There are 2 types of chapters, guys.
There's the ones that feel like a chore so you get through as quickly as you can, then you post them and even if you're not satisfied with them, you're happy because they're not your problem anymore. (See chapters 6 and 7).
Then there's the ones that you lovingly work away at over weeks or possibly months, reading it over a few hundred thousand times and finding something new to add each time until it's finally exactly what you wanted. But then you're almost hesitant to post it because then it's out there, and that means you don't get to work on it anymore. And that's what this chapter is. I'm going to miss having in my notes app. It's a totally different vibe than anything else in this story and I thoroughly enjoyed writing every word of it.
This chapter is very Gracie-centric. Which is funny because once again I'll be the first to admit I have very limited interest in OCs for the most part so if the filthy hypocrite shoe fits me, I'll lace it up and wear it. Gracie was never meant to truly become an OC. I invented her in about five minutes and named her after a horse I had at the time. This all started because I thought the concept of M and K trying to raise a small child was a fun plot device to bring them together against their wishes.
Then the story grew and I moved further away from my original plan of slowly writing Gracie out of the plot line by having her grow up off-screen in the human world. I just really love her dynamic with Mika because she brings out a totally different side that contradicts what we see from Darren's POV in the source material. And I sort of fell in love with that part of him. He's not a perfect person and he's very much stumbling his way through fatherhood, but all he knows is that he loves his baby human and he's trying his best.
TLDR; this AU started with me going, lmaoooo what if 2 vampires tried to raise a baby in the mountain and fell in love in the process? :P :D ;)
And that quickly turned into, holy shit what IF 2 vampires tried to raise a baby in the mountain and fell in love in the process?!
Also, Gracie drives a CR-V because I drive a CR-V and I've always had a thing about sprinkling my stories with personal things like that.
Anyway, I think it's about time to get started. I know that was a long A/N and I apologize but it was actually relevant to the chapter so I allowed myself to ramble.
Enjoy.
Chapter 8: We Built This Right
Song: The Bones by Maren Morris.
We're in the homestretch of the hard times
We took a hard left, but we're alright
Yeah, life sure can try to put love through it, but
We built this right, so nothing's ever gonna move it
Mika hadn't truly rested since leaving Vampire Mountain almost five years ago. It had been day after day, week after week of walking, flitting, searching, fighting, hunting, analyzing, and overall mind-numbing exhaustion. He'd always thrived on that sort of thing, an incorrigible workaholic. But now, it was time for a rest. His mind and body ached constantly. His motivation was fading and every night he found it harder to get up and do the same thing all over again.
Once he started clicking with his team mates, it turned out time outside the mountain had been exactly what he needed. Out in the world he could actually move from Point A to Point B without being reminded of Kurda at every turn. He missed Arrow though, who was off doing all the same things Mika was doing but in different places. In a time like this, it made more sense for them to divide and conquer. He missed Paris, who was back home keeping Vampire Mountain in order. And he even missed Darren. Even for all his quirks and naivety, he was a good kid. Technically now he was an adult, but until he looked like one it would be hard to think of him as anything but a scruffy, smiling tweenager. But he was family now. An unexpected addition, but family nonetheless. So Mika missed him too.
Barely a decade ago, Mika never would've believed he was capable of falling victim to burnout. Not him, not ever. He was too determined, too single-minded, too ambitious to drop the ball even for a second. Concepts like "needing a break" were for lesser mortals, not for Mika Ver Leth. Sometimes he felt like he'd aged more in the past ten years than the rest of his life combined.
So after another discouraging month of trekking through the wilderness, he led his pack of troops into the city and told them, "We'll meet up back here in one week. Til then, go nuts."
Then he headed downtown alone.
As Mika had travelling closer and closer to her city, Gracie had been putting a lot of thought into the purchase of her first car. She did her research and chose a compact SUV. Something dependable, economical, with a high crash test safety rating and excellent resale value. Small enough to be able to park with ease, but big enough to pack up her entire life and move if she ever felt like doing so. It was the sensible, practical choice. Not too flashy, but it would serve its purpose. That aspect of the decision was ultimately a result of being raised (partially) by a Smahlt.
But she also opted for the high-end package. Fancy rims, leather seats, grade-A sound system, backup camera, heated wheel, hands-free navigation, and a million other things she probably wouldn't use but wanted to have anyway, just because she could. That decision was pure Ver Leth, and that was why she also ordered custom license plates that said just that.
She'd had the jet black CR-V for about a week when Mika dropped in for a surprise visit. All the apartment buildings in this city looked so similar and he wasn't one hundred percent sure he had the right place. He'd only been here a couple times before. But as he slipped through the parking lot at about 11pm, he had to stop and do a double-take when something on one of the vehicles caught his eye.
He let out a soft chuckle at the custom license plate that read "VERLETH". He was definitely in the right place.
When the bones are good, the rest don't matter
Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter
Let it rain 'cause you and I remain the same
Gracie figured she should be going to bed, but she felt wide awake. She'd just spent the past four hours reading over documents for the court case she was working on. It went to trial tomorrow and she was looking forwards to it. She'd only been a legal associate for three months but she loved every second of it. She had a pretty sweet deal at the best law firm in the city, and the pay wasn't half bad either.
"I don't know how you do it. Nothing phases you. Is it yoga? Drugs? Seriously, tell me your secrets." One of the senior partners told her seriously one day, after having to deal with a particularly aggravating client and their lawyer who'd reverted to taking some low blows during a deposition. Gracie talked them both down in a matter of minutes, and walked away with an even better settlement deal than expected.
Nah, just raised by vampire royalty. There's no human alive that scares me. She thought to herself.
She'd finally set her court documents aside for the night and was re-watching The Office on Netflix for the hundredth time when she heard someone knocking at her balcony door. She didn't flinch; she lived on the 7th floor and there was only one person on the planet who ever entered from the outside. She smiled to herself, walked over to the door, and slid the blinds open. Mika was standing on the other side of the glass, looking tired but very pleased with himself. Gracie rolled her eyes but grinned as she slid the door open.
"You know, I'd get you a door key made if I thought you'd use it. But I know you won't."
Mika snorted as he walked inside.
"My way's more fun."
"Yeah, it's all fun and games til someone calls the police because there's a man spotted crawling a hundred feet up a high rise wall." She chuckled. "Nice to see you, Dad."
Mika hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.
"Missed you, Princess. I was only a thousand kilometres away so I thought I'd flit in for a visit."
"Got tired of camping again?" She chuckled, grinning up at him.
"I was tired of camping about five minutes after I left Vampire Mountain. You know how I feel about roughing it. Just because I can doesn't mean I want to." Said Mika as he wandered through the living room.
"Yes, Dad. I know exactly how much of a princess you are. Ver Leths are snobs. Why do you think I own a two thousand dollar purse? It's all your fault." Said Gracie with a smirk.
"Is that still a lot? Inflation's different every time I leave the mountain. I can't keep track."
"Yeah, it's a lot."
"I'm sure it was worth it." Mika shrugged. He had nowhere near enough extra mental bandwidth to worry about how much his adult daughter chose to spend on a handbag. He's not like regular dads. He's a Cool Dad.
"I figured you'd understand. How long are you in town for this time?" She asked, opening her fridge and digging out a cold can of beer. Mika's face lit up like a firework display as she gently tossed it to him.
"A full week, if that's alright with you. My men needed a break, so I told them they had seven days to relax. And then I came here."
Mika eagerly cracked open the can and took a long drink. They may not have been nearly as strong, but human drinks tasted so much better than Vampire Mountain's home-brewed offerings.
"Well, my home is your home. Whenever you need it." Said Gracie. "At least I don't have a roommate anymore. Remember when you accidentally traumatized Sophie?"
"I was minding my own business. She was rude." Mika grumbled.
"To be fair, most people would call the police if they walked into their kitchen and found a large man dressed like a biker gang member, standing there holding a gigantic bloody sword and drinking her wine straight from the bottle. She was within her rights for that one."
"I didn't see her name on it."
"Right. That makes it better. We were lucky I was able to convince her you were just really into cosplay."
"What the fuck is cosplay? Actually, I don't want to know. Do you have those chips I like? I haven't eaten in a day and a half."
"I'm sure I have a snack somewhere. I wish I knew you were coming!" She grinned. "I would've gone grocery shopping."
He looked quizzically at her as he flopped contentedly onto her couch as though he owned the place.
"Do you not normally go grocery shopping?"
"I work about 60 hours a week, Dad. I live on takeout and caffeine." She clarified, raising an eyebrow and sitting down beside him.
"I feel like I'm supposed to tell you that isn't healthy, but it would be hypocritical coming from me. And honestly, I just want to hear how your new job is going." Said Mika with a rueful grin. She laughed.
"I love it. Nothing but good feedback so far. I'm way too busy and it's insane, but I like it that way."
She spent the next hour telling him about her coworkers, her clients, her case load, and everything else. She paused every now and then when Mika asked her to explain the nuances of human laws. He found it all very interesting but it was almost impossible to keep up with the intricacies the human legal system when you have a vampire clan to run and no internet or television access.
"Would you like to go to Starbucks?" Mika asked innocently around midnight. It wasn't something he got to enjoy often, but he sure loved the few chances he got to indulge in overpriced beverages. Contrary to popular belief, he prefers vanilla lattes over black coffee. He's a complicated individual.
"Don't you mean, can I drive you there AND pay for your coffee like every other time, because you don't have a dollar to your name?" Gracie snorted with great amusement. Mika sighed in exasperation.
"Might I remind you I'm one of the most respected vampires in the entire clan? I have more power than most human world leaders-"
"Power and glory won't buy you a latte, Mika."
Mika glared at her but didn't try very hard to hide his smile.
"Well then, can I borrow four dollars?"
She rolled her blue eyes at him. Not for the first time, it crossed Mika's mind how it had to be another cruel prank of the gods how much she looked like Kurda despite not being biologically related.
"I'll put it on your tab." She smirked.
When there ain't a crack in the foundation
Baby, I know any storm we're facing
Will blow right over while we stay put
The house don't fall when the bones are good
They made their way down to the ground floor by elevator.
"Hold on one second." Said Gracie, pausing at the wall of numbered mail slots. She located her own and unlocked it. "Ah, finally. My new driver's license came."
She tore open the envelope, inspected the small plastic card, and giggled.
"It looks like a mug shot." She noted, turning it over to show Mika. He also chuckled at the stony, unflattering glare she was wearing in the photo but the laugh died in his throat as he read the name on the card. Grace Arra Ver Leth. "Smahlt" was nowhere to be found.
"So you really went through with legally changing your name?" Mika sighed heavily.
"Did you think I was joking?" She retorted, all warmth gone from her demeanour. "I don't want anything tying me to him."
"No, I guess I'm not really surprised." Said Mika gently as they continued to walk down the quiet hallway towards the doors.
"You don't sound impressed." She replied bluntly.
"I'm not going to tell you how you should be feeling, Gracie. It's been almost six years and I'm still figuring it out. But he's still part of you. You can change your name, and if that makes you feel better than I support you. But you can't change who you are."
"I'm adopted." She reminded Mika coolly. "I don't share his blood. That means I choose who gets to be part of me. I choose you, not him. He lost that right, so why wouldn't I change my name?"
Mika nodded politely but didn't argue. Her words stung in a way he didn't fully understand but he didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. They slipped through the revolving glass doors and he inhaled the night air, but frowned. The air here was so heavy and bitter compared to the fresh, crisp atmosphere around Vampire Mountain. They made their way across the parking lot to the car Mika had noticed earlier.
"You didn't tell me you bought a car." He commented.
"How do you know it's mine?" She replied sarcastically, but with a twinkle in her eye as they admired the brand new custom plates bearing the name they shared.
"I get to take it for a drive, right?" Mika inquired seriously.
"Not a chance." She cackled as she clicked the automatic unlock button and slid behind the wheel. "Remember when you picked me up in that huge SUV you rented for the weekend when I was little? You kept running red lights. Dad - I mean, Kurda - just about had a heart attack. Don't even get me started on the parallel parking. It took half an hour, you both cried, some lady yelled at you, and we were late for the last day of the soccer tournament."
"Come on. It's 12:30 at night. There's hardly anyone on the road. The car has my name on it! Literally!"
"Because I paid extra to put it there, and it's my name too!"
"Only because I let you use it." Mika pointed out.
"Whatever. You can ride shotgun, or you can walk yourself to Starbucks and ask for a free cup of water because for all that respect and honour, you still don't have a salary. Sire." Said Gracie with great finality.
Mika couldn't argue with that. He smiled as he entered through the passenger side, but he experienced a pang of sadness as well. He'd felt proud when he'd walked past the car earlier and noticed the custom plates. But now he wondered if it was less of a nod to him and more of a "fuck you" to Kurda.
In the Starbucks drive-thru Gracie ordered a two pumpkin spice lattes and a half-dozen cake pops, then they went across the road to McDonald's for some actual food. Once that was procured they sat in the car in the empty lot so they could talk openly, without worrying about nearby humans overhearing phrases like "Vampire Mountain".
"I like this one. Not as much as the vanilla, but top five for sure." Mika declared after taking a sip of his latte.
"You're so basic." Gracie snorted. There then followed a ten minute explanation of what "basic" meant in that context. Mika, being plenty comfortable with his masculinity, decided there were much worse things a person could be called and continued to enjoy his latte.
"So... how are you doing, Gracie?" Mika asked cautiously after a while, as he munched his way through the extra large box of fries. There was a new gravity to his tone that hadn't been there during the lighthearted conversation they'd been having until that point.
"There's good days and bad days. I'm lucky to have so much going on at work. I don't have much time to think about Kurda." She replied crisply.
Mika sighed. Maybe as time passed it would become less jarring to hear her call him by his first name so coldly.
"But when I do think of him... I can't decide whether I want to never see him again, or track him down and demand some answers for what he did to us. And then never see him again." She continued. Her voice was even but Mika could see tears gleaming in her eyes as the streetlights illuminated them.
"I understand that." Said Mika very quietly. She turned in her seat to glare at him.
"You were at his trial. And you got to say goodbye. I didn't even get that much. One day he's sending me back to school like nothing's wrong, then barely a month later you show up and tell me he committed high treason, attempted murder, ACTUAL murder, and has been dishonourably exiled because he thought it would save the world or something? I know you didn't get much closure either, but it's more than I got."
Mika flinched as if she'd punched him in the face but kept his voice low and steady.
"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Gracie. I hate that you got caught up in this. I'd do anything to go back in time and stop it from happening."
"I don't need you to tell me anything." She replied quietly, taking a long sip of her latte. "I'm just glad you're here."
"I'm glad I'm here too. I'll remind you what I told you that day I came to the school." Said Mika. "I love you. I'm always going to be on your side. And I'm more proud of you than you can possibly understand."
An easy silence lingered in the car for a moment. A light rain began to fall. Gracie unbuckled her seatbelt so she could lean over and give Mika a hug.
"Love you more." She told him. "And I'm proud of you too."
They took the long way home so Gracie could show Mika the building she worked in. It was incredible; it was the tallest building on the street and it seemed to go on forever. Mika was immediately reminded of a sleek, modernized version of Vampire Mountain. The executive offices at the top floors would be the equivalent of the Hall of Princes. And that was exactly where Gracie aimed to end up someday. And Mika didn't have a single shadow of a doubt that she'd get there. After all, she was his daughter.
"I'm dating someone." Gracie said out of nowhere as they pulled back into her apartment parking lot.
"Really?" Said Mika, feeling a faint twinge of excitement. Wow, he'd almost forgotten that felt like. "Is it serious?"
"I don't know. It's pretty new, but he's a great guy. His name is Dale. He actually works in the same building as me, but for a different company. He's in finance. We met at the pretzel stand outside the building."
"I love those pretzels. Can you bring one home for me tomorrow?" Said Mika, momentarily distracted.
"You can have as many pretzels as you want." Said Grace with a wry smile as she rolled her eyes. "Now do you want to hear about my boyfriend or not?"
"Yes. Sorry. Tell me everything."
Call it dumb luck, but baby, you and I
Can't even mess it up, though we both try
No, it don't always go the way we planned it
But the wolves came and went and we're still standing
There was something profoundly soothing about waking up in a clean, soft bed in a dark room, to the gentle hum of the air conditioning and the distant sound of city traffic below. Mika slept soundly in Grace's guest bedroom from about 2AM til noon the following day. It was the first time he'd visited since her roommate moved out, so it was nice to have a proper bed instead of the couch. But anything would've been an upgrade from the various accommodations he'd camped in since leaving the mountain.
He made his way into the kitchen and immediately spied the note she'd left on the table before heading to work that morning.
'Good morning Dad! I didn't want to wake you up so here's what you need to know:
1- DON'T TOUCH THE OVEN. You think you know how it works, but you don't. I ordered you a large pizza, it'll arrive at 1pm. I already paid online. All you have to do is open the door when they knock.
2- You can use the shower or the bathtub and anything else in the bathroom - but not the purple shampoo. It's expensive and you're not blonde.
3- I set the TV to that news channel you always watch when you visit. Press the red button to turn it on.
4- I have a bag of your clothes you left here last time you visited. They're clean, in the bathroom cabinet, bottom shelf. You can put your dirty clothes in the blue bin.
5- I brewed a pot of coffee for when you wake up. If you want it hot, press the big button and wait a bit. If you want it cold, there's ice in the freezer and creamer in the fridge. Cups and mugs are in the cupboard above the sink.
6- I'll be home around 5pm. We can go out for supper if you want. My treat (this time).
Happy relaxing! See you later.
Love, G. xoxo'
Mika smiled. This was going to be a good vacation.
After throwing his travel-worn clothes into the washing machine, Mika ran himself a bubble bath. He made sure to read the all the bottles so as not to use the forbidden purple shampoo (as intriguing as it was). He didn't get to enjoy that kind of luxury very often but he could vividly recall every bubble bath he'd taken in the past two-ish decades. Let's rewind.
One: Crappy motel in the middle of nowhere. The night he, along with Kurda, rescued Gracie from the scene of the vampaneze massacre. A bubble bath hadn't been in the plan, but Mika's first attempt at a diaper changing ended up with baby Gracie sitting in the sink in a bubble bath of her own, and Mika re-thinking his entire life in the tub a few feet away. Kurda sure got a good laugh out of that one. As far as either of them knew, they'd be dropping Gracie off an at orphanage the following night and not looking back. They had no idea it was the first night of a new era.
Two: Expensive Hotel. Mika was there on clan business, but the timing worked out so Kurda and Gracie tagged along for the first half of the week to enjoy something of a family vacation. Except they weren't calling themselves a family at that point. Back then, they were still just a couple of co-workers who also happened to be co-parents. On the first night they crashed a wedding reception and found themselves on the dance floor at 3:30am. That night ended with them getting wine drunk, and the nexts day began with the two of them sharing the massive en-suite tub, hungover as hell amidst a sea of bubbles. Several days later they inadvertently had their first kiss.
Three: Another expensive Hotel. The pseudo-honeymoon he'd taken with Kurda shortly after the official start of their relationship. Gracie had been eight back then. They'd made the trek from Vampire Mountain to watch her soccer tournament, complete with human clothes and false aliases. Yes, that was the same weekend the parallel parking incident occurred. Remember Mike and Kyle?
After dropping Gracie back off at school, the two of them checked in at the most luxurious hotel in the city. It had been Mika's idea. They'd spent a few days in total bliss, doing nothing but lounging in the king size bed, alternating between ordering room service and attempting to cook in the en-suite kitchen, taking bubble baths, watching stupid things on television, and falling harder in love with every passing second.
Looking back now, none of those even seemed like real memories. Nowadays those good years felt like a fever dream. To prevent himself from going down that rabbit hole, he decided this would be a good time to check in with Paris.
MVL: Taking good care of my mountain?
PS: Hello Mika.
MVL: You'll never believe where I am.
PS: Do I want to know?
MVL: I'm in a bubble bath with an entire large pizza sitting on a tray next to me.
PS: Sounds luxurious. Have you decided vampirism is no longer for you?
MVL: Just for the week. My men needed a break so I went to visit Gracie. She's got her own place now. It's nice.
PS: Glad you're taking some time. Gods know you need it. How's my grand-human?
MVL: Better than you could possibly imagine. She has an amazing job and she's so good at it. Going to be a damn good lawyer some day. She just bought herself a new car, and her apartment is nice. She's at work for a few more hours, then she's taking me out for supper. This is surreal.
PS. That does my heart good. Don't be so surprised, though. She's a Ver Leth after all. You've always been a magnet for success yourself.
MVL: Maybe so, but I was starting to think I'd peaked way back then. Now for the first time in years I actually feel like I did something right.
PS: You've done so much right. Give her a hug from me, and another from Seba. We miss having her here.
MVL: She was asking about you too. She misses spending summers in Vampire Mountain. Speaking of children in the mountain that technically shouldn't be there, how's the kid Prince?
PS: Let's just say... Larten is in his element.
Mika snorted out loud.
MVL: Oh gods, I can just imagine. Bet he wishes he hadn't turned his own investiture down.
PS: Well, he's got the best of both worlds now. All of the power, but none of the actual responsibility. Darren just does whatever he tells him mostly. If it was anyone but Larten, I wouldn't be so sure about the arrangement. But it works.
MVL: Glad to hear it. He's not sitting in my throne, is he?
PS: I told them both if they so much as think about sitting in your throne, there's nothing I can do to save them from your wrath.
MVL: Perfect.
PS: I must go. A conference is about to begin. Enjoy your time with your daughter.
MVL: Cheers. Take care of yourself. Give everyone my best.
Paris disconnected and Mika was alone with his thoughts again. But they didn't feel so heavy now. He reached for another slice of pizza and relished the rare moment of luxury he was currently experiencing. He knew it wouldn't last. He knew there'd be many more nights of living rough and fighting for his life in the future. But for now, it felt good to be happy again.
When the bones are good, the rest don't matter
Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter
Let it rain 'cause you and I remain the same
On the third night of Mika's stay, he got to meet Gracie's boyfriend. To prepare, she went to the mall after work and picked out a "normal" outfit for him. To his great exasperation.
"Gracie, I dress better than just about every other vampire in this clan. Most of them don't even own toothbrushes. I'm more civilized than you're giving me credit for." Mika chided her from the other side of the closed guest room door. He was trying on the pair of blue jeans she'd brought, and it was truly bizarre to look down and see so much colour on his body.
"I'm doing you a favour. You look like you just walked off the set of a Sons of Anarchy/Game of Thrones crossover episode." Her voice drifted back through the door.
"Because I know what both of those things are." Mika huffed.
"Just put it on and try not to look too intimidating!"
"I never try to look intimidating!" He protested. "I just am!"
He threw on the accompanying shirt and took one more glance in the mirror. It was a red and black plaid button-down and as much as he wanted to be crabby about breaking his monochromatic streak, he honestly didn't think it looked terrible. With that said, if anyone but his daughter told him he needed to upgrade his wardrobe, he would have laughed in their face and walked away.
Now fully dressed, Mika opened the door and presented himself to his would-be stylist.
"Well? How do I look?"
She nodded approvingly.
"Almost human. Let's go. Oh, and you're paying for dinner." Gracie added as she rummaged in her purse. (Her 2000 Louis Vuitton purse).
"Am I?" Mika inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"This is my credit card. Put it in your pocket." Said Gracie, pulling a little plastic square from her wallet and handing it to Mika. "When they bring the bill, just say you've got it. Then he'll hand you a plastic machine and all you have to do is tap it."
"Why don't you just do it?"
"Because paying for dinner nice gesture. Dale will offer to pay, but don't let him. I want you to make a good impression." Gracie explained with exasperation.
"My natural charm isn't enough?"
"Almost, but we're going to play it safe." She snorted.
Gracie had always been highly entertained by her father's complete indifference to the economy of the human world. She was constantly exposed to extremely wealthy people in her line of work, and she found it incredibly funny how many similarities there were between their attitudes and that of her father. The funny part being that Mika didn't have a penny to his name, yet he gave off unmistakeable Rich Guy Energy.
She supposed it made sense, in a way. Mika existed in the top tier of a society where the currency was blood, sweat, and honour. In his world he had unlimited power, influence, and the resources to do just about anything he wanted. By vampire standards, he was very much a rich man.
But as she often teased him, none of that stuff would pay the bills.
They met up with Dale at a steakhouse. Dale arrived about five minutes after they did. Gracie waved him over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"So pleased to meet you, Mr. Ver Leth! Grace has told me so much about you." Said Dale with a grin, reaching out to shake Mika's hand.
Mr. Ver Leth... Mika suppressed a snort of amusement at how absurdly mundane that sounded. He'd been called a lot of things, but Mr. was not in the usual rotation.
"Likewise, Dale." He replied with a polite smile.
Mika's first impression of Dale was that he looked about a interesting as a slice of white bread. He had a kind, honest face and Mika supposed that had to count for something, but everything from his hair to his clothes was just... blah. Then again, Mika was used to hanging out with vampires so maybe he wasn't the best judge. He kept an open mind.
They ordered some drinks and appetizers while making small talk.
"So what do you do for fun, Dale?" Mika asked conversationally.
"I can't remember the last time I had fun! Been chained to my desk lately. Mostly light reading and video games these days. Oh, and I play golf when my schedule allows." Dale explained amicably.
"Ah, golf. Thrilling." Said Mika. If there was one sport on the planet he didn't understand the allure of, that was certainly it. He golfed exactly one time. It was on the honeymoon-thing with Kurda. Kurda had always wanted to try his hand at golf, so Mika figured why not? He was good at every vampire sport. He'd be good at golf too.
It had been the longest three hours of Mika's life. After losing 20 balls in a row, he proceeded to storm off, wrap his nine-iron around a tree, then throw the mangled club in a lake, and spent the rest of the game getting drunk in the golf cart while Kurda continued to play earnestly. He'd been annoyingly competent at it.
"Dale's a pretty good golfer." Said Gracie, shooting Dale a mischievous smile and elbowing him in the ribs. "...until his asthma kicks in after he swings too hard."
"That was ONE time." Dale sighed. "Fine, it was two times..." he added as Gracie arched her eyebrows at him.
"I play a few rounds with him sometimes." Said Gracie offhandedly. "I'm not bad."
"You're actually really good considering you purposely use the wrong clubs just to upset me." Dale chuckled. Then he looked across at Mika. "I kid you not, last month she came out with me and some buddies, and she almost got a hole in one... using a putter!"
"A putter?!" Mika gasped with mock disbelief. He didn't know what the fuck a putter was. Judging by Gracie's snort of laughter, she picked up on Mika's feigned amusement. Dale clearly did not.
"I know, right?! I keep telling her she should sign up for proper lessons! Then she'd be unstoppable."
"I'm already unstoppable." Gracie replied with a dry smirk. "Remember when-"
"You drove away in the golf cart and left me and Evan at the other side of the course, and we couldn't catch up with you on foot. I remember. You were unstoppable, alright." Dale reminisced with a groan. He rolled his eyes at her, yet there was a fond gleam in them. "Hey, speaking of driving. How are you liking the new car?" He added.
"It's been great! The satellite radio was definitely the way to go. And the heated seats? Use them every day. And you told me it'd be a waste of money." Gracie replied smugly.
"Fair enough." Said Dale. "My lease on the Jetta is up next month. I think I'm going to upgrade to a newer model."
"Another Jetta?" Gracie replied, visibly exasperated. "What, so you can spend the next three years still drooling over that M6 every time you drive by the BMW dealer? Come on, I thought you were finally ready to take the plunge! You were so sure last month."
"I know... but I don't really need a BMW." Said Dale with a smile that almost looked a little sad. "It's so expensive-"
"So what? You never buy anything nice for yourself. You were still wearing shirts from high school when we started dating! Besides, I know you can afford it. That's the only thing I've taken away from your daily updates on your investments." Gracie added.
"Yeah, but it'd probably be better just put all that in my RRSP-"
Gracie laughed breezily
"You're such an old man!" She said. "Come on. If you only do one exciting thing in your life, let it be buying the car you've wanted since you were ten."
Her tone was light and teasing, and Dale smiled ruefully and mumbled something vague and non-committal in reply.
There was no doubt about it, Gracie may have "inherited" Kurda's gentle soul and kind nature, but she also had Mika's wild heart. And if Dale had a catchphrase, Mika was pretty sure it would've been "Born To Be Mild".
Mika casually sipped his beer and watched their exchange with casual interest. He didn't mind playing the role of the spectator in this situation. He rarely got to watch Gracie interact with other humans.
"What do you drive, Mr. Ver Leth?" Dale asked. Once again Mika had to stifle a smirk at "Mr." . Then he realized he only knew one make and model of vehicle, so he went with that.
"I have an Escalade." Mika replied conversationally. His eyes met Gracie's across the table and there was a secret understanding between them, like two best friends sharing an inside joke that no one else knew about. She too was thinking about the bizarrely magical weekend when both her dads had picked her up from school and played human in that impractically massive SUV that proved nightmarish to park and drank too much fuel.
"Great choice!" Said Dale obliviously. "Do you like it?"
Mika shrugged.
"It gets me where I want to go. I like the heated seats. Parking's a bitch, though."
"Which engine do you have? My aunt has one with the V8." Dale continued.
Thankfully a distraction arrived in the form of appetizers, and luckily Mika didn't have to answer any more questions pertaining to the vehicle he didn't own.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Gracie said to Dale several minutes later as they dug in to the delicious food. "Lacey from work invited us to her family's cottage next weekend. Think you can take Friday afternoon off so we miss traffic?"
"I'll ask my boss." Said Dale with a grimace. "Don't count on it."
Gracie rolled her eyes and shot Dale a look of exasperation. Loving exasperation, but exasperation nonetheless. Mika knew that look well, he'd seen Kurda look at him like that a few thousand times.
"Babe, you put in like a hundred hours of overtime in last month. Don't ask him. Tell him. You don't owe that place anything." Gracie insisted. She spoke gently but there was the tiniest trace of frustration in her tone and Mika got the impression this was a recurring issue.
"Maybe I'll send him an email about it on Monday..." said Dale meekly. "I don't want to step on anyone's toes."
And he's afraid of his boss. What a great sign. Mika mused. Despite Dale's apparent dedication to his job, Mika wasn't getting the impression that the young man was an overachieving workaholic. And Mika could tell, because that was about 70% of his own personal identity. Dale on the other hand, simply seemed afraid to say no and was unwilling to stand up for himself. Not the worst traits a person could have, of course. He seemed perfectly sweet. But very average.
And Gracie Ver Leth was far from average.
"Fine. But I'll draft the email for you." Said Gracie. "It'll be worth it. Lacey's dad just bought a new speedboat. We can go tubing."
Her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm as she looked at Dale hopefully. Dale on the other hand, cringed apprehensively.
"As fun as that sounds, I'll probably just sit at the dock and get some reading done."
"Fine, grandpa. I think they have a paddle boat. You can take that." Said Gracie's
"Oh, yeah. That sounds better." Dale agreed, smiling again. "Hey, can you ask Lacey if they have life jackets there? Otherwise I'll bring my own."
Life jackets? Pardon the fuck out of me? Thought Mika. Then the main course arrived and he was distracted for several minutes.
"So, Gracie tells me you work in government? What do you do there?" Dale asked Mika earnestly as the trio munched their way through mouth-watering steaks.
Mika smiled drily.
"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."
Gracie laughed loudly for a moment before reining herself in. Unlike Dale, she had the full context behind that. Dale, still oblivious to who the hell he was talking to, grinned good-naturedly across the table at Mika.
"Fair enough! I'll use my imagination." He said.
"It involves a lot of travelling." Mika added, supposing he'd better put in a little effort. "Meetings, conferences, paperwork. But it certainly has its moments. How about you, Dale?"
"I'm an investment advisor." Said Dale.
Mika had no idea what the fuck that meant but he nodded knowingly.
"Ah. That sounds fascinating."
"It's actually very interesting!" Said Dale eagerly.
"Here we go..." said Gracie, rolling her eyes and giggling.
Dale then launched into a full summary of everything his job involved and Mika had truly never experienced such profound boredom in his almost three centuries of life. And here he was thinking that golf was the blandest thing about this kid. It was all he could do to nod every now and then and keep his face from glazing over.
All in all it was a pleasant dinner though. The cheque came, and Mika perfectly executed the instructions Gracie had given him. (Although he accidentally tipped 60%). After that, they said their goodbyes and parted ways.
When there ain't a crack in the foundation
Baby, I know any storm we're facing
Will blow right over while we stay put
The house don't fall when the bones are good
When the bones are good
"Well?" Grace asked expectantly as she and Mika buckled themselves into her car. "What did you think?"
Mika thought very carefully about that for a moment.
"I thought Dale was very nice." Said Mika. And he wasn't lying. Dale was a very pleasant young man. But Grace raised her eyebrows; she knew Mika as well as any of his vampiric colleagues did. So she knew there was more to that.
"That's it? Just nice? Didn't you like him?" Her golden eyebrows arched with blatant skepticism.
"There's nothing wrong with nice." Mika defended himself politely as he lazily twiddled the radio dial until it landed on a catchy hip-hop beat. "I did like him. It seems he treats you very well."
"He treats me great! What's the problem? And I know you have a problem. I can tell." Grace pressed. Like Mika, she had very limited tolerance for evasiveness.
"He just... how do I phrase this nicely? Are you sure he can... keep up with you?" Mika ventured with caution. He glanced over at her, she was glaring shrewdly at him.
"What the hell does that mean?!"
"Gracie, ever since you were a baby you've always been on the go. You were always so energetic and fearless, always looking for a challenge-"
"And what does that have to do with Dale?"
"It just seems like you don't share a lot of the same interests." Said Mika calmly. "And that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but your personality types are very different. Just an observation from an outside perspective."
"I don't care if he has different hobbies than me. He respects me! That should make you happy."
"You misunderstanding me. Yes, he clearly respects you and that's great. But... I know you. And I think you're going to get restless." Said Mika frankly.
"Because you're the relationship expert?" She retorted with an unfamiliar bite to her tone as she braked a little too hard at a red light. "I know you and Kurda didn't have much in common either, but trust me. Dale and I are not you and Kurda."
"Ouch." Said Mika bluntly, raising an eyebrow. "That wasn't exactly what I was getting at."
"Sorry." She sighed. "Too far."
"No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Gracie, when it comes down to it I don't care if he's the most boring man in the world." Mika countered in an attempt to backpedal. His voice dropped several octaves, the last thing he wanted was an argument. "If he treats you how you deserve to be treated, that's all I care about. I know I raised you to have high standards in that department - you don't need my approval."
"I wasn't asking for it." She replied coolly. "I was just curious about your opinion."
"Now you have it." Said Mika. "And for the record, you have my approval anyway."
"How did you know you loved him?" Gracie asked abruptly. Mika knew exactly who "him" was.
"I was always sort of drawn to him, decades before we found you. Even back we never got along. There was an brief overlap when we were both Generals, and we had to work together quite a bit. We clashed so much I'm surprised the Princes didn't banish both of us." Mika explained slowly, smiling despite himself.
"I believe that."
"Then I became a Prince and he... he barely treated me any different. Which was the opposite of everyone else. He respected me, but he didn't tiptoe around me. He was so honest and opinionated about everything. And as frustrating as he was, he was also refreshing. Debating things with him was completely different than any other vampire. No one challenged me like he did. Years went by and eventually I realized I'd met my match."
It occurred to Mika that he must've made some true progress in the past six years to be able to recount all that without feeling that familiar gut-wrenching pain that accompanied memories of simpler times. Maybe he'd healed more than he gave himself credit for.
"Dale's never made me feel like that. I don't think he's ever had an argument in his life. Don't get me wrong, I love how easygoing he is... to an extent. I'm not saying you're right, but points were made." Gracie remarked, with a pointed look at Mika.
"Gracie, if that's the worst thing he has going for him, don't let it be a dealbreaker. I'm sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut. I thought I found my other half... and now look at me. Who cares if he drives a boring car and plays the world's stupidest sport and wears a life jacket in a paddle boat? There are worse traits to have."
"Yeah. Like committing high treason." she commented wryly. Mika flinched for a moment, but allowed himself to laugh. It was probably his fault she had the same dry, dark sense of humour that he did.
"See if he'll take me golfing next time I'm in town." Said Mika. "Maybe he's more interesting after a few drinks."
Grace laughed and shook her head ruefully.
"Drunk Dale and Sober Dale are the same person. Only difference is Drunk Dale talks about finance more loudly than Sober Dale."
"Well, if I can find any kind of common ground with him, I promise I will." Mika told her gently. "Even if it's just the fact that we're your two biggest fans, that's more than enough."
Gracie turned to glance at Mika as much as she could without taking her attention off the road. It hadn't been an easy conversation for either of them. But her eyes shone with happiness in the street lights as she reached out and patted Mika's upper arm.
"Thanks, Dad."
They drove on in silence for several minutes Then Mika spied something on her inner left forearm he hadn't noticed before. It was a small tattoo; a simple outline of a crown.
"I didn't know you had a tattoo." Mika commented lightly. "Have you been hanging out with Uncle Arrow without me?"
She laughed and held her arm up so Mika could see it better.
"No. I just got it last year... five years to the day you came to the school and told me what Kurda did. I'd been wanting a tattoo for a while. So it was kind of a gift to myself I guess. For... you know. Making it to the other side of all that. Finding peace, or whatever."
Mika felt his throat close up.
"It's nice." He said quietly.
"Thanks." Said Gracie with a smile. "I chose a crown so I never forget who I am or where I came from."
Mika had not been prepared for that. He stared straight ahead for several minutes, staring into the scarlet tail lights of the car in front of them trying not to get emotional.
"You know you're the best thing that ever happened to me, right?" He said softly at last. Gracie rolled her eyes, but she blinked furiously and kept her eyes on the road. Mika couldn't help but notice the way her neatly manicured hands tensed around the steering wheel in the same manner he gripped the arm rests of his throne when he was stressed or trying to conceal an unwelcome emotion.
"I wish you were around more often." She replied after a moment. There was a coarse, guarded edge to her tone.
"Gracie, if I had the option I'd retire right now and spend the rest of my life living in your guest room, watching TV and ordering Uber Eats all day." Said Mika softly. He was only about 40% joking.
"You'd have to get a job." She retorted. Finally, there was that sparkle in her eye once again. "No freeloaders allowed. Your food bill for the past three days alone has been horrifying."
"Fine. Is your office hiring?"
"There's an opening for a receptionist. Nice entry-level position."
"I think I'll hold out for upper management. I have some experience." Mika enjoyed a brief chuckle at the notion of himself sitting at the top of a skyscraper in a luxurious meeting room dressed in an expensive suit, doing... whatever the fuck they did up there. Couldn't possibly be harder than his current job.
"I'll be sure to send them your resume." Said Gracie wryly.
They both smiled for the rest of the drive home.
Bones are good, the rest, the rest don't matter
Paint could peel, the glass could shatter
Bones are good, the rest, the rest don't matter
Paint could peel, the glass, the glass could shatter
As much as Mika knew his place in the world was elsewhere, he found himself almost too content with lounging away his days in Gracie's apartment with no responsibilities, like some kind of overgrown pet. She'd go to work early, then come home and they'd either cook something or order delivery. While she was gone, he alternated between sleeping, watching television, and surfing the internet on her iPad. Although most technology was unfamiliar to him, he was clever enough to figure it out pretty quickly once Gracie gave him some basic instructions. Unlike Arrow who tended to get overwhelmed with that sort of thing and probably would've chucked the iPad out the window.
The Uber Eats app was a truly incredible feat of human capability. The closest thing Mika got to a delivery service in Vampire Mountain was this one guard who seemed to have a thing for him, and was always willing to run down to the kitchens and bring him some food when he didn't have time to leave the Hall of Princes. (And of course, there was that moment of weakness a few years ago when Mika dispatched Jakob to fetch him Starbucks. But he wasn't proud of that).
On his final night, he "surprised" Gracie with a nice supper he "made". A tray of gourmet tacos from her favourite place.
"I'd be more surprised if I didn't get a text alert on my phone every time you order food." Said Gracie with a dry smile as they sat down on the couch to indulge. "Good choice, though."
"Worth a shot." Mika shrugged.
"How are you going to eat when you get back to the mountain now that you're used to all this human food?" Gracie asked in amusement. Mika grimaced.
"I don't know. With great difficulty." Said Mika resignedly.
"Well, you're welcome to come stay any time. I've missed you. But until then, I picked up a bottle of that hot sauce you like. You can take it back to the mountain with you." Gracie replied. Mika immediately noted the shift in her tone, the sudden gravity. He put down his second taco and surveyed her.
"Are you sure you're doing okay?" Mika inquired. His tone matched the seriousness of hers. "You know I worry about you every second of my life, right?"
She fixed Mika with a gently exasperated look. As happy and vibrant as she was, there was a subtle weariness in her face that only showed up in the rare vulnerable moments like this when she chose to let her guard down. The ability to effortlessly pull a mask over one's emotions at will was never something Mika wanted to pass along to her. In that specific regard, he wished she'd taken after Kurda instead.
"And you know I do the same, no matter how many times you tell me not to worry about you?" She shot back. Her tone was measured, even. But there was a gritty determination in her eyes that told Mika he had no business arguing.
"Fair enough. Just promise me if there's ever anything... like, anything, ever... you'll tell me about it?" Said Mika softly. "I know you always feel like you need to be tough. That's something I wish you didn't get from me. But trust me, it catches up on you in the end." He added bitterly. "It might take years, but it'll happen. Learn from my mistakes, that's all."
She nodded slowly, as if deep in thought. Mika resumed eating his taco.
Several minutes passed. Gracie got up from the couch and walked over to the counter on which sat her purse. She rummaged in it for a moment and withdrew a plain white envelope. She looked down at it for a moment, then sighed heavily and returned to her spot on the couch beside Mika. It was obvious to Mika there was something significant about the envelope she was holding but he didn't pry. He was halfway through the third taco when Gracie spoke up abruptly.
"Remember when you told me if I ever wanted to get in touch with Kurda, you'd help me?"
Suddenly the taco was no longer delicious. Mika set it back down on the plate and took a deep breath.
"Of course I remember. And I stand by it."
Gracie held up the envelope.
"My afternoon meeting got cancelled. I had a couple hours to kill, so I wrote this. It's a letter to him. Having you here made me think about him more than I have in a long time. I'm hoping you can deliver it to him at some point."
Mika couldn't entirely define the feeling that began coursing through his body upon hearing those words. He'd felt more different emotions in the past six years than the rest of his life put together and yet this was a brand new one. It was an bone-rattling cocktail of hope, dread, surprise, and panic. He'd been so busy running himself into the ground the past six years he hadn't mentally prepared himself for the possibility that someday he might have to physically be in Kurda's presence again. In hindsight, that was stupid of him. He should've known Gracie would want this eventually. Hell, years ago he'd cautiously given her his blessing to do exactly what she was doing right now.
He didn't realize he'd disassociated until he felt Gracie's small, warm hand on his forearm.
"You okay?" She asked, her voice fraught with concern.
"Yeah. Sorry." Mika murmured, forcing a fragmented smile at the last second as he snapped back to the present. "Of course I will."
"Thank you." She whispered. She leaned in and gave him a tight hug which he returned even more tightly. "You can read it, if you want." She added once they withdrew.
"Do you want me to read it?" Mika asked. "I'd be happy to. But it you want to leave it between you and him, that's fine with me."
She pondered that for a moment.
"There's nothing in it you don't already know. I'm just letting him know that I'm okay... despite everything. And telling him what I've been up to the past six years." She said at last, handing Mika the sealed envelope. He carefully tucked it into his pocket.
"He'll be so proud of you. Just like I am." Said Mika, aware of the rawness in his voice that hadn't been there a minute ago. "No matter what he did, just know he loves you."
"Will you ever forgive him?" Gracie asked, barely louder than a whisper.
Mika had to take a few more deep breaths, a long sip of Smirnoff Ice (he'd finished off the last of Gracie's limited supply of beer), and finish his taco before he could tackle that one. A question like that required a bit of contemplation.
"In my heart, I already have." Said Mika eventually. He had to force each word out, and they all stung like acid. "As much as I don't understand parts of it, on a deeper level I've come to terms with the fact that he genuinely felt he had no choice. It was still wrong, but ultimately he separated his duty to the clan from his love for us."
"Do you still love him?" Gracie asked. Her voice cracked. She'd asked that question once before; the night she first heard the news. Mika locked his gaze onto hers. As long as he was looking into her eyes, he couldn't lie. And all he wanted to do was lie about that.
"I do. I always will. I hate that that's how it is, but it's the truth."
The silence that hung between them after those words was heavy. But it wasn't uncomfortable. It was familiar.
It was safe.
Several minutes ticked by. Gracie took a long sip of her drink and murmured bitterly,
"I still love him too."
When the bones are good, the rest don't matter
Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter
Let it rain (let it rain, let it rain)
'Cause you and I remain the same
When there ain't a crack in the foundation
Baby, I know any storm we're facing
Will blow right over while we stay put
The house don't fall when the bones are good
Aaaaaand it's over!
Perhaps it's worth mentioning that we are QUICKLY heading towards a long-awaited MikaKurda reunion! And thank the fucking vampire gods for that, because I've quickly learned the hard way that keeping them apart from each other has drained almost all the joy out of writing. Their break was necessary and inevitable but I'm not gonna lie, the absence of their interactions has made this story feel like an entire chore but I promise it's building to something worthwhile. Don't give up on me!
If you could leave me a review here, that would be stellar. I may or may not scroll through my past reviews & comments when I feel unmotivated. I may be writing for my own pleasure, but validation from other people unlocks that sweet, sweet serotonin I crave.
I haven't done a shameless plug in a while, so here's one: if you've ever looked at my writing and thought "wow I'd love to know what kinds of semi-coherent shitposts this person is capable of producing" look no further than my personal CDF blog on Tumblr, located at MikaVerLeth. I also run FestivalOfTheUndead which is a collection of any and all fanworks celebrating the Shandom.
Plug two: There's two pretty cool CDF Discord servers now, and if you send me a PM I'd be happy to give you an invite link. I'd post those here but I don't recall this website playing well with links and I think they expire anyway so yeah. Lmk if you're into it and I'll hook you up.
And most importantly, thank you for taking time to read this. It means the world to me. No exaggeration. You guys are wonderful.
See you soon,
- Roxy