12/15/2012

CHAPTER 1: Every Breath We Drew was Hallelujah

Roslyn heard someone riffling through her bag. Her cheek stayed pressed against the cold pillow as her hand slide under and felt the ice cold gun. She pulled it out and saw the outline in the dark, pointing it at her victim and unlocked the gun. The victim stood still before his shoulders relaxed.

"Now darlin, why don't you just put that down before you get hurt."

His voice was smooth and southern and she felt her hands begin to shake as she locked the gun and laid it down on the comforter.

"What are you doing here?" she looks down at her bed, their bed, "I thought you'd left."

"I did." He slips the two items in his pocket as he finally turns towards her, watching as the light across the streets flashes through her window and lights up her features. Her eyes are tired and dull, her hair is a mess, and her cheeks are red and stained, "I wanted to give you this."

His hands reaches into his other pocket and pulls out an envelope.

"I don't want it, Benjamin." She folds her arms against her chest as he sighs, she only calls him Benjamin when she's mad, or flirting. Right now though, she is far from flirty.

"Please Ros, take it." He urges the envelope closer to her and shakes it a bit. She sees the motion from the corner of her eye and holds a glare with it, before she gives up and snatches the paper away, "I'm sorry Ros, really, I am. I never meant to hurt you like this."

"I'm not hurt." She throws the paper next to her gun, "Why would I let some blood sucker like you hurt me? Do you know who I am?"

He thumbs the two pieces of evidence in his pocket, knowing she doesn't know he has them, and nods.

"I'm starting to figure it out."

Her eyes narrow on his and she feels the tears start up again. Swiftly, she shakes them away and glances out the window. Jazz music dances from the streets as she remembers the night they first met.

"I wish I'd never met you." She starts at the flashing purple light, unable to meet his eyes, "I wish I'd just done what I planned to do down here, and never went to that club."

"What did you come here for?" the plastic in his pocket and the metal heat up against his hand as a million ideas run through his head

Roslyn looks up at him, her eyes cold, unforgiving, and reminding him so much of someone he had met recently.

"I came here to die." She said, "I knew what you were when I picked you up. And I wanted you to kill me."

"Why would-"

"I wanted you to kill me so I didn't have to do it myself." Her eyes travel to the gun on the bed as she picks it up and Benny feels his heart stop. She opens the cylinder and lets the bullets fall onto the cotton blanket.

"Ros, please, don't say that." Benny begged

"What do you care?" a soft smile on her lips, "You don't love me anyway. You said it yourself."

She picks up the bullets and holds them in the palm of her hand, knuckles clentched white as she feels the anger rising again and the tears building again. She looks at him and throws them, the bullets bouncing off him as he moves closer to her, his arms out, about to wrap around her when she screams and yells at him, telling him not to touch her, telling him to leave, telling him she hates him, and telling him to kill her, to get it over with.

"I'll never hurt you like that, Ros." He fights against her as he holds her tightly

"You've already hurt me." She hiccups back the tears, "I have nothing left without you." She calms down against his chest, and he begins to worry when she doesn't hit him anymore, "I'm already dead." She whispers as he rocks her back and forth, running his hand through her hair as the other holds her tighter against his chest. He blinks back his own tears as she slowly begins to fall asleep.

He doesn't want to leave her. He never did. Benny wanted to stay with her forever, and take care of her, and love her, and keep her close. But there were vamps looking for him, and he'd stayed here too long, and he was doing nothing but put her more and more in danger.

As Roslyn fell deeper and deeper into slumber, he laid her back down against their bed, ghosting a kiss over her cheek, softly pressing his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. He laid his face against her soft hair, trying to remember everything about her, before he carefully sat up, took the gun, and the bullets and laid the letter next to her bedside table. He slipped back out of her room and pulled his hat on tight as he walked down to the busy street and towards his stolen car, grabbing his phone from his pocket and dialing a number he had been escaping.

"Hey there Brother, I may have something for you."