatory than she remembers. He still possesses that keen stare which puts her on edge, makes her feel naked, like he can see right through her skin, bones, and into her very soul. All of a sudden she's overcome by anger, guilt, grief, all those emotions she struggles to suppress to get through the day.
"Are you going to lower that gun?" he asks, his voice low, intense, yet filled with wry amusement.
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"The bullets can't hurt me."
"But they'll sting like a bitch."
He cocks his eyebrow, amused. "I see your vocabulary has expanded considerably."
She shrugs her shoulders. "Side-effect of living with your brother."
Pain crosses his face, and it's the same fleeting expression she's seen on Seth whenever something reminds him of Richie.
"Why are you out here alone?" he asks.
"Worried I'll be kidnapped and held hostage? Been there, done that. Have the scars to prove it."
He ignores her biting words. "Where's Seth?"
"Back in the motel room, probably having sex with the brunette he picked up tonight. I wasn't in the mood to watch so I took off."
"Aren't you sweet?" he drawls.
"Cut the bullshit. Why are you here?"
He takes a few steps forward, she stays in place. There may be a bench between them but she knows it'll only take a second for him to rip it up and throw it aside.
His steely gaze remains fixated on her, and her heart starts racing. "Does your girlfriend know you're here?" she taunts, trying to hold on to the anger and ignore the slow spread of lust and want and need and crave that surges through her. "Did you get her permission?"
"I'm not her bitch."
"Or was she the one who sent you? If you think you can drag me back to be some kind of human sacrifice-"
"She doesn't know I'm here," he interjects.
"Not so whipped then. I guess that's something."
"You really have picked up Seth's bad habits. It's very irritating."
"So was it worth it?"
"Was what worth it?"
"Destroying so many lives, killing all those people, leaving your brother. Was she worth it?"
There's a long pause before he answers. "No."
There is no hesitation, just complete certainty, and it takes her by surprise. That's not the response she expected.
"I was wrong about everything."
"I was alone too, and when I had nothing left, she found me. She called to me and she led me here."
She still remembers his words, how determined he was to belong, and now it's all turned into shit and her heart aches for him. She lowers the gun, places it on the bench and starts walking towards him. Warning bells go off in her head, this could be just a trick to lower her defenses, but she ignores all of that as she approaches him. He's so much more taller than her but she fits into his body perfectly when she wraps her arms around his waist to console him.
Right away, she realises it's a mistake.
What's supposed to be a gesture of comfort feels anything but as his arms circle around her, locking her in his embrace. Suddenly, she's aware of every inch of his body. Her skin feels as if its burning, her heart is pounding. Her nerves are even more overloaded when his hand roams down her spine and rests on the small of her back, his thumb stroking her skin.
He doesn't need to breathe but she feels him inhaling her in.
His heart no longer beats but she can sense the tension surging through him.
How can something this wrong feel so good, so right?
She closes her eyes, telling herself after sixty seconds she's going to pull away, but it's five minutes later and she's still curled up in his arms. Soon he shifts and his hand laces through her hair, gently at first, and then he's fisting the strands and leaning back to look into her eyes and, then, his mouth closes over hers.
It's not a sweet kiss, nor a tender one. Instead his mouth is demanding, his touch insistent, and she finds herself reciprocating his kiss with the same urgency. He moves forward, trapping her against the bench, and his hips are grinding against hers and oh god, oh god, oh god…
What the hell is she doing?
His mouth is pulsing against her neck, licking her skin, and she wonders for a moment if he's going to bite her, feed from her. Is that why he's here?
As if sensing her hesitation, he eases his grip on her.
She's coming undone; he's infuriatingly calm.
"Still perving on underage girls?" she huffs, hating how her insides are still quivering from that kiss.
"I'm a vampire now. This is what we do."
"You did that before becoming a vampire."
He raises his eyebrow, gives her a small smile. "Touché, Katie-cakes."
She's embarrassed to admit the way he says that ridiculous nickname of hers sends thrills down her spine. "Don't call me that."
He takes a step back, and she uses the opportunity to put some distance between them. Despite that, she can still feel his hands imprinted on her back, his mouth ravaging hers. "Why are you here?" she demands again.
"To tell you and Seth to be careful. Something's coming, something big, and I don't know how much longer I can protect the both of you."
"Protect us? We're in this mess because of you and your stupid girlfriend."
His jaw clenches with frustration. "I wish I could go back, change things. But I can't."
"You can come back to us," she whispers, surprising herself. "I know Seth misses you. A lot. He doesn't talk about it but I know he's hurting."
Richie shakes his head 'no'. "I started this, I have to end it." He levels her with a piercing stare. "And you need to be careful, from vampires and hunters. They're not too happy with you right now."
"Why? Was I supposed to let myself be sacrificed to the gods?"
"Yes, according to them."
"I guess I'm going to have to start sleeping around then. Don't want anyone to get ideas about targeting me again."
He tilts his head back, looking entirely too arrogant. "You could work your way through every whorehouse in Mexico and the Gods would still want you. It's not about virginity, Kate. It's about purity of the soul."
"And how do I get rid of that?"
"You can't. It's a part of you."
The silence is palpable as they stare at each other intently. There are so many things she wants to ask him, but she doesn't. And he doesn't speak either, just watching her like he wants to consume her body and soul. "You looked better with your glasses," she says when the tension becomes almost unbearable.
A hint of a smirk plays across his face. "Goodbye, Kate."
"You're not even going to talk to Seth?"
He shakes his head 'no'. "It's better this way."
"Will I see you again?"
"Do you want to?"
"I don't know. A part of me hates you, and there's this other part that…" she pauses, unsure of what to say.
"What?" he probes.
"Wonders how things would be if you hadn't chosen Santanico."
"I would still be the guy who held you hostage."
His words sink in, and her gaze shifts to the open space behind him. "We're screwed either way."
"I'm sorry, about everything."
"Too little too late, Richie."
"I know."
"You still haven't answered my question."
"Neither have you." He peers at her closely. "Do you want to see me again?"
She wants to, oh god she wants to, but Seth would take it as a betrayal and right now he's the only family she has. "No."
"Alright."
One second he's standing in front of her, the next he's gone and she's staring into thin air.
She returns to the bench, picks up the bottle of lemonade and chugs it down, but the liquor doesn't numb her or dull her thoughts. In the end, she still remembers the haunted gaze in his eyes and it hurts.
A/N - First time writing for this fandom. Hope you guys like it :)