Derek was gone down the street pretty quickly and didn't seem to look bad on anything, not even the fight.
Kina came in, looking over at the vampires. She then walked towards the kitchen, studying what Derek had gotten them for food; weird he would get some then leave, but the council didn't wait around for anyone. She turned back towards the vampires, but it turned out to be just Stephen. "So..." she said quietly.
Stephen had let his eyes drift mostly closed, listening to the sounds around him. Though, when she spoke, he opened one of his eyes half way. "Would you take offense if Derek told me to take care of you?" he asked suddenly. If there was any chance to get Derek in trouble, he would take it. No one, not even Kina's brother, got away with insulting him.
Kina looked over at him for a bit, then sighed. "It doesn't surprise me and yea, it kind of does." She paused. "Let me guess....Derek asked you, didn't he?" she muttered. She shook her head. "It makes me a little upset for him to think I can't take care of myself, but then again, it's the brotherly gene I think."
She walked back over to the kitchen, taking out a soda. She popped it walking back over to join them.
Stephen chuckled softly. He could understand where Derek was coming from, wanting to protect Kina. Back when he had been human, he'd had two younger brothers and two younger sisters. "It's wanting to protect the people you care about, even when they don't want protecting because you know that if something happens to them, you will never forgive yourself," he told her.
She nodded slowly; she understood. It wasn't just brotherly love though, since that kind of love applied to a lot of loves in life. Love was simple and kind, but yet, it could be probably the most hurtful thing or deadliest in the world. But still, humans and creatures alike chose to mess with it. It was apart of life. "I understand," she told him, looking up at him. She then smiled. "You and him seem alike, somehow."
Stephen looked down at
her, smiling softly. "Oh? And how would that be?"
Before
she could even answer, Tenzin leaned over the edge of the couch and
asked, "Have been taking your medication?"
Stephen
looked up at him, glaring daggers at him. "No, now go back to
sleep," he snapped.
She shook her head. "Your attitude, your personality...the way you stand, the way you think." She shrugged. "There's a lot, by my guess. Although you are technically enemies by job, you could be best friends by character," she explained.
She looked over at Tenzin, then over at him, her face now confused. "What medication? What for?"
Stephen grimaced a bit, shooting another glare at Tenzin before looking back at Kina. He held her gaze for a moment before it dropped. "About... twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with an extreme case of bipolar disorder," he told her, though didn't even look at her, as if he was ashamed of it.
Kina looked at him, and paused. She had heard of Bipolar Disorder many times before and she'd seen it in work. She followed Stephen's eyes as he looked down. She took a step forward, coming close to him. She lifted hand, trying to gently lift his face to face him. "It's okay. That's nothing to be ashamed of," she said to him. Her face was sincere. "It's a part of you and all you can do is take care of it. But don't let it bother you and don't let it bother who you are."
Stephen slowly lifted his head, but only when she made him. He didn't say anything, but just looked at her. Not be ashamed of it? It was amazing how much she sounded just like... He sighed softly, his eyes closing for a moment before opening again. "How can I let it bother who I am, when it's a part of me?" he asked, just being a little smartass.
Kina smiled slightly, pausing to try and reword what she was saying. "What I mean by it is...it's not really anything you can take care of, since you just have it. All you can do is put up with it and make life the best it can be, whether you have it not," she tried to explain. In her head, it made all the sense, but she was sure that quite possibly he was confused.
Stephen smiled softly. He knew she was right. He leaned against the couch, letting his eyes drift shut before pulling them open again. "But how can you really mean that when you don't know what it does to me?" he asked. He motioned to the room around them, meaning the fight. "This was only scratching the surface."
She smiled back at him, but gave a small shrug. "It's kind of like what my dad use to tell me. But I'm going to put it in a milder sense. He said, 'Stuff happens.' It's true. I think the best you can do is try and control it, or get a bit of help with it and take your medications. It's not killing you, that's for sure."
Stephen still had his doubts, but didn't voice any more of them. And she was right, again. It wasn't killing him and all he could do was try to manage it. But he couldn't take the medication, he wouldn't. The only medication he could get was strong enough that it left him completely emotionless, numb. He would rather feel and risk doing things he'd regret than feel nothing at all.
She looked at him for a bit, the silence between them nearly killing her. But then she stepped back, and around to the kitchen, finishing up her soda and tossing it in the trash. She glanced outside and into the darkness. It was starting to get later in the evening, probably near nine or ten. If she was going to go out, she would soon. But she was unsure.
Stephen watched as she walked to the kitchen. He didn't have anything to say, so he just sat there. The silence brought on a horrible ringing in his ears. He growled lowly and shook his head, hoping to get rid of it. He moved his gaze to the window, not able to get rid of the ringing. He felt the urge to go out and just walk around aimlessly.
After a few moments, she decided she needed to get out; she'd probably go to the nightclub and watch people since she was currently out of business. She turned towards Stephen at hearing the growl. "You want to come for a bit? I'm going to go down by the nightclub. Listen, watch, maybe get a drink," she explained to him. She grabbed her jacket as she lightly opened the door. She wondered if he'd come along, and leave Tenzin there.
Stephen glanced over at Tenzin, the young man once again asleep. He figured his fledgling would be out for a while. "Yeah, ok," he said, looking back at Kina and getting to his feet. He hated being around lots of people, but it was better than sitting around doing nothing. He walked over and slipped out the door, waiting for her in the hallway.
She followed out after him, closing the door quietly and locking it for Tenzin's sake, although she doubted that it'd be the best protection if someone seriously broke in.
She gave him a small smile and led the way out of the apartment complex. "If you would like to go somewhere else instead of the club, that'd be fine. That was my only idea and it gets me out of the house, so it's okay," she commented to him, talking quietly as they walked through the halls.
Stephen waited patiently until she finished locking it. He smiled back and followed her out of the building. "I don't care where we go," he told her. At least his neck didn't hurt much. It was just enough for him to know it was there. He hoped not too many people would notice the ash colored skin on his throat in the shape of a hand print.
She shrugged, then nodded. "Alright. Club it is then. Unless you'd rather wander rooftops." She smirked slightly, meaning it to be more or less a joke unless he seriously wanted to do that, then she didn't care. She was glad to have some sort of company out there in the evening.
She walked outside, staying to the streets for once since she wasn't exactly hunting; it was better to try and avoid coming across a vampire and being tempted. The club wasn't far, just down the street, and wouldn't take them long to get there.
Stephen looked over at her, one eyebrow raised. ...He'd do that tomorrow night. He looked back ahead so he wouldn't run into anything. He noticed that she kept the streets instead of the alleys and such as he was sure they were both used to. Probably not wanting to run the risk of meeting up with another vampire. He could understand that.
She glanced over at him, to meet his somewhat surprised look on his face. "What?" she asked him curiously. Within the next few minutes, they had reached the club. Already it looked like most of the party-goers were club-hopping and coming and leaving at their own leisure. It wasn't exactly bouncing at the club like she expected, but there was a bit of a crowd on the dance floor, leaving space at the tables and at the bar.
"I haven't
wandered rooftops in weeks," Stephen told her. He only did that
when he was completely bored out of his mind, as a last resort to
entertain him.
There weren't as many people at the club as he had
expected, which was better for him. The less people crowding around
him, the better. Even before they entered through the door, he could
actually feel the music, the sound vibrating through the ground. He
could feel the beats in his chest, as if he actually had a heartbeat.
She nodded. "Ah. That's all I use to do, pretty much. That's how we hunt," she commented quietly. She entered into the club, leading him to a table near the bar, kind of away from the large groups and noisy people, but still within view of the dance floor. She gave him a smile. "Do you want a drink or something? I'll cover it," she said to him, since she had invited him there in the first place. She really was grateful for his company.
Stephen didn't say anything other than a quiet "Hm." He followed her into the club, sticking close. He wasn't normally found in this kind of scene, so he wasn't quite used to the loud noise, the strong smell of alcohol or the crowds. He took a seat at the table she led him to. At her question, he thought for a moment. Even though alcohol didn't have a very large affect on him, and tasted horrible in his opinion, he figured he might as well have some. "Eh, I'll just have...a volcano blitz."
Kina listened to his order and as the bartender took their order, she doubled on his order and decided she might as well try it, since the name was new to her. She was use to just the typical light drinks, since she usually couldn't stray from the right mind.
As the bartender left, she glanced around. The noise was loud, but there was only a slight thump where they sat, quieter than the rest of the club, away from the crowds, TVs, dancers, and music. She hoped he'd be okay as she guessed he wasn't the typical party animal like she had been one time in her life, before she took the family business a little more seriously.
Stephen didn't let it
show, but he was looking forward to seeing how Kina was going to take
such a strong drink. He himself, he could drink about five times as
much as the average person before getting drunk, which was good for
him.
As he looked around, he was glad she had chosen this spot,
away from a lot of the noise and people. He looked back at her,
grateful she had invited him along. He didn't even want to think what
kind of trouble he would be causing if he was still back at her
apartment, trying to entertain himself.
When the drinks came, she stared at it for a second, taking in the unusual color and definitely the smell it gave. She took it in her hand, taking a brief, yet meaningful sip. She coughed; that sucker was good but it was STRONG. Stronger than most drinks she had had in her lifetime.
She smirked at him. "Doesn't surprise me a vampire would having something this strong...alcohol doesn't effect you, does it?" she questioned.
Stephen chuckled softly, amused just by the look on her face. He grabbed his drink, taking a large drink from the glass before setting it down on the table. "Oh, it does," he said calmly. "It just takes a heck of a lot to get me drunk though." He would know, he'd tried.
She nodded, taking in another sip of the drink. She needed to be careful; she had no idea how she'd act as a drunk, or if she had been previously, she couldn't remember. It was quite possible she had been before....since she had been a party-girl at one time.
She looked up at him as started on her drink. "So...any plans for the next few days?" It sounded like a stupid question, but she meant well with it.
Stephen grinned and took another drink from his glass. "Yeah, getting you into the habit of not attacking every vampire you see," he said. Though it was an exaggeration, he couldn't have her attacking anyone at the ball, despite how they might treat her. "You'll need to learn a bit about my world, how to act, who to talk to and who not to and such things."
She made a slight face, having forgotten that the whole party would be predominately vampire-life there. She then sighed, nodding. "It's a hard habit to break, but I'm sure I can do it." After all, soon enough the business would probably be gone for her, and she might have a better chance at being closer to Stephen. For now, she'd let him have his fun, and she might learn a thing or two about vampires along the way.
She looked up at him. "How to act?"
"Hm." Stephen finished down his drink, setting the empty glass back on the table. He felt nothing but a slight buzz. How disappointing. At her question, he told her, "The people there are going to assume that I own you and Derek, and you two are going to act like it. That's the only way I can get you in." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Besides that, there are going to be very powerful people there. You'll have to treat them with respect, and not do anything to offend them."
She listened to him, then surprisingly finished her drink. There was a buzz there, but she was pushing it back, still within a right mind to comprehend what he was telling her; but she doubted she could make it through another,
She smirked slightly when he mentioned that her and Derek were to be 'owned.' Derek wouldn't approve, but he would have to put up with it. She knew that Stephen really didn't actually own them so it'd be okay. She nodded again, knowing slightly how this was going to work.
Stephen sighed contently and leaned back in his chair. She seemed to understand everything he had told her, but he would find out soon enough if she would actually be able to control herself. "That also includes controlling yourself should we run across Seth," he said to her. "I know how you feel about him, but while we are near others, you must act as if he is just another guy that you've never met before... even when he taunts you, which he will."
She looked up at him, and somehow she could feel the wound at her side again; but then again, the alcohol probably didn't help her body much. She didn't sigh, nor did she say anything. She knew Stephen was right, but it kind of scared her. This was her one chance at getting Seth, most likely, but it was also a game of risk practically being in a den of vampires.
Stephen sighed quietly. He hated to think of how Seth would taunt them. But he pushed that thought away. There were too many other things to think about. "...You'll also have to learn to dance," he told her, guessing she didn't know how. Of course, it was all going to classical crap like the waltz or whatever.
That made her smile; maybe it was a bit of a girlish fantasy, but she always wanted to learn to dance the traditional stuff. "Sounds like fun," she said. It would definitely be an interesting party and probably one of the greatest hunts she'd ever face; maybe even her last as a hunter. Anyone could view that in a negative or positive way. Seth scared her, but he also had something of trouble between her and her brother; he needed to be taken care of.
"Oh, it will be," Stephen said. The last time he had taught someone to dance, it had turned out quite well. He had been told that he was a pretty good teacher, but he wasn't so sure about that. We'll see, he thought. "First, we need to get some classical music."
She looked up at him again, nodding. "I'm sure I can find some. Some of the clubs around here might have a few to spare, if not the stores during the day." She hadn't been to a store in awhile, except the twenty-four hour convenience stores with groceries. It'd be odd to go shopping during the day, but she would have to eventually.
Stephen just nodded. Finding the music wasn't the problem, teaching it was. Plus, he thought it would be best if she learned how to dance in the dress and shoes right away. It would be interesting to see how she would handle it.
The dancing was going to seem like a new challenge for her, but yet some form of excitement as well because it was almost a girlish dream to know how to dance. She sighed and looked at her empty glass, deciding whether or not she would get a new one. She shook her head and decided against, knowing it wouldn't be best for her mind after all. Already she felt like her body was going elsewhere with the drunk attitude. She would have to control it.
Stephen could see this clearly. He held in a grin and asked, "Are you feeling ok?" Of course, he couldn't help the slight teasing in his voice. He found her slightly drunken mind amusing and wondered what all he could get away with, not that he would ever take advantage of her to ... well... that point.
She saw his smile and made a face slightly. "Yea...yea, I'm fine," she said. "There's a buzz there, but I'm not stupid enough to have another drink." It was then her turn to smile. "I don't know what I'd be like drunk..." Already there was a bit of a difference in colors around the room, but not so much a blurry sensation.
Stephen still didn't stop smiling. "Well, there's only one way to find out," he said. He thought it was rather amusing. Even Tenzin knew how he acted when drunk and her, she didn't know how she would act? He knew how she would act. Relaxed. Easily amused. Fun. Well, not that he didn't enjoy her company now.
She smirked, and lifted herself from her seat. She needed to get away from the alcohol. "Come on," she said, beckoning towards him. "Let's go somewhere where getting drunk is a little less tempting..." she muttered. Really, she wasn't in the mood to be drunk. "But unless you really want to see that...which I don't think you do," she added to him, looking up at him. Already her smile seemed a bit dopey and her steps a bit slanted.
Stephen watched as she got up from her seat. He could tell the alcohol had already affected her. He lazily got up from his seat, walking over to her side. "Shall we go then?" he asked calmly. He doubted that he truly didn't want to see her drunk, but he wasn't going to push her.
She led the way out the club, surprisingly mostly graceful, without bumping into anybody. She glanced back to see that Stephen was following, or at least at her side; the memory of the vampire attack seemed familiar there, but with him here, she doubted that'd actually go at her again.
She wondered where to go, unsure on any decision. She really didn't feel like going back to the apartment.
When Kina looked over to see if Stephen was there, he popped up on her other side. "We could always go to the park," he said. He liked the park at night. It was quiet with no one around but the hobos, and even they left him alone. He would sometimes go there and just stare up at the stars for hours on end.
Kina nodded her agreement, adding a smile to show that she enjoyed the idea of the park. She had been there a few times herself to escape the madness of the vampire hunts. Plus, occasionally she could find some poor, confused newblood in there, trying to live a normal, human life there.
Stephen smiled back
and led the way to the park, taking alleyways and shortcuts which
actually cut off three minutes of their walking time compared to if
they'd stuck to the sidewalks.
Once they arrived there, he looked
up at the sky, smiling. He took in a deep breath, catching the scent
of trees and snow soon to come. He exhaled, his breath forming a
cloud around his mouth. He grabbed his jacket and closed it up, at
least able to keep himself warm. Though he was worried about Kina. He
could handle cold, but what about her?
She stuck her hands in her pockets, grateful she had decided to wear a long-sleeve shirt instead of a short sleeved one. The park looked very nice, even in the nighttime. It was quiet, peaceful. She gave a small smile, more or less to express her emotions to herself. She tried to ignore the cold. "It's nice here," she commented. Really, it was.
"It is, isn't it?" Stephen walked into the park, noticing that frost was already starting to form on the grass, dead or still alive. He looked up at the sky again, the sky glittering with stars through the patches of cloud.
She continued to follow him through the park, but soon became a step or two ahead of him as she looked around the place. The sky, the ground, the plants, everywhere was beautiful even in the night where she could hardly see it. The frost was cold, but she didn't care, as was the light breeze around them. The air smelled refreshing and she took in a deep breath. Here was a place of peace, and she knew she could not fight anyone here like this. She was too calm.
The drunkenness from her body seemed to dissipate slowly and soon she felt in her right mind.
Stephen looked over at Kina, watching as she got a couple steps ahead of him. He quickened his step so he stood right behind her. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Now aren't you glad I suggested this?" He couldn't help it. He just loved being close to her... plus she smelled nice.
She didn't turn so suddenly, as she knew he was right there, but she stepped out and turned to face him. "It's a...magical place," she said. She closed her eyes. "You can the pureness in the air. The peace," she commented to him. She looked up at him, knowing he'd understand. Forever, there would be that instinctive competition between vampire and hunter. But that would happen. Here, it seemed to leave.
Stephen smiled. Yes, he understood. ...It was much too peaceful there. He suddenly wanted to go raid Seth's place. He'd actually done that before... and gotten away with it. What really caught his attention were the tiny, white flakes falling in front of his sight. He looked up, seeing that it was snowing. He smiled a bit more, his breath coming out in clouds around his nose.
She stuck her hands out, almost like a little kid as the snowflakes fell; she liked snow, found it to be one of nature's most fascinating creations. But most of the time, she had been too busy to actually pay attention to such details as the weather.
She looked up at the sky, then over at him, a smile on her face. "Thanks for bringing me here. So much better than the club."
Stephen looked over at Kina when she finally spoke. He couldn't help smiling and told her, "I had a feeling you'd like it." He knew that before long the entire city would be covered in a blanket of snow, and by how it kept falling, he got the feeling they were going to get a lot of snow.
She looked over at the snow again, and even though it was a little cold for her, she didn't mind. She stepped towards him to stand by his side. "I do like it," she responded. The whole area would get a blanket of snow and she knew it'd be pretty. It would probably also slow down Derek's return, but that didn't bother her.
Stephen didn't changed his outwardly appearance, but inside, he was beaming just from her coming to stand by his side. "Good," he said quietly. He looked around, noticing how there was already a fine covering of snow on... well, everything. Even his jacket. His raised a hand and brushed the snow off his shoulders.
She walked forward for a bit, then bent down, picking up some snow in hand. It was cold and she could feel her body start to shiver, but on her face was a proud smirk. She formed the snow up into a ball; a snowball fight with a vampire. That'd be fun. She had her back turned to him, but slowly got up, pivoting on her heel and throwing it at him lightly.
Stephen blinked in surprise as the little, white ball hit him directly in the shoulder. He shot a playful glare at her and walked over to the trunk of a tree. The branches of the tree went right over where Kina was standing, so when he kicked the trunk, piles of snow fell from the branches.
She glanced up as he did this. "Hey!" she said, just as the pile of snow fell on her. She shook a lot of it off, suddenly shivering. "Not cool..." she paused, thinking that statement over. "Well, okay...it's cool." She stuck her tongue out at him, throwing another snowball playfully, but stepping towards him as she did so, so she wasn't under a tree.
Stephen just laughed. He was pretty sure he was going to win. He rolled up some snow that had fallen from the tree, throwing it at her. He could see that she was already shivering and guessed she wouldn't last much longer.
She darted around, attempting to avoid any more snowballs thrown at her. She dove down into the snow, but gained a couple of hits because of it. She threw another, but knew she was near her end with this battle. Finally deciding that a bit of a suicide mission would be her last, she picked up a lot of snow she could carry and ran at him, coming within inches of him to dump the snow on him.
Stephen stepped to the side, her going right past him. He turned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked quietly, whispering into her ear.
She turned, and felt his hands go around her, and she dropped the snow. His voice next to her ear seemed to bring chills down her body, although she was already cold; but they were good chills.
She listened to him, sighing. "Well...I was going to dump snow on you. But I think I'm happy right here," she responded quietly, but her tone holding affection in it.
Stephen smiled a bit, his gaze soft. "So am I," he whispered, kissing her right beneath her ear, at the back of her jaw. He lowered his head and started kissing down along her neck and shoulder and back up. He was surprised, considering her previous occupation, that she would be so... calm?
She could feel her heart and blood begin to race, but immediately she lowered her breathing, trying to stay calm and keep him from noticing. She loved it, feeling him there, having him there with her. She turned to meet his gaze, trying to meet his lips with her own. She didn't care that she was once a hunter, actually born into the position. For now, that job was practically over. She cared about him. She was lucky that he wasn't going insane either.
Stephen could feel her pulse beneath his lips and held in a grin. When she turned to meet his gaze, he raised his head, their faces only inches apart. But he quickly closed the space, kissing her deeply. She had no idea how long he had been wanting to do that.
When he kissed her, it was like a new life was breaking through and she felt like either she was going to melt or her heart was going to explode from beating too fast. It was great, probably the greatest thing she'd ever remember in her life. Her eyes closed as she felt him there, and their surroundings didn't matter to her; they had disappeared in her mind. Instead, she raced back to the first time he had kissed her; their first battle.
Stephen could hear how her heart exploded into action when he kissed her. He swore he himself could feel his heart beat, if only once, but he was pretty sure it did. His eyes drifted shut as they kissed. Her lips against his felt like fire, but a fire that didn't hurt. Her body so warm in his arms, her body heat seeping through his jacket and warming his own, chilled, body.
His cold against her heat felt like fire and ice colliding and somehow, she wondered if that is what the term meant when spoken of. Two opposites coming to work one miracle; it was breathtaking and unspoken of all at once.
She could almost laugh to think of that fated kiss he had given her that practically stole her heart away that night. Here they were, hunter and vampire, once wanting to kill each other, now together and happy. She didn't want to let the kiss go.
Stephen never wanted this kiss to end, but he knew neither of them could hold their breath forever. So, he slowly, reluctantly, pulled back, but only a few inches. His eyes lazily drifted open to look at her and try to read her expression.
She took in a breath, and looked up at him, her expression almost mixed with not wanting that moment to end, but also a smile of happiness showing just how much she enjoyed it, "Wow," she said quietly, briefly. There really wasn't a word to describe how she felt at that second, but wow seemed to give him a slight feeling into her mind.
Stephen smiled and couldn't help but give her another, though shorter, kiss. When he pulled back again, he raised one of his hands, gently caressing her cheek. He didn't know what he had done to deserve getting her, but he sure was glad he did it.
She couldn't help but smile at his reaction to her simple words. She looked up at him, placing her hand over his as he touched her face. "We're both crazy, you know that?" she whispered, smiling with a bold smile. This truly was crazy, but she didn't mind at all.
Stephen just smiled and shrugged a bit. "Well, I've never been completely sane," he said, though he was joking... not really. It was probably from falling out of trees one too many times. "But it's worth it," he whispered. Of course it was, if he got to kiss her.
She nodded and laughed quietly. "Yea, I think I agree. I don't mind being considered crazy," she shrugged. "But then again, who's sane nowadays?" she wondered, knowing that everyone had something wrong with them in a sense. She kissed him once more with a sigh. She was starting to feel a bit cold there.
Stephen smiled and laughed softly. When she kissed him, he kissed back. He could easily guess she was starting to feel cold. He himself was starting to feel colder than usual with snow soaking into his skull, but he just wanted to stay out a bit longer.
She loved being out there with him, and spending time with him. Somehow she wished that she didn't need to go after Seth, but she did. She looked up at him, and shivered again, attempting to push it out of her feelings...it was becoming distracting and she didn't want to leave!
Stephen could feel her shivering in his grasp. "Want to head back?" he asked gently. He knew they should since the sun would be rising soon, but he didn't want to go back. He gently kissed her cheek, waiting for her response.
She probably would've gone the rest of the night without admitting that she was cold, although it was blatantly obvious she was. She nodded. "We probably should," she replied quietly, kissing him back gently.
Stephen smiled and reluctantly released her from his grip. It would've been just a bit awkward trying to walk back with his arms still around her. He could see that the snow was starting to fall more thickly and guessed they had to hurry a bit if they wanted to get back before it got really bad.
She grasped at his hand as he let go of her slowly. It was an interesting night and she thought possibly one of her greatest by far. She led the way, kind of, back to the apartment, knowing it'd be warmer than out in the snow that was coming down greater than before. She shivered again, picking up a bit of a pace. "Come on..." she said with a smile.
Stephen smiled as she took his hand. He followed her, but at seeing her shiver, he came to a sudden halt. Before she could ask what he was doing, he stepped forward and picked her up, bridal style. "This will be much quicker," he said. "Hold on." Then, without any further warning, he burst into a run at a speed surpassing any human by far.
He almost caught her by surprise, but she soon relaxed from her tensed stance as she reminded herself she was in his hands. She gasped, feeling the speed that the vampires could pursue on a daily basis, it was no wonder vampires were difficult prey. They were natural-born predators.
Stephen heard the gasp clearly, but didn't stop or even slow down. He kept up the inhuman pace until they had reached her apartment building. It was a good thing he'd gone that fast because even in that short time, the snow fall had gotten much worse.
She leaped down from his hands, oddly gracefully. She smiled up at him. "That was awesome," she told him. The look on her face obviously described it just as much as she did with words, if not ten times better. She opened the door to the apartment, grateful to feel the heat that her apartment gave off. Outside the windows, she could see the snow coming down; it wouldn't be a sunny morning, or day, that was for sure. Just a blizzard, by the looks of it.
Stephen chuckled in amusement. He hadn't really thought of it as awesome, of course, he'd gotten used to it. He followed her into the apartment, the warmth burning his body, which was even colder than usual. He undid his jacket, revealing his somewhat muscular chest, like usual. He rarely did his jacket up unless it was really cold. The first thing he did when they entered was check on Tenzin, who was still asleep.
She glanced over at him for a brief second, taking in the view before directing her vision elsewhere. She knew that would be embarrassing if she was caught looking, although it wasn't a big deal--he did look amazing, but he was a vampire so it was expected. She probably would've done a doubletake if she hadn't seen it before.
Her attention turned to Tenzin for a bit. "Is he alright?" she whispered quietly, retreating to the kitchen to search for a warmer drink for herself, and maybe him, but she doubted he'd drink it.
Stephen felt her gaze on him, but didn't react to it. After checking on Tenzin, he followed her into the kitchen. "Yeah. He's still asleep," he said. ... He suddenly felt like a parent. He didn't want, or need, anything to drink, he just didn't want to wake Tenzin. He also wanted her company.
She got the container of milk from the fridge and grabbed a few packets of hot chocolate mix from the cupboard. She showed him a packet, offering it up. "Help yourself, if you want any," she commented to him. She stirred hers and put it in the microwave. She leaned back against the counter as it worked in the microwave, glancing over at him. "Well, I hope he gets better soon. Must be tough, the way he got beat up."
Stephen just watched silently as she made up her drink. He wasn't sure what it was, but it smelled like chocolate. At the mention of Tenzin, his expression darkened. "I shouldn't have brought him there. I should have known better," he said, though mostly to himself. He knew Tenzin wasn't strong enough to defend himself against someone like Seth, yet he brought him anyway.
She looked up at him, then shook her head. She gave him a smile. "But the thing is...I can see it in Tenzin. He trusts you, and in a way, he loves you too. You are his sire, right? You have to teach him to be better and one of the best ways for him to learn is to see it hand-to-hand. Someday, Seth may come after him again and he knows what to expect."
She paused as she popped the mug from the microwave and gave it another stir while she let it cool for a bit. "You see...my father and Derek made the mistake of leaving me behind and going after Seth long ago. I hadn't finished my training and I was forced to learn the rest on my own. That's why my style is a bit different from Derek's. But, because of that, I had a few tussles with vampires and I got hurt pretty bad because of it. I didn't lose, but I came close to dieing a few times....and I had no where to go, because if I went to the hospital, they'd find out and that's against the hunter's code." The memories of those battles brought disastrous emotions to her mind, but she shook them out; the scars were unseen on her body, mostly hidden by clothing.
She glanced over at Tenzin with a sip from her hot chocolate. "He's learning from a fine teacher, and you just have to let him go. You can't hold him back, or he won't get any better."
Stephen listened in silence, like he did quite often. Once she was finished speaking, he just smiled and shook his head. "What would I do without you?" he asked. He hoped he would never find out.
She smiled at him. "I'm not quite sure...you'd probably still have your sire, and you'd be living life, one less vampire hunter to worry about, hmm?" She made a face. "I have a story for everything, I think..." She meant that a bit sarcastically, but wasn't sure if that was how her tone appeared. She had experienced a lot in her life, for only being twenty-one.
Stephen smiled warmly, his gaze soft. He stepped forward, gently placing one of his hands on her cheek. His thumb gently rubbed her skin as his forehead rested against her. "It wouldn't be worth it," he whispered. He could only think of one thing that he wouldn't willingly give up for her: Tenzin. But he had no reason to give him up.
She rested there, grateful for his touch at her face, as she placed her own hand over his. She smiled, feeling his forehead there, even with hers. Besides his lack of heat, she really didn't mind that he was a vampire. He acted almost human.
"You never know...someday I might get on your nerves," she concluded, more in a mocking tone.
Her skin against his felt so warm, like sitting next to a fire on a cold winter's day. Stephen couldn't help smiling at her words. "It will be worth it," he whispered. He could hear her heart beat. The rhythmic sound was so calming, like a steady drumbeat. He could remember a time when just the sound of her heart beat would've given him enough reason to attack her.
She looked up at him, smiling slightly. He truly was a prince charming in disguise; he probably once lived in the life of chivalry, but she didn't care to ask.
She glanced back at Tenzin who was still sleeping pretty hard; poor kid. The sad part is, it wouldn't have surprised her if he was older than her too. He just didn't act it.
She walked to the curtains, closing them just as the light on the horizon started to form. She knew once the sunlight came over the horizon, it'd hurt the vampires inside. She didn't want to do that.
Stephen just stood
there in silence, gazing into her eyes. He found it hard to believe
that only less than a week ago, she would have killed him without a
second thought, and he would do the same to her. Now that he had her,
he didn't want to lose her.
When she glanced away, he followed
her gaze to where Tenzin lay, still asleep. His eyes narrowed at the
sight of the stitches along his face. Seth would pay for that, and
pay dearly. The poor boy had only turned nineteen last month, and
already he had worse injuries than Stephen. Well, that was actually
debatable. Stephen's throat injury didn't seem too bad, but if it got
cut through and started bleeding, it wouldn't stop for anything. That
was how Seth took people out.
When she pulled away from him,
Stephen let his hand fall back to his side. He tilted his head, then
smiled a bit when he saw her close the curtains.
She blushed slightly under his gaze, but felt like she didn't want to pull her own away; soon, she had when she looked at Tenzin.
She turned back after pulling the curtains together, meeting in at his look. She tilted her head to the side as well in mimic of his. "What? I don't want you two to be uncomfortable here...I don't mind sharing my home. Kind of lonesome without someone here," she commented to him. She gave his a reassuring smile. "I don't blame you if you want to go back, but I wouldn't mind you staying either. It's up to you."
In truth, she didn't want them to go. She knew she'd be lonely, and she almost kind of saw the two vampires as close friends, if not a little closer to family...in a way, minus the whole relationship with Stephen. She had battled alongside them against Seth and her hatred for vampires seemed to be dissipating. Her hatred for Seth wasn't vampire-race related. It was more the killing of her family, revenge related.
When she tilted her head as well, Stephen turned his back up straight. He couldn't help smiling and walked up to her. At her words, he glanced over at Tenzin before looking back at her. "I don't want to leave," he told her. "Besides, even if I did, I can't, not with Tenzin in the condition he is." He truly didn't want to leave. He liked it here, with her, and with her brother gone.
She returned his smile, but nodded in understanding. "Well, you're welcome to stay. It's your home too," she commented to him. No doubt it'd be better than staying where they use to, but she wasn't going to hold them back either way.
She gave a mild shrug at the mention of Tenzin. "...It's whatever you want to do. I'm not going to keep you here if you don't want to, once he's better."
She wondered once Derek returned, would he still want to stay and be with her there. She figured that Derek wouldn't stay long anyways...staying in one place wasn't his style.
Stephen just smiled at her. He didn't say anything. He walked over to the couch, sitting on the floor with his back against it. He cast one more glance at her before letting his eyes drift shut. Within a minute, he was fast asleep.
She watched him sit down and go to sleep, then let out a small sigh. She decided that she'd take the chance to keep the quiet. Maybe take a shower, which seemed smart after the mess they had lately.
Her thoughts wandered as she took the shower. The events of the close past replayed in her head.
