First off, sorry for missing the update last week. There is good reason, as will be mentioned below.

So, quick announcement: update schedule for this story and 'Another Version' needs to be altered. It's unfeasible to do a chapter a week with new life schedules. So, 'Moonlight Tales' will be updated the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month, while 'Another Version' will be the 2nd and 4th Sunday (perhaps with the exception of this week where we might release one to announce the new schedule).

We will do our best to keep to this schedule as much as possible, with a day or two leeway if things are super hectic.

Reminder (and part of the reason we're adjusting schedules): Mine and Tyler's story 'Butterfly Wings' is being made into a fanmade LIS sequel, so come hang on our discord to follow developments, volunteer or chat with other LIS nerds: discord. gg/ 9peBgHN (just remove spaces and fingers crossed it'll work. This site is damn awkward about links. Or look on the AO3 version of my profile/BW story or pm me on here for an invite)

Hope to see ya there :)

Also, apologies if there are a bunch of typos. I'm hella tired and only did a very quick edit check.

Chapter Twelve: Stress Release

Chloe's POV

After class, I'd gone to hang out with Justin and the other skaters for a while. When I'd mentioned it to Max earlier, she seemed pretty put out but didn't really say anything… not that she had to. I could tell that it bothered her, and that she desperately wanted to be okay with it. All she did was nod.I actually felt bad for doing it, even though I shouldn't. Under normal circumstances, anyway.

"Hellooooo, anybody in there?" The voice pierced my thought, dragging me back to reality.

When I came to again, I noticed two boys staring at me, Trevor and Justin. "Huh, oh…"

"You okay? You seem totally out of it. High?" the latter asked, an understandable assumption.

"Pfft, I wish. No, it's…" I let my sentence trail off into silence.

Trevor gave his friend a knowing glance before speaking. "I know that look. Seen it enough times on Justin."

"Oh, somebody's got guy/girl troubles," Justin announced sympathetically. "I feel you, dude."

"No…" I defended all too quickly, getting skeptical looks from them. "Maybe… fine, yeah. And the latter, for the record."

"Wouldn't happen to be that brunette we've seen you hanging around with a lot, would it?" Trevor asked, sounding pretty confident in his guess.

"It... might be," I replied noncommittally.

"Totally is," Justin chuckled, wincing when I gave him a firm punch on the shoulder and a scowl that said 'Shut the hell up, if you know what's good for you'. "Ouch, no need to get violent."

"Hmm… I dunno, it's funny to watch," Trevor answered with a slight smirk.

Narrowing his droopy blue eyes, Justin gave him a firm shove. "Thanks, dude. Really appreciate the support."

Nearly getting pushed over, Trevor regained his balance. "You're welcome. Anyway, back on track, what's got you down?"

"It's… complicated." That word didn't even begin to cover it.

"Ooooh… one-side?" Justin asked, wincing slightly. "Did you start crushing on a straight chick? Been there, done that but… you know, the other way around."

Trevor turned to him with a teasing smile. "You do seem to find literally everyone you can't date and dig them, Justin."

"It's a talent of mine," the blond boy shrugged. "So?"

"No, that's not it. About as far as you can get from it, actually," I added as a mumbled afterthought.

"Okay, so… she already seeing someone?" Trevor tentatively suggested, trying to get to the bottom of my problem.

"Also been there," Justin muttered.

"Well, if you count me then… yeah. Aside from that..." I paused, realizing that was actually part of the problem. I didn't really know what Max and I were.

"So you guys are already a thing, then. And…" Trevor encouraged, waiting for more detail.

As expected, this was difficult to explain without mentioning all the vampire shit. Even if I did, which I wouldn't, there is no way they would take me seriously.

"I won't bore you with all the details, but we've been friends for a long time and things suddenly… changed. She's…" again, I hesitated, uncertain how to put it, "...confused might be the best word. Or scared, I dunno."

Nodding, Trevor leaned against the short wall nearby. "Well, it's a big thing, right?"

"Yeah, it is." These guys didn't even know the half of it. "I guess it's been building up for a while but… when it did happen, it was pretty quick."

Crossing his arms, Justin seemed to be thinking it over. "You like her, yeah?"

"Duh," I replied without hesitation.

"And she likes you?" Trevor took over.

That actually made me smile. "I'm pretty confident in that. If not, I'd be hella interested to see what she does with someone she does like."

Trevor cleared his throat awkwardly. "Okay, I think we're stumbling into too much info territory here."

I rolled my eyes. "Get your mind out of the gutter, dude. It's not really like that… yet. Sort of. Ugh, it's really hard to explain. I just don't want to fuck this up, like I always end up doing."

Justin gave me a long, searching look. "Shit, don't think I've ever seen you so serious about… anything before."

"Not even troublemaking?" I added with a flicker of humor.

The darker-haired of the pair smiled. "A close second. Maybe you guys are overcomplicating things?"

"Yes... and no. I feel like we could make it a little easier on ourselves in some ways. Others… we can't really do much about." Honestly, there were quite a few things out of our control.

"May as well focus on the shit you can do," the blond replied simply.

Trevor allowed himself an amused smirk. "Oh, look at you dishing out relationship advice."

"Justin the love doctor at your service." He took a small bow, earning a soft chuckle or two. "Seriously, just do your own thing and try to keep it simple where possible."

Unfortunately, simple didn't really factor into the equation for the most part. Still, I had to keep trying. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks for, uh, listening and all."

"Hey, no worries. It's kinda weird to hear you talk about this but good weird," Trevor admitted, seeming a little confused by the tone our conversation had ended up taking.

"Yeah, didn't actually think there was a soft, vulnerable side to you," Justin teased.

"You'll see even less of it if you keep that up," I threatened playfully, glancing at my phone. "Guess I'd better get back to it."

Saying my goodbyes, I headed back to the Prescott dorm building. I wondered what Max had been up to while I was gone. When I reached the right floor, I continued down until I got to her room. Not bothering to knock, I pushed the door open to find the room empty. Odd… perhaps she was taking a shower or something.

I ventured down the hallway, checking the shower room. Nobody was in there right now. A little worried, I returned to her room and waited. It didn't take me long to crack, whipping out my phone and dropping her a string of texts. Deciding to give it half an hour tops, I laid back on her bed.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait too long. I heard shuffling outside in the corridor, the door creaking open and muffled footsteps on thinning carpet. Sitting up, I caught Max shutting herself in and kicking off her shoes.

"Was starting to wonder when you'd show up," I called out, letting my legs dangle over the edge of the bed.

Blue eyes met mine, instantly averted. Silently, she came to sit down near me, leaving a gap. Frowning, I gave her a once over noticing something was off. She seemed tense and nervous, refusing to look at me.

"Max?" I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to look at me. "What's wrong?"

When she finally looked at me, I could tell she was confused and frustrated about something, distracted. I tried hard to think of what might be wrong, even considering that she might just be hungry. Although, for some reason it didn't feel like that. Best to make sure, though.

I shrugged off my jacket, just in case. "So, is it time to open the Chloe blood bank?"

The question snapped Max out of her trance. "What? N-no… I've, uh, taken care of it."

"Lemme guess… you paid your delightful neighbor across the hall a visit," I concluded, not sure how to feel about that.

"Yeah, I did," she admitted sheepishly after a second or two of awkward shuffling. "Since you need a break from last time."

I knew Max couldn't rely on my all the time but still... "Wish I didn't. I know it's necessary but… still feels weird thinking about it. Do you, um…?"

"Do I… what?" she asked hesitantly, looking very guilty all of a sudden.

Finding this harder to say than anticipated, I cleared my throat. "Do other shit with her? Like… with me?"

For a good few seconds, she seemed to be weighing up her options. "I want to say no but… it's not all that easy to control. If I could, I wouldn't. And, uh, Rachel clearly seemed to think it was a good idea to include that in Victoria's priority list. But… I haven't done anything… major. Shit, this sounds like lame excuses, right?"

"Well… it's not like you can help it, from the sounds of it," I muttered, trying to shrug it off.

Picking up on my attempt to ignore the flicker of jealousy, Max shuffled closer and took my hands in hers. "You can say if it bothers you, Chloe."

"Maybe a little…" I sighed, wishing I could just accept it without question.

"I know this probably won't make it better but…" She bit her lip, looking at me properly for the first time since returning. "I'd choose you over Victoria any day."

"I certainly have the marks to back that up," I smirked, not feeling as jealous as I might have expected. "And, despite the bitchiness, Victoria is pretty hot."

Frowning slightly, Max shook her head. "I feel like this is a trap so I'm not going to answer that."

"Yeah, because you know I'm hotter than her or any of her clones. Than anyone here at Blackwell and beyond." Getting an over-exaggerated eye roll and a smile in response, I took that as a 'yes'. "I just have to wonder why Rachel would set it up to be like that. Not like it was necessary or anything."

"You tell me. I don't know why she does half of the shit she ends up doing, no more like ninety percent. Maybe she's bored or just likes the drama," Max theorized thoughtfully. "And if it benefits other people, that's a bonus but not a major concern."

I nodded, agreeing with that conclusion. "I just wish she could leave us to it sometimes, not interfere so much. Like, letting us reach our own conclusions instead of forcing one, even if it might be a similar end game."

"You and me both," she muttered. "I'm a little worried about what she's messed around with, things I might not even know about. And sometimes I want to feel mad about it but…"

"It just kinda fades away?" I finished for her. "I know the feeling. I'm guessing that's her handiwork, too. I mean, it happens a little around you but I don't think you purposefully go out of your way like she does."

"I so wish it didn't," she replied, hanging her head slightly. "Even without Rachel's meddling, you're still influenced by me."

Not wanting her to go into guilt mode, I gave her hand a squeeze. "I know, Max. And I appreciate the thought, even if it's not really possible."

Whatever happened, I didn't want her to feel responsible all the time for this. She couldn't control it and clearly wanted it to stop. Even if I did want to get angry with her - which I didn't - how could I when she was like this?

When she didn't look at me, I poked her cheek to get her attention. Her eyes flickered over, filled with confliction. "As much as I don't want it to happen like this… part of me is worried that, if it ever disappeared, there would be nothing holding you to me and you could just… go. I know that's so damn selfish, but you deserve to know what I'm thinking, even if it's bad."

Nothing I said now would provide comfort, not since they might not totally be my own in Max's mind. And yes, maybe she had a point. Still, I was certain I would feel this way regardless, just expressing it differently. Or maybe the same way eventually.

Instead of saying something that redundant, I pulled her into a hug. Her fingers dug into clothing, hopefully understanding the meaning behind it more than any words ever could. I wasn't going anywhere.

Rachel's POV - Forest Outskirts, Rachel's New Home - Late Evening

Ever since my scrape with the other vampire, my time here had been fairly peaceful, verging on boring. There was very little to do in Arcadia Bay, not like other places I'd stay before. I had always been drawn to the hustle and bustle of the city, even in life. Had it not been for Max, I would've been out of here long before now. This was supposed to have been a short pitstop in my travels, an opportunity for a refuel and run. Instead, I gained a whole lot of unavoidable responsibility I just didn't want.

Rustling from outside caught my attention, a familiar presence permeating all my senses. It was heading my way imminently. A sense of odd calmness passed over me as it approached, annoying me slightly. Something had to change, and soon.

I waited until the presence was pretty much on my front doorstep before moving over and opening the door. As expected, stood there was a girl about my height. Her brown, chin-length hair was a little out of place from the trek over here.

Blue eyes met mine, determined. "Rachel, we need to talk."

Stepping aside, I let her in and motioned to one of the chairs. Hesitantly, she accepted and I joined her. "So, what did you want? To come all this way, it must be important. Or maybe you just wanted to come and see me. How much talking we will be doing, exactly?"

Max faltered at my suggestive tone, eyes flickering with temporary lust before she shook it off. "A lot of…" she paused, trying to find the right word to use next, "...weird things have been happening and I suspect - in some cases know - you have a lot to do with them."

"Such as?" I prompted, watching her closely.

"Chloe, for one," she replied almost instantly. "Not to mention Victoria. Or me. The whole turning thing, that wasn't really your fault. You didn't mean for that to happen. And maybe some of the other stuff is unavoidable, especially where I'm concerned because of that damn bond. But… I get the feeling that at least some of it has been intentional."

Taking a moment to reply, I leaned back in the chair and assessed the situation. "Like what?"

"Like…" Max seemed distracted for a moment, eyes glazing over slightly before getting back to her point, "...setting things up to tempt me. Before you ask, you already know what I'm talking about. You've done it with Chloe and Victoria, even if you just did it to tease me or… I don't know why."

Having to stop myself from majorly rolling my eyes, I shook my head. "Not like I'm actually forcing you to do anything, Max. Yes, I might help it along and in turn intervene sometimes but if I didn't, somebody would get hurt. You can't just ignore it all, you know."

"Why are you really doing all of this?" she asked, sounding more than a little frustrated. "Messing around with my… other people's lives. No offense, but you don't seem like the type to care much if someone gets hurt normally. So, why go to so much effort for people you don't even know? What difference does it make to you if Chloe, Victoria, me or anyone else suffers?"

Recently, I had started to wonder about something, especially related to newly developing behavior like this. Something told me Max never used to be so pushy… or maybe that part of her was just waiting for the opportunity to move to the foreground. If that was the case...

I shrugged, acting uninterested. "Maybe I'm just bored."

"I don't think that's the whole picture," she insisted, staring me down. There was a fire in her eyes, suggesting she would get an answer one way or another.

As a rule, I did a pretty good job at hiding my true feelings and intentions. With Max, it was getting progressively harder to evade answering her truthfully… and that annoyed me to no end. "Is that so? Well, why do you think I'm doing it, then?"

Her eyes met mine in a long, searching stare. "I… don't know exactly, but I know there's a better reason behind it than just being bored."

At least we weren't so in sync that she could tell exactly what I was thinking… yet. I had been researching the bond between fledgling and sire ever since realizing I'd inadvertently created one. It seemed that there was a general consensus on a few points: mutual dependency on many levels, two-way protectiveness, a desire to satisfy each other's needs, either personally or indirectly… an inability to hide the truth from one another. That last one was a real sticking point for me.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, fighting against the gradually building urge to break down my cryptic barrier. "For someone who claims not to know this 'other reason', you sound confident."

"Well, maybe it's like when you can tell what I need or am thinking, but not as strong," she theorized, not too far off from what I suspected.

"However much you complain and whatever my intentions, it is helping you," I countered firmly.

"But that's not the main reason you're doing all this," she insisted just as forcefully.

There was no way I was going to hand it to her if I could help it. "Life needs a little mystery, Max. If you can guess, I'll 'fess up. Until then, these lips are sealed."

She did not seem happy about that answer, a multi-layered wave of frustration emanating from her. "Don't make me force it out of you."

My eyes widened a fraction, surprised by the almost aggressive response, then I chuckled. "Well, you can certainly try. Although, I respond better to other kinds of persuasion."

Before I could get another word in, Max shot up from her chair and sent it flying across the room with one powerful strike. It slammed into the opposite wall, actually leaving a dent. I watched it unflinching, eyes wandering back to her calmly. If this continued, she would probably end up hurting herself. Thanks to this whole bond thing, that was not even an option.

Sighing, I stood and walked over to her. "Max, you need to…"

I darted out of the way, nearly hit by something she had found to fling at the wall. Whatever it was smashed. Even before it did, she was already looking for something else to break. Keen to stop this destructive rampage of my house, I grabbed hold of her wrist. Instinctively, she lashed out not caring who was on the receiving end of her frustrations. Easily, I caught her arm, holding her steady. I could feel her tense against me, trying to release my grip.

"Get off me," she demanded, pulling her arms back and forth to shake me off.

I held fast, pulling her arms behind her and leaning down to whisper in her ear. "That's enough destruction for now, don't you think Max?"

The struggling faltered, tension shifting from hostile aggression to something else entirely. Without warning, I felt something brush against my neck, soft at first then light pricking. With everything that had happened, this development actually made sense. Between my interruptions and her ridiculously strong moral compass, she was pretty much at the limit of restraint.

"Oh, so you are taking my advice on other methods to make me spill my secrets," I teased, debating my options now. "I'm guessing you're quite frustrated now, hmm? Between Chloe, Victoria… and me, I'd wager."

All I got in response to my educated guess was a low, almost possessive growl and a firm tug, loosening my hold enough for her to get her hands free. I could have stopped her easily but I was curious to see how this would pan out. Her blue eyes zeroed in on mine, intense and filled with a burning longing that would make any human weak at the knees.

Normally under these circumstances, I would be heavily pushing my own agenda. For maybe the first time ever, another's needs measured up to mine. Just enough to temporarily eclipse them. It was a strange feeling, foreign. As much as I wanted to hate it… I couldn't.

I watched her watching me, noting the slight shifts in tension and steadily intensifying animalistic glint in her eyes. Her hesitant doubt was slowly draining away, replaced by the desires of the fanged beast deep inside acting as her puppet master. My own - the passenger I'd been carrying around for a century, one I knew better than my human self now - reacted to that. More strongly than it had done to anything for decades, equal to bond I had felt on turning, yet different. From the other side of the fence.

It compelled me to take a back seat, reactive not proactive. No matter how old a vampire got, they could never break free from the dictation of the bloodthirsty and lustful primal instincts. They could only get even more consumed and merged. While they may learn how to keep the beast at bay, it would be foolish to ever suggest that anyone could control it completely. Mere semblance of power.

Before I could finish that thought off, I felt her body slam into mine, pushing me back with immense force. Keeping my balance, I let myself slide across the floor, small chips of wood flying from underneath my heels as they scraped across the boards. The second my back hit the nearest wall, she was on me.

Despite my unorthodox position, I let her lips collide with mine in a hungry kiss, already feeling her hands wander. Fingers pressed into skin, leaving deep red welts as her tongue forcefully slid into my mouth. The urge to take over subsided as soon as it flared up, both infuriating - how I found it personally - and desirable by the intricacies of our bond.

Without warning she pulled back, lips and teeth finding my neck and shoulders. Instinctively, I moved my head so she could get more access, arms wrapping around to hold her closer. My own fingers worked down her back, eliciting another growl as I returned the favor marking the base of her back with deliberate scratch marks. Dipping slightly under the waistband of her jeans, I ran the nail of my index finger along, teasing.

In response, she plunged her fangs deep into my shoulder, raking nails down my stomach. That made me shudder involuntarily, the dual sensations surging through me. I rarely let others actually touch me in these situations, and if I did it was under strict instruction. Even without direction, Max seemed to know all the sweet spots and working them just enough.

She didn't seem like the type to have had much experience with this before turning - the previous awkward limbo state with Chloe was a strong piece of evidence - so I had to guess it had something to do with our bond. That was a big part of the reason I'd been avoiding Max as much as possible. I didn't want anyone in my head, knowing as much about me as I did, especially so easily.

My own personal reluctance wasn't enough to stop the beast inside's approval. It had been a while since out interests clashed - most of the time I was more than happy to satisfy its needs - so this was odd, in the best and worst way. Her fangs retracted, hands tugging impatiently at my clothes.

Reflexively, I smiled. The beast hummed encouragingly, clamping down on my compulsion to intervene. Done waiting, she practically tore the clothes from my body and I made sure to return the favor as she began making her mark. Her desires and needs continued to encroach on mine, weave their way in to align, like puzzle pieces fitting together. It almost felt like they had always been there, although I knew that definitely wasn't the case.

My musings were stopped dead in their tracks, focusing solely on her touch. Sounds escaped my lips I hadn't heard in a long time, not from myself at least. Various sensations hit me all at once, pushing any second thoughts to the background. They intermingled with the feelings radiating from her, culminating in a collective sphere of raw emotion. Words had long since been rendered useless, vocalizations taking on a much more animalistic nature of expression.

Weeks of pent-up frustration erupted, both from Max and myself. She had been plunged in the deep end, forced to face things she had most likely kept on the back burner as a human. As for me, it had been impossible to even think about anyone else, especially as her desires hit breaking point. I had foolishly thought ignoring it would make it go away, knowing full well it wouldn't. I'd been a vampire long enough to figure that out for myself.

There was really no point or hope of holding back, so I didn't. And neither did Max. By the end, we were both scratched and bitten to pieces. More things in my house had been broken - including some snapped furniture, nail marks and dents on the floor and walls, as well as some on the ceiling too.

In the aftermath, we laid there on the floor surrounded by the chaos, way beyond the point of caring. It was strange. Normally in this situation, I would have my fun and leave. Probably never deal with the human, vampire or whatever in question again. I certainly wouldn't give a damn about the state I'd left them in after, not like now. The nagging question persisted… was she okay?

After a few moments of silence, enough for us to both calm down and process what had happened, I shifted onto my side to face her. Proof of my handiwork lined her skin, some pretty prominent marks and bruises.

"Hey," I murmured, reaching over and brushing her shoulder lightly. "You okay?"

Lazily, she turned her head to look at me, blue eyes no longer filled with the same overwhelming lust as before. "I… yeah, I think so."

"You just think so," I pressed, feeling a genuine pang of concern.

Thinking it over for a second or two, she shrugged. "I mean, I'm fine in myself it's just… not really sure what to think about what just happened."

I managed a slight chuckle, feeling a little relieved it wasn't something serious. "Always overthinking. Don't make it more complicated than it has to be. We both needed that, almost as much as we need to feed. It's part of the package. We're a lot more in touch with our inner animal than humans are."

"Yeah, well… still trying to come to terms with that," she muttered, expression conflicted.

"You'll get there. And you have plenty of options, although…" I hesitated, the beast inside not overly happy with what I was about to say next, "...I'm probably not going to be around forever."

Something flickered in her eyes then, mostly disappointment which she quickly tried to cover up. "Still keen on leaving?"

Pushing back on possible backtracking, I voted for deflective humor instead. "Nothing personal. All things considered, I could've ended up with a worse accidental fledgling."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Gee, thanks. I feel so much better now."

"At least you're cute," I replied on instinct, tone mildly flirtatious.

"Oh? I guess that would explain a lot." With a slight smirk, she motioned to the tapestry of marks dotted along pale, freckled skin.

Her sudden, unexpected show of confidence made me laugh. "It would, yes. As tempting as it is to fill in the gaps, I wouldn't want to push you too hard."

"Or is that just an excuse for you?" she challenged.

"Oh please, fledglings can hardly keep up," I countered smugly. "All that… activity will bring forward your next feed by at least a day." Her expression faltered slightly at that; I knew what she was thinking. "Max, don't even start feeling guilty. The way you were, you'd have ended up really hurting either Chloe or Victoria the next time you got in certain situations."

Max's expression seemed to suggest she knew that - our session would have completely broken a human - but she was reluctant to accept that fact. "I should still tell her."

Normally, I couldn't care less about humans. Chloe was… a little different and I suspected that was because of Max - both her feelings forcing themselves on me and because the bluenette would be crucial if I was ever going to return to my normal existence.

"Oh, feel free. But you know that she'll just end up accepting it whatever, even if I hadn't been meddling," I reminded her, feeling a brief wave of irritation come from her, soon fading in the wake of begrudging acceptance. "What I suggest instead is making it up to her later. Promise I won't… intervene next time. Well, unless she's going to get seriously hurt. Now you've got the initial surge out of your system, it should be fine so long as you keep on top of it. Like with blood. And if you ever feel it building up too much, I'm around for the time being."

She didn't say anything, mostly because she didn't have a valid counterpoint. Even if she did, there was no arguing with me. I'd had a century to perfect my technique, won many battles of wit and cunning.

I sat up, examining the tattered shreds of clothing dotted around the floor. "Oops. Good thing I have some spare clothes, unless you fancy streaking all the way back to Blackwell. Not gonna judge if you choose that option."

She scoffed. "No thanks. I've had enough excitement for one day."

Shifting over to my now slightly damaged wardrobe, I helped pick something out for her from my wide collection. We were around the same height and there wasn't much in it size wise. With a few outright 'nos' on some of the more revealing numbers, we settled on some ripped black jeans and a red flannel shirt. Her sneakers managed to survive - about the only thing that did - so she slipped into those.

"Not that adventurous but... " I gave her a once over, nodding approvingly. "Better than what you had," I finished, motioning to the tattered remains.

"I'm just glad I left my hoodie in my dorm," she added thankfully, turning to me. "So… guess I'll see you around?"

"Maybe…" I responded, both of us knowing we'd somehow find our way back to one another eventually, whatever the reason.

I watched her leave, fading into the darkness. Even long after she had disappeared from sight, I could sense her presence in other ways. Still not having gotten dressed myself, I gave my now disheveled home a scrutinizing glance. The memory of the last… however long since Max first came here. A good couple of hours, if not longer. It was surprising the foundations were still standing.

Smirking to myself, I lightly tapped my chin in thought. "Guess it's time for some refurbishing…"