"Hey, Marko?" Elizabeth said quietly, slowing down to fall back to him.

She had been walking quiet comfortably along the beach with the other three but Marko had lagged behind a little, staying at first to take care of the fire.

Paul had been wrestling with Dwayne, occasionally jostling David and she'd been watching them, walking alongside them and laughing at their antics. David wasn't joining in but it was kind of fun to see him being so...so approachable with them and she hoped that one day he would be like that with her, too. She was happy and content and her evening had been incredible...but there was something niggling at her.

Something she couldn't escape, something she couldn't forget, something she couldn't not think about and she thought that perhaps Marko could help her.

He'd helped her before.

As Dwayne looked over his shoulder, still wrestling with Paul, he searched for her eyes. As they met, she gave him a reassuring smile. He nodded, smiled himself and then returned to the task at hand. Paul's arms found their way over his shoulders and he was tugged into a headlock.

Laughing and shaking her head, she stopped walking entirely.

Dwayne's glance at her had been casual, fast and silent and she was infinitely grateful he didn't draw attention to her, that he didn't stop to ask if she was alright, if she needed anything. She was sure that he knew she was going to speak with Marko, she wasn't sure if he knew what, exactly, she wanted to talk to him about but she was positive Dwayne knew that she was turning to the curly-haired blonde for support.

Not a lot escaped him. Like he had said, there were no secrets between mates.

She also knew that Dwayne trusted that she knew what she was doing and she loved him all the more for it.

As the three men walked further away, still engaged in their play fighting, Marko slowly caught up to her.

"Beautiful night, huh?" he said, pausing and looking out at the sky.

She stood beside him, following his lead and gazing up, eyes scanning over the moon and stars. With the fire out, the night was clear and as beautiful as ever, "it's gorgeous" she agreed, "you know, I never stopped to consider the night sky before I met you guys..."

"Not many people do" Marko said, "they don't get the chance"

Turning her head in the direction the other three had left, Elizabeth found that they were almost specks in the distance...she also suspected that Marko had hung back because he knew she wanted to talk with him.

She tugged the two towels a little further over her shoulders.

She was thankful for all of their discretion as well as their silent understanding.

"Thank you, Marko..." she said, looking at him.

"…anytime" he grinned at her and began a very, very slow walk. As she fell into step, almost shuffling beside him, he asked, "so what can I do for you?"

She decided there was no point in beating about the bush, so she began, "I don't think Paul would get it and...well, it's kind of about David and Dwayne...and I trust him, I do but…I feel like...he wants me to be happy and maybe...maybe in this situation he wouldn't tell me what he's really thinking..." she fumbled, "…I think maybe he would keep the truth hidden to protect my feelings?"

She took a breath. Maybe she was a little more stoned than she originally thought.

"Dwayne puts your feelings above everything" Marko agreed, "you can ask me anything, you know that...so what's on your mind, Liz?"

"...Paul said I was good, David said I was nice-" Marko nodded, "-and I saw this...flicker, just a flicker of something on Dwayne's face and...I've noticed it. A few times, actually. Before, David said I was nice, he said it like it was the worst thing in the world and Dwayne...he...he doesn't say it like it's a bad thing but he does say it...at least, he's mentioned it a few times..." she stopped her shuffled walking and looked at Marko, "I want to know why?"

"Why?"

"What's the fixation with me being nice? I'm not all that nice anyway but...I don't know. Something's going on with it...I would be flattered, I should be flattered…because it is a compliment, right? Who gets offended over being called nice?" she shook her head, "but it doesn't feel like a compliment, as such…"

"How does it feel?"

"…like a…like a point of concern? I don't know but I've noticed there's something around it…"

"It's pretty complicated" he said.

"I knew there was something"

"Yeah, you're pretty sharp sometimes" he mused and Elizabeth shook her head, "not in this case. I have no idea why they're.." she shook her head, "I don't know why he's so fixed on it…"

"Real talk?" Marko asked.

Real talk…Elizabeth thought back to Marko's incredibly blunt honesty and how much it had helped her. David was bluntly honest too, there was no denying that, but it was a cold, almost unkind honesty. Marko had genuinely supported her, done his best to help her.

She could stomach his brand of truth, even if it could be a little dark.

"...please"

"In this case, it's really not about you as much as it is about us, about him. OK?"

"Alright…"

He observed her for a second before starting, "remember when I said I'm brutal? I can't express how true my words were. I love hunting, I love feeding, I love killing, Elizabeth. I'm a vampire. It's what I do, it's what we do...in the future...maybe it's what you'll do..." he met her eyes, "...the point is, we love our darkness. We thrive in it. We are dark…but you?" he smiled sympathetically, "...Liz, you're as pure as they come. You're honest and sweet and caring" she opened her mouth a little but he continued, "you're pure. We're dark, you're light...you following?"

"...OK...I'm..." she trailed off and instead nodded.

"It's not a bad thing, Elizabeth. There's nothing wrong with being a good person" he assured her.

"I can't help but feel like it is" she admitted, "just, with the way it's brought up and stuff…"

He smiled, "no. We like you the way you are, don't worry"

"Thanks?"

He considered her, before slowly beginning, "…being a vampire doesn't change your personality...your personality shapes who you are as a vampire" he smiled at her, a small and sad smile, "…I had a pretty bad mortal life. It was filled with discipline, with rules and regulations and religion and pain...I was so bitter, so angry. So hurt. My whole mortal life was suffering. David and Dwayne rescued me from it and," he admitted, "when I was turned, I brought some of that with me. I knew I was meant to be with the pack but I couldn't let go. The kind of people who hurt me, who caused me pain? They still exist. Those kind of people, the people who build themselves up on, who feed on other people's suffering? They're everywhere. They've always been a plague, they always will be a plague and I like to make them hurt in turn. I like to make them suffer like they made me suffer...my everlasting revenge" he laughed a little, but it was hollow and cold.

His jaw was set and there was a darkness in his eyes, so pure and tangible, she almost felt it in her own heart. She swallowed, letting his words sink in. The four men were so…so in sync, so natural and happy together, she couldn't picture any of them being anything other than than how they were now.

She knew that they each had their own story, their own history…but not for a second did she think they would be bad histories.

She hadn't been expecting to hear something so raw, so personal.

"..Marko, I'm...Jesus, I'm so sorry..." Elizabeth breathed, eyes welling a little with tears at his words.

She hadn't expected to hear such a painful story.

"Hey, come on, Nice Girl" he smiled at her, comforting her, "you're just a little high, that's why you're sad. You're OK. I'm OK. It's in the past-"

She looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, her heart breaking for him all over again at his kindness and he smiled, "-I brought some of the anger with me but I'm good. I'm content, OK? I love my pack, I love what I've got going on now. Don't mourn my past because I sure as fuck don't"

"...Marko..." she sniffed and took another breath. She wouldn't cry at his story, especially if he wasn't going to.

"My history is arguably the most unfortunate out of us all" he told her, "but I grew from it and I came out stronger in the end" he grinned, a devilish smirk, "literally and figuratively"

He made two fang gestures with his fingers and she couldn't help but give a sad little laugh.

He smiled at her, "it was fucked up though and it took a while for me to process everything. I was the shittiest vampire ever…" he looked at her before slowly dropping to the ground, sitting in the cool and compact sand.

She followed his lead, curling her legs under herself as she sat before him.

He looked at her for a moment and then continued, "I just couldn't hunt, couldn't fly, couldn't do anything. All I could think about was how fucking hurt I was, think of everything I had been through...I was broken, Liz. David and Dwayne freed me, they saved me from that and they did everything they could for me, everything to support and care for me but it was slow...I was a tortoise"

She couldn't imagine it.

"I was a vampire but I had to learn how to be me, too" he shot her a look, eyes dancing despite the sadness of his story, "then Paul came along. He was an absolute natural at everything and even though I was technically older, he took me under his wing" he chuckled and shook his head, "can you imagine?"

"Not at all" she admitted quietly, totally immersed and drawn in by his story. She pulled the dry towels around her shoulders and he grinned at her, "Paul will tell you his story but just...imagine Paul as you know him but as an incredibly, disgustingly wealthy dandy gentleman"

"No way-"

"-way"

"Paul was...he was...a gentleman?"

Marko laughed, "yeah. He came from a really rich family. I'm talking stinking rich, too. His life was carefree...he had responsibilities and expectations to meet, of course…but he was happy not fulfilling them. He had money to burn and a passion for fun, women, drugs and drink. He had it made...and when he came into our pack, he brought that with him. Always joking, laughing, playful-"

"-high?"

Marko laughed again, "yup...he had a lust for life and he brought that with him into his death. He livened things up, that's for sure and he kind of made it his mission to get me to...I dunno. Get with the program a bit more. Leave my mortality, leave that trauma behind and embrace my new life..."

He glanced up at the sky before smiling at Elizabeth, "...crazy though he is, Paul's a damn good listener…pretty decent problem solver, too. He listened to everything I had to say, he listened while I practically gave him my soul and then...he took me hunting..."

Elizabeth shifted in the sand.

"You still OK with the real talk?"

"Yes" she said quietly. It was something she knew she needed to face eventually and the information coming in dribs and drabs from Marko was easy to digest. She didn't think she could handle seeing it, not at the moment but hearing about it felt alright.

She didn't feel comfortable with it, not one hundred percent but she knew she needed to know the truth.

"Dwayne and David made sure I was fed, healthy...they never forced to do anything. They're good pack mates but Paul...in his own way, Paul did force me. It wasn't bad, he wasn't cruel he just took me one day. He didn't tell me his plan but he took me..." he paused for a moment.

When he began, he didn't pick up where he had dropped off, "I've talked your ear off already, this is a pretty big tangent...but I made my first kill with Paul. When I was done, I was covered in blood and I was crying-"

Once again, Elizabeth's eyes welled with tears. His words were so raw, so pure, so strong. Marko reached out for her hand.

His fingers curled around hers, "...they were tears of relief, Liz. Don't cry for me, girl. I found my relief and it was there, in death..."

She sniffed, using her free hand to wipe away a lone tear that fell despite his words. He squeezed her hand and she hated that he was comforting her. It was his story, his trauma yet here he was, offering her comfort and support.

She wanted to pin it on the weed, to say she was stoned and that's why she was sad but it would have been a lie.

Her heart broke hearing such words.

"...the thing is, when I found out who I was as a vampire, other things started to fall into place, too. I had suffered so much as a mortal, I was already attuned to other people's emotions. Just by looking into someone's eyes, I could tell if they were suffering like I was, I could tell if they were the ones inflicting suffering, if they were..." he shrugged, "I was pretty good on the empathy point. I brought that with me…all vampires have a lure but mine was...it blew David out of the water"

He looked out over the ocean and she followed his gaze, silently watching the slow, almost languid waves brush the shore. Looking out into the rippling water, he continued, "...what I'm trying to tell is that that who we were as mortals, what we have experienced...that shapes us as vampires. You're so nice, Liz. You...you really are..."

"...so I'll be a nice...if the time, if it..." she stumbled over her words a little and took a breath, "...I would be a nice vampire?"

"I think so, yeah. I don't see you enjoying hunting like I do..."

She said nothing.

"I'm never going to hide who am I from you, Lizzie. I spent my whole mortality being repressed-"

"-I would never want you to" she said, shaking her head, "Marko I would never, ever want you to suffer-"

"-I know, I trust you…and I know that you feel that way because you're a nice girl. You've listened to my story, you felt what I was saying and you've accepted it. You're not trying to convince me to be nice, you've accepted my words and accepted me for what I'm saying I am. You're not begging me to not kill…"

His words were heavy, loaded but she didn't know why.

Still she didn't know why.

"...I don't understand" she whispered, "is it a bad thing to care, to not try and change you?"

"Not at all" he assured her again, "Liz, I told you my story because I trust you. I know you're meant to be in the pack, I know you're my sister and I know, I do...I know that when you chose to be with us...you're going to feed in a very businesslike way"

"Wh…then is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all...to be honest, sixty percent of the time, that's how David does it, too. It's not about good or bad things, girl…"

"I'm lost, Marko...I'm sorry but I don't get it"

"I told you my story but I know you won't want to see me hunt. You accept my brutality...but I don't think you could handle seeing it, not now. Not as a mortal..."

"...I don't think I want to see it" she admitted and Marko smiled, "you won't have to, don't worry..."

"…but if...if the time came, I could...I could um, eat? In a...a nice, painless way? Nobody would have to hurt?"

"...a vampire's bite can be..." he shook his head in slow amazement, as if his words would never be enough, "...it's indescribable, it leaves you wanting, begging...dreaming for more..."

Elizabeth swallowed, thinking about Dwayne.

Marko met her eyes, "...you could feed, you could kill and that person would feel nothing but bliss…a most excellent way to die"

"...oh..." she whispered.

"Oh" he repeated, smiling a little, "...but I don't really do it that way. You can, I think you will...we wouldn't care, as long as you're healthy. That's all we want, your health and happiness..."

"...well then, why...?"

"Liz, you're not my mate. You're my sister and I love you but if you were my mate? I'd be fucking petrified to even think about discussing this with you. Fuck, I don't think I would have shared my story with you, I don't think I'd ever even mention feeding and hunting-"

She realized that Dwayne had avoided those topics, too.

"-why?"

"Because it's fragile. Dwayne...Lizzie, you're his everything now. He has you but he doesn't have you, not really-"

"-but he does" she insisted, "Marko, he has...he has my everything, my heart, my soul...I-"

"-I know" he assured her, quietly, intently, "but until you're a vampire...until you've bonded, at least...it's so fragile...you're so nice...if you were my mate..." he shrugged, "honestly, I'd be petrified, living in fear every day that you'd get wind of the realities of what vampires are, what we do...how we kill...you'd realize and you'd leave..."

"Wh-so that's it? That's what it's about? He thinks I'm too nice, that I…I would…leave him?" another tear fell down her face and she shook her head, vehemently denying his words, "I would never, ever leave Dwayne. It...it hurts to even think about-"

"-hey, hey, come here.." he opened his arm a little and she accepted his soft hug, letting her head on his shoulder, "I know that, I know that Lizzie. Come on" he rocked his body a little, "Paul and I both know it. David does, too and Dwayne, Jesus, of course he knows...it's just scary for him, that's all..."

"Why?"

"He doesn't want to lose you"

"But he won't"

"We know. He knows…it's just…every time you're nice, every time you do something nice, you show how good you are...it reminds us of how brutal we are and that's...that's kind of scary, you know?"

"I guess…" she looked down into the sand, "I'm so sure of my feelings, I know nothing will change how much I love" she sighed, "….I didn't think that he would ever need some reassurance…"

"Dwayne's history is a..." his words trailed off, "...you realize that you're in the position to destroy him, right?"

"What?"

"...huh, so you don't..."

"What?"

"Dwayne's undead and immortal and whatever but you hold all the power. You can leave, you can say no, you can reject what we're offering you" he shrugged, "he's pretty much never been in that position, he's never allowed himself to care. He's a closed book. If you're not one of us, you look at him and you'd think, 'sure, he's handsome but he's kind of arrogant and stone cold'...and you'd be right" he shrugged again, "he brought that stoicism which him-"

"-from when he was like me?"

"Mortal?"

"Yeah"

"Yeah"

"Oh..." Elizabeth frowned a little.

"Look, Liz...he had a hard life, too and because of that, he's never allowed himself to be vulnerable. By being with you, he's opening himself to a potential world of hurt and he knows it. He loves you, he needs you but it's scary for him. Scary and new.."

"Oh..." she repeated.

"It's really not on you though" Marko told her, "it's not on him, either it's just…we can be brutal, you're as wholesome as a slice of apple pie with cream and it's scary for him. That darkness is a big part of what we are, a big part of who he is..."

"Marko, would I ever be expected to do…what you do?"

"No"

"Really?"

He hitched his shoulder and Elizabeth's head moved with his motion. As he removed his arm from her shoulder, she slowly straightened up, removing herself from his hug. He shifted a little to the side and met her eyes. He was smiling when he said," absolutely"

"…then he shouldn't be worried…" she said quietly.

She still hadn't really considered the realities of what vampires did to sustain themselves.

After the horror of experiencing David and Paul's…psychic abilities, or whatever she should call them, she'd wanted to just enjoy being with Dwayne.

There was a lot to think about, a lot to consider, so much so that she knew it would be overwhelming and frightening but she knew she wanted him.

She wanted Dwayne and she knew that she would chose him over everything, even living.

It was easier to not think about it, for now.

Choosing Dwayne meant losing her family, losing a career, an education, losing her humanity…but she would do it. She knew she would and the second she realized the extent of her feelings, she hadn't thought about it again.

She'd focused on just being with him, focused on the present.

"….you OK?"

She blinked up and looked up at Marko, "yeah? Yeah, I'm OK…"

"You went awfully quiet there for a second"

"Yeah…" she replied, swallowing.

"It's a lot, isn't it?"

"Yes"

"It'll get easier"

"Thank you" she smiled at him and took a breath, sort of wishing she'd refrained from smoking, "…so…in the meantime…should I be a bit meaner or...?"

"Paul would die" Marko said, shaking his head with a grin.

"He would?"

"Oh yeah. If you released your inner bitch, he'd just-"Marko raised his hands and shook his head, wiggling his fingers in imitation of excited craziness.

He stopped, smiling when Elizabeth laughed, "then I'll save it for when he's having a really bad day"

"Good idea"

"…but…for Dwayne? Should I stop being-"

"-what? Stop being you?" Marko asked, raising his eyebrow, "we like you for who you are, girl. He loves you for who you are. Don't change. Keep-"

"-being nice?"

"Yes" Marko said, "he knows you're a good person, he loves it. It's just scary…and Dwayne never, ever admits to feeling scared"

He laughed and Elizabeth gave a little chuckle.

"…thank you, Marko"

"Anytime" he said and she knew that he meant it, "keep being you, keep being nice and remember that if anyone ever comments on it, it's not a bad thing…it's just we're so foul, it's kind of funny that we ended up with such a peach in our group. Paul loves it. David's such a dick, he doesn't know how to handle nice and Dwayne is worried that you know…the nitty gritty of what vampires do, of what we are is…"

"Too much for someone so 'nice'?"

"Yeah"

She smiled, "…you know…one time, Sammy had really bad constipation, he was backed up big time. The doctor gave him liquid laxatives but he refused to drink it, said it tasted bad. I don't think it did, it was a kind of odorless liquid but he refused so Mom made it up specially for him. She mixed it up in orange juice, even added pulp because he likes it and then she put it in the fridge. She told us to explicitly not to touch it, that it was only for Sammy…but Dad was working, he didn't get the memo…"

A slow smirk spread across Marko's face.

"..he was so grumpy when he came home and I was studying at the kitchen table…and…well, you know. He went for the juice-"

Marko barked a laugh.

"-and I just sat there and watched him chug the whole thing…" she snorted a little laugh and shook her head, biting her lip as Marko laughed alongside her.

"So there is a bit of bad inside you, huh?" he chortled, nudging her with his shoulder.

She smiled up at him and he stretched his hands, clicking his fingers, "don't change Liz, don't ever change"

"Marko you're…" she shook her head, "you're the best. Thank you, I really, really appreciate everything…"

"Anytime" he said easily, still grinning from her story.

"…and I'm really sorry, too" she murmured, "…I'm sorry about your past…"

He hauled himself up to his feet and held out his hand. She took it and, much like she had done with Paul, she allowed him to pull her up.

"Come on, little sister" he said, jerking his head in the direction the other three had left, "let's get you back to your mate. Not too long left of the night…"

"I'm going to be a zombie tomorrow…" she looked at him and he raised his eyebrow. She grimaced a little. It was already tomorrow. She corrected herself, "…today"

"Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee" he prescribed, "Paul could probably give you a pick-me up…"

She laughed and he said with an agreeable air, "…but that's a slippery slope. We want your health and happiness, remember?"

As they walked up the beach, Elizabeth took a breath, smiling at her friend.

She was glad she had his friendship and, as they easily walking up along the beach, she knew why he didn't acknowledge her apology.

He was sorry, too.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! They keep me going!

We'll get to see more of their stories soon, too! They're so much fun to write and I'm enjoying exploring their pasts. I also love exploring their friendships and how effortless their pack is. MissRuthless, I think you two may be on to something with the calm before the storm but I'll say no more! MissJNori, he's definitely holding back but luckily we have Marko, our resident code breaker to help us through it haha. Elizabeth knows what she's working with now, so I think we can get an explanation from Dwayne himself and also a snippet of his history, too...and we all know that still waters run deep! Thank you both so, so much for the continued support. Have a wonderful upcoming weekend!