Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Bucharest
The mountain air was cold and crisp as the black BMW convertible Chelsea drove whisked through the night like a sharp knife through butter. She laughed watching the terror spread on the faces of her two male companions, both very beautiful and very large and very drunk. They didn't realize for an instant, that this swerving mountain road whisking away beneath them at top speed was not the real peril they faced. They drank in the cold air along with large swigs from the vodka bottle they passed between them, desperately trying not to show their concern over the rising speedometer reading. It's truly a mystery how Sasha and Merek came to think they would in any way be controlling the little black haired beauty who was now driving them at insanely high speeds around the mountain. Then again, no one had ever accused these studs of possessing good judgment.
She hadn't encouraged their approach, at least, not consciously. But she was conspicuously alone at their favorite bar and tiny little thing that she was, seemed so very vulnerable, they both liked that, a lot. Her long, black hair hung low towards the small of her back, swaying with her movements. It was shiny even in the darkened bar. Her pale features glowing with youth, were betrayed by a stance that suggested knowledge and wisdom far beyond her years. Of course, things aren't always what they seem to be, but that thought never troubled the minds of Sasha and Merek.
Many were attracted to her, but Sasha and Merek were not a pair to defy when they chose their prey. They were fairly young, strong and had a reputation for brutality at the dive she was hunting in, she could hear the whispers. It wasn't difficult to convince them she should drive when they invited her for a spin in their convertible; she was new to this area, after all. She didn't know the address, but she knew the way to this great place where there was a party in full swing - they could crash it. She was an excellent driver… why shouldn't they just relax? Speeding up the mountain, testing the BMW engine limits as they took the curving roads ever faster, she grinned, realizing her passengers seemed to be working hard at not letting on they had noticed.
Chelsea smelled the iron gates before she saw them, too far in the distance for human eyes in the night. She pulled the car to an abrupt stop on the side of the road. The men looked around themselves, confused but relieved simply to have the car come to a stop. "Just a moment, gentlemen," she soothed them with her gentlest tone and stared into their eyes dazzling them into adhering to her will, "I shall be right back." Grabbing the keys from the ignition, she hopped out of the vehicle at a fast human pace and left them, sitting perplexed in the convertible before they could get out an audible protest.
Once out of their sight, she disappeared with the inhuman speed of her kind, racing to the gates and scaling them easily with unmatched grace. She hesitated in the grassy circle of the main drive, taking a deep breath, the taste of Stefan's scent fell on her tongue. She sighed audibly, he'd passed this way very recently, she hadn't allowed herself to miss him this much for so very, very long. She steadied herself, taking measured steps toward the mansion before her and finally stood immobile at the front doorway, waiting quietly.
Slowly, the door opened silently, tentatively, revealing Vladimir's breath-taking form behind it. "Chelsea?" his tone was indicative of his disbelief. He towered over her, his long dark hair pulled back to the base of his neck, his square jaw line and sharply defined nose all marking him as the royalty he was. She watched his huge chest and broad shoulders expand and release at the sight of her, the same reaction he'd had the first time they'd laid eyes on each other.
"Hello, my love," she answered matter-of-factly.
"Why have you come this time, beloved?" Vladimir's face showed every sign of mistrust.
"I have spoken with your messengers…" she lifted the chain around her neck to reveal the diamond that hung from it. "Thank you." She dropped her eyes and stressed the sincerity in her tone of voice. She thought he had changed, his pallor was not so translucent and his eyes were brighter, a shining garnet color perhaps, with a sparkle that hadn't been there before.
Vlad stared at her cautiously, unable to move while drinking in her dark beauty. Her graceful curves accented by the blood red cashmere sweater and tight black leather leggings that were molded seductively close to her perfect body gave him pause. The pale, perfect skin of her long neck beckoned, her ample bosom raised and lowered slightly with each breath she took. He noticed her breathing was becoming more rapid under his scrutiny. Minutes passed and neither of them moved as they drank in the sight of each other, one still not quite believing the other to be real.
Finally she continued tentatively, "I brought a small offering with me… they're just up the road. Are you hungry at all? May I bring them to you?"
"Should I brace for battle?" Vladimir raised one eyebrow at her and tried desperately to keep his tone light, for fear of betraying his own desire.
She lowered her eyes once more, accepting the chastisement as something she knew she had earned. "Not at all my love, I've come in peace with only a couple of handsome, docile bucks for you and Stefan," she smiled. Then, as almost an after thought she asked, "Where is my son?"
They stood silently facing each other in the doorway for seconds that seemed to take an eternity to pass. "He's not here, at the moment... hunting, I suppose," Vladimir said slowly, hesitantly stretching his hand out to graze her cheek lightly with cool, pale fingers. She lifted her eyes to his, all trace of anger and deception gone leaving hope in their place.
The barriers of anger, mistrust and time seemed to melt away and unconsciously they fell into each other's arms, their lips met. Vlad felt his insides gel and then collapse as though in an uncontrollable free fall, a sensation that had once felt familiar so very, very long ago… he pressed his advantage and Chelsea's head fell back. The thick, black silk of her hair cascaded over his hands as her mouth invited him in. He couldn't contain his pleasure, after so many years apart he felt himself go rock hard, straining against the confines of his slacks. Her scent, her touch, her taste upon his tongue was the ambrosia he'd seldom allowed himself to dream of. Centuries of longing faded as he began to let himself believe she was finally here in his arms once more. He gathered her to him and felt her arms reach for his shoulders as he bent her even further back, still devouring her greedily. Time seemed to stop in each other's embrace.
When he allowed her to stand upright again, she leaned against his chest. Her tiny arms were crushed against him. "I'm home," she whispered.
"Yesss," He hissed, his voice too choked with emotion to utter anything else. Hugging her tightly and kissing the silken black hair atop her head, he bent down swiftly. Leaving one arm around her back and slipping his other arm behind her knees, he lifted her easily. Her hands encircled his neck and she lowered her head to rest against his shoulder. He closed the front door behind them and sped up the gracefully curving staircase to the master bed chamber, unwilling to ever let her out of his presence ever again.
Later, Chelsea lightly fingered the golden chain around her neck as they lay together, she felt a wave of gratefulness to the courageous young Cullens who had risked more than they knew to come to her and show her a way to go home.
Stefan was standing on a substantial branch, leaning nonchalantly against the trunk of a tree that grew overhanging a cliff, some eighty meters directly over a shiny black BMW convertible. It was parked precariously off the side of the road that approached the iron gates of the manor just ahead. The two humans sitting in the car seemed to be rather unaware of their surroundings, nothing unusual about that, but what were two humans doing up here in the first place? Maybe, he postulated, they were out on a joy ride and lost their way, decided to pull over and finish their Vodka while sitting on an unstable mountain roadside. Vodka aside, he had to admit they smelled delicious. If he hadn't already had his supper, he might have already partaken. But now his curiosity was aroused more than his thirst, as he listened casually to the conversation below.
"[Hei, Sasha ?] Hey, Sash?"
"[Da]Yeah."
"[Cât timp a fost ?] How longs it been?"
"[Nu ştiu.] Dunno."
Silence reigned for a few moments as the bigger one pondered from the back seat. "[Hei, Sasha ?] Hey Sash?"
"[Da.] Yeah."
"[Ea este o vulpe , nu este ea ?] She's a fox, ain't she?"
"[Da] Yeah."
"[Ea este în valoare de aşteptare pentru , nu este ea ?] She's worth waitin' fer… ain't she?"
"[Da.] Yeah."
"Sash?"
"[Da.] Yeah."
"[Ti-e frig ?] You cold?"
"[Da.] Yeah."
"[Iată Vodka .] Here's the Vodka…"
"[Multumesc.] Thanks."
Stefan shook his head, disgusted and disappointed realizing he was never going to get anything out of these two if he didn't squeeze it out of them first. So, with infinite grace, he silently dropped himself beside the convertible. "Good evening, gentlemen." His voice was as polite as it was suave.
Both men startled, moved quickly but clumsily searching for the gun they'd hidden under their seats without success.
Stefan chuckled as he watched them squirm, "Are you looking for these?" he asked holding the weapons out by their barrels for them to see. They both stopped moving, one of them actually gulped. "Don't worry, you won't be needing them," Stefan said as he lightly tossed them over the side of the cliff.
With the guns out of play, Merek got bolder, "Who are you? Where did you come from?"
Stefan lost his smile, "For your own sake, do not be rude, I am the one who will ask the questions here. What are you doing on my property?"
"Your property?" Sasha said, "You're the guy that's giving the party?"
Stefan cocked his head to one side, "Party?"
"Yeah, the girl you know, the Fox, she went up ahead to find you."
Stefan stood silently assessing the aroma of the two well endowed humans before him and realized there was no other human trace in the car… but there was something else, something faint - a memory that tantalized him, so distant that he couldn't or wouldn't place it.
"This…Fox, she went up ahead? How long ago?"
"She's been gone a long time," Sasha looked at Merek, "Fifteen, twenty minutes?" Merek nodded in agreement.
"Very well," Stefan opened the door to the driver's seat and slipped behind the wheel.
"Oh, hey man, no key. She ah, took it with h…" Merek's voice died when the engine started abruptly. "Hey! How'd you do that man?"
"Cool!" Sasha chimed in.
Stefan pulled the vehicle expertly onto the road and drove the familiar path at full speed. Racing past the now open iron gate and coming to a full 180 degree spin in the circular drive, he put the passenger doors directly in front of the main entrance to the manor.
"Welcome to my home, gentlemen," Stefan severed the hot wired connection effectively turning off the vehicle's engine and walked at a fast human pace around the front of the car to the front door. Opening it for them he said, "Won't you please come in?"
Both men jumped eagerly out of the car and passed through the open door and into the foyer, squinting at the darkened halls they passed through until they came into the main receiving room. The ceiling must have been three stories high and a double staircase curved from opposite sides to the second floor landing.
"Wow," was Merek's one word assessment as he surveyed the enormous size of the room that was obviously devoid of occupants.
"I don't see no party here." Sasha whispered nervously.
"Nonsense, I will have… refreshments brought for you. Please, make yourselves at home. I promise you, I will return shortly." Stefan smiled at them both and then retreated.
It wasn't long before a tall and elderly man, obviously a domestic, carrying a tray sporting a crystal decanter of wine and two matching goblets appeared. He shuffled across the polished floor and placed the tray on the sideboard against the wall. Without a word, he carefully poured the wine out and then, bowing to them both, promptly disappeared.
"Weird," Sasha whispered.
"Yah, what say we blow this joint Sash?" Merek's voice wavered slightly.
"Please, gentlemen, at least have a drink before you depart?" Stefan addressed them from the staircase.
"Oh, hey we ah, didn't see you there, man."
Merek moved toward the sideboard, "Sure, one more drink before hitting the snow."
"You needn't leave so quickly, we have excellent accommodations here." Stefan's disembodied voice seemed to be fading although he was already no where to be seen, "Relax, enjoy yourselves…"
Sasha lifted one of the goblets to his lips, "Oh hey, not bad this stuff is great."
Merek grabbed the other glass and took a swig, "Oh, yeah. Well, one more what can it hurt? Right?"
"Well, if they've got plenty of room, what's the point of rushing back out there? It's brutal cold, man. At least it's a little warmer in here."
"You got a point, Sash."
"Besides, what happened to our Fox? She's gotta be around here someplace, right?"
"Yeah, right. She's ours, after all," Merek threw the remains of his goblet back and poured another from the decanter.
Sasha followed suit, "Right, we should go looking for her. She can't be far…" Sasha's voice trailed off as he watched Merek slide his back down the wall to a sitting position on the floor, "Merek? Hey, man…" as Sasha bent over to shake Merek's shoulder, his vision got a little blurrier and then swiftly went blank as he toppled over onto Merek's lap.
"Stefan approaches my love," Vlad smiled as his fingers traced the marble smooth line of her hip to her breast, his eyes drinking in her naked form as she lay beside him, "As much as I detest the thought of covering your beautiful body, I thought you might want the opportunity to dress before his arrival."
"Thank you," she smiled back at him. She still shuddered with pleasure at his touch, "I would very much prefer that." Moving towards the closet, she laughed as Vladimir's arms grabbed her around her waist and pulled her back down to him once more, his kisses covering her shoulders and neck.
"I didn't say it would be easy," he teased.
Pushing her self back into his lap, he spooned her easily navigating her perfect skin beneath the silk curtain of black hair that fell everywhere, unfettered and wild. His nose tickled her ear as his velvet tongue gently massaged the skin behind it, causing her to shiver with delight in his arms once again, she sighed, "I shall willingly shame myself before our son, should you desire it, my lord. I know I have much for which I must atone."
"Nonsense, I will not have you shamed before anyone," Vlad rolled her gently over to face him, "and as far as atonement goes, all is forgiven if only you will agree to forgive me as well."
She smiled back at him, "Let it be so," she sighed as he moved to leave, then playfully she pulled him back to her once again, embracing him quickly and moving her lips to his so forcefully she nearly cracked their heads on impact. Laughing together, their mirth was quickly drowned in the passion of their kiss from which they emerged slowly and then rose together. They dressed each other quickly enough that Vlad had a moment to spend brushing his wife's hair, gently smoothing the wild tangles he'd put there.
He was so employed when the presence of his son was felt by them both at the door of their suite. Without turning, Vlad bade him enter as he continued to brush Chelsea's shining midnight hair.
"Mother." Stefan's voice made the word an accusation as well as a statement. The fact that she was already in his father's bedroom, dressed in his clothing, was not lost on him.
Chelsea turned slowly to face her son, her eyes begging forgiveness in silence, "My son." She held her arms out, but Stefan stood in the door, tense and as unmoving as stone. Still she waited, her arms out stretched and when it appeared that he was unable or unwilling to come to her, she stood and began to approach him, slowly, cautiously.
At the first touch of her fingers, Stefan retreated, he would not so easily surrender centuries of mistrust, anger, hatred, hurt... "Why are you here?"
"I've come home."
"Obviously, but why?"
"To stay, to be with you and your father," she said calmly, "To forgive and be forgiven. To mend our family at last."
Stefan looked to Vladimir, despite himself he wanted to believe, "Is it true?"
Vlad knew his son well. He picked up the diamond necklace that was laying on the vanity and purposefully fastened it around Chelsea's neck as he spoke, "It seems your mother received our message rather favorably."
He looked from his mother's arms still outstretched to the hope and pain lining her face, unsure he could believe his own eyes and then, he was hugging her and being hugged. Her familiar scent engulfed him in waves of compassion and love. For the first time since she'd left all those empty centuries ago, he was truly… happy.
AN: Please take just a moment to use the "Review This Chapter"button below!
Thank you for reading!
