Second chapter! Alright. The first one was rushed, and you might be thinking: Aidan was kinda…not himself, and how did a dagger make him unconscious? The answer: you'll find out. It's all part of a larger scheme. In the meanwhile…enjoy! XD
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Blood. A rain of blood. The sound of gunfire. A scream across a frenzied battlefield. The chill of the air that carried the acrid scent of burnt flesh. The bitter sting of gunpowder. The booming spark of the shot. The sharp fangs buried in his neck. The cold, empty blackness as life left him.
The sharp, heightened sense of reality as he rose again, living and yet, not alive.
Aidan snapped awake from the blurred memories of his past that constituted his fragmented dream. He opened his eyes slowly and then winced as the light seemed over-bright and he felt a sharp pain in his head. His whole body felt sensitive and ached slightly, and he inhaled with the realization that it seemed dull somehow…everything felt…turned off. "What…?" he mumbled as he brought a hand to his head and tried to rub away the unfamiliar pain.
"Finally awake? That's a start."
Aidan heard a voice above him and he squinted as he forced himself to open his eyes and regard the man before him. Bishop. Except that it wasn't really Bishop, it was the illusion brought on by blood. "What happened?" he croaked, and he was surprised to find that his throat felt raw, scratchy and thirsty, and his voice was hoarse.
"Ah. Now that's a tricky question to answer. Here's my summary. You got drunk, did some incredibly stupid things, and now here we are."
Aidan's brow furrowed and he pushed himself up slowly, still a bit put off by the general lack of well-being in his body. He looked down with a frown and then his eyes widened as he realized two things at once.
First, his heart was beating. Actually beating, pumping living blood through his veins.
Second, his body was slight, pale, and approximately eleven years old physically.
"What the Hell!" Aidan jerked from the bed on instinct but found himself caught up in blankets and on unsteady legs, and he pitched forward towards the ground. But before he hit, Bishop caught him by the chest with one arm and pushed him back into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. Aidan didn't waste any time in clamping a hand around a fistful of Bishop's sleeve as he glared up at the other accusingly. "What is this? What did you do?"
"What did I do?" Bishop seemed affronted as he tugged his arm away from Aidan. "You're the one who offered yourself to 'save' me. Despite my advising against it, I might add."
Aidan's anger fled a moment as he struggled to recall the past night's events. Things were fuzzy, and hazy memories danced at the edge of him mind. A man in a fedora, something about a wish, the disorientation and the warmth of all-but-toxic blood. Before he could make sense of it, Bishop's finger was curved under his chin as he tilted Aidan's gaze up towards him.
"You made a deal with the devil last night, metaphorically speaking. I haven't quite figured out the kinks, but from what I can tell: you're alive again, Aidan. Human." Bishop's expression was unreadable as he pulled his hand back and regarded Aidan with a slight frown. "It's not possible, and yet, here you are. And down-sized to boot."
Aidan was stunned silent a moment before he spotted a full-length mirror in the corner. He was prepared this time as he slid from the bed and past Bishop to stumble over to the mirror. It was like seeing a ghost.
A mess of unruly black hair past his ears, the slight form covered by his now too-big shirt, his eyes bright with life, and as he watched himself, he could see the rising and the falling of his chest as he breathed. He was alive.
It was a nightmare.
Aidan whirled around to face Bishop who had taken a seat on the bed. "But…this isn't…there's no cure for being a vampire…"
"Oh, trust me, this isn't a cure, Aidan. It's a curse. That much is certain." Bishop said with distaste before he patted a spot on the bed beside him. Aidan hesitated before he headed back over and sat beside Bishop.
"If I'm…human, why am I still seeing you?" Aidan was thinking that all things considered, he was handling it well. After over a century of life as a vampire, he'd seen more than his fair share of weird. He just had to calm the rapidly beating heart in his chest and he'd be fine. Just fine.
Yeah. Right.
Bishop eyed Aidan a moment. "You really don't remember? Last night, your little wish?"
Aidan struggled again to recall, to sift through the hazy images, those meaningless words.
"I want you back, not like this…I can bring him back, no harm, no foul. Wipe the slate clean…Alright, for Bishop, that's my wish…"
Aidan stiffened as the memories came back to him and he suddenly felt very uncomfortable with Bishop's proximity. "You're alive." It wasn't a question.
"As alive as I've ever been these past centuries, yes. Thanks to you. First you kill me, then you save me, you really need to learn to stick to your decisions, Aidan."
"I was drunk, apparently."
"Apparently." Bishop echoed dryly.
Aidan clenched and unclenched a fist as he focused on breathing in and out. The sensation of his lungs expanding and falling, filled with air, his own blood pumping, it was strange and unfamiliar and yet, somehow nostalgic.
And freaking him out, there was that.
"How is this possible?" he whispered, mostly to himself, but Bishop answered anyway.
"That's something that I intend to find out. In the meantime, you're in a pretty poor situation, Aidan." Bishop mused. "If Mother finds out, she'll kill you, if Surren finds out-you'll end up dead, if Henry finds out-he'll probably kill you. And any stray that finds you might enjoy the idea of carving a name by ending the legendary Aidan."
Aidan considered that and he couldn't really deny any of it. As much as he wanted to say that Henry was on his side-he seriously doubted it. Mother wouldn't hesitate, and Surren…whatever feelings she might have for him would pale in comparison to the full-scale situation. He knew she wouldn't risk being grounded any time soon, and she wouldn't have use for a human child. "What about you?" he muttered.
"Me?"
Aidan lifted his gaze to Bishop's with a frown. "Where do you stand on me being killed?"
Bishop lifted a brow and after a silent moment, chuckled as he grasped Aidan's chin in his hand again and gave it a little shake. "Where I've always stood. Anyone who wishes to kill you, will have to take it up with me."
"But I-"
Bishop continued over him. "-So for now, we keep this whole thing quiet while we figure out a way to fix this whole mess."
Aidan wasn't sure he liked where this was headed. Or that he trusted Bishop's apparently selfless offer of assistance. "You're in the same boat I am, Bishop. If Mother finds out that you're alive…if anyonefinds out…it's not like before, you're not in control here now."
Bishop's mouth fell into a grim line a moment before he smiled sardonically. "In fact, I am aware of that. But as I said, we'll just have to keep this quiet. That way, we can both walk out of this with our heads firmly attached."
Aidan still wasn't buying it, but he'd humor the other for now. "And then? When it's over?"
Bishop's gaze on Aidan was amused then. "Let's just try surviving till it's over, first." He seemed to note Aidan's reluctance though, because he attempted to ruffle Aidan's hair and Aidan pushed Bishop's hand away. Bishop only still seemed amused, rather than put off. "I already told you: there're no hard feelings. The son kills the father, that's how it is. You'll see." he murmured the last bit almost regretfully before he extended his hand to Aidan. "We're still family, Aidan. That will never change."
Aidan felt a lump form in his throat and his heart did a funny little flop at those words. Was that guilt eating at him, perhaps he felt a bit ashamed? But why…he had done what he'd had to do, to protect Josh and their life, to protect all the vampires…he'd had to kill Bishop… But now…
Aidan hesitated and then clasped his now-small hand in Bishop's to give it a shake. "Some things never do." Aidan agreed lightly, and he ignored the niggling feeling in the back of his mind that something was amiss.
How much worse could things get anyway?
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Mmm. I still think it's rushed, and I was even awake all the times I worked on this. Blah. I have this grand idea in my head but I can't get it how I want it. Ah well, I'm still gonna try! XD Maybe tomorrow's ep and Henry will inspire meeee. XD I digress. Bishop is a sneaky fellow, and both he and Aidan are in bad positions, but I digress again! Leave me verbal hugs and such! They're inspiring and motivational and bring joy to my soul. XD Enjoy! -Witchy~
