Niki dived onto her plush-covered bed. The view from her new bedroom was as
spectacular as it had been before, that day three weeks ago when she had eaten her
last lunch with a mortal. Now the dining room had been converted to her bedroom, with a
small private bath too. Kelly slept in the room directly below, but was too small to climb
the ladder to the trapdoor, so Niki finally had peace and quiet for once.
They had even shipped in some cloths from Aboveground so she didn't have to
wear her "flambago" dress anymore. She had met all of her half-brothers and -sisters
from their strange parentage, and had even danced with one of the Vampire boys from
the next country over. She was beginning to think life in the Labyrinth wouldn't be to
damned bad after all, cute boys, some free time to spend alone, less formal schooling,
learning to be a princess. Her teacher, Hoggle, even said she might be able to visit the
mortal realm during Yuletide, if she kept doing so well with her control. Everyone had
been very sympathetic when she had turned into a giant green bat on her first attempt
back to the mortal realm, especially that nice boy, Godzilla.
She smiled as she sank deep into the rich pillows and comforter on her new bed.
She might even learn to love it here. The only thing she missed were her family and
friends, although once she learned to blink into the mortal realms safely, that wouldn't be
a problem. She grinned, a trait she picked up from her father, and conjured a blue
crystal. She wished she could do clear like Jareth, or at least that pretty peach color of
the queen, but her color was better then most, so she gazed into until the image inside
blurred and cleared.
The girl with the dark hair sat on the old bridge alone, watching the foam rush out
from underneath. The bruise on her cheekbone did little to hide the ever-present sparkle
in her hazel eyes. She barely even looked up when the hand lay on her shoulder.
"This is the third time in three weeks." The gentle voice said as the tall, lean
figure sat down next to her. "Surely you can't allow this to continue!"
"No." Melissa said meekly.
"I can't bear to allow this to continue. Let me take you to one of my houses, back
to the Labyrinth, anything, please." Gabriel pleaded with this mortal girl in the too-big silk
shirt.
Melissa sighed and moved closer to Gabriel. He gently placed his arm on her
shoulder; she hid her wince. "What about them, about him?"
" If he cared, he wouldn't touch you." Gabriel said softly, pushing a lock of hair
out of her face. "Come, love, it is for the better."
"No, no no no…yes." Melissa looked at him, tears in her eyes. He smiled softly at
her, then. His teeth were as plain and dull as everyone else's. Melissa smiled weakly,
growing strong as her picked her up and swung her in a circle.
"How I hoped you'd say that, love!" Gabriel laughed, and then blinked them both
out onto the deck of his room. The full moon hung over the darkened Underground, a
dull pink in all her glory. Gabriel stood with his arms wrapped around Melissa, staring at
the moon.
"Will you stay?" He asked her quietly, as though the whole Labyrinth might hear
them.
"Of course. I can't go back anymore." She said, trying to twist around and see her
face. He playfully held her still.
"No. I mean with me." Gabriel's breath ruffled Melissa's hair. She stayed silent,
her breath falling into the rhythm of the Labyrinth.
"No." she said finally. "I'm too young, I'm not ready. The castle, definitely, but with
you, 24-7, I wouldn't survive."
Now Gabriel was the one who kept his silence. "But you would, I mean, you
might have…"
Melissa chuckled. "I've never known you to be tongue tied before Gabe."
In the dark he smiled, then shut his eyes. "What I meant is…I love you. Not the
lustful longing I've felt for mortals before, but something deeper, more psychological than
hormonal, and I just wondered if, maybe…"
Melissa smiled in the darkness now. "I maybe love you too, Gabe."
They stood there for a moment, Melissa staring at the moon, Gabriel staring at
the dark shape that was his Melissa. Then he spun her around, her face, her lips, and
mere hair lengths from his. "I'm so very glad." And he kissed her, but on the cheek.
"Maybe after a few months in the Labyrinth, you'll be prepared to handle me?"
She smiled at him. "Perhaps, although it would help if I had magic powers…"
He smiled back, the moonlight glinting off his sharpening teeth. "That can be
arranged," he said huskily, but then he shook his head, snapping himself out of it. "Only
when you're ready, though love."
"Sexually transmitted powers?" She questioned, drawing back from Gabe
playfully.
"Oh, yes. But until then, there is the small matter of your sleeping arrangements,
dearest." And they walked, arm and arm, back into Gabriel's room, as friends, until the
time came when they might be more, the quarter vampire: heir to the throne, and the girl
who said yes.
spectacular as it had been before, that day three weeks ago when she had eaten her
last lunch with a mortal. Now the dining room had been converted to her bedroom, with a
small private bath too. Kelly slept in the room directly below, but was too small to climb
the ladder to the trapdoor, so Niki finally had peace and quiet for once.
They had even shipped in some cloths from Aboveground so she didn't have to
wear her "flambago" dress anymore. She had met all of her half-brothers and -sisters
from their strange parentage, and had even danced with one of the Vampire boys from
the next country over. She was beginning to think life in the Labyrinth wouldn't be to
damned bad after all, cute boys, some free time to spend alone, less formal schooling,
learning to be a princess. Her teacher, Hoggle, even said she might be able to visit the
mortal realm during Yuletide, if she kept doing so well with her control. Everyone had
been very sympathetic when she had turned into a giant green bat on her first attempt
back to the mortal realm, especially that nice boy, Godzilla.
She smiled as she sank deep into the rich pillows and comforter on her new bed.
She might even learn to love it here. The only thing she missed were her family and
friends, although once she learned to blink into the mortal realms safely, that wouldn't be
a problem. She grinned, a trait she picked up from her father, and conjured a blue
crystal. She wished she could do clear like Jareth, or at least that pretty peach color of
the queen, but her color was better then most, so she gazed into until the image inside
blurred and cleared.
The girl with the dark hair sat on the old bridge alone, watching the foam rush out
from underneath. The bruise on her cheekbone did little to hide the ever-present sparkle
in her hazel eyes. She barely even looked up when the hand lay on her shoulder.
"This is the third time in three weeks." The gentle voice said as the tall, lean
figure sat down next to her. "Surely you can't allow this to continue!"
"No." Melissa said meekly.
"I can't bear to allow this to continue. Let me take you to one of my houses, back
to the Labyrinth, anything, please." Gabriel pleaded with this mortal girl in the too-big silk
shirt.
Melissa sighed and moved closer to Gabriel. He gently placed his arm on her
shoulder; she hid her wince. "What about them, about him?"
" If he cared, he wouldn't touch you." Gabriel said softly, pushing a lock of hair
out of her face. "Come, love, it is for the better."
"No, no no no…yes." Melissa looked at him, tears in her eyes. He smiled softly at
her, then. His teeth were as plain and dull as everyone else's. Melissa smiled weakly,
growing strong as her picked her up and swung her in a circle.
"How I hoped you'd say that, love!" Gabriel laughed, and then blinked them both
out onto the deck of his room. The full moon hung over the darkened Underground, a
dull pink in all her glory. Gabriel stood with his arms wrapped around Melissa, staring at
the moon.
"Will you stay?" He asked her quietly, as though the whole Labyrinth might hear
them.
"Of course. I can't go back anymore." She said, trying to twist around and see her
face. He playfully held her still.
"No. I mean with me." Gabriel's breath ruffled Melissa's hair. She stayed silent,
her breath falling into the rhythm of the Labyrinth.
"No." she said finally. "I'm too young, I'm not ready. The castle, definitely, but with
you, 24-7, I wouldn't survive."
Now Gabriel was the one who kept his silence. "But you would, I mean, you
might have…"
Melissa chuckled. "I've never known you to be tongue tied before Gabe."
In the dark he smiled, then shut his eyes. "What I meant is…I love you. Not the
lustful longing I've felt for mortals before, but something deeper, more psychological than
hormonal, and I just wondered if, maybe…"
Melissa smiled in the darkness now. "I maybe love you too, Gabe."
They stood there for a moment, Melissa staring at the moon, Gabriel staring at
the dark shape that was his Melissa. Then he spun her around, her face, her lips, and
mere hair lengths from his. "I'm so very glad." And he kissed her, but on the cheek.
"Maybe after a few months in the Labyrinth, you'll be prepared to handle me?"
She smiled at him. "Perhaps, although it would help if I had magic powers…"
He smiled back, the moonlight glinting off his sharpening teeth. "That can be
arranged," he said huskily, but then he shook his head, snapping himself out of it. "Only
when you're ready, though love."
"Sexually transmitted powers?" She questioned, drawing back from Gabe
playfully.
"Oh, yes. But until then, there is the small matter of your sleeping arrangements,
dearest." And they walked, arm and arm, back into Gabriel's room, as friends, until the
time came when they might be more, the quarter vampire: heir to the throne, and the girl
who said yes.