Chapter 6: Broken Crown

Touch my mouth and hold my tongue
I'll never be your chosen one
I'll be home safe and tucked away
Well you can't tempt me if I don't see the day

The pull on my flesh was just too strong
Stifled the choice and the air in my lungs
Better not to breathe than to breathe a lie
'Cause when I open my body I breathe a lie

I will not speak of your sins
There was a way out for him
The mirror shows not
Your values are all shot

But oh, my heart was flawed I knew my weakness
So hold my hand consign me not to darkness

So crawl on my belly 'til the sun goes down
I'll never wear your broken crown
I took the road and I fucked it all away
Now in this twilight, how dare you speak of grace…

So crawl on my belly 'til the sun goes down
I'll never wear your broken crown
I can take the road and I can fuck it all away
But in this twilight, our choices seal our fate

- Broken Crown by Mumford & Sons

Rory sits at the kitchen table with his coffee while George and Nina exchange morning farewells as she heads off to work. He studies the pair intently, giving a nod when Nina waves at him over George's shoulder. Once she steps out, George closes the door behind her and shuffles into the kitchen, taking the seat across from him.

"How's she been holding up?" asks Rory.

"She's… adjusting," he answers, sounding a little strained. "It's a lot to take in, all this."

Rory gives him a sympathetic nod. "I know," he says. "It seems like she and Annie have been getting along though."

He smiles a little at that. "Yeah. Except sometimes I think they get along too well. If Annie isn't complaining about where I put the dishes, Nina is moaning about where I leave my socks." He shakes his head. "Between the two of them, I think we may have created a monster."

"Come on, it's not that bad," he answers with a grin.

"Easy for you to say. You're Annie's favorite and Nina thinks you're too charming to do any wrong."

Rory laughs. "If you say so."

George glances around, suddenly looking as if he has misplaced something. "Have you seen Mitchell?" he asks. "I know he can sleep like the dead sometimes, no pun intended, but I figured he would have been up by now."

Rory shakes his head. "You know, I don't think I heard him get in last night, either."

He frowns. "He's been doing that a lot lately. I've tried asking him about it, but every time I do he gets all defensive."

"I'm sure he's just stressed," Rory responds. "And he knows that you're stressed, so maybe he just doesn't want to add to it. Plus, Mitchell sort of strikes me as one who tends to keep things to himself."

George sighs. "That's what I'm worried about."

"I'm sure it'll be alright," he assures him. "Let him come around. By the way, have you talked to Nina any more about that note? Does she have any leads on who could have put it in her locker?"

He shakes his head. "Not a clue. There's one more thing for us to worry about."

"Well, we need to find another place to transform, then," says Rory. "We've got less than a week until the next full moon."

George groans. "Don't remind me."

Nina sits in the ladies room at the hospital with Annie, pulling her sleeve back down as wide brown eyes stare at her in shock.

"Have you told anyone else?" asks Annie. "Does George know?"

The blonde shakes her head.

"Nina! It's been weeks. You should have said something."

"I didn't think it would be a problem," Nina responds. "I mean, he didn't bite me, it's just a scratch. I had hoped it wouldn't have an effect, but now..."

"Now, what?" Annie prompts.

"I've been having nightmares. I'm at work and my flesh tears, I grow claws and fangs and go rampaging through the corridors. I'm afraid it means I'm going to Change."

Annie furrows her brow, deep in thought. "You should talk to Rory," she says resolutely. "If you won't talk to George, at least talk to him, he can help."

"If I tell Rory, he won't keep it from George. You know that."

"Well," she says. "Maybe you should tell them both. You can't do this on your own, Nina. There's no telling what could happen. At least let them help you. Besides, it could be nothing. Either way, I bet Rory will know. Don't you want to find out for sure?"

Nina sighs. "I suppose you're right."

Annie pats her arm reassuringly. "Good. We'll tell them tonight. Better not to wait, I think."

The blonde simply nods. Truthfully, she can wait forever.

George walks the hospital corridor late in the afternoon, pushing a cart of cleaning supplies when he catches a familiar sight at the end of the hallway. He walks a little faster, hoping to catch him before he disappears around the corner.

"Mitchell!"

The dark-haired vampire turns at the voice, greeting George with a tired smile. "Hey. I didn't know you were on tonight."

"Well, as little as we see you anymore, that doesn't surprise me," he answers.

"Yeah, sorry," says Mitchell, averting his gaze. "I've been pretty busy lately."

"What, too busy to even come home? Where were you all night?"

"Just out," is the evasive response. "Vampire stuff. Look, why is it so important to you?"

"Like I said, we never see you," George answers crossly. "You should hear Annie on the subject. She gave me an ear-full about you the other day."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, she seems to think that you've not been doing your share of the house work; the shopping and the washing up. She says Rory helps out more than you do," he answers.

"Well, I've had a lot on lately, you know?"

"I know," says George. "But it would be nice if you at least picked up a pint of milk once in a while."

Mitchell looks at him incredulously. "Look, I'm sorry I've been too busy managing the whole of Bristol's vampire population to 'pick up the milk,' ok? It's not exactly been top of my list."

"It's not about the bloody milk," he says, exasperated. "You put everything second to 'vampire stuff' anymore. And when I ask about it, you get all defensive and won't even talk to me. What are you hiding from us?"

"I'm not hiding anything!" he answers indignantly. "Why do you care so much about the day-to-day affairs of the clan anyway? If there was anything to worry about, I'd tell you. Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that." George sighs. "I just… I don't understand why a group of what basically amount to strangers are suddenly so much more important to you."

Mitchell stares at him. "What are you saying?"

He takes a moment to answer as he gathers his thoughts. "Look, Nina finding out about all this has not been easy. I thought maybe things would get better between us since I wouldn't have to lie to her anymore, but I feel like in some ways it's getting worse. That and I feel like there is something that she's not telling me and I'm afraid to find out what it is."

Mitchell shrugs. "So, what's your point?"

"My point is, I could use your support. It'd be nice to have my best friend back," he answers, giving him a mournful look.

"You've got Rory," he offers. "I thought you two were getting along great."

"Rory's brilliant. He's a good friend, but we haven't really known each other for very long. He isn't…" George sighs. "He isn't you."

Mitchell shakes his head. "Look, I'm sorry about Nina, I really am. But that's what relationships are like; there's ups and downs. You've got to figure this stuff out on your own. I can't hold your hand through it."

"Thanks," is the sarcastic response.

"That's what mates are for," he answers. "To tell each other the truth. Even if it isn't necessarily what you wanted to hear."

George stares at him. "What's happened to you? It's like I don't even know you anymore."

Mitchell averts his gaze, choosing instead to stare at the opposite wall. "I have to go," he says finally. And without waiting on another word from George, he turns on his heel and heads off down the hallway.

George finishes the rest of his shift trying his best to avoid human contact as he's feeling extremely irritable and doesn't wish to take out his frustrations on any innocent victims.

He doesn't see Nina all day, but then their shifts only overlapped for about an hour or so and he assumes she was busy.

By the time he starts to head home, all he wants to do is crash on the couch in front of the television and simply stop thinking for a while. He is tired of stressing about everything.

As he walks in the door, however, he is overwhelmed by a sudden wave of apprehension as he catches sight of Rory, Nina, and Annie gathered in the living room. The three exchange glances at his approach and Nina stands, turning to face him.

"I have something to tell you."

Mitchell keeps his distance over the next few days, choosing instead to bury himself in his work with the clan. Most nights he doesn't even bother coming home. It's not like he gets much sleep these days anyway. He figures he's better off getting things done.

He hates being at odds with George, but he honestly doesn't know how to resolve things at this point. He is so exhausted anymore that it's hard to even think straight at times.

He doesn't speak to anyone for days until one night he comes home to find Rory up waiting for him.

"Mitchell, I need to talk to you," is his greeting the moment he walks in the door. The urgency in his tone immediately sets Mitchell on edge.

"What is it?" he asks while he locks up behind him and hangs his jacket by the door.

Rory waves him into the kitchen and the two sit down at the table.

"It's Nina," he begins. "She's been acting really strange over the last couple of weeks. And I've never been able to make any sense out of the fact that she can see Annie when she is still invisible to other humans. I was beginning to suspect..." he sighs. "Well, it doesn't matter because she finally came out and told us. That night she found George and I in the woods; I thought I had gotten between them in time, but it turns out I didn't. He scratched her."

Mitchell releases a breath, running his hands through his hair. "So, what's gonna happen then? He wasn't fully transformed; is she still gonna Change?"

Rory shakes his head. "We can't be sure until the full moon, but honestly... she's been showing all the signs."

"Does George know?"

"Yeah," he answers sadly. "He was pretty upset about it." Rory studies him for a moment as Mitchell sits in silence, mulling things over. "Look, I know you've been dealing with a lot lately," he begins. "I've spent most of my life drifting from place to place, and I've gotten pretty good at reading people. But, if you could just talk to him, maybe he'll come around. He isn't too interested in anything that I have to say right now."

Mitchell nods. "Alright, I'll give it a shot," he says. "But, honestly, I'm not holding on to much hope that he'll listen to me either."

The next morning Mitchell comes downstairs to find George seated in the living room with Rory, Nina having already left for work. Upon his approach, Rory gets up and goes to talk to Annie in the kitchen, exchanging a glance with Mitchell as he passes.

"So, you do still live here," is George's greeting as Mitchell takes a seat.

"Yeah, I suppose," he answers mildly.

"When did you get it? I never heard you come home last night."

Mitchell smiles a little at that. "I'm a vampire; moving silently in the dark sort of comes with the territory."

George offers a weak smile in return. "I suppose that should have been obvious."

There is an awkward pause and Mitchell finally decides to just cut to the chase. "Look, I, uh, I heard about Nina."

George simply nods, choosing to stare at the opposite wall.

"But, you know, it might be alright," he ventures. "She may not have even got the Curse."

"You know there is little to no chance of that," George answers evenly.

"But even if she did, she's got you and Rory to teach her how to manage it. You could work together-"

"She shouldn't have to manage it," he cuts him off. "She shouldn't have got it in the first place." He gives Mitchell a hard look. "Did Rory put you up to this?"

"What? No!" he lies. "I mean, he told me what happened, but..."

George shakes his head. "Look, I don't want to talk about managing it, alright? Let's just-" he sighs. "Just let me get through the next couple of days, alright? The full moon is only two nights away; we won't know anything until then."

Mitchell studies him for a moment before giving a nod of understanding. "Ok."

"Thank you," he responds.

"Well, I'm gonna headed out," Mitchell says after a pause. "I'll see you later."

He gets to his feet and crosses the room, reaching for his jacket hanging by the door.

"You're going to the funeral parlor, aren't you?" George asks. "That's where you always go."

Mitchell stops. "How do you know about that?"

"It was a guess, actually," he responds, getting to his feet and folding his arms across his chest. "But seeing as you've just confirmed it."

Mitchell sighs. "It's a place to go," he answers evenly. "Most of them don't really have anywhere else. I'm just trying to maintain a sense of order here."

"By reopening Herrick's place? You're not still bringing bodies in there, are you?"

"Only when someone's newly Turned," he admits.

"Mitchell!" George looks appalled. "So, what? Are you recruiting now? Is that what you've been afraid to tell us?"

"No." He pinches the bridge of his nose. He can suddenly feel a headache coming on. "Look, people get Turned; it happens. Friends, family, lovers; when a person is faced with the prospect of living forever, most decide that they would rather not spend it alone. There's nothing against the Law about Turning someone so long as it is their choice. So, yes, I'm giving them a place to bring them when they die. We have a process."

"And what if the blood supply runs out?" he counters. "You've said yourself you all have to be careful enough as it is. So now you're gonna let them make more vampires?"

"Look, I'm doing the best I can, alright? I don't need you on my back about it too. This doesn't even concern you."

"Doesn't concern-" George looks angry now and Rory emerges from the kitchen to stand in the doorway, Annie close behind.

"No, Mitchell," he continues. "It doesn't concern me at all that in the, what, two months that you've been the head of the clan, instead of stabilizing your present numbers, you are allowing them to create more monsters."

"George-" Rory admonishes softly, but it isn't necessary. The moment the words are out of his mouth, George knows he has gone too far.

"And I am the chiefest among them, aren't I?" is the bitter retort. "Or have you forgotten that I'm one of them? That I've killed more than any of them? I'd probably still be like that if someone else hadn't helped me change. Now it's my responsibility to help them. But you don't want to look at that side of it. Instead you're just compartmentalizing what I am like you do with your own condition so that you can feel normal, is that it?"

Mitchell is standing very close to him now and Rory takes a step forward, ready to get between them if necessary. "Easy, mate."

George sighs. "Mitchell, I didn't-"

"Don't," he cuts him off, shaking his head. "You deal with your own monsters. Leave me to deal with mine." He takes a step back, reaching for the door handle. "Don't wait up," he calls over his shoulder. Then he steps outside, slamming the door behind him as he goes.

Mitchell sits in the back office of the funeral parlor while Ivan discusses their latest affairs, but Mitchell isn't hearing any of it. His mind is otherwise occupied. He can't stop thinking about this past week with George. Sure, the two have had their share of disagreements in the past, but never anything that wasn't resolved within a matter of hours, let alone the days that this has been going on.

He thought he could handle it all, but he is finally coming to realize that for all that he has put in to running this clan, he's losing the people he cares about the most. With all of his own personal struggles he's been dealing with, he just can't juggle both.

"I can't do this anymore," he says, cutting Ivan off mid-sentence. "I'm sorry, Ivan," he amends, realizing his error.

Ivan gives him a measured look. "I thought you seemed preoccupied," he answers. "What's on your mind?"

Mitchell sighs, raking his fingers through his hair. "It's just- I've come to the realization that I'm not cut out for this. I can't be a leader."

"But you are leading them," Ivan counters. "You have made great progress with this clan; more so than anyone I have ever seen, especially someone your age. They respect you, and that is no small feat considering everything that has happened here."

"Then maybe I should quit while I'm ahead," he answers. "Because I know that I can't keep this up, I'm exhausted. I can't even keep the peace at home, I just- I feel like if I don't pull out now, my own problems are going to bleed into this and I don't want to undo everything that we've worked for."

"Trouble with your werewolf friend?" Ivan asks, sounding almost amused. "You know, I've never really understood what brought you two together, you're nothing alike. But, then again, Lucian has always had a bit of an eccentric taste in friends, so I suppose it comes as no surprise. Or is this more to do with the fact that you haven't been sleeping? Nightmares perhaps?"

Mitchell stares at him. "How could you possibly know about that?"

"I think it's a little obvious; the not sleeping, at least," he answers. "As for the reason; call it an educated guess."

Mitchell shakes his head. "I don't understand."

"Tell me something; was Lucian opposed to you killing Herrick?" Ivan asks.

He nods. "We argued about it a few times. Wait, how did you-"

"And you didn't think he had a reason?" Ivan cuts him off. "Mitchell, you killed your Sire. To a vampire, that is akin to committing patricide. Regardless of the fact that Herrick was a psychotic bastard, you don't walk away from something like that unscathed."

"He certainly had no qualms about killing me," he responds bitterly.

"That's because Herrick had no soul," Ivan answers. "Or a conscience, for that matter. You do. That's what he hated about you. No matter how hard he tried, you wouldn't be corrupted. You wouldn't be him. Lucian likely expected killing Herrick to have an effect on you, but you were too bent on revenge to listen to him." He leans forward in his chair, lowering his voice slightly. "Do you understand now what he was trying to protect you from?"

Mitchell nods slowly, averting his gaze.

"Mitchell, I understand if you need to take some time, but you don't have to step down completely."

He shakes his head. "I think they'll be much better off with you in charge. You know a lot more about this stuff than I do. I could never have done this much on my own." He looks at Ivan. "Will you take over?"

Ivan considers this. "If you're sure that's what you want."

"Yes," Mitchell answers. "I'm sure."

He nods. "Then it would be wise if you made a formal announcement. They need to hear it directly from you if you want a smooth transition. When would you like to have the meeting?"

"Tomorrow night," he answers without hesitation. "I don't want to wait."

"As you wish," says Ivan, rising from his seat. "Why don't you go on home then? I'll arrange it."

"You go on ahead," he responds. "I need to make a phone call."

Ivan looks at him curiously, appearing about to say something before deciding against it. Instead he simply tips his head in a departing nod and heads out the door.

Mitchell waits until he hears Ivan's retreating footsteps down the hall before reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone. He scrolls through his contacts until he finds the one he's looking for and stares at the highlighted number on the screen for a moment, his thumb hovering over the keypad until he finally gains enough resolve to hit 'send.' As he listens to the seemingly endless ringing, he chews on his nails nervously. After about the fourth or fifth ring, it goes to automated voicemail and he releases a sigh as the robotic female voice on the other line gives instructions on how to leave a message. He waits for the tone.

"Hey, it's me. Well… obviously," he laughs a little nervously. "God, I hate these things. Listen, I know the reception has been terrible out there, so I don't know when you'll get this. Plus this thing's probably gonna cut me off so I'll get to the point. I, um- I'm giving over control of the clan to Ivan. Yes, I know, he can be a huge arsehole sometimes, but he's actually been helping me a lot over the past few weeks. He knows what he's doing and I trust him well enough for this. I think he's the right person for the job. He's definitely more qualified than I am. It's just- I can't-" he sighs, searching for the words. "It's George and Annie; I think Rory is the only one who isn't pissed at me right now. I feel like I'm losing them. And you don't even know about Nina yet…" He sighs. "Well, to make a long story short, we think George may have Turned her into a werewolf. We won't know for sure until the night after tomorrow; that's the next full moon. So now George is upset and he thinks I've abandoned him and Rory can't get through to him either and… this probably isn't making any sense." Mitchell drops his head onto the desk with a heavy sigh, keeping the phone to his ear. "I'm sorry for ranting like this, I probably should have just waited until I could reach you. I'm just so tired I can hardly think straight. Just- just give me a call if you get a chance ok? I'll talk to you soon."

He hangs up the phone and groans his frustration, resisting the urge to throw the thing across the room as he'll need it to handle the inevitable worried phone call he's going to receive from Lucian. Chalk that up to one more thing he has to fix now. He takes a glance around the room, thinking over how much time he's spent here over the past few weeks and realizes he's sick of the sight of it. It's time to go home.

Drama, drama, drama. Why do I enjoy writing it so much? (And we've barely scratched the surface of my plans. Mwahahahaha!)

I've been dying to use the song on this chapter for a while. Someone on tumblr pointed out that it's a perfect Mitchell/Herrick song and I wholeheartedly agree. It's all I can think about every time I listen to it now. I thought it was fitting here since we're still seeing the result of Mitchell being under his shadow for so long.

I hope you guys enjoyed this one, it was more difficult of an undertaking than I originally perceived. We're really jumping into things now and I needed to get things moving forward! I hope it didn't seem too rushed.

So, have you guys been missing Lucian? Because I HAVE! (I swear, I've been going through withdrawals. :P) He shall return in the next chapter along with a special guest appearance by a new character as portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen! I know, I know. This is becoming a bit of a (shameless) Hobbit cast crossover, but I needed someone with some clout to portray the head of the Council and Sir Ian fit perfectly in my mind. ;)

This next chapter shouldn't take me too terribly long, so stay tuned!

As always, thanks for reading and I look forward to your feedback!