p dir="ltr"strongAurora's POV: /strong/p
p dir="ltr"I was awakened by the sound of horse hooves and carriage wheels. Both of which seemed to be moving rather quickly. My senses were very fuzzy as I rubbed my eyes and slowly started to move. That's when I realized that my feet and hands were bound by some rough rope. "What the hell?" I mumbled. "We've been kidnapped." I heard my brother, Henry say from the left of me. That's when I noticed the smell of chloroform in the enclosed carriage. "What?" I asked. I was still trying to process where I was and how I got there. "It's James Moran. He... he came for me. I tried to tell him to leave you two alone, but he wouldn't listen." Jeremy said. From the sound of his voice I could tell he had been crying. "It's okay. It's not your fault, Jeremy." Henry said. I agreed with that statement with all of my heart. The situation we were in wasn't because of Jeremy; it isn't his fault that his employer is a murderer looking for revenge on those who linked him to the recent killings./p
p dir="ltr"As we laid there side by side in the darkness, I wondered where we were being taken. But that wasn't much of a mystery for too long. The carriage stopped and a few moments later the back of the carriage was opened. I was violently pulled onto the ground as well as Henry and Jeremy. The bright full moon gave enough light so I could see our captors. One man was short with blond hair that seemed to glow white in the moonlight; his skin had the same effect. Another man was taller and looked much stronger. He had black curly hair, but was just as pale as the other man. "Why did you have to tell the police about what I was doing? You could have stayed quiet and I would have left you alone." The blond haired man said with a hint of a French accent. "James... Antonio... please... don't hurt my friends. They don't know anything about what you've done. Do whatever you want with me, but they don't deserve to be treated like this." Jeremy said in a desperate tone./p
p dir="ltr"My heart dropped when I realized that Antonio had told James that the detectives Isaacson had visited him. 'How could we be so stupid.' I thought inside of my head. When I looked over at Jeremy, I could see tears glistening as they streamed down his face. I wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but I couldn't. There wasn't anything I could say and I wasn't able to touch him due to the fact that my hands were tied behind my back. "Shut up! You told the police everything, and now you're going to pay!" The dark haired man said. They aggressively forced us up onto our knees. I was trying my hardest to get the ropes off, but that only made my wrists burn. I looked around and realized we were in some kind of clearing surrounded by woods. "Antonio... you can't really let him control you like this? This isn't you." Jeremy said to the dark haired guy. But all my friend got for a reply was the butt of the gun coming down on his head. The blow didn't knock him out, but a trickle of blood did start running down the side of his face./p
p dir="ltr"The click of the hammer being pulled back made my breath catch in my throat. Tears filled my eyes as the thought that maybe I wasn't going to see the sunrise again suddenly sinked in. But what hurt the most was the thought that I'd leave a broken Laszlo behind if I didn't make it. "So... which one of you wants to go first?" James said as he smirked and ran a hand through his blond hair. "Let's get rid of Jeremy first. He's the snitch after all." Antonio said with a grin that revealed several crooked teeth. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the sound of a gunshot, but I heard two loud thumps instead. When I opened my eyes I saw Stevie Taggert standing there with a sizable length of lead pipe in his hands. Both James and Antonio were laying on the ground out cold from being wacked on the head. "Stevie!" I said, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. A big grin spread across my face; I was having a hard time keeping myself from laughing./p
p dir="ltr""The doctor told me to keep an eye on your apartment. Good thing he did too." Stevie said as he tucked his piece of pipe in his pants and retrieved a pocket knife. "Where is everyone else?" I asked him curiously as he carefully cut the ropes from our wrists and ankles. "They're on their way." He replied. The three of us stood up and stretched, which caused several joints to crack in response to our movements. I looked at my wrists and seen that they were red from the friction, so I rubbed them a little. We talked about what happened and I hoped that the Isaacson brothers showed up before our captors woke up. It felt like hours as we stood there and waited for my friends to show up. Eventually the sound of an approach carriage caught my attention. When it stopped nearby the first person I saw get out was Laszlo. He hurried towards me and pulled me into a tight hug that made my insides melt. I snuggled into his chest and breathed in his comforting scent./p
p dir="ltr"We broke the hug slightly, and what happened next surprised me. He closed the short distance between us and captured my lips his. I closed my eyes and kissed him back. His soft lips were making me weak. When we broke the kiss I could feel everyone watching us, which made me blush. I even seen Laszlo's cheeks turn a little pink as well. "That... is the cutest thing I have ever seen." Marcus's voice broke the awkward silence, which make us all laugh a little. Laszlo and I broke our embrace and joined the others. "Wait... what? You two... are in love with each other?" John asked with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Oh, John. Like I said before, you've never been very perceptive when it comes to romance." Sara said with an amused smile on her face. The sweet moment turned serious when we discussed what had happened to Jeremy, Henry, and I. Lucius and Marcus examined the two perpetrators that were laying on the ground unconscious, thanks to Stevie./p
p dir="ltr"I walked over to the young man and gave him a hug that made him a little flustered. Like me, he wasn't good at people thanking him or giving him complements. "I'm really glad you were here to save us Stevie." I said with a smile. "Hey, I was just following the doctor's orders." He replied with a shy smile. "Still... I'm very grateful that were here. If you weren't... well... who knows what have happened." I said starting to feel emotional, but I fought my emotions back. I stood and watched as the Isaacson brothers with he help of Cyrus, put James and Antonio into the carriage we were kidnapped in. They locked the door before they turned to face all of us. "Alright, let's take them to the institute. I want to make sure to question them as much as I can before you take them to the police station." Laszlo said. They left for the institute, but I gave Laszlo one last hug before they did. The rest of us followed them in the doctor's clash./p
p dir="ltr""So... you and Dr. Kreizler..." Henry said, trailing off a little as he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Henry, he's a wonderful guy. You won't have to worry about him." I said and felt myself blush as I said it. I never imagined that my friends and my brother would find out about my relationship with Laszlo the way they did. But I guess it was time that they knew. Henry as well as John asked questions about how the doctor and I ended up falling in love with each other. To be honest I wasn't quite sure how to answer them, especially since I never thought that I would have fallen for Laszlo. But everything about him was so... perfect in my mind. He has a good heart and a good soul. Plus he's a very handsome man. All this talk made me feel so awkward. "Alright, that's enough, boys. You don't need to know every detail about her relationship with Dr. Kreizler, and no Henry. You do not have the right to know just because you're her brother." Sara said, which made me smile. To my relief the questions stopped./p
p dir="ltr"We waited outside of the institute even though I'm sure all of us wanted to witness the interrogation going on inside. But none of us figured we would make things any easier. Most likely they weren't going to get anything out of James and Antonio. One thing was clear though, and that was that Jeremy was safe. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that those two criminals would go to prison. Obviously, all the credit would go to the police department even though we did all the work. But that was a small price to pay for convicting a serial murderer and his accomplice. I looked over and found Jeremy staring up at the stars that speckled the blackened sky. "You alright?" I asked him in a hushed tone. Sara, John, and Stevie were all smoking and pacing the small front yard of the institute. Henry was talking to Cyrus who had emerged from the building with freshly brewed coffee for everyone. "Yeah. I'm just glad that you guys didn't get hurt." He replied as he looked over at me./p
p dir="ltr"I smiled as him and gave him a hug. "So... you and Dr. Kreizler, huh?" Jeremy said with a big smile on his face after we broke the hug. I blushed and looked down at the ground feeling a little nervous about what he was going to say. Mostly because he stayed quiet when John and my brother were bombarding me with questions. "I'm very happy for you, Aurora. I may not know Dr. Kreizler but I do know you, and I know you wouldn't fall in love with just any one." He said to me. From the look in his eyes I knew he was being completely genuine. Knowing he too was okay with my relationship with Laszlo made me so happy. I also felt relived. I know that Laszlo can seem intimidating, but he's really a sweet and kind man. I just wanted my brother as well as everyone else to see that. After what felt like forever, the Isaacson brothers and Laszlo came outside. James Moran and Antonio were being lead out by the detective sergeants. Each of the criminals were in handcuffs, which made me feel a little better. But I wouldn't feel totally safe until they were both benching bars in prison./p
p dir="ltr"Sara was the first to speak. She asked what had happened during the interrogation once James and Antonio were locked away in one of the carriages. "Apparently all of the killings were for revenge." Marcus said with a deep sigh. "How so?" Sara asked with furrowed brows. "The families that they killed via food poisoning, represented everything they hated about society." Dr. Kreizler replied. "Just as we suspected." Lucius said as he put his hands in his pockets. There was a moment of complete silence that settled heavily around us. It was like everyone was trying to accept that the case was over. After months of investigation it was finally over. Eventually the detective sergeants left to take James and Antonio to the police station. That left the rest of us standing in the courtyard of the institute just looking at each other for some minutes. "Well, I'm going home. I'm tired." John said. Sara left ad well, but not before Dr. Kreizler suggested that we all have dinner at Delmonico's for dinner tonight./p
p dir="ltr""I think we all should call it a night. However... I must insist that Aurora come and stay with me instead of going to the apartment." Laszlo said as he gently took my hand in his. "I have no objections, although I would like to have the chance to talk to you properly some time." Henry said, looking hopeful. "Of course. You and Jeremy are invited to dinner tonight as well. It will give us a better opportunity to get to know everyone a lot better." Laszlo replied with a small smile. Stevie took by brother and Jeremy to the apartment. I went with Laszlo to his home where I changed into a nightgown and climbed into bed with him. We snuggled close to each other under the covers. He wrapped his arms around me and I breathed in his comforting scent that I love so much. "I love you, Aurora. And I'm so glad you're here... safely in my arms." He said before kissing my forehead. "I love you too Laszlo." I replied. My insides melted and I gently pressed my lips to his. He kissed me back as we pulled each other closer. When we broke the kiss we cuddled and he played with my hair, lulling me into a deep sleep./p
p dir="ltr"strong++++++++++++++++++++++/strongbr /strongA/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry for the long wait. /strong/p
p dir="ltr"I was awakened by the sound of horse hooves and carriage wheels. Both of which seemed to be moving rather quickly. My senses were very fuzzy as I rubbed my eyes and slowly started to move. That's when I realized that my feet and hands were bound by some rough rope. "What the hell?" I mumbled. "We've been kidnapped." I heard my brother, Henry say from the left of me. That's when I noticed the smell of chloroform in the enclosed carriage. "What?" I asked. I was still trying to process where I was and how I got there. "It's James Moran. He... he came for me. I tried to tell him to leave you two alone, but he wouldn't listen." Jeremy said. From the sound of his voice I could tell he had been crying. "It's okay. It's not your fault, Jeremy." Henry said. I agreed with that statement with all of my heart. The situation we were in wasn't because of Jeremy; it isn't his fault that his employer is a murderer looking for revenge on those who linked him to the recent killings./p
p dir="ltr"As we laid there side by side in the darkness, I wondered where we were being taken. But that wasn't much of a mystery for too long. The carriage stopped and a few moments later the back of the carriage was opened. I was violently pulled onto the ground as well as Henry and Jeremy. The bright full moon gave enough light so I could see our captors. One man was short with blond hair that seemed to glow white in the moonlight; his skin had the same effect. Another man was taller and looked much stronger. He had black curly hair, but was just as pale as the other man. "Why did you have to tell the police about what I was doing? You could have stayed quiet and I would have left you alone." The blond haired man said with a hint of a French accent. "James... Antonio... please... don't hurt my friends. They don't know anything about what you've done. Do whatever you want with me, but they don't deserve to be treated like this." Jeremy said in a desperate tone./p
p dir="ltr"My heart dropped when I realized that Antonio had told James that the detectives Isaacson had visited him. 'How could we be so stupid.' I thought inside of my head. When I looked over at Jeremy, I could see tears glistening as they streamed down his face. I wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but I couldn't. There wasn't anything I could say and I wasn't able to touch him due to the fact that my hands were tied behind my back. "Shut up! You told the police everything, and now you're going to pay!" The dark haired man said. They aggressively forced us up onto our knees. I was trying my hardest to get the ropes off, but that only made my wrists burn. I looked around and realized we were in some kind of clearing surrounded by woods. "Antonio... you can't really let him control you like this? This isn't you." Jeremy said to the dark haired guy. But all my friend got for a reply was the butt of the gun coming down on his head. The blow didn't knock him out, but a trickle of blood did start running down the side of his face./p
p dir="ltr"The click of the hammer being pulled back made my breath catch in my throat. Tears filled my eyes as the thought that maybe I wasn't going to see the sunrise again suddenly sinked in. But what hurt the most was the thought that I'd leave a broken Laszlo behind if I didn't make it. "So... which one of you wants to go first?" James said as he smirked and ran a hand through his blond hair. "Let's get rid of Jeremy first. He's the snitch after all." Antonio said with a grin that revealed several crooked teeth. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the sound of a gunshot, but I heard two loud thumps instead. When I opened my eyes I saw Stevie Taggert standing there with a sizable length of lead pipe in his hands. Both James and Antonio were laying on the ground out cold from being wacked on the head. "Stevie!" I said, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. A big grin spread across my face; I was having a hard time keeping myself from laughing./p
p dir="ltr""The doctor told me to keep an eye on your apartment. Good thing he did too." Stevie said as he tucked his piece of pipe in his pants and retrieved a pocket knife. "Where is everyone else?" I asked him curiously as he carefully cut the ropes from our wrists and ankles. "They're on their way." He replied. The three of us stood up and stretched, which caused several joints to crack in response to our movements. I looked at my wrists and seen that they were red from the friction, so I rubbed them a little. We talked about what happened and I hoped that the Isaacson brothers showed up before our captors woke up. It felt like hours as we stood there and waited for my friends to show up. Eventually the sound of an approach carriage caught my attention. When it stopped nearby the first person I saw get out was Laszlo. He hurried towards me and pulled me into a tight hug that made my insides melt. I snuggled into his chest and breathed in his comforting scent./p
p dir="ltr"We broke the hug slightly, and what happened next surprised me. He closed the short distance between us and captured my lips his. I closed my eyes and kissed him back. His soft lips were making me weak. When we broke the kiss I could feel everyone watching us, which made me blush. I even seen Laszlo's cheeks turn a little pink as well. "That... is the cutest thing I have ever seen." Marcus's voice broke the awkward silence, which make us all laugh a little. Laszlo and I broke our embrace and joined the others. "Wait... what? You two... are in love with each other?" John asked with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Oh, John. Like I said before, you've never been very perceptive when it comes to romance." Sara said with an amused smile on her face. The sweet moment turned serious when we discussed what had happened to Jeremy, Henry, and I. Lucius and Marcus examined the two perpetrators that were laying on the ground unconscious, thanks to Stevie./p
p dir="ltr"I walked over to the young man and gave him a hug that made him a little flustered. Like me, he wasn't good at people thanking him or giving him complements. "I'm really glad you were here to save us Stevie." I said with a smile. "Hey, I was just following the doctor's orders." He replied with a shy smile. "Still... I'm very grateful that were here. If you weren't... well... who knows what have happened." I said starting to feel emotional, but I fought my emotions back. I stood and watched as the Isaacson brothers with he help of Cyrus, put James and Antonio into the carriage we were kidnapped in. They locked the door before they turned to face all of us. "Alright, let's take them to the institute. I want to make sure to question them as much as I can before you take them to the police station." Laszlo said. They left for the institute, but I gave Laszlo one last hug before they did. The rest of us followed them in the doctor's clash./p
p dir="ltr""So... you and Dr. Kreizler..." Henry said, trailing off a little as he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Henry, he's a wonderful guy. You won't have to worry about him." I said and felt myself blush as I said it. I never imagined that my friends and my brother would find out about my relationship with Laszlo the way they did. But I guess it was time that they knew. Henry as well as John asked questions about how the doctor and I ended up falling in love with each other. To be honest I wasn't quite sure how to answer them, especially since I never thought that I would have fallen for Laszlo. But everything about him was so... perfect in my mind. He has a good heart and a good soul. Plus he's a very handsome man. All this talk made me feel so awkward. "Alright, that's enough, boys. You don't need to know every detail about her relationship with Dr. Kreizler, and no Henry. You do not have the right to know just because you're her brother." Sara said, which made me smile. To my relief the questions stopped./p
p dir="ltr"We waited outside of the institute even though I'm sure all of us wanted to witness the interrogation going on inside. But none of us figured we would make things any easier. Most likely they weren't going to get anything out of James and Antonio. One thing was clear though, and that was that Jeremy was safe. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that those two criminals would go to prison. Obviously, all the credit would go to the police department even though we did all the work. But that was a small price to pay for convicting a serial murderer and his accomplice. I looked over and found Jeremy staring up at the stars that speckled the blackened sky. "You alright?" I asked him in a hushed tone. Sara, John, and Stevie were all smoking and pacing the small front yard of the institute. Henry was talking to Cyrus who had emerged from the building with freshly brewed coffee for everyone. "Yeah. I'm just glad that you guys didn't get hurt." He replied as he looked over at me./p
p dir="ltr"I smiled as him and gave him a hug. "So... you and Dr. Kreizler, huh?" Jeremy said with a big smile on his face after we broke the hug. I blushed and looked down at the ground feeling a little nervous about what he was going to say. Mostly because he stayed quiet when John and my brother were bombarding me with questions. "I'm very happy for you, Aurora. I may not know Dr. Kreizler but I do know you, and I know you wouldn't fall in love with just any one." He said to me. From the look in his eyes I knew he was being completely genuine. Knowing he too was okay with my relationship with Laszlo made me so happy. I also felt relived. I know that Laszlo can seem intimidating, but he's really a sweet and kind man. I just wanted my brother as well as everyone else to see that. After what felt like forever, the Isaacson brothers and Laszlo came outside. James Moran and Antonio were being lead out by the detective sergeants. Each of the criminals were in handcuffs, which made me feel a little better. But I wouldn't feel totally safe until they were both benching bars in prison./p
p dir="ltr"Sara was the first to speak. She asked what had happened during the interrogation once James and Antonio were locked away in one of the carriages. "Apparently all of the killings were for revenge." Marcus said with a deep sigh. "How so?" Sara asked with furrowed brows. "The families that they killed via food poisoning, represented everything they hated about society." Dr. Kreizler replied. "Just as we suspected." Lucius said as he put his hands in his pockets. There was a moment of complete silence that settled heavily around us. It was like everyone was trying to accept that the case was over. After months of investigation it was finally over. Eventually the detective sergeants left to take James and Antonio to the police station. That left the rest of us standing in the courtyard of the institute just looking at each other for some minutes. "Well, I'm going home. I'm tired." John said. Sara left ad well, but not before Dr. Kreizler suggested that we all have dinner at Delmonico's for dinner tonight./p
p dir="ltr""I think we all should call it a night. However... I must insist that Aurora come and stay with me instead of going to the apartment." Laszlo said as he gently took my hand in his. "I have no objections, although I would like to have the chance to talk to you properly some time." Henry said, looking hopeful. "Of course. You and Jeremy are invited to dinner tonight as well. It will give us a better opportunity to get to know everyone a lot better." Laszlo replied with a small smile. Stevie took by brother and Jeremy to the apartment. I went with Laszlo to his home where I changed into a nightgown and climbed into bed with him. We snuggled close to each other under the covers. He wrapped his arms around me and I breathed in his comforting scent that I love so much. "I love you, Aurora. And I'm so glad you're here... safely in my arms." He said before kissing my forehead. "I love you too Laszlo." I replied. My insides melted and I gently pressed my lips to his. He kissed me back as we pulled each other closer. When we broke the kiss we cuddled and he played with my hair, lulling me into a deep sleep./p
p dir="ltr"strong++++++++++++++++++++++/strongbr /strongA/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry for the long wait. /strong/p