Summary: Henry Sturges has secretly never given up hope of finding a cure to his condition. He just may meet someone who has a clue about it when he least expected it… at a dear price, of course. (Henry/OC)
Disclaimer: If I saw a shooting star, I'd wish I owned Henry Sturges… (and I'd also mention that I want him to be real, by the way). ;)
Previously in My Cure…
"And now tell me, Mr Know It All:" She says using the same deadly husky voice as before. "why haven't I beaten you and hunted you down yet?"
They fall silent as they stare at one another for some seconds. Henry does not dare to say a word.
"Because…" She suddenly uses a softer and gentler tone of voice, so unlike before. Any words would sound lovely and charming with his heavenly voice. She's staring right into his eyes as if she could reach his soul (if he had any, of course), which leave Henry dumbstruck. "… I know that, even though you're a pain in the ass, I know that deep within you're good, Henry… if you allow me to use your name."
Chapter 2:
She knows I'm good. – Henry thinks as if he couldn't believe it. – She knows I'm good! That's exactly what I needed to tell her… but she knows already!
"Rhiannon," Henry manages to say gently, although he's still struck by her words. "how the hell do you know this? I must ask this, so please answer me. This is madness… You're killing me… I need to know."
She chuckles amused.
"I just do." She smiles at him and gets rid of him and comes back into the house. "If we stay any longer out here, they'll start gossiping again… and you wouldn't like that, would you?"
"You wouldn't. For sure." Henry whispers back.
Then, he loses sight of her.
I came here tonight to talk to her and to make things clear. – Henry thinks. – Now I have a greater mess in my head, more doubts, more missing information, more fears, more… eagerness to know more about her.
And the next thing he knows, he's entering the Todd's home again and then he sees Rhiannon gently talking to Corinthian and Mr and Mrs Todd. He can't help but swallowing hard when Corinthian is giving him the evil eye – not literally speaking, of course –, but his facial expression is so stern, angry and imposing that Henry feels the sudden urge to flee to the other extreme of the planet. Rhiannon notices this anger and jealousy building up within him and she gently places an arm on Corinthian, which makes him turn his face to her. Then, she lovingly smiles to him and he suddenly chills out and forgets about Henry.
What has she just done to him? – Henry thinks amazed. – He looked as if he'd love to kill me right now and one single warm smile of hers has calmed him down. Has she done this to save me? Or did she just want to have a peace in such a crowded environment under the Todd's roof? She's like a puzzle to me…
Then, Mr and Mrs Todd leave them alone for a bit and Henry overhears how Corinthian begs her to sing another song for him, even though it's a mere whisper shot directly but delicately into her left ear.
"Please, Rhiannon, it'll help me calm down. I need it." Corinthian sensually begs her.
"Would you care for Safe and Sound, by Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars?" She whispers back and he gently nods and caresses her cheek while doing so. His finger sensually trails down the skin of her cheek until it reaches her chin. Then, he gently moves some curls away, behind her shoulders. She frowns as if she had just felt a pang in her heart and shies away, but she does as told. Henry feels as if she's been physically hurt and wonders what's really going on.
She goes to the pianist and begs him to play along her voice. The marvellous sound of the music and Rhiannon's voice has a sedating effect on both Corinthian and Henry. Halfway through the song, both have goose bumps all over their bodies. Then, Corinthian approaches Henry before she finishes singing. Henry gets tense.
"I know what you are." Corinthian tells him with a serious voice. "Don't you even dare to look at her. I don't want you anywhere around her. I'll always be around to protect her. Have I made myself clear?"
Henry nods, although he's got no intention to do so.
When the song is over, Rhiannon comes back to where Corinthian is standing, not far away from Henry, by the way. He wants to keep an eye on him.
"You don't need to do this, Corinthian." She whispers to him. "I'll handle him."
"Are you sure?" He hesitates, but respects her choice even though he's clearly worried.
"You know I can manage. Look, I have an idea. Just let me do it."
Henry can overhear it all, both Rhiannon and Corinthian know it and he just raises an eyebrow at her.
I can't help but wonder – Henry thinks. – why they are so close, protective and gentle to each other and yet they don't love each other. Well, I know that she doesn't at least. I can't speak for Corinthian. I can't read him. But that's weird. Their relationship is one of a kind. It's obvious that they're hiding something.
"Mr Sturges," Rhiannon calls him politely, going back to the formal and conventionally accepted form of address, at a perfectly measured volume so that other people might accidentally hear her. As she says this, she comes closer to him and her curls and dress "I must admit I really enjoyed dancing with you, as much as I'd love to share with the rest of the world that we are, in fact, distant cousins. I can't bear the burden of the secret any longer. So I beg you, let's put an end to it, please. Our closeness might be greatly misunderstood."
Henry is, once more, taken aback. She's just insatiable…
"This is going too far, Miss Belcourt." Henry whispers bewildered to her so that no one can hear him but her.
"Absolutely not, dear." She daringly whispers back. "Besides, I wouldn't feel the need to do it if you hadn't picked me up for dancing in such a sensual way you did a few minutes ago. You've absolutely earned it."
"No, I haven't. Please, stop this madness this instant."
"Is a vampire begging a hunter to end up his suffering? What conclusions should I get from your utterance, Mr Sturges?" She whispers shooting a bullet full of irony to him. "Does irony hurt more than silver, Mr Sturges?"
"Please, don't…" He seems desperate.
"You'll thank me for it tomorrow…" She whispers seriously but gently, changing her tone of voice radically. "… when you realise that Corinthian has spared you tonight because of what I'm going to do now. So let me handle this."
He's amazed again. She's got more spunk than he is ready to admit.
She's young and yet she dares to (and succeeds at) handling such a fearful creature like Corinthian. How the hell does she do it?
Suddenly, Mary Todd and her parents come around because they've 'accidentally' overheard what Rhiannon was telling Henry. They're bewildered and they feel the urge to know whether it's true or not. Abe, Joshua and William have heard it too. Abe frowns because, as far as he knows, this bit of information does not seem to fit.
"Forgive me, dear Rhiannon," Mary asks her eagerly. "but I couldn't help but overhearing what you just said. Are you two distant cousins?"
"Yes," Rhiannon answers blatantly before Henry can have a single chance to deny it. "I'm afraid it's true. I know I shouldn't have kept this from you, but I had to. I'm awfully sorry…" Her performance is spotless and Henry is beyond flabbergasted. "Now Henry, don't you look at me like that! You know this is insane. We should've told them at least, don't you think so?"
"Of course you should've!" Mr Todd breaks into the conversation mildly angry. "I can't believe it! If I had known, I would've invited you to have dinner every day, Mr Sturges! Now I'm officially not the perfect host any more… You know I really enjoy having company and I can't bear the mere thought that I might have caused and injustice here! You should've told me about it! Now I feel like a fool…"
Mr Todd goes on babbling about how hurt he feels about it and Catherine, Mary and Rhiannon can't help but smiling at his childish outburst and anger towards Henry. He's so emotional sometimes… Henry feels like a puppet in her hands again. He just has to endure Mr Todd's lecture about conventions and everything he cares about in this world. At one given point, Henry chances to glance at Rhiannon. She's smiling at him and raising an eyebrow at him as she tilts her head slightly sideways. She's enjoying the show and she knows he knows this.
"Dear Lord! Now I understand why you're so close!" Mr Todd eventually says. "To think that we believed that your interest in sweet Rhiannon was… I'm sorry. I just chose to blindly believe the rumours which went about town." He apologises to both of them.
"It's alright, Mr Todd." Rhiannon answers playfully. "I'm sure Henry doesn't mind either, am I right coz?"
They stare at each other and, seeing that Henry does not react accordingly, she blinks an eye to him.
"Sure, Mr Todd. You don't have to worry about anything." He manages to say.
When they leave them alone, Henry sighs quite audibly, relieved. The guests start to go home and they're exchanging the last few comments and words before they eventually go home.
"I've won, Mr Sturges." Rhiannon whispers devilishly. "Now there's absolutely nothing you can do to make people believe that what Corinthian and I have is not real."
"That has never been my objective tonight." He whispers back.
"Then which was it, pray?"
"Telling you about whom I am and that I know who you are."
"Well, you already have done that," She comes so close to his face with hers that Henry freezes and blushes a bit. "although I already knew. Such a waste of time, Mr Sturges. You should always have a contingency plan."
She smiles and disappears out of sight.
"This is madness, Henry." Abe tells his dear friend a couple of days later from behind the counter at the shop. "I knew this didn't make any sense. You're not actually cousins."
"Just don't tell anyone, especially Miss Todd." Henry gently pleads, slightly worried.
"Of course." Abe agrees. "Now what?"
"She's clearly stated that she won't kill me because she knows I'm good. How she knows is still a mystery to me. And Corinthian is… I don't dare to even think about him."
"If he's supposed to be older than you, does that mean he's also a vampire?" Abe asks.
"I don't know." Henry's voice darkens. "But she fully trusts him. Well, they trust each other. If she's a potential ally for us, then so is he, although I have my doubts."
"Are you sure about this, Henry?" Abe asks him worried.
"Unfortunately not." Henry admits. "I desperately need to speak to her again. The sooner, the better."
"A lady hunter! Interesting!" A male vampire sings playfully to Rhiannon when they start to fight in the emptiness of the night in the town's park. She's wearing her dark leather outfit, tight but majestic.
"You'll find it interesting indeed when I chop your head off." She replies daringly as her ponytail gets combed by the wind and her locks spread in the air.
Before she can't even think of raising her silver sword, a hand comes out of nowhere and snaps the vampire's neck. When the corpse falls down, she can see the author of the deed.
"Henry!" She yells amazed. "What the hell are you doing?! I almost had him!" She complains.
Then, Henry throws the vampire's head on the floor close to the body and shots a silver bullet at the head.
"You're welcome, coz." He says full of irony.
"So is this your revenge for the 'coz' lie? It's kind of childish." She says only a bit seriously. He knows she's having fun with this whole thing.
"Where is your prince charming?" He presses his lips firmly right after he's uttered this sentence. He's obviously referring to Corinthian.
"Still jealous? I can't believe it…" She chuckles.
They fall silent for some seconds.
"Fair enough." She finally says, giving up. "No, he's not constantly with me. I don't want to. I told him to go back."
"To New York."
"… Sort of."
"I know that I shouldn't ask so many questions about your private life, but he's never lived or worked in New York, am I right?"
"You may be." She clearly doesn't want to answer directly. She's got a defiant mood tonight, as usual.
"How many lies have you told already?" Henry asks a bit hurt.
"You don't want to know." She smiles naughtily at him.
"Come on, Rhiannon! I just…" Henry insists.
She sighs quite audibly, expressing how tiresome she thinks he is right now. They stare at each other for some seconds. Henry is not really paying attention to her attitude right now, not when the entire sight of her and her scent have great numbing effects on his ability to use his grey matter rationally.
"Look… I just need you to listen to what I have to tell you." He says calmly when he manages to focus on what he wanted to do tonight. "Will you let me speak?"
"… OK." She just shrugs her shoulders and then she crosses her arms on her chest.
"I feel the need to apologise… for everything. I still don't know why you react like this to me, but I can assure you that I've always been a good man… and vampire."
His voice is serious, but soft and velvety when he goes on to describe his past, how he came to this land and how he was forcefully made a vampire, how his wife was killed, how he felt about it at the beginning, how he came to terms with the truth of this condition and how he tried to find a way out of it, of the guilt and the bloodlust. Rhiannon's countenance and pose progressively become a lot less stern, tired and defiant. Her eyes suddenly get cloudy and Henry can even feel she's on the brink of shedding a tear, although she doesn't. Not yet at least.
"I've given up hope. I know I shan't find a cure to save me, because there isn't one. But at least I chose a path that somehow gives a purpose to my 'life': I hunt bad vampires and feed from evil humans."
Henry then falls silent.
"Do you believe me?" He asks whispering as if he was asking for forgiveness.
"I do. Thank you for sharing this with me, Henry." She says wholeheartedly. Then, she frowns lightly and tries to veil it, but Henry notices this pain and urge to hide something in her.
"When I realised that you were a hunter, I felt the need to tell you." He says seriously.
"It took you long enough." She says lovingly.
"Firstly, I was afraid of your reaction. Secondly, you didn't give me a single chance to do so…"
"I can't deny that." She seems to ponder about it. Then she sighs. "OK, I'm sorry. I'm awfully sorry I played with you… although it was jolly fun." She displays a huge grin on her face.
Out of the blue, another male vampire appears out of nowhere from Rhiannon's back and attacks her. She frowns, she knows he's there although she can't see him, but she swiftly reacts. She gets enlightened as if she was the sun itself, draws her silver sword and chops his head off in the blink of an eye. Henry instinctively shields his eyes with his hands and arms for a couple of seconds. But this enlightening does not spring from the surface of her dear silver sword, but from herself. Her own body shines like the sun at midday in the midst of the shadows of the night. As if in a slow-motion close-up shot, she slowly turns around to meet Henry's flabbergasted face. Yeah, he's just realised that a real angel is standing in front of him. She's got her white wings unfolded, open and free in the night's soft breeze. Her face displays calmness and the fact that now she just can't hide the truth anymore. Her eyes shoot an understanding, soft and sweet gaze. Then, she smiles lightly and shrugs her shoulders to him in silence. None dares to say a word.
"What do you think?" She asks in a whisper as she spins 360 degrees in front of him, displaying herself fully to him.
"You're an angel." He whispers back as if he couldn't believe it.
"Quite literally. Yes."
He smiles broadly and chuckles. He's positively amazed.
"Can you see now why I knew you were good, Henry?" She finally tells him softly. "I know these things. I see them. I can see the true colours of souls. It's my ability… and my job."
"I can't believe it… It's amazing. I thought angels only existed as stone cherubs in churches and graveyards." He whispers back. "Is Corinthian also an angel?"
"No, he's… different." She answers a bit tired of the entire subject.
"OK, I get it. You don't want to talk about it." Henry apologetically says. "How about a deal?"
"A deal?" She asks raising an eyebrow.
"Why don't we team up? Abe, you and me. Hunting vampires."
"A human, a vampire and an angel… together against the evil vamps of the world." She says playing with words. "I like the sound of it, although Corinthian will tell me I'm definitely mad."
"So deal?" Henry asks convinced. Then, he extends his right hand to her.
"… Deal." She smiles broadly to him and shakes his hand.
"But no more lies and Machiavellian plans." Henry insists seriously, not letting go of her hand.
"But it's so much fun… Pleeeeaaase…" She playfully begs him with a childish grin on her face.
Then, they both giggle a bit.
"Fine, fine… I admit I crossed the line at the ball." She finally admits.
"You crossed all limits and boundaries."
"Hey, I apologised already!"
They giggle again. It lightly starts to rain.
No matter how much I try to focus on getting some sleep, I just can't keep her out of my thoughts. – Henry thinks hopelessly. – I swear it's a lot easier to sweat blood than to stop thinking about her… I wonder if she's finding it hard to get some sleep as I do. She's a good damn hunter. That's what drew my interest in her on the first place. And tonight I've just discovered that she's a bright angel. It makes perfect sense. She's so heavenly…
Anyway, this night is getting longer than the others. When I lie alone in my bed, I find it absolutely impossible to close my eyes and have some rest, although I've spent the whole day working out as harder as I could since the sun has kissed the surface of this lonely place on the Earth. Then I went out to help her to hunt. I've had a tough day and night and yet I can't bring my body to rest.
The rain is pouring with parsimony, at such an unbearably slow rhythm. Large drops of water wash the windows of my bedroom languidly, drawing long, wet tongues of water which endlessly weave into one another and run down the whole length of these cold glass panes… and I keep staring at the ceiling, drowning in the shadows of the emptiness of my room. It really feels as if the rain would never ever stop, as if I could never ever stop thinking about her.
Dear journal,
Rhiannon has joined Abe and me in our crusade. We've spent some hunting nights together already. We're both delighted. Her company has proven beneficial for the cause and her sense of humour and beauty feel like a ray of sunlight in what had formerly been our dark lives. I must admit that I can't imagine my life without her. I truly believe that she also enjoys our company.
In spite of this bliss, I had to tell her about Adam and his vampires. I hate to see her face frown, but she needs to know that we have a final aim: defeating them and kill them all. I also told her that Abe and one of his most dangerous vampires, Jack Barts, have a past. The story saddened her and I tried my best to comfort her, although she's strong enough to deal with such things. Oddly enough, when I did come close to her and hugged her, she mildly shivered and I would've sworn that she was in real, physical pain. She put her right hand on her heart and hissed almost inaudibly. Her frown deepened, but she immediately tried to hide her suffering. When I asked about her wellbeing, she just pushed me and ran away. I don't know what to think of this. It puzzles me exceedingly.
"I hope you find the cooking to your taste, Mr Sturges." Mrs Todd tells him politely and amiably.
"Absolutely, Mrs Todd." He answers like the perfect gentleman he is.
Mr and Mrs Todd have been trying hard to become better hosts and have got obsessed with the fact that they have to invite Henry to dinner almost every evening. Mary has also invited Abe and both of them become witnesses of Henry's and Rhiannon's constant teasing and civilised struggling. Rhiannon giggles inwardly and can't help but playing along Mr and Mrs Todd. Henry notices she enjoys this whole thing very much.
"Rhiannon," He whispers. He simply addresses her by the name, since their confidence is expected to be much closer and tighter now. "I beg you not to enjoy these situations so openly."
"Oh, I beg your pardon, coz." She whispers back as a curl delicately falls on the front part of her right shoulder. "What I did can't be undone now. Game on." Then, she smirks at him and blinks an eye to him as she takes a sip of wine.
He just chuckles and is forced to deal with it.
"Don't complain." She adds. "You're enjoying it as well. You can't deny that."
"Fine. Game on." He whispers darky to her. Then, he addresses the small audience before him with a firm voice. "My sweet Rhiannon, I'd be delighted if you sang for all of us later in the music room. You know I play the piano quite well. We could play along. I assume you just can't deny me this little whim of mine, can you?"
"I'd be delighted, Henry." She says in such a fake lady-like voice while staring at him. Then, she whispers to him, aside from the rest. "Is this your best shot?"
"Wait and see." He whispers back.
"I thought you said no more Machiavellian plans." She insists.
"And I thought you said 'game on'." He playfully adds.
"You hate to lose, don't you?" She smirks at him.
"And you hate not teasing and fighting all the time. So let's do this." He smirks back at her. That's when he thinks he's seen her mildly blush. So does Mary.
When the dinner is over, he gets hold of her hand and takes her to the music room. When the audience is ready, they play and sing Strange and Beautiful, by Rebecca Ferguson. She really enjoys singing this song, but wonders why Henry is pushing her to sing. He knows she likes it and the purpose of her 'game on' is to keep annoying each other to death. She suspects he's got something in store for her and yet, although she tries hard to think of what it might be, she just can't figure it out. This is increasingly making her nervous. She feels his eyes on her as if they were fire on her blood.
When the song is over, the audience claps their hands and then Henry requests Mary to play a due on the piano with Abe while the rest dance.
"But you know I can't play the piano!" Abe complains.
"Then Mary can show you, can't she? It'll be lovely."
Mr and Mrs Todd are so in love with Henry that they support any suggestion he makes. That's why Mary and Abe can't refuse. Henry stares straight at Rhiannon then.
"May I ask this dance, Miss Rhiannon Belcourt?" He says with a hot husky voice. Rhiannon suddenly leaves her lips slightly parted due to her sudden amazement and he takes this chance to get her hand again and kiss it sweetly. Then, he puts his other hand on the small of her back and start dancing as Mary and Abe play River Flows in You, by Nathan Wu. Her dress makes the gentle rustling sound that Henry enjoys so much. Then, he whispers to her quite imposingly: "I do hope that you have a contingency plan, dear Rhiannon."
She just chuckles and smiles at him. The fact that he's using her own words against her amuses her. She waits some seconds to answer this:
"I don't mind not having one." She says this so slowly, sweetly and honestly that Henry's just thunderstruck.
He can't help but letting his mind's eye go and imagine what would happen if they were left completely alone. They aren't cousins really, so… He stares intensely at her slender figure spin along with his, at her inviting neck, her delicate jawline, her suggestive soft lips, her current sheepish eyes which, strangely enough, do not dare to meet his right now. His hands hold her more firmly than before and she notices his increasing strength on her.
"Rhiannon…" Henry whispers decisively to her, with lust lurking on the tip of his tongue.
She turns crimson and exhales softly. Then, Henry seems to lean his face a bit closer to hers and she hisses almost inaudibly like that time. He frowns because he recognises what's going to happen in the next few seconds. She frowns sternly and the strength of her left arm weakens suddenly. She clenches her teeth and feels numb. For a second, she loses her balance and seems to faint. She puts one of her hands on her forehead.
"Rhiannon!" Henry almost yells as he stops dancing and holds her so that she doesn't fall down. "What the…?"
His utterance calls everyone's attention and the music abruptly stops.
"I'm… fine." Rhiannon whispers seriously. "It'll pass soon."
"Are you sure, sweetheart?" Mrs Todd says worried.
In a couple of seconds, Rhiannon goes back to normal, but no one is fully convinced about this. They just call it a night and both Abe and Henry decide to leave, so that she may have some rest.
"Don't you dare to go out tonight." Henry whispers to her with a worried voice, putting his lips extremely close to her right ear so that no one else will hear, still hugging her protectively. "I mean it. Abe and I will hunt on our own tonight. Don't worry."
"But you need help…" She insists.
"And you need to get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."
I should've been more careful with her. – Henry thinks full of guilt and worry when he gets home later that same night. – She can be delicate although she's a vampire hunter. But I really didn't force her to do anything extraordinary. That's strange. Mary's ball was longer and more exhausting than tonight's dinner and dancing. Then, why has she almost fainted tonight? I don't understand…
"Henry," Rhiannon says drawing her silver sword in the night's sky. Her leather attire is definitely sexy, as she always is, but her voice is devoid of life and warmth. "you're a vamp. I must kill you."
"What?!" He exclaims amazed. "Rhiannon, what are you talking about? We're a team now."
"There's no 'we'. We're not a team. I hate the whole lot of you…" She says with venom and hatred in what used to be her lovely voice. "But most of all, you make me sick, Henry. I hate you."
Having said this, Rhiannon rushes to him to kill him, but Henry manages to escape. He can't believe it. They play the cat and the mouse in Springfield's streets for hours on end.
"Rhiannon!" He yells at her after some hours. He's still panting and breathing unevenly because of the running and hiding. He can't see her right now, but he knows she must be nearby, waiting for a chance to kill him. "Stop it! You know I'm good! Why do you want to kill me?! Did I do anything to harm you?!"
Then, he hears a familiar male voice.
"Didn't I tell you to leave her alone?" This ice-cold male voice tells Henry. "You're going to regret it."
"Corinthian?! What the hell are you doing here?" Henry exclaims.
"Here?" Corinthian smirks at him devilishly. "This is your worst nightmare, Henry Sturges, and therefore… my playground."
Then, he grins and displays all his teeth.
"What?!"
"I hope you enjoy torture, Henry, because you're not going anywhere… let alone waking up, of course. I'll make your sweet Rhiannon hunt you down, torture you and kill you before you wake up. Prepare yourself for regret. I hope I have made myself clear."
Then, Corinthian takes his dark glasses off and unveils is eyes to Henry. He gasps in horror. Rhiannon was right: he's got no eyes, but a couple of sharp-teethed little mouths craving for blood and pain…
"Have a nice nightmare, Henry."
Henry knows he's in real trouble.
When he wakes up in his bed, he's completely soaked in sweat and he can't believe it. Rhiannon wanted to hunt him down and kill him in this horrible nightmare. And Corinthian was controlling his dream! Or was it just a product of his own imagination? He suddenly remembers Rhiannon's words about him, about nightmares and stuff. What if she was literally telling him the truth? No, that's not possible…
He exhales deeply and decides to try to forget about it. He's got a lot of work to do.
Hi there!
Did you enjoy this chapter? Did you get who Corinthian really is and who he belongs to (spoiler in the next line)?
No, I don't own the songs I mention or Corinthian… *drum roll*… from The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman. Yeah, I'm a huge fan. I highly recommend watching the "Make Good Art" speech by him. Check it out on YouTube. It's very inspiring…
Anyway, I hope you like this odd love triangle. It's one of a kind… I love you, dear readers.
Luv,
Denim Jean