Hey everyone :)
I know many of you are probably a bit worried at my recent absence. I have been known to disappear for months at a time. But I'm here. I already have the chapters written, I just had to work things out with my beta for a bit and I took a break. No, I'm not angry about any reviews, so don't ever be under the impression that I would stop writing just because one or two people disagree with my choices. I like lighting a fire under my reader's ass, and I'd like to see who sticks around for the sequel too!
Shilo - Thanks, doll :)
Foryourentertainment6 - Don't worry! You get your wish in this chapter!
Meggie - Aww, sometimes these things happen though, that's the reality of it! Can't cry, just gotta try to fix things!
SinfulRoad - Aw man you are way too good with your analyzing, I can't throw you off if I tried and I have a feeling you know exactly what's going on.
DownBelowGirl - Are you new? If you aren't, I'm sorry but if you are HELLO! :D Glad to see more Crystal/Godric supporters :)
"So I'm your doll for the night then?" Crystal asked happily, taking the Saks Fifth Avenue bag from Godric.
"Yes, you are. Go on and get dressed my little doll." He winked. Truth be told, she was still riding a high from finding out she wasn't pregnant, and now he bought her something from Saks and was taking her out somewhere special? She was practically bouncing around like a bunny instead of walking.
Crystal dug into the tissue paper filled bag and pulled out a red Stella McCartney that was sassy as hell, the ombre fringe went from the hip to the floor, starting as the same red as the gown and shifting through copper to gold at the floor. It both hid and revealed everything. She would have never imagined Godric could be able to pick something out like that. She stripped off her clothes and shoved the pregnancy test at the bottom of the trash can, putting paper towels and toilet paper over it. That could hold it off until later, right now, she just wanted to shimmy into the dress.*
When she slipped it on, it was nice and tight...just how she liked it. Crystal pulled out a sleek black box out of the Saks bag, and ripped the top off when she saw 'Louboutin' in script on the front. Inside were a heart-stopping pair of red, glitter soled, peep toe pumps with an almost manageable heel; she'd have to be careful. Sure enough, the bottoms were red: signature Louboutins.
She put them on, feeling like a brand new woman. She looked mysterious, hints of caramel legs showing as she moved, neck and shoulders on display to entice Godric, she wanted to be sure she was the appetizer, main course, and dessert. Crystal dug through her suitcase until she found her makeup bag. She used concealer underneath her eyes, and to highlight around her eyebrows. Next, she covered her lids with a golden bronze eyeshadow, and used her black liquid liner to give herself a sexy cat-eye. She used mascara, and applied a deep, crimson blush, accenting her indio cheekbones. Last, she used her red lipstain to give her lips a dark berry flush.
She loved her natural curls, so she ran her fingers through them, making messy, crow feather waves that tickled the tops of her breasts. She held her breath, spritzing on her perfume lightly. She hoped, and prayed, that her nausea wouldn't ruin the evening. Turning around one last time in the mirror, she straightened her posture and left the bathroom, feeling like a vixen.
Godric was adjusting his tie in the mirror, but when he saw her figure reflected as she emerged from the bathroom, he turned around, his eyes traveling over her entire body. She didn't know he was going to be so dressed up himself, and she found herself eye-raping him too. He was sporting black formal dress pants, and a matching black suit vest, which was unbuttoned to display a deep red rose colored button down with 3/4 length sleeves, and a black tie.
"You look...absolutely divine." He said in awe as he approached her, making sure to keep his fangs tucked away. The moment he saw her, they threatened to snap down almost instantly.
"Why thank you sweetheart. You look like perfection yourself." She glanced over her shoulder at him as he circled her slowly. "What are we getting into tonight? Other than each other of course."
"You'll see."
His reply was rather ironic, since he blindfolded her and carefully led her out to the car. She couldn't stop giggling as she asked him questions that he refused to answer. They were driving for an hour, and she started to grow antsy.
"The last time you blindfolded me I had the best orgasm of my life. Are we about to have sex?" She asked.
He laughed, "No, we aren't. Not right now, at least."
She sighed. "You keep giving me all these surprises. There's no way I can top a house for you baby."
"Your happiness is more than enough of a gift for me." He assured her, placing his hand upon her thigh and basking in her vivid warmth.
"You are scoring so many brownie points right now, it's ridiculous. Consider me your slave for the night." She was pleased to feel his grip tighten on her thigh.
"I don't think you understand the effect you have on me, my doll."
Godric continued driving for another half hour, and Crystal waited patiently behind the blindfold, enjoying getting used to using her other senses. She could smell Godric's cologne, it mingled with the new-car scent and the leather seats. Whenever he touched her, it felt especially cold, and because it was unexpected, it would give her tiny goosebumps along wherever his hand rested. She was turned on by his voice before, but now she noticed all of his inflections, his unrecognizable accent.
The car came to a stop and she listened to him get out of the car, and a half second later he was helping her to her feet, steadying her. "Are you ready?"
"I was ready two hours ago! Come on, I'm about to burst." She pleaded.
"Alright, alright." He led her inside and up what seemed like a never-ending flight of stairs. Since she was blindfolded, she began to count them to herself. When they reached the twenty fourth step, she was hit with a warm outdoor breeze, and Godric loosened her blindfold, and allowed it to drop from her face.
Her eyes took a few seconds to adjust and focus properly, but once they did, her hand came to her chest, her other hand closing tightly around his. They were on a beautiful rooftop. There were fragrant trees and night blooming flowers that decorated the perimeter, and the only lighting was that of the bright moon directly above them, the glowing stars surrounding it, and the pink and blue flames that danced inside of a decorative glass casing on a rectangular table. Behind the table, was a long, black sectional sofa.
She turned back to him and pulled him into an embrace, stealing a lengthy kiss afterwards. "There is nothing I love and appreciate more than the night sky. I feel like you captured it just for us tonight." She closed her eyes blissfully, letting the breeze lift her hair only a little. A tear escaped her closed lid, rolling down the side of her face. She opened her eyes and blinked a couple times, wiping her eye and laughing to cover the sadness she felt.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
She gestured to everything on the rooftop and to the sky, unable to form proper words at that point. "I slept with him. With Sam, I had sex with him." She blurted, crouching down to the ground, her heels keeping her steady; with her hands covering her face. Godric knelt down to her, resting his hand on her shoulder.
"That's all I wanted." He said. She looked up at him, confused as she sniffed.
"What?"
"All I wanted was for you to tell me the truth. I already knew." He helped her to her feet and led her over to the sofa, sitting down with her.
Crystal couldn't believe it. Sookie was right. "If you already knew, why are you still doing all this for me?"
"To be honest, I knew my leaving would upset you. When I made the decision, I understood and accepted the consequences of my actions. But you are here with me right now, you aren't with anyone else. That's all that matters. You're a strong woman, the descendant of a powerful god Crystal, if you truly wanted to go, you would have left." He clasped his hand over her own as he moved closer to her.
"Was I upset about it? Yes. I am a man and I am a vampire, I do not want to share you with anyone. Has my trust in you faltered? A bit. Am I still undeniably in love with you? Absolutely. That love is what keeps me here."
She looked at the man in front of her wide-eyed. "I just feel so horrible about it."
"What you fail to understand is that I've made my fair share of mistakes in our relationship. Yet love keeps you coming back, you think it wouldn't do the same for me? I probably should have said this to you earlier, but I was sensitive about the subject and I still am. I had sex with Itza." He confessed.
Crystal blinked, looking at him serenely before she gave a soft sigh. "She should be resting in peace now then. That was kind of you." If he was so understanding about her failings, she could do the same for him. She knew how much Itza wanted that physical closeness with him, at least she had something to make her happy in the end.
"Let's not focus on that. You haven't eaten all day and there's a chef awaiting your order." He handed her the menu. "No more tears, you're wasting away your beautiful makeup." He took the cloth napkin from the table and unfolded it, dabbing the trails of mascara from her cheeks while she read the menu. She leaned into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. The waiter took her order and left briefly, returning with a champagne bucket filled with ice.
"I got it, thanks." Crystal stopped him from properly opening the Dom Perignon. The waiter looked hesitant but left the table. She took the bottle and ripped off the foil, giving Godric an excited look. "I've always wanted to do this." She said, carefully taking off the wire around the cork.
"Be careful." He warned, tilting the bottle away from her face.
"I got it, I got it. I see it in movies all the time." She said confidently, proceeding to excessively shake the bottle until the cork came flying off with a popping noise that was louder than she expected. Startled, she dropped the bottle; but in a flash, Godric caught it by the neck, the bubbly liquid foaming up and onto the floor.
"Thank God for vampires." She conceded, taking the bottle from him and pouring it into her flute. He wiped his hands, and the bottle off with a napkin.
"I was prepared for that, or the cork hitting the waiter in the face. Luckily, the appetizer isn't finished yet." He chuckled.
"I wish...you could eat with me." She took a gulp from her flute. She didn't know much about the proper way to do things. All she knew was that it tasted good the moment it touched her lips.
"It would be a bit more romantic than just watching you wouldn't it? Here, I'll pretend for you." He took the bottle and poured it into his own flute, raising it for a toast. She held hers up as well.
"I'd like to make a toast...to new beginnings and happy endings."
"New beginnings and happy endings!" She repeated, their flutes touching lightly as she downed the rest of her champagne. Godric pressed his drink against his lips, but did not drink the liquid.
"Was that believable?" He asked.
"I love you so much." She laughed, clasping her hands on either side of his face and kissing him, tasting the flavor on his lips. The waiter returned with a small order of Oyster Bruschetta for the appetizer.
"Your Seafood Alfredo will be ready shortly, is there anything else I can get you?" He asked.
Crystal shook her head, reaching out and picking up a piece of the Bruschetta. While she was raving about how excellent everything tasted, a man exited from the door that led downstairs into the building. While her mouth was stuffed, she happened to look up and see him making his way towards their table.
He was about Godric's height, which was only an inch or two taller than Crystal sans-heels. He was thin and had a ginger colored curly, mop that fell to his shoulders. It was a strange contrast to his dark brown eyebrows and hazel eyes. He wore a tee-shirt that had some unrecognizable lettering on it, and over that he wore an unbuttoned flannel shirt. His pants were black and ripped. He looked like a nineteen year old NYU film student.
Godric stood up, coming around the table and greeting the young man.
Meanwhile, Crystal curiously watched the interaction with, still working on her appetizer. The food was intoxicatingly good.
She saw the kid gesture towards her, and Godric nodded. They both came over towards her, and she somehow hoped that Godric didn't hire a stripper. The only person she wanted to see strip was him, and the guy wasn't even her type. She at least wanted a beefy stripper. Not a fucking hipster.
"Crystal, I would like to introduce to my old friend Nathaniel."
She choked on the new flute of champagne she was working on. This was Nathaniel? The one who was responsible for her house? He owned a speakeasy in New York in the thirties? The kid looked like he couldn't get in a speakeasy if he tried!
"I'm so sorry about that." She wiped her chin with her napkin, standing up and smoothing her dress out as she extended her hand to shake his. "It's wonderful to meet you!" She said.
"The pleasure is mine. Godric has spoken highly of you, now I can finally put a face to the name." He had an elegant, bright Irish accent. Crystal was no expert on vampires, but she could tell that this one was very old. Still...the clothes threw her off.
"Nathaniel lent us the rooftop of his hotel for the evening." Godric explained why he was there.
"Wow, this is yours? It's amazing, really. And I love the house. You've made this a very special weekend for us." She said happily.
"Godric has done so much for me in the past, how could I not give you two the finest treatment possible. I want you to feel welcome," Nathaniel clasped his hands together as he spotted the waiter coming with a tray of food. "Ah, your food has arrived. I'll leave you to your evening."
He made one of those vampire-fast exits, and Crystal let out the breath she had been unwittingly holding. She turned to Godric: "He looks like he's my age!" She exclaimed quietly while they sat back down at the table.
"Enjoy." The waiter collapsed the tray stand, and left.
"He was turned at eighteen, but Nathaniel is..." Godric paused, doing a bit of quick math in his head, "...a couple centuries over a thousand." He concluded like it was nothing.
Crystal digested all the new information she was gaining tonight, while she mixed her pasta around in the creamy sauce, making sure that it enrobed the scattered scallops and shrimp. "I don't mean to sound rude, but I didn't know you had friends." She looked up at him innocently.
Godric sat back against the sofa, slipping his arm around her shoulders as he pulled her close enough to bury his nose in Crystal's hair. "I have not seen many of them in years, nor do I intend to. Nathaniel is the Sheriff of Area 3, which covers Sedona. When we are settled here, I will introduce you to Eva, she is the Sheriff of Area 2; where we reside, Phoenix."
She listened intently while savoring her pasta. "Well, as long as you're staying in touch with friends, I'm happy." She twirled her fork on her plate as she laid her head on his chest. "You have to leave Stan and Isabel behind, don't you?"
He nodded.
"I never thought about all that." She said aloud. Her inner thoughts were telling her to stop him from giving up his whole Dallas community for her. He had held his position in Texas for many years, and gained respect from people and vampires alike. He was well known, and well protected. Now she hoped he didn't feel alienated. Nathaniel seemed nice. This Eva woman has to be decent since he knows her too. Things were changing for the better, she continued to tell herself.
"My love."
"Hm?"
"I love you so much, words cannot begin to explain how dear your soul is to me." He kissed her cheek softly.
"I love you too Godric, I just wish I could do half the stuff you do for me." She sighed, looking around at the beautiful rooftop and the open sky above them.
"There is one thing you can do that would make me feel complete."
She looked at him sadly. "But I thought you couldn't give me kids?" She assumed he was referring to her having his children. As much as she would love to, it was against Mother Nature.
He took her hand in his own and looked into her eyes, giving her an amused smile. "No, that's not what I meant. I would love to give you children if I could, but someday in the future we will make some orphan's life a lot better with our care." He took an unnecessary breath and continued, actually feeling nervous for the first time in centuries. He was moving forward and doing something he had never done before.
"I don't want us to go through these constant entrances and exits of our relationship. It's not good for me, and it isn't good for you,"
'Oh dear God...he's leaving me. He did all this fancy stuff to say goodbye.' she thought to herself, wearing a poker face.
"We've been through so much, I truly believe nothing can tear us apart. Not many couples can go through near-death experiences and live to reminisce about it. Our bond is unlike any other, and I never want to lose you to anyone else. I want to solidify what we have for the rest of our time together." He shifted around a bit, visibly uncomfortable with whatever it was he was saying.
"This is something I would have never thought I would do for anyone, let alone a human; but you are much more than that. A power-hungry witch cannot erase the legend that is in your history, in our history. I respect no other as I respect you. I love no other as I love you." He stood up and she watched him intently, still wearing a poker face.
At least, until he got down on one knee, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.
He opened it to display the luminescent ring inside. "Crystal Coco Ramire Martinez, will you complete our bond?"
