Chapter One: Shooting Stars
The ship's engines made a low humming sound as it glided through the dark cosmos, the stars were shining brightly, the sun a small glimmer in the distance and the Earth was no longer visible, and everything that had happened seemed like a far off memory now.
They were in the deep reaches of space now, but while he could finally say that they were safe, madness still threatened to overcome Meier as he meticulously counted the hours down right to the last minute as his eyes never left his beloved who lay still on the special medical bed, Charlotte was paler than usual, her body temperature was a bit lower than normal and her heart was at a slower pace due to the blood loss.
If he could go back in time and keep Charlotte from getting hurt and having to suffer at Carmilla's hands he would. But he only had the power the Sacred Ancestor had given his descendants, there was only so much he could do with what he had been born with and the technology on the ship was only what he could make use of to try and save his beloved.
It had been a few days now but he didn't bother to sleep the only sound echoing through him was Charlotte's fragile heartbeat thanks to his vampiric hearing, he wanted to be awake at all times to see her finally open her eyes or to see her quickly slip away from him for good.. He chased the thought away as soon as it crossed his mind, she was so strong, so fierce, her spirit and will power surprised him time and time again and even now her heart was still beating it served as proof that she would survive this and he had no doubt in his mind about it, he knew she could overcome this she had too especially after their arduous journey.
For several hours he stayed dutifully by her side, caressing her cheek and whispering under his breath for her to wake up and tell him this was all a bad dream and that they would go back to laughing and holding one another, and talk of all the things they would do once they reached the city, hot tears ran down his face clouding his crimson eyes and blurring his vision. He wept silently as he thought of her beautiful voice and her smiling amber eyes that he had come to love and cherish. A few more hours had passed and eventually, when he thought he was about to finally give in and fall into a slumber of his own, he felt her stir just a tiny bit, at first he thought he had imagined it as he straightened up in his chair immediately he studied her closely to see her eyes beginning to indeed open, a smile began to curl at his lips as he felt a tightness that he didn't know was there begin to loosen in his chest as happy tears streamed down his cheeks.
Everything was a fuzzy gray with splotches of black as she opened her eyes, nausea hit her in waves, she felt a dull ache in her wrists and upper arm. When she moved her head to the side a little her face lit up, Meier was looking at her with tears streaming down his face, it tore her to see her beloved cry and it made her cry in turn as she looked at him reaching a hand out to caress his cheek as he squeezed her hand.
"Meier.." She said softly, her amber eyes smiling at him. He half-cried half-laughed before gingerly taking her into his arms, mindful of the various needles he inserted into her wrists and arm he brushed away the tears on her cheeks as she did the same for him. "Why are you crying my love?"
"I'm crying because of you silly!" He said kissing her forehead reverently.
"Are we on the ship? Are we safe now?" She returned his kisses in earnest, smooching his cheek lovingly. Her tears were burning her eyes now as he wiped them away with his fingers, careful not to hurt her with his claws.
"Yes my beloved, we're finally safe from humans and hunters." He continued to pepper her face with kisses, gently touching her face and basking in her warmth once more.
Charlotte was beaming now but he could see that she couldn't possibly be well enough to sit up so he gently laid her back down as he held her hand. He asked, concern and worry etching his handsome features: "How do you feel? Do you have a headache?"
"I'm a little dizzy." She groaned a bit as she moved her hands a little, careful not to have the tubes snag around the blankets which were propped up due to her bulky dress. Meier helped her rearrange them so they wouldn't get in the way, trying to make her as comfortable as possible he knew the machines would be irksome for her but she only had to deal with them for a little while longer.
A pregnant silence fell between them for a time, Meier checked the machines and saw that her blood volume was near their normal levels again, her heart rate was steady once more in his vampiric hearing. Charlotte fidgeted with the bandage at her neck for awhile before she remembered what had happened before she passed out. "Oh Meier!" She exclaimed loudly and so suddenly it made him jump for a second before he clasped his hands around hers. "Am I going to be a vampire?" Her hand caressed his cheek for a moment before she spoke again. "The Countess she pretended to be you and.." Her expression gave worry as she saw the look of horror on his face.
Before she could continue Meier quickly cursed under his breath as he connected the dots within his mind, his fangs elongated his thirst threatening to take over as he took her into his arms again, shielding her with his body. "That wretched demon!"
"Forgive me my love, I never should've left you alone! If only I had been there sooner..!" Tears threatened to spill again as rage boiled deep within him, the tightness in his chest came back again but he refused to lose control not when they were finally free to love one another safe at last!
She wrapped her arms around him with all her strength pouting as she usually did whenever he was upset. "Meier, please don't be upset dear, we're safe now and that is all that matters!"
He vehemently shook his head as he caressed her cheek again. "No! I was a fool Charlotte. I should've taken heed at the words of the other Nobles and what they had said about her, I could've done things differently without you being put in harms way!" He held her closely to reassure himself again that she was safe and that he would protect her so that nothing and no one could ever hurt her again.
He relished in her softness and warmth a little more before he pulled back, slightly fidgeting with her hands in his own, he was looking down now his eyes solemn his fangs still long.
"Oh Meier, don't blame yourself, I knew it wouldn't be easy but.." She cradled his face in her hands to get him to look at her. "I would never blame you, and you can't blame yourself for what happened back at the castle." He gasped when she pulled his face into the crook of her neck, proving she wasn't scared if he were to bite her here and now.
"Now, tell me.. " He put his arms around her again pulling her close whilst being careful with the tubes and machinery. "Am I going to be a vampire?"
He checked the bandage on her neck before he shook his head. "No, the Countess was trapped in her coffin still, that was merely an illusion, nothing more." He could see some relief on her flushed face, grateful to see her complexion returning to normal, he himself was relieved the bite wasn't actually vampiric otherwise Carmilla likely would've made her into a victim just to further spite their love.
Instead she could remain fully human, able to walk in the day and not have her personality and mind distorted by the likes of the Countess.. Even though she had been sealed away for millennia in her own personal hell he still couldn't feel anything else but hatred resonate at the thought of her and what she did to his beloved.
"I still want you to turn me." Snapping out of his thoughts he looked back at her, she had her fiery gaze on him and the covers bunched up in her hands.
"Charlotte, you already know how I feel about this." He shook his head again giving her a pointed look.
"No! I want to be with you Meier!" She sat up at once and grabbed his wrists but the action made her blanch as she didn't have the energy right now to argue with him like she usually did.
"Charlotte!" He steadied her before she could fall off the bed his eyes wide with fear and horror, her weak smile did little to quell his fears this time.
Gently but firmly he made her lay back down before checking the screens again, her condition was stable but he didn't want her to overexert herself lest she take a turn for the worst. He examined the holographic clock on the wall, it was nearing eleven at night now. "Sleep now, please love." He pulled the covers back over her and put a finger to her lips before she could dare to protest.
"Charlotte, resting would be most beneficial for you now, once you've recovered we can explore the ship together, alright?"
As he held her in his arms he told her about all the things they could do now that they were free. "Even if the city is in ruins, we could still explore the far reaches of space, and maybe find a new planet or two to build a home of our own."
Her eyes shone brightly at the thought of seeing new sights and places with him, since she had only heard of far off places and extraordinarily adventures in books before and now maybe she could experience them herself it was a far cry from the confined life she lived in the city she had grown up in.
"And then we will discuss you turning me into a vampire." She was holding the front of his coat as she felt her eyelids getting heavy. "So that time can no longer be our enemy." He pressed his forehead on hers his eyes were mischievous this time instead of showing horror at her request especially since he could see she was in no danger of becoming sick thanks to the Noble technology.
He brushed stray strands of hair off of her face as he saw her begin to twitch from trying to stay awake and bask in his scent. "I cannot promise you that we can reach an agreement on this but we will talk about it later." He had told her they would talk about this when they were in space and there was no holding it off now, but he felt it was best to wait a little longer before attempting to turn her, he wasn't sure the transformation would turn out well, she could take on the brooding behaviors and sullen manner akin to most vampires, erasing the bright and inquisitive woman he had come to love and cherish. The very thought of such a thing happening frightened him, but he knew as well as she did that he would eventually relent and give into her wishes no matter how distressing the subject made him feel.
He caressed her hair lovingly as he whispered words of endearment to her like he always did when he soothed her to sleep, and she brushed her fingers over his hand in turn as her eyes began to close.
Once he heard her breath even out he gently laid her down and pulled the covers back over her, he checked the screens once last time and was overjoyed her condition remained stable, though he pondered over whether or not she might suffer some anemia for a time due to the bloodloss. Meier sat there observing her sleeping face awhile more before he left the infirmary, using vampire speed to go into another room he had been in earlier.
Now that Charlotte was out of foreseeable danger he could finally remedy a problem of his own, reaching into a storage compartment he took a large box from it before heading back to the infirmary, thankfully there were some plastic cups in one of the cabinets which he used to fill with water at the large sink, he didn't want to stray too far to look for anything else at the moment since he wanted to stay by Charlotte's side in order to help her recover until she was well enough to be by herself without him worrying, too much.
Putting the opened box aside he let out a deep sigh as he watched the blood capsule change the clear water to a ruddy red color the pungent scent of blood filled his nostrils and his ears rung a little before he gulped it down steadily, he had starved himself for quite awhile and he didn't want the bloodlust to win now that they were finally safe and alone with each other.
After he sated his bloodthirst with a few more cups of blood he left the empty cup on the wooden table in the room before he moved to sit on the bed adjoining Charlotte's.
He laid his hand over hers, she was warmer than before. He kept to observing her serene face as he began to think back to when they first met. The mere thought brought tears of joy to his eyes, it was just after he had fully resigned himself to being the watchful guardian of the Western Frontier.
He was out again on his midnight stroll, making sure there were no mutants or rogue vampires hoping to make a meal of any of the humans living out in the Western Frontier just as the other heads of his family had done. Although they were always quick to attack him from behind they were no match due to his being a Greater Noble, getting a taste of a strong vampire always helped shift the target off of humans. While he loved them he never directly approached humans and would always make sure to lure away whatever had tried to harm them before killing it with little noise or trouble.
He was happy the animals were mostly unharmed, though he had to take care of a small hare for a time after he had discovered its mother had been killed by a fox he had managed to scare away before it could finish its newest prey before he released it back into nature.
Once again like clockwork he was sitting in a tree in the dense forest to the south, leaning against the trunk in order to observe the nearby crystalline lake, many flowers surrounded it with a gentle mist that seemed to leave sparkles over it, the large smooth rocks didn't put a damper on the sight either. He kept visiting this same spot for quite awhile now, though on one particular night with the full moon hanging in the sky he had seen a young woman perched on one of the rocks, gazing out into the distance, though he found it strange that she would be out at this hour he thought she was just making her way to the next Frontier, but when he came back the next night he saw that she was there again, she would sit there for hours, often plucking the flowers and creating crowns, throwing pebbles into the lake sometimes or just singing to herself. Though she always kept a long green cape on he could see that she had brown hair and a mystifying amber gaze, her scent was always so strong with soap and lotion instead of perfumes as he had been told women liked to douse themselves in, there were times she didn't come especially when the weather was too cold or the moon was completely hidden.
Whenever she left he would always go over to where she sat and pick up the crowns she left behind, never sitting in her spot, wishing she would appear so he could listen to her sing again. It became a sort of pastime watching her from the shadows, listening to her sing her beautiful songs, it was like this for several weeks but after a month her trips became less frequent though she started to dance and twirl around when he did see her bringing a smile to his face and a warm feeling filled him every time he thought of her. Then for two weeks he didn't see her at all, it made him feel lonely, he regretted not trying to talk to her but he figured she would run away thinking he wanted to hurt her when all he wanted was to get to know her better, he didn't see her until just after his parent's passing, maybe she was ill or hurt? Maybe someone told her that he frequented this area and so she decided to stay away? He hoped it was the latter, even though it meant he could never see her again, it meant she was safe and sound with her friends and family.
He rested his hand on her usual spot as he mulled these thoughts over to himself, looking up at the full moon above him. Just some time ago his father had told him he was certain he would find happiness, with the stars twinkling above him he smiled at him when he asked him why he thought such a thing could happen. His mother had told him to always consider the wishes of others no matter how daring or dangerous it may be, and to have faith.
The sound of crickets and squirrels filled his ears now, even though it was still the middle of what should've been autumn, he figured the weather controller was still broken. So it was still quite warm and would take longer for the weather to pick up. Growing bored he plucked up a large flower and slowly ran his nails over the vibrant petals, careful not to cut it with his claws, he had seen the woman do this and sometimes pluck the petals, he knew people did that when they were trying to figure out whether to do something or not.
As he thought over whether or not to take a petal off himself, he went on the alert when he heard the rustling of tree leaves not too far behind him, not daring to move he simply waited, listening to the approaching footsteps, he began to transmute his left hand into metal. But after a few minutes as the sound got closer the scent became distinctly clear, he changed his hand back, it wasn't a mutant or some kind of monster.. In fact the scent almost smelled like something one would have for dessert..
He felt eyes on him as he dropped the flower, was it that young woman he had been longing to see again? If so leaving now would be beneficial, now that she had seen him she would probably be able to guess he had been watching her, akin to a cat and a mouse, predator and prey. The thought filled him with absolute dread.
As soon as he heard the approaching footsteps stop, the unmistakable presence of that girl filled his senses, he immediately leapt up and made to run across the water with his powers, but as soon as he started a frantic cry filled his ears. "Wait!"
"Please don't leave." She had her hands clasped over her chest, worry creasing her face yet the fire in her amber eyes burned a bright flame into his very being. He continued to stand effortlessly on the water, though his cape never touched it the water waves seemed to go on forever as he studied her face, not a trace of fear lined her delicate features, he tilted his head a bit. "You're not afraid of me, someone thought of only as a monster?"
She gasped flailing her arms for a moment. "I don't see vampires as monsters.. And.. I-I have seen you before in the forest with the animals.."
"And sometimes when I got here later you would be sitting here, and I would watch you." She stepped closer to the water.
"I heard stories about the Nobles who value humans and would protect them on this Frontier." She came to the shore of the lake, her green cape fluttering in the light wind, the moonlight highlighting the beautiful pearls in her wavy brown hair.
"And I felt that maybe.." She fidgeted with her hands, her words failing her as she continued to hold the gaze of the tall and handsome vampire in front of her. 'That maybe we could become friends.' The last words remained unspoken she had heard stories of hunters working with humans before and while they weren't fully vampire.. A Dhampir was still a vampire right?
When he slowly began his approach she didn't move, mere feet away from her he used his telekinesis to pick up the flower, offering it to her. She took it with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen from her before agreeing to join her on the rocks. "Do you enjoy coming here to see the lake?"
"Yes, because its a rare sight in a world like ours." His ruby like eyes smiling at her.
And so they met like that each night for many hours, though the amount of time they spent together pained him only when they had to separate, for he was drawn to her and her strong will that he wasn't sure she knew she possessed, she always asked him all sorts of questions, about vampires mostly, about his family and the places he had been too over the years, sometimes he would ask her questions as well, such as about her family and what she liked to do in the day, they would talk about all sorts of things, especially about how humans and vampires are more alike then both races are willing to admit and it was only when the sky turned a lighter blue he would discreetly bring her back to the city before returning home.
When Charlotte awakened she could see the nearby holographic clock showing it was five in the morning, she felt like she was starving as she wriggled from out of the covers. She didn't feel as dizzy anymore but before she could sit up Meier was at her side with a large plate and utensils. As if he had read her mind or heard hunger twist her stomach he eagerly pushed the plate into her hands.
He ate with her at her insistence though she knew he could survive well without human food he had eaten with her before back at his castle obviously getting nourishment out of the activity. "They're called poached eggs, do you like them?"
"Yes! This is delicious Meier, you would make a magnificent chef." She giggled when she saw him blush, as he sat on the large bed eating with her, he insisted she take the last egg but he conceded when she offered to split it with him.
He could see that her complexion was more of its normal color again and no longer that sickly pale, she was able to sit up without feeling nauseous but she was dizzy every time she tried to walk on her own, nearly falling when she tried to climb out of bed if not for Meier's quick reflexes catching her in his arms each time. His expression shone worry but it always softened when she beamed her usual smile at him always giving him a quick kiss on his nose.
As he set his fork down on the plate he carefully planned his next words since the wonderfully preserved and packaged food clearly did her wonders it would be best if they could fully refresh themselves now after what happened at the castle. "Charlotte, I think it would be best that you try and bathe now." Although he knew she was still dizzy he was willing to push away any hesitancy of seeing her naked if it meant helping her get more comfortable.
She gasped at that and he feared he had offended her until he saw her blush a deep rosy red, but he saw the question in her eyes as he massaged her back. "Um, Meier."
"Could you.." She quickly became flustered with her blush spreading down her neck. He merely chuckled as he put his arms around her. "Of course I will help you my love." When she finished eating he carried her in his arms down one of the corridors, it took awhile before they could find one of the many bathrooms since many of the rooms they had found were empty or held boxes and other containers.
When they finally found a luxurious bathroom he carefully sat her on the edge of the large bathtub, using his telekinesis to turn on the faucets before he quickly teletransported out of the room for a few minutes.
Charlotte tested the waters and adjusted the faucets slightly so that the water would be comfortable enough for her, the bathroom was well stocked compared to the ones she had been in and seen back on Earth.
Meier returned a short time later, handing her a beautiful nightgown and a few dresses he managed to find in one of the nearby rooms. "I'm sure there are more clothes on board but I didn't want to move too far to explore without you." He said mindfully as he folded his cape to leave on a chair in the bathroom.
"If there were thread and needle around we could make our own clothes perhaps." She tilted her head shyly as she set the clothes on the large sink, before she started to carefully remove her pearls.
He helped her loosen her braids, her hair always ended up covering most of her body when it was loose or completely wet, he turned away from her when he saw her begin to carefully undress herself. Stepping into the hot water she grimaced a bit at the hot temperature but once she slowly submerged herself in the waters was only when she could relax, she quickly used the bubbles to cover her breasts but that was futile since she knew Meier would see them sooner or later. "You can look now." She squeaked.
He sat in the chair next to the tub, rolling up his sleeves before helping her wash her hair. Her hair was very thick but also quite soft and silky, he was careful not to wet the wound on her neck and used his powers to speed up the process using his telekinesis to hold her hair into a neat bun so it wouldn't get in her way as she washed her feet and he washed her back.
When it came to washing the rest of her body he looked away since he didn't want to leave the room in case she were to feel faint, once she finished her bath he handed her the fuzzy towels that were in the cabinets as the water began to swirl down the drain, he helped her dry her hair once she successfully dried and covered her body with the towel.
"Thank you, Meier." She giggled as he handed her the nightgown from the sink, pressing it to her chest with one hand while using the other to keep the towel wrapped around her hair she tugged at his sleeve expectantly with a pout he chuckled softly, he closed his eyes before leaning down to kiss her on the lips.
"Think nothing of it love, I'll always help you when I am able to." His smile was warm though he was careful to look up when he opened his eyes again, his cheeks turning a dark blue at the thought of seeing her naked for the first time.
Once her hair was fully dry she slipped into her nightgown before he carried her while she held the dresses as they went to find a bedroom to sleep in, the dull sound of footsteps echoing in the corridors of the otherwise silent and steady starship.