A few days went by with nothing of note happening; which made a nice change. Midnight deserved some peace for once. The Rev had spent the week patching up the church after the sandstorm and Colconnar's minions had trashed the place, he was getting tired of repeatedly fixing the chapel; he still wasn't happy with the roof repair he'd done after Joe and Bowie had gone flying through it either.
Emilio had just left Home Cookin' after his evening meal and intended to return home when he saw Cordelia heading across Witch Light Road towards the bank no doubt on her way home. After what she'd said to him almost a week ago he'd been surreptitiously keeping an eye on her out of concern. If his concern would have been welcome or not he didn't know.
Suddenly Lem was stood beside him in his long black coat, clouds hung in the dark sky obscuring the silvery moon.
"Evening, Emilio." Said the vampire in that deep voice of his.
"Hello, Lemuel. It's a pleasant evening."
"Hmm." Lem looked out to see what had the Rev's attention. "Beautiful, isn't she?"
"Yes... what?" Emilio's head snapped up to his friend who wore a bemused smile and a glint in his supernatural blue eyes.
"Cordelia is a nice girl, kind and very accepting considering what she is and where she came from. Must have been hard for her to acclimatize to being among humans. I still struggle myself." There was a momentary pause. "I like her, although, I am curious as to why she's gotten your attention so whole-heartedly."
The Weretiger took a breath and tried not to shuffle on the spot.
"She asked me something several days ago and I was concerned about her is all."
Lem nodded to himself. "Don't worry about Cordelia, she's braver than she seems, stronger too." the vampire looked Emilio up and down for a second. "Turns a lot of heads as well, but don't tell Olivia I said that or she might actually stake me. Are you coming in for a drink?"
The Rev cleared his throat. "No, thank you, Lem. I think I'll just head home for the night, I'm in the mood for some peace and quiet. Say hello to Olivia for me?"
"Of course. Goodnight, Emilio."
The Rev bid his friend goodnight and then walked the short distance to his home. The house was modest but was lay out in such a way that it felt twice the it's actual size. He kicked the front door closed behind him and tossed his keys down into a small glass bowl sat on the side table. The walls had been painted a forest green color which paired nicely with the dark wooden flooring. The living area was home to a comfortable looking couch, two matching armchairs, a cream rug with a strikingly modern green floral pattern – which he'd never liked but stayed there anyway – and a hardly used television.
Off to the left behind the couch was his kitchen, all whites and clean with a kitchen table which, like the television, hardly ever got used. While over the right side of the couch just past the kitchen were the doors to his bedroom and the two other disused rooms as well as the bathroom. There wasn't really anything to specify exactly who lived in the house save for his guitar sat neatly in its stand over by one of his armchairs, no family photos or knick-knacks; the place didn't exactly look lived in.
Emilio changed into his pyjamas and clambered into bed once he'd flicked on the light which filled the room with a warm orange glow. He reached for his book on the nightstand table, he'd always been something of a bookworm, settled down and indulged in some reading while trying to avoid thinking about Cordelia. How had he never noticed how beautiful her eyes were until that day in the pet cemetery?
~X~
The next afternoon Olivia stood by the chapel's storm cellar as Emilio reinforced the hinges. The sun shone down but clouds kept the real heat away and birds clucked and squawked in the distance.
"Are you sure this is all necessary, Rev?" Asked the blonde who stood with her hands on her hips. "The chains held last month."
"I want to make absolutely certain I can't hurt anyone else ever again." Said the Were' without looking up from his work. "Especially not my friends, I've never had any before so now that I do I want to keep you all safe as possible."
A small pause hung between them but nothing uncomfortable.
"Hey, Rev, you know we know you don't want to hurt us, right. We know that you can't control the tiger. You're one of us."
"I know and I'm grateful that you all think that way, but for my own piece of mind I want to make this door impenetrable." Olivia nodded, she understood the older man's concerns.
"Okay, what do you want me to do? I assume you didn't ask me to come over just to watch you work up a sweat in that Johnny Cash hat of yours."
Emilio gave a small smile as he set the screwdriver down and looked up at the stunningly beautiful assassin.
"No. I installed an alarm. If these doors open once it's been armed and bolted it triggers and alert. Rather than blaring and waking up the whole town which would put even more people in jeopardy, it will send a text, I would like for it to alert you. That way if I ever do get out again you'll know right away and will be able to put me down."
"Alright, that's actually a good plan but we won't be killing you unless we absolutely have to." She stressed that fact. "Lem leached from you before, I'm sure he could do it again."
The dark-haired man nodded and thanked Olivia, it meant so much to him that he'd finally found a place where he was accepted, welcome.
"Once you're finished am I locking you in? There are still another couple of hours until sunset."
"No, thank you, but I think I'll take a walk before locking down for the night. I'd like some flesh air."
"Cool." Smiled Olivia as she pulled out her phone. "Just let me know when you're ready."
With that Olivia left him to it. He finished up his improvements which took all of twenty-five minutes and then locked up his tools in the small back room in his chapel before he headed off on his walk. It wasn't something he did very often but sometimes it was nice for him to enjoy the outdoors when he knew he'd spend all night locked up with a dead bull. Gave him a sense of freedom.
His walk took him down to the river where it was quiet and peaceful, people didn't normally go down to the river unless it was the for the town picnic. He could hear the water running smoothly over tiny rocks as the wind danced through ancient trees; there was something almost tranquil about it. As he entered a clearing his impossibly dark orbs spotted a young woman only a few feet from him laying on a pink blanket down by the rivers edge, she wore Daisy Dukes and a yellow bikini top that showed off her pale skin. The Rev quickly realised the woman to be Cordelia... sunbathing. He was too close to walk by unnoticed and turning back seemed cowardly so he decided to be direct but polite.
"Hello."
Cordelia gasped and sat bolt upright on her blanket, her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to gain back her composure. Emilio had been the one to essentially creep up on her – even if it hadn't been intentional, but she looked as though he would yell at her for being startled, as if it were her fault; instantly the urge to put that all to rest hit him.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I hadn't realised quite hoe far I'd wandered along the river."
When he glanced up he saw her home nestled among the trees not to far from where they were looking out over the river. Truth be told it was a rather pleasant house, about half the size of his place. The house was made of a very dark wood with a raised deck that surrounded it on three sides, the sort of home that would go unnoticed unless someone either knew it was there or walked into it. If the Rev had known it existed when he moved to town he'd have spoken to Missus Morrison about renting it.
"I was just taking a walk."
"No, it's alright, I'm sorry. It's just no one ever really comes down here. I em, would you like some tea?"
"Oh, there's no need." He didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable than he already had.
"I was going to go in and make some anyway. You're more than welcome."
Emilio had about ninety minutes or so until he needed to lock himself up and it would have been rude to refuse.
"Thank you, tea would be lovely."
He didn't really drink tea, always been more of a coffee man but tea sounded pleasant enough. Cordelia stood up and folded the blanket neatly before she and the Reverend made their way over to her small home. Almost as soon as they'd entered the kitchen – tiny but she's maximised space – Cordelia filled the kettle and set it on the stove to boil then went to toss her blanket in the bedroom. The Rev felt a little awkward sitting there alone in her kitchen but soon relaxed when Cordelia returned to finish the tea with a big white jumper over her bikini top.
"So," he began when she set his tea down and sat in the chair opposite. "might I ask what brought you to Midnight? Some kind of gap year before you go home?" He asked conversationally.
Cordelia gripped her cup and Emilio suddenly regretted asking the question, she gripped her tea cup tighter and took a sip before looking at him with those stunning green eyes of hers. As usual they had been lined in thick black making her eyes look like the Northern Lights.
"Em, no. I didn't have a good home life, to my father I was basically property, something to be sold. It happened to my mother and I knew it would happen to me... so I ran away. I left four years ago when I was fourteen and never looked back. I can never go back even if I wanted to, he'd kill me. Madonna was kind enough to give me a job and tell me about Missus Morrison."
Emilio was utterly appalled, more than that but he didn't know the right word. How could anyone treat their own child like that? It was barbaric. It explained so much though, if her father was even half the monster he sounded like she'd have had a very controlled and terrifying childhood, no wonder she had a submissive nature and seemed to be fearful of angering men.
"... You don't have to worry about me repeating what you've said. And I am always available if you need someone to speak with, Cordelia."
Suddenly the Rev's brow furrowed and he hunched over in pain.
"Are you alright?" The raven haired teenager asked, concern painted across her face.
"... Yes, sorry." He gritted out. "It's a full moon tonight and the sun will set soon."
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to keep you."
There she went again thinking she'd be blamed for something that clearly wasn't.
"No, it's alright. Not your fault. I should get going though, before Olivia comes looking for me."
The Rev stood and tried to force the pain from his mind. Cordelia went ahead of him to open the door, eyes downcast as though she'd done something wrong, he wanted to sit her down and tell her she'd got nothing to be sorry for but the change was coming so that would have to wait.
"Goodbye, Rev." She said quietly.
"Goodbye, Cordelia. Thank you for the tea."
~X~
Emilio made his way quickly back to his chapel and just as the storm cellar doors came into view so did a panicked looking Olivia with her phone in her hands.
"Where the hell have you been?" The blonde demanded. "It's sunset in like twenty minutes."
"I apologise, Olivia, I got delayed." Replied the dark-haired man as he slowly made his way down the cellar steps.
"Where's your hat?"
Suddenly the Rev realised his usual hat wasn't atop his head, there was only one place it could have been: Cordelia Firth's kitchen table. However, at that moment in time, his transformation was at the forefront of his mind and quickly forced his beloved hat from his thoughts.
"You know what, never mind, I don't care. Just get down there."
Emilio obeyed and made his way down to the bottom of the stairs.
"Night Rev."
"Goodnight, Olivia."
He listened to her slam the doors closed behind him and chain the door as he armed the new alarm he'd just installed. Easily he lit the candle he kept down there and started to remove his clothing, the Weretiger folded everything neatly and even went to remove his hat only to remember where he'd left it.
The change might not have started physically but it had already begun in his mind, the animal inside himself made him think of her naked legs, flat stomach and tight yellow bikini top that showed her breasts. No, that's entirely inappropriate, Emilio chastised himself quickly. He'd not let his animalistic half force him to give in to his basic urges. He didn't get to think too much longer as he bones started to re-shape and fur grew.
