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More notes at the end...
Disclaimer: I don't own Underworld nor any of its beautiful characters.
Chapter 9 - The Stranger and The Lover
That wasn't how Eve had imagined her mother and father's reunion would be. She dreamt of him running to her with a look of longing in his face, as he sweeps the love of his life off her feet. Another possible scenario would be of them kissing. Passionately. Forgetting the rest of the world, they would cling to each other, locked in a tight embrace.
Eve breathes out a deep sigh.
It was supposed to be romantic.
It was supposed to be the most romantic thing in the entire world. Mother having the ice-cold heart, then father comes into her life, takes her breath away and becomes the only man who gets through that once indestructible wall she's built around herself. Selene had painted such a picture of Michael that Eve was left more than just disappointed. She was also very sad.
A nod. Father gave mom a nod. He hasn't seen her in fifteen years and he gives her a shake of the head as a greeting. If Eve didn't know any better, if her blood didn't feel so powerful flowing under her skin, one that can only be from both immortal species, if she didn't have this man's eyes and her face wasn't the exact copy of the queen who stood before him, she and everyone else would have thought she was another couple's child, one who at least appeared to have loved each other once upon a time.
At least father looked stunned seeing mother. Eve smiles despite the circumstances. If nothing else, mother's beauty never fails to amaze.
And father looked not so bad himself.
Eve has always imagined Michael as how Selene describes him, almost always in poetic undertones. She hadn't been lying nor exaggerating. And she said he was a healer, a savior of the weak and wounded – everything her mother wasn't. Maybe that's why she was so drawn to him in the first place. He makes him remember her humanity. And so she thought of him as such. Not the soldier he was now – wearing dirty, green fatigues instead of clean, white robes a doctor like him should wear.
"I...Can I talk to you in private?" Father asks mom, expectant but all serious looking – almost business-like. And...
Was that a stutter? His face visibly reddens and Eve was suddenly overcome with the desire to be able to see through either of her parents' eyes at will, just to know what they were thinking of at this very moment.
Mother stops her descent, eyes furrowing in confusion, struggling. Eve knew why. She sees what her mother sees. It was Michael, and not the least bit of recognition in his eyes. There was undeniable attraction, yes – a big yes at that, but there was something else...Michael looked at the mother of his child like he would look at someone who was in command, almost acknowledging her as authority.
Eve also notices her mother's hands ball into fists at her sides, undoubtedly controlling herself from...what? How does one react to seeing someone you love return from the dead? One should run to them, like mom would have run before for father, but right now...
"Of course." Selene's voice betrays no emotion and her face was just as indifferent. She was back to cutting herself off from the rest of the world, and sadly, from Michael. Standing straighter, she turns her back on the only man she'd ever loved and climbs back on the steps she just recently descended upon. Without being told, Varga motions for father to follow mother.
As the three of them left the ballroom, Eve then turns her attention back to David, looking down at him from where she stood hiding – behind a curtain wall. She never saw him as a father figure, no matter how hard he's tried to seek after mother's affections. But he was a friend anyway. A good friend. He was special to her, mostly because she had met him the same time she had met Selene and he cared for her long before her mother ever did. He was sweet, comforting, and familiar. Like a pillow she keeps by her side at night. But the longer she was looking at David now, watching the fire in his eyes as he stared at the empty stairway, all Eve saw was a stranger.
The walk from the Winter Garden to Selene's private quarters was longer than usual. The dark stone walls of the castle close in on her, almost suffocating. She felt dizzy and numb at the same time. And she felt cold. So cold. Her already frosty blood seems to seep through her very skin, wanting to get out of it, to wrap itself on the pale surface of her arms. The presence of Michael behind her seemed to suck all the life from her, all the warmth she so little owned. She has never felt the worst of her immortality as she felt it now.
Is this how Eve felt when I first saw her? Selene visibly shakes from the chill her body was exuding as she wraps her arms around herself.
"Cold, Selene?" It took a moment for her to realize it was Varga who spoke from somewhere behind her.
He never calls her by name. Not when there were others besides them. She has a strong suspicion that he takes so much pleasure in annoying her with his royal addresses.
I thought it was Michael. She sighs. Even his name she recites in her head hurt in ways she could not express.
"I'll ask Colin to put more wood in the furnace," Varga continues.
"It's alright." She dismisses him calmly. Then feeling bold, and inexplicably stupid: "Are you cold, Michael?" She half turns her head, engaging him in small talk.
"I'm alright," was his short reply.
That went remarkably well.
What would you have done if he said yes, Selene? Would you have given her your coat? She reprimands herself, internally forcing rationality back to her weak side. The side that misses the man clothed with the enemy's uniform behind her, that wants nothing more than to embrace Michael, her Michael, and never let go.
"Can I ask where we're going?" He says a minute later, in the same abrupt manner.
"You wanted privacy. We're going to my chambers."
"…We're going to my chambers."
Michael focuses in on this piece of information and repeats it in his head.
It doesn't help stop the storm of feelings that has been raging inside him.
He lets out a deep breath, takes a pause on staring at the back of Selene's head and gives the man beside him a glance. He was almost as tall as him, Michael observes. His hair was also notably blonde, but on the lighter shade. He finds himself suddenly annoyed by this, like how he found it annoying that David's eyes had the same blue as Selene's. Which was ridiculous in itself since he knew almost all the vampires had the same eyes when they turned.
The blonde man quickens his speed and gets ahead of Selene as they finally stop in front of a tall double doors, like the rest of the castle, it was dark and shiny but made of wood. The man pulls out a key from his pocket.
He has a key to Selene's room. Who was this man?
"You can leave us, Varga." Selene says when Varga has managed to open one side of the door.
He looks at her longer than necessary. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure."
"Very well. I'll…" He looks down a little, brows furrowed, looking very hesitant. Then, making up his mind, he lets out a sigh of defeat. "I'll be out here if you need me."
Varga steps aside and Selene enters her room. Michael follows shortly and closes the heavy door behind him.
Now they were alone.
Selene could not recall the last time she and Michael were in a confined space, not that her private quarters was small and tight and restricting for that matter. In fact she has the largest room in the entire Eastern Coven, even bigger than her old one at Ördögház. She tries to sort through her memories for that last encounter as she takes off her fur coat. Because her massive dome of a room was suddenly too hot for her.
That's when she remembers. Their last...
She feels the heat of the blush on her cheeks and curses the heavens for her pale skin. Of all the things you could think of right now, she reprimands herself for the nth time tonight. There were far more important things she needs to concentrate her thoughts on. Like what does she do with a Michael who doesn't seem to remember her? How does she deal with that? How will she tell him about their daughter? Should she even tell him?
Her thoughts darken as she considers what David had said. Selene needed no further convincing.
Michael was indeed a Sundal soldier.
The Sundal army was formed years ago, just a few months after she had killed Marius, and it was run by both humans and lycans. The two species no doubt thought they could take on the vampires when they combined forces. They send out a set of troops every now and then, scattered all over the woods surrounding the castle, waiting, for something that Selene cares less to find out about. Her only concern is that they never attacked. Nonetheless David lived for it. He lived for the thrill of fighting the soldiers and lycans whenever they get a little closer than they should, for presenting the defeated men before her, ones who were too weak to fight, and ones who had conceded. And because Selene was no longer the ruthless and unforgiving Death Dealer she once was, she lets them all go. Much to David's disappointment.
"...Hi."
Selene starts as she remembers where she was and who she was with. Turning her head, her eyes meets Michael's and that particular tug at her heart, that pull she thought she'd never feel ever again, makes her more warm all over.
"Hi," she whispers, almost sheepishly.
He was a new man all of a sudden then as he puts his hands inside the pockets of his tight fatigue trousers and stares avidly at the floor of her room. He clears his throat and slowly recaptures her eyes again. "So..."
Selene doesn't know how it happened, who moved first, or who has lost all sense of reason and finally reached out to the other. But suddenly she finds herself kissing Michael within an inch of his life.
Somewhere, deep in the dark recesses of her centuries-old brain, reason screamed: Oh god. This is wrong. This is so wrong. We need to talk first…Sort out...things. Stop this nonsense right now, Selene.
...Or maybe later.
She pushes his chest gently, prying her lips away from his for a moment, as she catches her breath. One could not accuse her later of not fighting against this, against being inebriated by everything that was…Michael. She breathes out his name, panting, and as she was just about to take a long good look at his face, he cups her jaw with both hands and kisses her again. It was a slow, almost reverent kiss. He kisses her like how he makes love to her. With that thought, she smiles against his lips and gives in for a few seconds, letting him worship her mouth as her own hands gripped his much shorter hair. They were like that for what feels like hours, or maybe years for Selene, until Michael can't take the slow burn anymore and pulls away abruptly to which she groans out a whine of protest, only to pull her against him by the hips. She gasps out loud, surprised, and now very much aroused. There was a full body mirror behind Michael and she could see her eyes have turned their infamous electric blue.
"Oh, god. I'm sorry, I–" He lets go of her, realizing he was moving too fast, too soon. He takes a step back.
By the saints, I must be losing my mind, Selene concludes as she reaches for his hands and brings them back to hold her waist. Then she puts her own on his shoulders, this time pushing her cold body against his warm one. They were so close again now. A silent agreement passes between them. Hold on. Hold on for a few heart beats and let me take you in. And so they stood there in a loose embrace, staring at each other's faces. There was a quiet sort of adoration in Michael's gaze that wasn't there earlier and it took Selene's breath away, much more than all their kissing had.
"Selene." One of Michael's hands caresses her cheek. He closes his eyes and brings his head down to hers until their foreheads touched.
Then the doors burst open, startling them so much they jumped a few feet apart.
Selene consciously runs her fingers through her messy hair and looks at Varga, shooting daggers at his flustered face.
"I…I'm sorry–" He turns his back at them. "I've been calling you for ages," he says to the doorway. "And well...Never mind." He walks straight ahead and closes the doors with a bang.
Alone with Michael once again, she regains some sense of control this time. She points out to an armchair by the fireplace. "Please take a seat, Michael."
He looks at her with one eyebrow raised. It was kind of sexy and she loathes herself as she decides to ignore his subtle flirting.
"I have something to tell you."
AmericanWildDog - I was tempted to let them suffer a bit more but then figured, what the hell? He's been dreaming about her and she hasn't seen him for fifteen years. A bit of snogging was in order at least. :P
Guest:Spring - Hey there! Thank you :) and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hehe
Guest - I'm so sorry they haven't been introduced to each other yet in this one. They certainly will in the next! :) And oh, you'll know more about the Sundals in the later chapters. Stay tuned!