EPILOGUE: Seventh Heaven

I open the door to my house with a wide smile, as always. It smells like him in here. It still does. Salt, wood fire… I can almost hear the crashing waves and clinks of distant swordfight, although we're in the middle of the woods above Seattle. But my smile is for the doorway's carpet. It was here when he bought the house, when I entered it for the first time, and when we had sex right there. And yet I was so mad at him. For doing all this without asking me first. But, well, I know him; as much as he sometimes tries, he'll never be a gentleman. Always a savage.


"What is this?"

He looked at her as if she was the dumbest person in the world:

"- Em… A house.

- I can see that. Why did you bring me here?

- I bought it.

- Why?

- Well, for you.

- I don't need a house, Eric!

- Of course you do. You can't live with those roommates of yours forever.

- I can if I want to!"

He rolled his eyes, already defeated but unwilling to give up. Uncharacteristically, he would compromise.

"Fine. Live with them all you want, but when I visit, we're coming here."

She frowned. They had agreed to a casual but constant relationship, as he was travelling a lot, and she was still working all the time. They both knew that, even if they meant everything to each other, they couldn't be everything to each other, or it wouldn't last. They needed space, air to breathe, and then they would always come back into each other's arms. As they always had.

But it was still the beginning, then, and he still felt like he needed to prove something to her. She had been so mad when he had taken the vial containing her blood and sold it off to the Japanese cartels. He had made a fortune, as he now held parts of the New Blood company. A new blood that smelled suspiciously spicy.

"Trust me, it tastes nothing like yours." He had defended himself. "I'm already having them synthetize other flavors anyway." He quickly added, not helping his case.

He had tried giving her money but she wouldn't take it. So, he made it up by donating tons to the teaching hospital where she worked. Though, since he hadn't done it anonymously, in the slightest, she had only viewed it as a publicity stunt. She thought the cure to Hep V should have been given for free to all those infected. Eric had seen it as an opportunity to rise to power. She had been beyond furious.

"- Did you think that if you got me a house, my legs would magically open for you?

- Well, that was saucy…"

He licked his lips, unable to resist the urge to grab her in his arms. But she put a hand on his mouth to keep him from kissing her. Her frown still deep and her jaw clenched.

"- You know you can't buy me out with presents, right? – she felt the need to stress.

- I didn't think I needed to buy you; I thought I had already won you over, – he joked back."

Even at their worst, and unlike before, they had both figured they'd find a way to work it out. Being together was more important than their disagreements; they knew that now. Even if he was clumsy in his attempts; even if she was still angry.

"- Why are you doing this, then?

- It's kind of your money anyway, so-"

He trailed off when he caught her murderous glare; it was still a touchy subject. So, he chose another angle:

"- You said to me that the only thing you wanted in life was to be good at what you do. So, you will never have to worry about money, or anything. Just worry about being the best, saving people and whatever it is you want to do, – he said with a dismissive gesture. – I'm just making sure you have a place to relax on your days off."

He played it as if he didn't care, but she could feel some anxiousness underneath.

"- To relax with you? – she smiled as he chuckled.

- Oh, don't worry, little one, I do intend to fuck you in every room and every piece of furniture here. I said relax, not rest."

She laughed, and he swept her off her feet as they crossed the threshold. He would never need an invitation into this house. Even if neither of them would ever live in it fulltime, it was theirs.

They had christened the carpet right away. Then slowly made their way through every room – including the basement as dawn rose –, one by one. They would always find things to disagree on, but it wouldn't keep them from enjoying each other's presence, bodies, memories and mind.


I'm yawning and climbing the stairs to my room two by two, leaving my suitcase in the lobby. I used to hate it here without him, but now, I come as soon as I leave a plane. This is my sanctuary. No one expects me to be better than I am here. This is the only place where I can truly relax, as he had predicted. I have a day off before I go back to surgeries and to my apartment next to the hospital. The lecture I gave in Paris was exhausting; I should practice my French more often. But it was worth it. If those arrogant bastards adopt the new procedures I established, they will save more lives than I can count. And then, all my hard work will definitely be worth it.

I let my tired mind wander to memories that aren't quite mine. When I was in Paris, I felt like I had been there before, even if that wasn't true. But I had seen so many images of the city, throughout the ages, in his mind, that I felt like I knew it. He hadn't been there in a while himself, so I sent him pictures of the places he used to like, even though all of them had been through a lot of changes. We laughed and reminisced, as if we had lived through all this together. It was our private little thing, our secret garden, his memories, my ability to bring them back. I guess vampires can't get too attached to how things are. Eventually, nothing lasts. Except them. Except him. He had lived through so much.


She was sitting on his laps, on the porch, wrapped in only a blanket. Her nose was pressing against the crook of his neck, under a starry night. But neither of them was truly there. They were deep in his memories, and she was enjoying just passing through time periods and the funny details about them. It was like a live history lesson, where you could skip the boring parts, and see it through the eyes of someone you loved and understood, instead of strangers.

She had travelled a lot herself, since she had become a worldwide respected surgeon, but how would she experience 17th century Russia, or early 18th Argentina, if not with him. He had never stayed more than a few years in the same place, before the Revelation, so, there were plenty of wonders to discover in there.

When she felt that a memory was maybe too painful – especially those about Godric or Nora, sometimes, – she simply moved on to something new. Or, sometimes, when they were in the mood, they would linger there for a while, and savor the gift that were those images.

"- You're bad for me, Jill.

- Nonsense, I'm great for you! I'm making you more human. – She laughed.

- Exactly. You're making me nostalgic.

- You could always stop drinking my blood, then you wouldn't see anything.

- And let you snoop around in there without supervision? I don't think so."

He pinched her lightly, and she squirmed on his laps, which still turned him on, no matter how many times he had already been satisfied that night.

"- It's funny, I know there must be some really bad things in there, but I seem to only see the good. – She wondered.

- You're biased, – he countered. – You've seen plenty of awful memories, you're just completely jaded by now…

- Definitely. So, what are you afraid I could see? Do you have some embarrassing memories you're somehow hiding?"

She chuckled at the idea, but he turned her so she would face him, half serious now.

"- In your 20-or-so years of life, do you have embarrassing memories? – he asked.

- Yeah… I guess everyone does."

He raised his eyebrow:That's my point.

"Damn, I so want to see those memories now!" She teasingly whined like an excited child.

He suddenly pushed her off his laps, eager to put an end to this conversation.

"- Well, then I believe this is the right time to leave! There's plenty of harmless pretty girls waiting in line to drool over me at the bar.

- I'm sure there are…"

She now playfully pouted, unimpressed, as he dressed back up. She had a few options of her own too, when she wanted.

However, when he had his back turned, a few feet away, as he buttoned up his pants, she decided to let out a whisper she knew he could pick up. One thought she had been holding for a long while now:

"I love you, you know?

- I know."

He had answered without a beat, as if it was a given, and didn't even bother turning back. Maybe, for fear of meeting her eyes, though. So, she added a little louder:

"- And you're an asshole.

- I know.

- And you love me too.

- I do."

That was the closest she'd ever get. And she was perfectly fine with it. Actions are more important than words anyway. When he flew away, she wasn't scared, in the slightest. He was always coming back to her, and she was always coming back to him.


I undress to take a shower before bed. It's already late in the night. Maybe I'll call him in Tokyo, before I go to bed. I'm so tired I can't even figure out what time it is there. Who cares, he always picks up the phone when he knows it's me. He also turns it off when we're together. That's the little things that keep telling me he cares, when his words won't.

Before entering the bathroom, I get a peek of my naked self in the full-length mirror on the door. I only see the wrinkles now. My breasts aren't as perky as they used to be. My butt isn't as muscular. I've gotten soft. I've gotten old. All the vampire blood in my veins keeps me pretty youthful for my age, yet I can definitely see the effect time had on my body. I could get depressed by it, if it weren't for Eric.

I smile at the thought of him, as I finally walk in the bathroom.

Damn, he scared me!

The bastard has finally perfected a way to become invisible to my senses. He's been working on it for decades. And, maybe I'm helping him by being so tired and so sure he was still in Japan. But he isn't. He's naked in my bathtub, eyes closed, meditating to make sure every single muscle of his is relaxed.

But a smile creeps up when he realizes he's succeeded in surprising me.

"You've almost had me waiting." He practically purrs, with the same dark voice he used to whisper in my ears, when I still thought of him as a predator.

"You weren't even supposed to be here. – I state the obvious, as a reflex has me cover my bare, exposed, aging body. – I'm exhausted and I look like hell right now."

He remarks the ineffective gesture and waves it off:

"Don't be ridiculous and join me in here before the water gets cold."

As his hands snake up my shoulders to rub the fatigue out of them, I already feel my body waking up against his. He always makes me feel as young as I ever was.

"I hope you're not too tired, though, because I got you a few gifts from Tokyo…"

He's behind me, however, I can distinctly hear the naughtiness of his tone, and can surmise what kind of toys he brought back. Thankfully, he always finds a way to make it all feel shiny and new. I can't believe the tricks he's still got up his sleeves, after all these years.


Her fiftieth birthday had come and gone. For the first time in a few decades, maybe since before the prison, she had started to feel insecure. After all, he had warned her, a very long time ago, about becoming old and repulsive. She figured it wouldn't be long then, before their whole story was over.

At least, they had gotten close enough that she could share her fear. He would have felt it in a heartbeat anyway. There was no secret between them. Truth be told, there never really had been.

He was lazing in bed, playing with his phone, in a penthouse hotel in Beijing, at the time. He had joined her, as she was giving a few conferences there, and he had arranged his layover so as to give him enough time for a quick visit. She was pacing in front of the huge windows with a view of the city skylights, unable to find sleep.

"- I don't see it that way, – he countered, putting away his phone, – I actually think you've matured.

- Don't humor me. – she warned, even though she couldn't sense even a hint of deceit in his voice.

- I'm not. To be honest, I even think you look better than you did."

She rolled her eyes as it couldn't be true.

"Trust me, I liked you before; you were a very pretty girl. But now, you're a beautiful woman. And that's an improvement."

He was being completely honest. Though, as he finished his sentence, he felt a wave of sadness overtake him. She immediately felt it and went back to bed with him. He laid his head on her chest as she wrapped her arms around him. He suddenly felt unusually vulnerable and she could guess why.

A week ago, news from a study on hunters had come out. It turned out, neither of the ones that had retired got to live a very long life. No one had noticed before, because hunters used to die in battle before they got old. The few that had decided to retire had done it in secrecy. However, since she had started a truce between the two ages-long enemies, her clan, more often than not, chose to finish their life peacefully. And, as it happened, they all died before reaching sixty.

The study found that, if their age didn't show externally, inside, their heart weakened, their organs faltered, and vampire blood couldn't do a thing about it. In fact, it made it worse. Their human body wasn't made to be this quick, this strong; it was as if the blood had made them live faster, and so it ended sooner.

So, they had realized she wouldn't get to grow old. One day, maybe sooner than they thought, she would just fall, and nothing could prevent it.

She had quickly made her peace with it. She thought she had lived a full and satisfying life. Better than most lives, she even argued. But he wasn't ready yet.


"- Do you know that Ethan got his girlfriend pregnant? – I suddenly ask, because I have just found out on the way here, and the thought has popped into my head.

- Did he?"

He says it like he couldn't care less, but we both know I can feel some glee, well hidden behind his indifference. Usually I keep to myself any news about my son, because it either bores him or angers him. Actually, scratch that. It used to anger him at first, when he heard the news I was pregnant. God, that felt like so long ago.

Jake had wanted a child so badly. He had accepted my weird relationship with Eric, after a while, and had decided he would even be okay with it. But he needed to have something of himself, of us, to feel complete, I guess. I had flatly refused for years. And then, as time went by, my resolution had faltered. I had thought that, maybe, I would regret it if I didn't. I still don't know if I would have. Probably not. But I didn't regret doing it. I love the little bugger. More than anything. Even if he used to drive me nuts most of the time.

He kind of hates me now. Not as much as when he was a teenager, but he still hasn't forgiven me for being so absent. God, was I a bad mom! Thankfully, Jake was a better parent that I could ever be. That doesn't excuse my behavior, but hey, I knew I wasn't cut out for it, didn't I? I guess, even if I was a disaster, I'm still kind of selfishly glad there will be something left of me when I'm gone. That's my immortality, I guess.

Eric hated seeing me pregnant. He found it completely gross. Once he agreed to put his hand on my belly to feel the fetus moving. I didn't know vampires could almost throw up. I didn't see him for a whole year after that. It was the longest we'd ever been without one another. But then he came back, and acted as if nothing had happened at all. He ignored the kid for years. I almost thought he had forgotten about it. I had gotten really good at keeping all the parts of my life completely separated. Maybe that's why my kid hates me…

And that's probably why Ethan keeps me away from entire parts of his life too. Like when he went to college without telling me. He didn't even tell me about the huge loan he'd had to take, until he came to bitterly thank me for paying it up. The thing was, I hadn't; I had no idea. I then found out that Eric had reimbursed the whole thing. He hadn't forgotten about my child; in fact, he had been keeping tabs on him, and without anyone knowing, he had been protecting him all this time.

When confronted, he had shrugged it off as if it was obvious:

"Well, he's a little part of you, so he better still be here when you're gone, that's it."

That's why, even if he had probably found out before I did, I told him about Ethan getting his own child. I know that, somewhere beneath all the layers of cool, he deeply cares.

And in the way he kisses me now, I feel the promise: I'll look out for that one too. And all those after them, when you're gone.

Good. Now that's taken care of, we can go back to all the crazy sex and fun we were having.


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THE END

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