Disclaimer: I do not own the concept or characters from the show "Supernatural." Any other characters not related to the show or the Nightwold series, however, are mine and are not to be used in any other fan fictions. Some concepts were also borrowed or loosely adapted from L.J. Smith's "Nightworld" and "The Vampire Diaries" series. This chapter has information on the episodes up until 12/20/08. I will not include any spoilers for future episodes of Season 4 until they are released on TV. This is the start of a new trilogy. The first trilogy is: "Possession," "Broken," and "Sacrifice." This story takes place a little over ten years in the future after the events of "Sacrifice," and has the same characters from the first trilogy.
April sat on the couch, her head tilted back on the cushions as her parents argued in the hallway. She was just glad that her brothers were away that night. Good choice for a movie night.
She couldn't honestly believe it herself; she was a Lamia vampire. It was amazing how different she felt in her own skin after having tried her first sip of blood. Her skin actually tingled. Everything was more fragrant, and in some cases, savory. Her eyes could view the tiniest of objects from miles away. And her ears picked up on every single sound. April felt alive for the first time in her life…that is until her mother informed her of the curse. She'd now need blood just to survive, forever.
Abby had offered up an explanation as to why she had kept her kids away from their "roots" and desired them only to be "normal;" because if she had the same choice, she would have loved to have that kind of life.
"April," her mom whispered, kneeling in defeat in front of her daughter only minutes before, "I did my best. I knew you guys…all three of you could survive on just normal food. Granted you'd never have the vampire 'benefits,' but it made life so easy for you in the normal world. You have no idea what it was like for me." She had it right there. April had no clue as the hardships her mother had endured through her...god knows how many years on Earth.
Now, her parents were fighting and they never fought, at least in front of the kids, and now they were arguing because of her.
"So, you're more angry about the damn tattoo," Abby poked, obviously picking up on the thought from his mind.
"No…well, I'm pissed about that too, Ab, but I'm just…so fucking angry! Goddamn, what the fuck are we going to do," he spat, rubbing a hand through his hair. Dean shifted his gaze over to his daughter, a look of hurt in his green eyes. She shifted her eyes away, hating the disappointment on her dad's face. Her parents quickly shifted to the living room, taking their individual seats in front of her in separate chairs.
"So, go on," Abby said, pulling her legs up underneath herself. "Tell us what happened."
"Everything," her dad added, leaning forward, elbows resting tensely on his knees.
She didn't know where to begin, so she started by telling them about how she found out; she told them about the diary.
"Mom…Mom wrote about her life as a hunter," Dean questioned, his eyes full of surprise and sadness. April nodded, revealing the reason why she had be so reclusive for such a long time. She was captivated by Mary's daily events, even though Mary herself had seemed to be taken aback. April could tell that the lifestyle had taken it's toll on her grandmother.
"Did Grams hunt after she got married," she asked her dad.
"Nope, not that we know of. As far as we can tell, my Dad found out about hunters on his own," he shrugged. "She wanted a normal life, April. And the one thing she didn't want was for her kids, and I'm assuming, grandkids to be involved. And still we somehow got dragged into it somehow. Fate, maybe…even though I don't really believe in that crap." April was curious as to why Abby shot him a painful look.
"So, ok. You found my Mom's book. So, what else did you do?"
She explained how it had captivated her and why the story had sparked something within; almost a feeling of responsibility because now she knew. So, she looked up the information her Grams had left about fighting styles, weapons of choice, special amulets…and she ordered them online. It was pretty simple.
"The combat just came to me. I never knew that I could kick so much ass," she shrugged, not really believing it herself at first. She needed very little training when it came to hand-to-hand. "And Dad had taught me how to throw knives as a kid." Abby shot him a angry look.
'Oops,' she thought. She must have let a very old cat outta the bag. She mouthed sorry to her dad.
"So, I looked online for weird stories around the country, and found one in Pennsylvania regarding people getting killed with very little blood left behind. Sounded like vampires, so I left to find out."
"Is that when you forged those notes and signatures," Abby asked, her arms crossed over her chest defensively. April reluctantly shook her head yes. She wasn't going to admit it, but she did feel really bad about lying. Her parents had always been good to her…but she wanted to hunt so much. It was her calling. April relayed how she drove out to Erie, PA and searched around for clues. After a few days, what she uncovered astounded her; two groups of vampires. One was dedicated to protecting humans, the other to hurting them. The second was framing the first, trying to run them outta town by exposure. She helped the good nest escape and killed a couple of the evil ones. It was a rush.
"Once I got some of the good guys out, I ran into two vamps who were also hunters. At first, I tried to kill them until they proved to me they were there to help," she smirked. And she totally would of had them. They were in a secluded spot and she had plenty of dead man's blood and a very sharp machete. She even had one pinned against the tree. It wasn't until one of them showed her the insignia of the good nest that she rescued that she knew who they were and that they had been working the same case.
"That insignia wouldn't have looked like this, would it," her mother said, showing her a metallic bracelet with the same symbol. Abby smiled and explained that she was second in command of the nest she helped rescue. Shocked, April looked at her mom in a new light. She used to just be Mom, the woman who woke her up too early for school and happened to make a kick ass omelet. Then, she was the enemy, a creature of the night who shouldn't exist. Now… she looked powerful and almost regal. She looked like a warrior.
"I wondered why these guys didn't attack me, you know being a human and all. Figured I looked good for a meal. And that's when they said that I was part vampire so why would they? I laughed my ass off! I thought it was a stupid, cruel joke, but then, they asked who my mother was. As soon as I said you're name, they looked at each other and I knew they knew you. The one even asked if your maiden name was Stuart."
April had just stood there in disbelief, mumbling to herself that it couldn't be. Her mom had been so…normal. There was no way she could have kept it from her that long! Her whole life? She wanted to know more about her heritage as a Lamia, and the brunette one, whose name is later learned was Wesley, appealed to her curiosity. He showed her how fast he could run and demonstrated his strength by kicking a tree in half. And he explained about the powers they possessed as individuals. His own power was he could tell what another's power was. Wesley explained how she had the power of telekinesis. April vaguely recalled her abilities, mostly in dreams, and wondered why she couldn't use them. He then pointed out the symbol charm on her necklace; it was hex symbol to keep the powers out of her grasp.
"He taught me everything about my powers and also told me how I could get the vampire ones…by drinking from the flask he had. I asked what it was and he said it was blood. 'One sip, that's all it takes.' So, I took a chug…but I never thought I'd have to do it again, Mom. Do I really have to do it forever?"
Abby turned away, her eyes filled with grief. April knew her answer.
"April, you need to come away with me for a few days," Abby said, moving a little too gracefully from her seat.
"Why," her daughter questioned, a look of innocence and stealth on her face. It was the mark of the internal fight of human vs. vampire.
It wasn't meant to be a pleasure getaway; it was one of necessity. By giving into her temptations, and with human blood at that, she was a liability to every human she passed. That included her father. Dean was at a huge risk with April around and she had to get them apart.
"Come on, kid. Pack your bag," Abby pressured, pushing her daughter lightly up the stairs, keeping a buffer between her daughter and her husband.
She felt Dean come up behind her as the door to April's room shut. His arms wrapped around her and he lightly kissed her shoulder.
"Do you really have to go," he sighed into her neck.
"Just for a few days. I have to detox her off of human and wean her onto animal blood. And I have to make sure you're safe. Besides, I think it's time I teach her about my past and her future."
She felt uncomfortable in his arms, as she even had to tell her daughter things her husband didn't know...yet.