After a lovely review and some urging from a reader I decided to post this a week earlier than I had originally planned. So as always, read and review.
Leila looked out the window of the three story house, the beauty of the garden under her window was wasted as she stared into space. It had been six days since she had left with Kira for their "girl's week" and she was feeling both relaxed and tense enough to shatter at the slightest hit. The time away had the desired effect of clearing her head without having Vlad's presence distracting her. She hadn't realized how much their fighting and Vlad's foul mood was exhausting her until she was away from it all.
While it was nice to have a break from that, she was also lonely for the first time in over a year. She was so used to having Vlad at her side constantly that not being near him was almost painful. She understood what Kira meant when she told her that it wasn't healthy to be so reliant on Vlad's presence and she was right. Vlad had to leave many times in the year to do errands as the master of his considerably large line and he wouldn't always be able to take her with him. She needed to be able to handle being without him when it was called for.
This vacation certainly helped with that. Kira had made a point of keeping them busy since the minute they touched down. Everything from zoo visits to the local arcade was in their plans and Leila had loved it. Kira had even set up a movie night, complete with blood bags for snacks. Leila had been shocked by how much effort Kira had put into her plans and making Leila feel at home. When Leila had thanked her for it, Kira had shrugged her thanks off.
"It's nothing to thank me for. You're my friend and you don't feel well, I want to make you feel better and keeping your mind off of your problems will help with that. Besides, doing these things with you is fun."
Leila would never say just how much that meant to her, but she got the feeling Kira knew despite her not vocalizing it.
Sighing to herself, Leila refocused on the question she had to answer by the end of the day. Did she want to stay another week? Part of her did, the thought of going back to the castle where Vlad could still be in a foul mood wasn't appealing in the slightest. The memory of how he had grabbed her arm before she left flashed through her mind. He hadn't wanted her to leave, had in fact argued against it multiple times, but she had ignored his wishes and left anyway.
The idea of staying in this quiet and peaceful neutral ground for a bit longer sounded better and better with every passing minute, but she couldn't run away from her husband forever. They would need to discuss their fighting lately and his habit of working himself to passing out instead of simply asking for help, neither of which were topics she necessarily wanted to cover.
She also had to take Kira and Mencheres into consideration. However long she decided to stay would be how long they were separated. Kira shouldn't have to be without her husband because Leila was hiding from her own. That was the barest amount of consideration Kira deserved after helping Leila over the past week.
A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts, Leila turned to see Kira leaning against the open doorway with one hand still resting against the wood from her knock. "Where were you? You looked miles away."
Leila's mouth twitched in amusement at how true that statement was. "Well, considering who I was thinking of it, technically it was."
Kira nodded sympathetically, moving to sit on the bed next to Leila. "Have you decided if you're staying another week or not?"
Leila's grimace served as her answer, Kira patted her back comfortingly. "No need to rush, just call Vlad and tell him that you're considering it and you'll get back to him tomorrow or the next day. Don't push yourself on it, this vacation is supposed to be relaxing for you." Leila nodded, watching as Kira rose to give her space to think.
"Let me know when you figure it out, if you feel like it there's a cute little bookstore I wanted to check out with you later but I understand if you just want to relax today. Tina should be by later so we can all hang out, after I introduce you two, of course."
With that, Kira left her alone to consider her options. The idea of going to a bookstore sounded relaxing after how much they had been doing in the last week and Leila was excited at the thought of meeting Tina. Knowing she would need to think on it for at least the rest of the day, Leila stroked her hand over Vlad's essence and followed the link back to him.
Ever since being turned into a vampire Vlad couldn't hear her when she linked to him without her specifically sending her thoughts. She had been tempted to check in on him throughout the week, knowing he wouldn't know about it, but she had refrained. They would survive a week without one another. Maybe Vlad would even have the situation with the storm solved by the time she decided to go home. It would be nice to not have the oppressive cloud hanging over them while they talk everything out, but the likelihood of him accepting the help he needed was slim to none. The amount of damage and people he needed to see to would take a month of work, she had done the numbers when Maximus had coached her on how to help Vlad after he passed out. Without help, the dreaded stress would remain for a while longer, further making her want to extend the vacation a week.
Leila watched as the walls of the guest room melted away to the castle's stone interior. Vlad laid reclined on their bed with his eyes closed, but his posture was too stiff to be asleep. Taking her time to look him over, she was shocked to realize how haggard he looked.
Leila had been sure Mencheres would have forced him to rest for his own health, but apparently not even his honorary sire had managed that feat. While he was clean and freshly showered, his stubble had lengthened into a beard and his hair looked tangled as if he had run his hands through it endlessly. It was a contrast to his normal put together appearance and a small part of her wondered if it was because she wasn't there with him.
Forcing herself to focus back on her reason for linking and not her husband's tired appearance, she sent her thoughts across the link.
"Vlad?"
His previously tense, reclined posture disappeared as he snapped into a sitting position. His eyes flew open as he scanned the room before looking where she would be if she was physically there.
"Leila, have you made your decision to come home?" No niceties or conversation starters, just immediately wanting his answer. Affection flared at his familiar attitude.
"No, I haven't. Kira and I are having a lot of fun though. I'm thinking of extending it another week."
Vlad's face twisted into a scowl at her statement. "There are plenty of fun things to do in Romania, you could invite Kira here to continue your vacation."
The tone he used wasn't commanding, but Leila could hear the undertone of aggravation and almost desperation. Vlad was handling their separation just as well as she was, it seemed. While she was surprised at his offer of inviting Kira, she shot the idea down.
"If I head home tomorrow it won't be to go sightseeing. I'm sure the town still needs a lot of work, I'd prefer to be using my time to help those who need it than going somewhere fun."
Vlad's grimace softened around the edges, "Yes, you do have the habit of wanting to help people, don't you?" His words held the slightest trace of remorse, Leila knew he was thinking on her well intentioned actions the week prior.
"We're not having this conversation over link. It can wait until tomorrow or next week. I'll link to you again when I decide if I'm staying or not." Vlad's scowl resurfaced with force.
"Come now, Leila. There is no need for this. You've made your point and I acknowledged that my words were wrong." Before he could say anything else, Leila cut him off.
"No, Vlad. This is my decision and I will let you know when I make it. I won't have this argument over link. I love you and I'll talk to you later."
"There won't be an argument-" Vlad's words are cut off by the link dropping. Leila stared at the walls of her guest room and sighed. While he may say there wouldn't be an argument, she highly doubted it. They couldn't seem to help butting heads whenever the opportunity arose and it was likely this time was no exception.
Glancing at the open suitcase next to her, Leila shook off her melancholy. She had a meeting with Tina to dress for and a bookstore to go to, she could think more on how long she would be staying tomorrow.
The meeting with Tina went better than expected, Kira's sister had wasted no time in welcoming Leila to their odd little family. It was now day seven of the vacation and Leila still hadn't decided when she would be headed home. The sight of Vlad so disheveled pulled on her heart, but she knew that if he was going to keep refusing her help then there was no reason for her to go back. Watching him pass out had been one of the most terrifying things she had seen in the last year and that wasn't including having to sit back and let him ignore his own well being by working himself into the ground. No, it was better to stay here and not have to subject herself to that.
The sound of a familiar voice walking toward the house had Leila sprinting toward the main hall with confusion. Kira appeared right next to her, her brow creased in worry at hearing the voice of her husband who was supposed to be in Romania with Vlad. They both skidded to a halt as two familiar heads of dark hair breezed into the house.
Leila stared in shock at her husband's stiff posture. He looked slightly better than the last time she had seen him, but not by much. His hair wasn't quite as tangled as before although it wasn't in its normal style either. He had changed clothes from when she had last seen him, now wearing her favorite sweater that was practically painted onto his torso in a rich wine red that accented his eyes. The jeans he wore were another surprise, Vlad generally wore slacks or higher end material pants. It was rare she managed to convince him to dress down in jeans, but the way they clung to his hips was well worth the amount of time it took to make him come around to it.
The sight of him in all his gorgeous, albeit exhausted looking, splendor made Leila ache to go to him and trace her hands across every plane of his body. Shaking herself from her hormone induced thoughts, she focused more on the almost slouch to his shoulders and the tired droop to his eyes. The sight twisting her heart painfully.
Before she could rethink it, she walked up to him and cupped his face. Stroking his light beard, she spoke. "Vlad, what are you guys doing here? I hadn't made a decision yet and you can't try to force me to go home." Her body tensed as she prepared for the fight she was sure was coming. She had told him it was her decision and she was going to fight him for it.
Her bravado deflated when Vlad grabbed the hand on his face, interlocking their fingers before pressing it more firmly into his jaw. She felt as he inhaled deeply near her wrist, his actions telling her exactly how much he had missed her.
Dimly she noticed as everyone else left the room to give them privacy, but her eyes were only for Vlad as he answered her question. His tone was steady, "You are my wife in all realms of law, this means I am legally allowed to be wherever you are. You were refusing to come to me, so I came to you."
Staring in disbelief, Leila finally chokes out. "And what if I choose to stay another week? You can't just abandon Romania while it needs you."
Vlad refused to release her hand as his eyes remaining locked onto hers. "Then I will stay here for the week as well, I refuse to be separated from you for another day. The last seven days have been wretched without you so I decided I wouldn't be without you any longer. As for Romania, I asked for Mencheres aid and have the worst of the damage cleared. Anything that is left over can wait until I come back. I have spent enough time over the last few weeks ensuring my people's well being, now it is time to focus on yours and mine."
Leila couldn't believe what she was hearing, her husband had come all the way to the states to be with her. He wasn't trying to force her back like she had thought he was, instead he was refusing to leave her side no matter where she chose to be.
The thought of going home was appealing, especially now that the worst of the stress had past. Taking in his appearance and the emotions brushing against her own, she gave in. "Alright, let's go home. You look like you're about to pass out again. I understand that you take your duty to your people seriously and I admire that, but you can't do this to yourself."
Vlad's smile was jaded with a touch of humor, "My current appearance isn't due to any purposeful neglect of myself. When I refused to rest after you left, Mencheres locked me into our chambers with the strict order to rest. However, I couldn't sleep peacefully without you by my side. When I realized that the only thing that would make it better was your presence, I asked Mencheres for his help in handling the damages. Thus freeing me to go to you in case you wished to stay another week."
Leila felt a twinge of guilt at the knowledge of her being the reason behind Vlad's exhausted state. Her hand brushed through his beard before twining up into his hair. His eyes flashed closed for a second, soaking in her touch, before reopening and staring intensely into her own as she spoke.
"Well, now that we've decided to head home we can both get some much needed sleep. I don't care who I have to electrocute, you're not leaving our room until I'm satisfied that you've had enough sleep." Vlad's mouth twitched in amusement, inclining his head in silent agreement.
"I will wait here while you pack." Leila nodded, squeezing their interlocked hands before blurring off to get her things ready. Excitement flushed through her as she began filling her suitcase, Vlad seemed to not want to fight like he had said when she had talked to him before. Maybe there wouldn't be an argument after all…
"I am happy to see that your wife is agreeable to returning home with you. While we solved the worst of the problems, you really shouldn't stay away from your country for long in its current state." Mencheres stood in front of Vlad, Kira curled into his side where she had been since he had entered their home.
Vlad glanced at him briefly before focusing back onto the door his wife had left out of moments before. "It matters none, if she had chosen to stay I would have remained as well. The past week of separation has been more than enough."
Mencheres hid a smile at Vlad's statement. It was nice to see the one he saw as a son happy. Leila was good for him, she kept him from becoming cold to the world around him. He still had a lot to learn, as this past week broadcasted, but so did his wife. They would learn together over the next few centuries of being married.
He had watched, over the week, as Vlad had run himself into the ground trying to resolve the problems of his citizens as to retrieve his wife quicker. He hadn't out right said his reasoning, but Mencheres had a hunch. If he was correct, the reason for Vlad's rush to return to his wife's side was a combination of his guilt over his own words before she left and his natural desire to have her near him.
Watching now as Vlad waited for his bride, Mencheres knew that their disagreement and Leila's hurt feelings would be addressed in short order. Once in a private environment, Vlad wouldn't waste a moment in soothing over the hurt his words had caused. That pain had already had too long to steep as it was and Vlad knew that. Mencheres had seen the knowledge of the damage his words could cause eat at Vlad over the past week. It was no surprise he had been so determined to resolve the problems soon.
Tina trotted into the room, breaking him from his thoughts as she was introduced to Vlad. "Oh! You're Leila's husband, you aren't really the Dracula are you?" Mencheres mentally cursed at his sister in law's accidental misstep. Before he could speak to sooth Vlad from his irritation, Vlad spoke up, surprising Mencheres with his calmness.
"No, Dracula is a fictional character that holds no resemblance to me other than our shared names. Don't call me that, I despise that horrid name." Tina agreed easily, unaware of how unusual his calm reaction was, before bidding them all goodbye.
Seeing his undoubtedly surprised expression, Vlad grunted out. "Not minding my words has already cost me much over the past week, I won't be making that same mistake again anytime soon. Besides, Tina is your sister-in-law, showing disrespect to her is the same as disrespecting you."
Nodding his acknowledgment, Mencheres surprise only increased when Vlad turned to Kira. "You have something to say, so say it." Mencheres looked at her curiously, he hadn't noticed her wanting to speak but seeing how she shifted uneasily, he knew that he had missed it.
Kira's mouth pulled into a hard frown, she glanced warily to Mencheres before beginning to speak. "I get that you were sleep deprived, but you really need to watch your words with your wife. I don't like receiving calls from one of my few friends while she's crying and needing a rescue from her fire breathing husband. Aim the fire toward your enemies from now on."
Vlad easily nodded, knowing that his words had been unnecessary and untrue. Had he been in a normal frame of mind he would never have let them leave his lips, however his previous rage mixed with his sleep deprived status had him spitting those venomous words before he could think better of it. The last seven days he had done nothing but think on how his wife's face had crumbled from pain before locking all emotions away. From the moment Leila had left that room he had wanted nothing more than to take them back, but her sudden trip to the states had thwarted him.
Kira relaxed now that the threat to her friend's emotional well being was gone, "Good, because for the most part you two are good for each other. The last thing I want to see is you becoming toxic to her emotional health." Vlad caught the grimace on his sire's face and his slight tightening of his arm around Kira's waist, there was a story there, but he had no interest in it.
"You have no need to worry about that, while I accidentally harm her with my words more often than I prefer, I would never hurt her in any way on purpose." His words rang with truth, it tore at him whenever he was the reason his wife was hurting, he never did it on purpose but sometimes their fights would escalate and it happened despite his wishes.
Leila breezed into the room with her suitcase in the next instant, stopping to kiss Vlad's cheek in greeting. His body lost some of its stiffness at the affectionate gesture. Leila's voice was low when she spoke, only loud enough for him to hear. "I know you don't mean to hurt me, that's why I'm still with you. If you did it on purpose I would have left already."
Most males would have been enraged or unsettled at such a comment, Vlad had never been like most males. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her into his side. "Good." He never wanted Leila to feel as if she had to take anything he said without defending herself, a relationship where either party is unable to speak their mind or object to unfair treatment is unhealthy. While their marriage wasn't always easy, he would never allow it to become harmful to either of them.
Exchanging goodbyes with one another, Kira grabbed Leila in a hug before they left. "If you ever need another break or just want to hang out, give me a call. This was nice and it would be fun if we could do it again in the future." Leila nodded, still stunned by someone other than Vlad willingly hugging her. Vlad gently tugged her toward the back lot, where the helicopter was parked and ready to take them home.
On the walk over, Leila hesitated to grab Vlad's hand. They still hadn't talked about their fight or his words, were they still in the middle of an argument? They weren't acting like it… As if in answer to her thoughts, Vlad gripped her right hand in his. Relaxing against him, Leila smiled at his unspoken reassurance. Before they boarded the helicopter, Vlad pulled her to a halt outside of it.
Her confusion only increased as Vlad stripped her gloves off of her before lighting them on fire in his palm. Leila protest was cut off by Vlad's clipped statement. "These won't be necessary, you have more sets waiting for you at home and I am more than capable of keeping your powers in check until then."
Leila immediately stopped trying to argue as it dawned on her what he was doing. Her husband wanted to hold her hand and instead of asking or just taking it, he made it where she had to or risk causing engine troubles. Something between a sigh and a laugh pushed from her lungs, "If you wanted to hold my hand, all you had to do was ask. That was a waste of perfectly good gloves."
Choosing not to comment on her observation, Vlad pulled her into the copter behind him. Leila watched as the forms of Kira and Mencheres became smaller in the window, only turning to Vlad when she could no longer see them.
An awkward silence spread as Leila stared at her husband, not sure if he wanted to talk about everything now or later once they were home. Breaking the silence, Vlad gave her the answer. "Before we begin clearing the air, I need to address something. My words from before you left were untrue, I do need you. I apologize for ever letting you think otherwise."
Leila felt the knot in her chest that had formed when he had said those hurtful words begin to loosen. Logically, she had known he hadn't meant it, but that didn't stop her emotions from turning sour. Squeezing his hand, she accepted his apology. "I know you didn't mean it, I knew that immediately after you said it. I just had difficulty pushing back the instant emotional response."
Vlad grimaced, his hand coming up to stroke her head in a comforting fashion. "You shouldn't need to push back your emotions and I will do my best to not give you reason to. The minute you left the room I wanted to follow you, to take those words back. I knew that they had an impact, whether you wanted them to or not. Leila, never think for an instant that you are not absolutely necessary in my life."
Leila grimaced, immediately setting Vlad's nerves on edge. "I mean, you weren't wrong. You don't need my help, you've lived on your own for five centuries so I'm not-" Vlad's lips cut off her words. It was all he could do not to hiss in frustration, he had hoped she wouldn't take his words to heart, but he should have known better.
"You're wrong. While I don't generally need help in matters pertaining to politics, you were correct that I did need it for this case. There was too much for one person to cover feasibly, even if that person was me. You brought that fact to my attention and I hadn't wanted to admit it, but you were right. I lashed out at you because I didn't want to acknowledge that, but Leila."
Here he pulled her into his arms, "I do need you. In every aspect of my life, you are vital. If the grave were to claim you, I would follow shortly. After dragging the one who caused your death to their own, of course."
Leila wrapped her arms around his chest and held on tight, she had known on an instinctual level that he wouldn't hold on if she passed, but to hear it from him was something else entirely. Swallowing back the lump that suddenly appeared, "I won't ask you to try to live without me, because if the situation was switched and you were the one who died I would do the exact same thing. Instead, let's both just try to stay alive as long as we can, okay?"
Dropping a burning hot kiss to the top of her head, Vlad voiced his agreement. "That is the plan. Now that we have talked about our most recent argument, shall we sit? We have a long flight back to Romania."
Leila tugged him toward the seats in answer. Instead of sitting in her own, she waited for him to take his seat before planting herself into his lap. She felt his chest rumble with amused chuckles but his arms didn't hesitate to wrap around her, securing her to his chest. His voice broke her out of her bubble of comfort after she had cuddled down into a comfortable position.
"There is another matter I wished to discuss with you, now that we have resolved our previous disagreement."
Leila looked at him curiously, not sure what he was wanting to talk about but listening attentively. They had already talked about their argument so what else was there to discuss? "Alright, I'm all ears."
Vlad's mouth twitched down as he spoke. "After I spoke without thinking a week ago you were rightfully hurt by my words, but before you left you called me by my full name. I request that you don't do that again."
Leila raised an eyebrow, but nodded all the same. "Okay, may I ask why?"
Grimacing, he explained himself. "I share the name Vladislav with my father and the only time I used to hear his full name spoken was when my mother was enraged with him. My father was a cold man and their marriage was arranged for political gain, so my mother held no love for him. She had no power over his actions or words, so she fought with him in the only way she could. By calling him by his full name that very few people used. While the citizens believed she was showing him respect, my father, my brothers and I knew better. I grew up watching my parents loathe one another with an icy coldness, my mother's use of his full name was only one of many ways they used to show their displeasure with one another. I don't like the comparison of my parent's loveless marriage to ours. Ours will never be that, I will ensure it. Therefore, the next time we fight, if you feel the need to call me anything other than Vlad, I would prefer a disgustingly sweet nickname over Vladislav, if I had to choose."
Shock rolls through Leila at his admission before understanding settled. It was similar to how she didn't like seeing reminders of her father in Vlad's actions. She used to hate how Hugh had treated her mother, so to see the similarities in Vlad was disconcerting.
Wrapping him into her arms, she spoke. "If it means that much to you, I won't do it again. Do you seriously prefer cliche nicknames over that though? You would prefer I call you stupid things like 'honeybear' or 'sugarpie' when I'm angry with you?"
Vlad grimaced at the names, but nodded with confidence. "While I despise those as well, they are still miles better than my full name."
She didn't even try to hide her shock at the new information. "But wouldn't it hurt your reputation more to be called one of those over your name?"
He sighed, knowing that he wasn't getting out of this conversation. "While it may possibly affect my reputation, I will take that risk. Considering all of the things that have happened over the last year of our relationship, what you choose to call me will probably not have any effect."
Leila nodded against his shoulder, mentally making a note to not use his full name anymore. She hadn't even meant to say it then, but seeing the profound effect it seemed to have on him she knew that she wouldn't be saying it again.
Vlad relaxed underneath her, happy to bask in her company now that all of the pressing issues had been discussed. His hands traced up and down her back, taking comfort in the small jolts of electricity that naturally came from her.
She let the atmosphere settle into a comfortable silence, before breaking it again. "So, what's with the wardrobe change? Usually I have to drag you into jeans and you can't get out of them fast enough."
He cracked an eye open, staring down at her as he considered how to answer. "I knew that you wouldn't be happy with me for following you to the states after our previous argument. However, I wasn't sure how unhappy you would be so it made sense to dress in clothing that you find most attractive. It's harder to be mad at someone when you want to drag them to the nearest flat surface and have your way with them."
Leila pulled back to look at him, both amused and touched by his decision. Sure his plan hinged on manipulating her hormones, but the reason he was trying so hard was because he didn't want her to be angry. He was bang on for his clothing choice, she had barely kept her hands above the belt since they left. However, there was one odd thing about his appearance…
"I appreciate it, but your beard doesn't exactly match your clothes." She stroked his beard as she told him this. It's longer length feeling odd against her hands, but not wholly disagreeable.
Vlad grimaced at the reminder, "No, it doesn't but I hadn't thought that far. I was set to come and get you as physically fast as possible, in my rush I forgot my razor. If you had decided to stay a week, I would have had someone run to get one, but we are on our way home now. Once we are there, I will fix it."
Leila rubbed her palm against the unfamiliar bristles, "No need to rush, I think I prefer your usual cut, but this is nice too." Vlad's mouth twitched into a smile, "Of course, it is. It's on me."
She let out a laugh at his arrogance, "I should have seen that coming." He nodded in agreement as he pulled her tighter against his chest.
Relaxing into him, one of his arms holding her legs while her head curled under his chin, she felt as dawn began to sap her strength. "Go to sleep, darling. We have a long flight ahead of us and I will be following you soon."
She needed no more encouragement, allowing the heavy lethargy to pull her down. Before she slipped under she felt burning hot lips slide against her forehead and warm breath brush against her. "Have sweet dreams, my love."
