Standard disclamer...yadayada
For my Jester, my muse.
"Well?" Liz tried to stare her friend down; sure she was curious but there was a big part of her that was deeply concerned. On the surface S was beaming but she knew well enough that there may have been things she was keeping from her now.
"Well what do you want me to say...the sex is exceptional and abundant?" Scarlett shook her head as she watched people file by getting on with their day though the cafe window. "If you want to hear that he's been," she waved her hand around in the air trying to grasp at words "I don't' know, bad, then you would be way off. He's the picture of perfection if I ever had to dream up a man." She took a sip of her tea while Liz drank her coffee; she didn't miss coffee one bit these days. "I'll tell you what is maddening," Liz glanced up to her. "Its that he insists on me having this phone on me at all times when I'm out. He insists I eat, he insists I get my rest...well I can't fault him on that really, he makes sure I'm damn tired so I do." She blushed. "But what really set me off was being told I need to take a week at my place because he's getting work done on the apartment and god forbid I breath in any dust." Scarlett glanced to her lemon pie wedge, it was nearly gone and she wanted another piece but yet didn't because as good as it was it wasn't satisfying her. "I shouldn't complain," she sighed again, "turns out I'm his first girlfriend that's, h'm and he just, just wants to do better this time." Liz's brow raised. "It was a long time ago he said and she was a plant or spy of sorts.." that part still confused Scarlett but she didn't press that issue to find out, she also didn't ask V what businesses he ran or what he did exactly; the less she knew the better she felt about it. "I just want to be happy now and he makes me so very happy. It sucks being away from him during the day but I guess I'll need to deal with that." There was more she was dealing with but that was on a entirely different level as she was still figuring out her place in his life. She had confessed this to V but he only told her 'Just be and let time reveal it to you.' "He comes over at night, by the way, and stays with me until I fall asleep" The days were the hardest for her, she did not want to admit it to Liz, she hated the judgment.
The girl was love sick and Liz knew it as she listened to her friend. She was still trying to get her head around the idea, the notion, that there could be an equal and palatable exchange of feelings between the two but her eyes didn't deceive her, no, not when she witnessed them together. "I hadn't noticed him but then again, I don't notice much when I get home." She spied her coffee slowly even though her lunch break was well over with. She had an appointment that afternoon but it wasn't for a few hours still. "Well at least he's still in town?" That brought a bit of comfort to her friend and she wished she could offer more but it wasn't as if they shared a love for shopping, so there she sat.
The experience of living wasn't lost on Vladimir; he knew what he felt was real, tangible and he liked it and craved more. It wasn't lost on him, however, that if he overdid it the splendid fragile dream of his might shatter. He wanted to give his mate options that she never had before or even considered. The workers he hired knew him well enough and they had been given the directive to work around the clock to complete the renovations to the space he occupied with S. The work below them had been completed while she was there; she didn't take notice of anything surprisingly. But for the two floors to be joined, it wasn't a question, she could not be there because of the dust for one, but secondly, more importantly, he didn't want any of the men to see her, or for her to be stressed by having them be around her. He did tell her on her departure that she would have a smaller contingent of security around her and him being able to track her phone calmed him immensely; he had told her he would be before she left. She protested but he smoothed over her objections by promising more quiet outings. If she didn't love him as much as she did he imagined he'd never have a chance at swaying her to do anything he wished so it was foremost on his mind not to abuse the privilege of her love. Human hearts, he reasoned, were ever so fragile and every great ruler of history knew this so they, like he, would respect that fragility. He did look forward to seeing her tonight, he would be able to bring her back with him even though the timing of her return would conflict with her cycle. No matter, he thought, unfiltered time with her would be just as rewarding as intimacy as her mind was of far greater importance to him. He checked where she was; back at her place and it was late in the afternoon so she would be hopefully staying and eating in. She would be in an unpleasant mood he figured and that brought about an eagerness inside of him; he wanted to conquer it.
Her dinner went uneaten and Scarlett debated calling V to tell him she was in a sour mood and felt awful so he shouldn't come over. It was weighing on her that he had asked her about her upbringing, her past, her pain filled past she was still avoiding. She resolved to tell him. As much as she hated what was, it had been a point between them now and she didn't like feeling that she was withholding anything from him. He was slowly telling her about his past; including the bad parts. She'd feel better when he was there with her, she always did, like it was a craving her body had for him to be near, she couldn't deny it. Her stomach lurched and she swore bitterly hoping nothing more aggravating would happen when he was over. In the past, she recalled how awful this time of the month would be and then she realized how much more numb her body was back then to it, she was merely surviving in that life. She heard light tapping on the door and she started to shuffle over to it, the half eaten food on the counter wasn't going to make a run for it anytime soon she figured.
S was in a sad state; it almost made him gleeful to see her but he knew by looking down at her that would not be taken well. "Love, you are a joyful sight for my old eyes. I've been counting the seconds all day to see you again." He stepped into her entrance and took her up in his arms. With the bag in his arm he managed to close the door, and hold her until she felt more relaxed. "Now then love," he whispered in her ear "I wish to take you home with me if you'd like and are feeling up to it and to bribe you I brought something I hope you'll like." He slowly let her go and fished the little pint of sherbet out of his bag. "It's orange flavoured and I'd thought you'd like it.." V watched the tears well up in Scarlett's eyes. "I was mistaken..?" She grabbed the container from him and marched to the kitchen. He was behind her a moment later as she was fishing a spoon out of the drawer. The lid was flung off and he watched her dig into the semi frozen block. "Excellent. I was not mistaken at all, my bribe was acceptable." He realized he had struck a deep cord in the woman but for what or why he wasn't sure. He let her consume her gift and went to hang up his coat.
Scarlett felt better twice over, once for having her lover hold her so tightly and now. She had never told him exactly how much she loved orange sherbert or had ever requested it in his presence or ever. He must have guessed from watching her she figured, paying attention to every detail of their time together; the pastels. That's it. He could tell if she was fibbing but he could also tell when she was deeply enjoying something or in this case a taste. He returned to the kitchen to drop his contacts into the kitchen sink and turn on the water to rinse them down the drain. "This is perfect. Thank you, I really needed this." He tipped his head at her and smirked; he'd eventually find how how much she appreciated the gift. "So whatever you were doing to your place is done? What did you do exactly?"
He had got her happy and talking in a few minutes, he congratulated himself profusely. "The work is completed and it is a surprise love." He pulled up one of the chairs from the kitchen table to where she was sitting to face her. "It was done for you so I hope you will like it and if you don't I'll let you lie to me." She snorted a laugh and kept spooning up the flavoured ice to her lips from the container on her lap; she made eating almost desirable. He wondered why in that moment mortal men had any difficulty dealing with women in such an in flux state, it was really quite simple, make them happy. "So will you come home with me so I may have the pleasure of you near me again?" There was a nod and she held out the spoon with a morsel of the sticky sugary substance; she was testing him? He carefully took her hand with the spoon and darted his tongue out to taste it. She was amused by his scowling at it. "No. Not like this h'm." He leaned in and kissed her lips ever so softly making her nearly drop the spoon and the container. He smirked. "See now, your lips are far more delicious." Her eyes sparkled. He didn't want to spend too much time at her apartment but he resisted from rushing her ether; her movements around the place were slow but thoughtful, she intended to be gone for a while it seemed by what she was doing. He didn't wish to upset her but there was friction when he insisted on taking out the trash. 'Let me feel of use to you woman.' He said to her scowling after she told him it was 'too stinky' where the trash shoot was; he didn't have the heart to tell her of the human filth and other repulsive matter he's been exposed to. 'I will hold my breath.' He smirked at her as the door closed behind him.
"So she has you taking out her trash now?" Liz was almost amused at what her friend could make him do but refrained from crowing too loudly at the vampire who could make her easily disappear. She took on a more serious tone, almost one of atonement. "She said you were having work done at your place, is it almost done, she's been missing you during the day, I gathered it from her the other day. She seemed so sad." V approached her and Liz could feel her nerves rise.
"It has been completed and I do hope you can make it over there to see it as I would like another woman's objective opinion on it." As much as he wished to return to S he felt it necessary to still smooth things over with her friend as much as he could; he was certain it would pay off in the long run. "Perhaps for lunch one day so you can see it in the daylight, if your schedule will allow it." What had made him and his brother billions of dollars was now aiding him with this human. Her body language shifted ever so slightly at the invitation to come over at her discretion.
"I'll see what I have lined up but I don't think it will be a problem." It was certainly odd to Liz now speaking to a man she knew entirely too well who was once a client of hers. The words 'exceptional' and 'abundant' rang in her ears and she wondered about the man, vampire, before her. She glanced behind him to see if S was still in her apartment, as much as she wanted to distance herself from the brothers she didn't want them to dislike her ether. "I'll tell you one thing, it was the strangest thing, other than you, that I've ever seen but that night you came back from your trip and found us it was almost like she sensed you behind her… like she felt you?"
Vladimir's brow raised as the new information of his mate was being processed. "Now that is fascinating and I suppose it was something she inadvertently learned to do from when I had her blindfolded." He smirked at the woman's slight shock; S must have told her about it, how she didn't have the privilege of her vision in his employ. "It's very endearing to me to know it. Thank you Liz. I must be getting back to her as I can hear her being ready to depart." Liz took the hint and slipped back into her apartment. He returned to Scarlett and found her with her coat on and still eating the sherbert; he made a note of it to always have it on hand. He had her in his waiting car and back to his home before the evening got too far gone and she would need to sleep. He had to admit, he did love having her blindfolded and hoped she would let him do it to her more often; he lead her from the elevator to the door with their fingertips just touching, her trust in him was solid. "We can have it changed if you wish S." She gave him a nod as he swiped his card on the door and it unlocked. He placed her in the center of the room, slipped her coat off, and stood behind her as he removed the blindfold.
There was a certain amount of weight Scarlett felt coming off of her shoulders as they assented up the elevator and the blindfold being put on her was oddly soothing to her. She recounted the last hour or so with V; brought her her most favorite comfort food in the world, took out garbage...brought her home. She wasn't about to complain about anything he did to his place; she'd be fine with it even if she hated it. When her eyes were uncovered first she saw the windows in front of her and she slowly turned. Same furniture, turn, location of her old room, same, entrance, same, turn, bedroom gone. She gasped, she liked that room, a lot. "But.." She shivered, did he never intend her to sleep? Where the bedroom was there was now a conference table and V's desk was slightly shifted from where it was to another spot. There was a circular railing and a chandelier; she moved towards it. "Oh! My…" She looked to V who was smirking and nodded for her to have a look. She descended down the steps to see another more laid back living room, doors opening to the new bedroom and a kitchen off to the far side of the grand space. Scarlett could feel tears welling up in her eyes at not just the sight of it but the intentions behind it. She hesitated to move from the base of the steps and felt her hand being taken. 'There is more love.' He whispered to her as he lead her into the room and around the corner past the kitchen; another set of doors opened.
The response from her was positive, at least he thought so, he admitted he haddn't had enough time with her like this to be absolutely positive. He lead her to another set of doors and opened them; stepping inside he flicked the switch on the wall to illuminate the space. "You seemed to like your time with Jane so rather have her back I thought you might like a space to work out. Please keep in mind that I like your shape and you still don't eat enough." She huffed at him. "I do wish you to be healthy and that requires activities beyond us being intimate." She smirked at him; she was happy. "Also, he lead her around to where there was a sitting area with plush sofas and chairs. There was a shelf of books as well as several issues of her treasured National Geographic magazines. She was in his arms without a word. She liked her new space, loved it he dared imagine. "I wanted you to feel at home in my home and realized that my home was more of a bachelors pad. When you are with me I wished you to have space away from me and in order to do that it had to be appropriate to fulfill your needs." She sniffled and nodded on his chest, he dared not move her. "If you wish to gather your own food you can or we can order it up but should you wish not to I would still prefer to have your meals made for you as that would give you more time to be with me. Her head nodded against his chest, he wasn't sure what she was agreeing to but thought it best not to press the matter. With the easiest of motions he scooped her up into his arms. "The tour isn't done yet love, the best room still awaits your approval." In less than a second they were before the bedroom doors and he was setting her back down on to her feet and opened the bedroom doors for her.
"It's beautiful, absolutely perfect, all of it. I wouldn't change a thing." Scarlett could feel her emotions bubbling up again and tears were threatening to fall. Never has anyone done so much for her in her life and she wagered that no one but V ever would. She turned to look up at him, he seemed to be sedate, pensive, to her. "But one thing I've noticed is that it's quite different from what you had before, I mean, it's all perfect for me but is it for you?"
Vladimir smiled softly down at her, she was ever so thoughtful and considerate of his feelings. "I have lived in countless places in every manner possible. To me where I exist isn't an issue anymore but I have come to the conclusion that it matters who I am with is the important factor. This floor was designed for you, your comfort and nothing else. To see you content living here with me was my soul purpose." Her eyes were puffy but he then knew it wasn't a bad sign, not in this instance. "I wished you to feel at home with me and I will adapt as I always have been through the decades. I will be able to conduct my work upstairs and you will not be disturbed by it or any meetings I will be having." She was back in his arms and he held her there for some time; a peace settled over him, he knew he did good and she would stay with him.
It was a few days later and Liz had come over to have lunch with S. Vladimir decided to keep his distance from them below even though he could hear them clearly right down to their pulses. Liz had approved of all that S had shown her, including upstairs where he was working. Scarlet had found names for each of the rooms; his 'space' was the business living room and hers was the 'causal' one. Liz approved of the workout area and the lounge area as well as the stunning view of the open waters that were visible from that side of the building. He liked it too but the sunlight that poured into that side of the building would have distracted all of his business partners to say the least. S had managed to prepare a light lunch for them, sandwiches and a salad from a cookbook she picked up the day before; she even shopped for the ingredients for the occasion. He did ask her if she wanted an assistant for such outings and she said she could manage. He let her do as she wished, find her way around. He did notice as the days passed she was feeling physically better and with that he hoped she would wish to have him again. She was happy, he could tell but also quiet, more so than usual. It was early in the evening when she had prepared herself some tea, camomile and mint; he liked the scent, he liked hers after she consumed it. He drifted down to where she was sitting, in her living room looking out to the city whose night lights were slowly igniting for the evening. He found her with her eyes closed and a warm mug on her lap. He knew he had been perfectly silent and grinned when her eyes opened to him; she could feel him near. "What did you just feel now as I came near?"
What could she do, her sense of honesty was ripping into her soul. She wanted to enjoy her gift, at least for a day or two before she told him; he deserved to know. His voice was so warm, loving and music to her. "I felt anxious, like waiting for something exciting to happen in a good way." He took a seat near her and looked out to the lights below and nodded to them as if asking if she wished to go out. Her head glanced to the window and she considered it, "No. If that's alright with you, I'd rather stay in." V gave her a nod and set himself closer to her. He had been working all day so she figured he wanted a break from it now; his eyes still glowed from the day before so he didn't need to go out ether. The thoughts she wished to say started crossing her mind and she took a deep breath. "My mother was an alcoholic but what I haven't told you yet is that she was a drug abuser and prostitute. It's a wonder that I'm not weird in some way because of it...or I might be...I don't know." V was perfectly still beside her, she felt no judgment. "The earliest memories I have of that woman was her yelling at me, telling me I was a mistake." Faded images and voices crossed her memory of the past. "I was just a kid, I didn't know what to do so I just went to school and stayed out of her way. I remember being confused as to why she hated me because when I went to school I'd see the other kids with their parents and they loved their kids." Scarlett shook her head. "When she finally did come to the school, for progress interviews, she talked so horribly to the teachers that they never wanted her to come back. I met with them after that for those, they wanted me to do well regardless of her. They sent a social worker to our place but that made ma more mad, ma told her to go to hell and that she should have taken a coat hanger to me as when she realized she was pregnant. There was nothing they could do, I had to stay there with her. My teachers, I guess, felt sorry for me so they would let me stay in on colder days, my coat wasn't warm enough, and they shared their lunches with me. I found out after that ma was considered too poor and as long as I attended school regularly she'd get a check to take care of me." Scarlett shook her head. "They paid her to be civil to me." V put his arm around her; Scarlett couldn't even bring herself to look at him; the man that loved her so dearly. "I think I was nine or ten when one of her clients, he was so drunk, tried getting into my room. I had been locking it for a few years already, at night, because she brought her work home. Anyway, I climbed out of the window onto the fire escape when the door ripped away from its hinges. I ran, I was so scared, I hid behind garbage bins for hours until a waitress from the place I was behind found me. I guess she thought I was looking for food or something because when she came back out to where I was she had some food with her in a bag and some juice in a bottle. She told me to come back to the place tomorrow, if I needed to, but by the front door." Scarlett shrugged. "I did. I did for several days until ma starred missing me and came looking. I bet she figured her free money would be at risk if she lost me." Scarlett took a sip of her tea and calmed her nerves so she could continue. "The lady who worked at the restaurant, Joanna went nuts on her when she tried taking me away before I finished my meal, told ma to leave me and I would find my way back once my school work was done, and that was that. It was Jo that gave me my first tube of lip gloss." Scarlett could feel her mood lighten for a moment recalling the incident. "She said 'just put some on and smack your lips at the world because that's something they can never take away from you' and I have been ever since. I never go anywhere without my lip gloss, it's like a talisman of sorts."
Scarlett went silent for a long while and Vladimir just held her; she was still deep in thought, her lips quivering. This tail of hers was something she was bringing out from somewhere deep inside of the recesses of her memories, a dark place she entrusted him to see. The honour wasn't lost on him, this was something even more private to her than anything he had learned from her so far.
He hadn't moved, he was good at being still but she figured that he wanted to hear the awful truth no matter how twisted it was. "I think it was when I was twelve, summer when I hit puberty and ma freaked. She called me her little whore and told me she'd fix 'it'. I didn't know what she meant but I do remember waking up in the hospital a few weeks later in pain. They didn't tell me anything but there was a social worker there asking me what happened. I didn't know. They said someone found me drugged in a park, all bloody. When Jo saw me after I had been missing for a few days she gave me orange sherbet and said things would be okay. It was, for a long time, it was. " Scarlett shrugged again. "I guess now, I know. Ma did it to me, she drugged me and took my children." Saying it out loud sounded so strange to her. "I guess you were right, everything happens for a reason." Scarlett sighed. "When you told me what you found out I figured it out finally." Her head shook slowly. "Part of me is glad, I'd never want to risk doing to another person what she had done to me but what if, what if it was something I really wanted you know, because I loved someone so much. I love you that much V, I'd want to give you a child and…."
Vladimir's finger pressed on to Scarlett's lips, "No, that will never be asked of you. Your death for a selfish want is unacceptable, and never will be asked of you love." His hand went and took the cup from her vice like grip she had on it and he set it down beside him. "What you have survived has made you into the perfection I have fallen in love with." He could feel how small she felt, it was too much hurt and misery for her to have carried with her for so long. It did answer many of the questions about her but not the one about her not existing prior to her turning eighteen. She had, he guessed, had her name changed and because of her childhood he could now guess why. He was no stranger to erasing his past and she had attempted just that with hers. "Thank you for telling me," His hand returned to her cheek and his thumb caressed the surface just under her eye; it felt warm, swollen as if ready to burst with tears. "your past is safe with me and we have only our future ahead of us now to enjoy." She nodded softly. Her confession enlightened him on another matter, he realized how genuine her appreciation was for all his gifts engender if she insisted they weren't what mattered to her; she truly saw past material objects and valued interactions above all. No wonder, he thought, she insisted that she should have died; it wasn't the one instance they shared but a few and the question of where she fit in, he now realized, was a much more complicated question for her to find a resolution to. "It seems that the universe, the heavens and all the gods have laboured greatly to bring you to me my love. I will not squander their efforts for a fraction of a second now. It is all too clear to me now you are of a great purpose." He wanted to believe it was for his contentment and nothing else but was he that arrogant. She felt better now to him; she wasn't as tense, he wanted her, he wanted her to feel better.
So let me tell you how freaking much I love your reviews. I'm flattered that you can string together so many nice words about my words is truly humbling. Thank you.