Title: A Vampire's Word (Part 5)
Author: Love In Vein
Summary: The sequel to David's Revenge. Laddie is heartbroken after the Pack leaves Santa Carla. When they return, will they find themselves no longer welcome in his life?
Disclaimer: As we all know, the WB owns The Lost Boys and all of the characters therein. Anything else I mentioned in this story are also owned by other people, too. I still own Annabelle, and now I own Sela, Alex, Dr. Hansen *and* Charlotte too!
Part 5
Laddie decided to go to work the next evening. He was trying hard not to think about who would be visiting him tonight, even though he knew that someone would. He avoided the concerned glances that Lucy kept throwing his way, and left the house in a hurry with a quick 'goodbye' tossed over his shoulder on the way out.
The video store was quiet except for two little kids of about seven or eight who were running their dirty little fingers over the boxes in the Children's Section. One of them came bounding up to the counter, his slightly dirty blond hair hanging like a thin curtain in front of his face. "Hey mister, you got FernGully? I wanna see it but it don't seem to be over there."
Laddie smiled the least frightening smile he could muster and bent down to look through the boxes in the plastic bin under the return slot. When he saw the tape he was looking for he wiggled it out from under four other movies and triumphantly straightened up. The kid was gone. In his place stood two dark figures that were immediately recognizable. Dwayne and Sela. "Where's the kid?" Laddie asked warily. They might seem like two of the more sensitive members of the Pack, but they still had a blood lust without the burden of guilt and morality.
"Left, not dead," stated Dwayne succinctly.
"We told them that we had to talk to you about something important. They'll be back with their mothers in awhile," assured Sela. "Don't worry about it. Why don't you close up the store for...say, twenty minutes?"
"All right, I guess we should talk," said Laddie and he walked around them, closed the door, and flipped the sign over. "So, who wants to start?"
"How are you feeling?" asked Dwayne.
"Confused. That about covers it. I guess you guys never really had to worry about making the decision of whether or not to become what you are."
"Actually," started Sela, leaning against the counter, one hand on her hip. "I *was* given the choice. I suppose, though, that it was really no choice at all, since I had no one else to go to."
"See? What would you have done if you *did* have family to go to? Would you have chosen Dwayne and the Pack then?" asked Laddie.
Sela sighed lightly. "Truthfully, I don't know. Our situations are different, regardless. Your mate is not waiting for you. Mine was. I trusted David with everything I was. You don't. They saved my life. They never saved yours. I was never originally blood. I didn't have the history with them like you do."
"Why did you trust David? How could you?" asked Laddie, his voice confused. He hadn't really been aware of the events that lead to Sela joining the Pack.
"He cared for me. Comforted me at a terrible time. Made me feel like I had a home and a place and a family. Didn't he ever make you feel that way?"
During this conversation Dwayne stood silently and listened. He had never heard Sela's true feelings about David, but was glad that she could perhaps show Laddie that David wasn't all bad and wasn't always the bad guy.
Laddie appeared deep in thought for a moment or two. He shook his head. "I always thought I was a nuisance. Just some little kid that was there by accident, or maybe used to keep Star in line. It always seemed like he pushed me aside and never noticed me. I was so scared of him, that maybe he would get mad at me and hurt me. I just tried to keep as small and invisible as possible," he said quietly, his voice wavering a bit toward the end.
Dwayne reached out and put his hand on Laddie's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Believe me when I say that I never thought of you that way and I'm sure that David never thought of you that way either. He would never have hurt you, he wanted to protect you, even if he would never show it. David's got a tough exterior and maybe a tough interior, too. But he does have feelings too, you know that."
"Maybe. I guess he does," Laddie ran his fingers through his hair and let out a breath that he might have been holding. "I just never saw it, really."
"Not even when we had been killed?" Dwayne asked.
"Rage was what I saw then. I never saw any sort of other feelings. Sadness, love, any of that. I'll tell you what I saw during the time I was with you. Rage, lust, hunger, cruel happiness, usually at other people's expenses. That's all I can think of. Maybe some pride, too," Laddie answered, anger rising in his voice.
Dwayne nodded his head in partial agreement. "Yeah, those are his prominent feelings."
"But what about how he acts around Annabelle?" asked Sela.
"Annabelle is his mate. That's a totally different thing that must evoke different feelings in him," Laddie pointed out.
Sela threw up her hands in defeat. "Laddie, bottom line is this: David wants you to be Pack, we want you to be Pack, and Pack is in your blood. Whether you want to believe it or not, that is the truth. The sooner you see it, the better," she snarled, and turned on her heel and stomped out of the store.
Dwayne rolled his eyes and gave Laddie a small half-smile. "Don't worry about her. Sometimes her temper is worse than David's. She's not mad, just frustrated. As we all are. I'd better catch up with her before she does any damage," he said, disappearing out of the store.
Laddie followed him to the door and pulled it back open and flipped the sign again. What a way to start the evening. He was sorry about angering Sela, but he couldn't stop feeling how he did about David. He supposed it would take David himself to change his mind. Or maybe it couldn't be changed at all. Just then the bell clanged and his head shot up. It was only Alex and Laddie gave him a relieved smile.
"Rough night already?" Alex asked.
"Oh yeah. Just got a visit from two members of the Pack. Ended in a little fight," Laddie added.
"Those guys still bugging you? Wait, let me guess. You didn't tell 'em to fuck off just yet, right?"
Laddie shrugged sheepishly. "Uh, not quite. I just can't do it, Alex. You have no idea how hard it is for me."
"Maybe not but, dude, I do know this. They're pretty shitty for what they did to you. They fucked you up in the head really good. I just can't see what else you *could* do besides gettin' 'em the hell out of your life."
"Listen, they practically raised me. I wouldn't be who I am, good *or* bad, without their influence. It was Paul who showed me how to look at life a little bit differently, Marco who made me love music, Dwayne who taught me how to listen and protected me. Later, it was Annabelle who gave me some of the best advice I've ever gotten and Sela who taught me how to look out for myself. I *can't* just turn my back on them," Laddie said, and felt his anger rise.
"Sorry, Laddie, chill. I didn't mean to offend you or nothin'. Hey, what about that guy...David? I thought he was like the leader or something."
"David...he taught me how...," Laddie's voice faded as he thought, 'how to be scared and hateful,' but no, that was wrong. "He taught me about family, and loyalty. The two things that are the most important to him," he finished, his voice confident.
"Well, what can I say? It sounds like you got some shit choices to make and I wouldn't for anything want to be in your shoes," Alex said with humor in his voice.
Laddie smiled back at his friend and gave him a playful punch in the arm. "Thanks a lot, Alex. I knew I could count on you for some uplifting words," he said sarcastically.
"Anytime, man. Look, I'll see ya later, ok?"
"Sure, later."
----------------------
At the cave, the Pack sat around, restless and bored. They couldn't go out until Dwayne and Sela returned, and they weren't back yet. Marco was the first to hear two voices, one raised angrily and the other soothing and calm. "Looks like they're back," he said.
Sela stomped into the cave and flung herself on the first chair she came to. Dwayne perched on the arm of the same chair and gently massaged her shoulders. "Rough night?" Paul asked.
"What do you think?" Sela snapped, but she quickly caught herself. "Sorry Paul, I'm just so aggravated, that's all!"
"Why, what happened?" David asked from his chair.
"Laddie, of course! He won't listen to reason! That kid is just *fucked* *up*," she stated flatly.
"Now, don't be unreasonable, sis. Dwayne, what happened?" Paul asked, figuring that Dwayne would be more reasonable.
"The talk was going along fine, everything was cool. Until we got to talking about David," Dwayne said, and shot a concerned glance towards the leader. He was just leaning forward, listening intently with a cool expression on his face. "Then it all went to hell. Basically, he doesn't trust you in any way, David. You're still the Big, Bad Wolf to him. He is...or was scared shitless of you, to be perfectly honest."
"Scared of me? Why?" David asked without any irony. He was truly confused.
"He's pretty sure that in your eyes he is, or was worthless. He feels that he was either an accident or a tool used to keep Star in line," Dwayne said, echoing Laddie's words. "Either way, he thought you were on the edge of killing him at all times."
Annabelle's eyes filled with dark red tears. "God, David, how could you? How could he even love us? What his life must have been like back then, what a hell it was," she whispered, her voice laced with sadness and horror.
"It's not my fault, Belle. I never treated him that way. True, I never meant for him to be Pack, but once he was...well, he was. I never would have hurt him," David said, defensiveness seeping into his voice.
"David, it doesn't matter what you would or would not have done. It's what he believes, and *that* is what he believes," Sela said quietly, her anger lessening now that she began to see Laddie's feelings.
David growled lightly and his eyes flashed gold. "What do you want me to do about it? How the fuck can I change his mind? He's obviously very set in what he believes."
Annabelle slid onto David's lap and toyed with his now slightly grown-out but still spiky hair. "I'll talk to him tomorrow. He listens to me, he trusts my advice. If that doesn't work, well...then it's up to you. You know that you'll make whatever decision he makes final."
"Yeah, babe, I know. But now," David said, allowing Annabelle to slide off of his lap and standing up. "I think a good hunt is in order. Agreed?" he asked his Pack.
His question was met with a roar of approval.
-------------------------------------
Lucy was sitting at the kitchen table with her father, a cup of tea in one hand and a box of tissues near the other. Laddie was still at work, which was good. Old Nanook was sprawled out on the floor, his coat turning silvery gray in some places. "Oh, Dad, what are we going to do?"
"About what?" he asked.
"Laddie. What if he decides to go back to them? What will we do?" she asked, reaching for a tissue and dabbing her eyes.
"I don't know, Lucy. What can we do besides let him go?"
Lucy took a sip of her tea and turned towards the window. He was right. The only thing to do was wait.
Author: Love In Vein
Summary: The sequel to David's Revenge. Laddie is heartbroken after the Pack leaves Santa Carla. When they return, will they find themselves no longer welcome in his life?
Disclaimer: As we all know, the WB owns The Lost Boys and all of the characters therein. Anything else I mentioned in this story are also owned by other people, too. I still own Annabelle, and now I own Sela, Alex, Dr. Hansen *and* Charlotte too!
Part 5
Laddie decided to go to work the next evening. He was trying hard not to think about who would be visiting him tonight, even though he knew that someone would. He avoided the concerned glances that Lucy kept throwing his way, and left the house in a hurry with a quick 'goodbye' tossed over his shoulder on the way out.
The video store was quiet except for two little kids of about seven or eight who were running their dirty little fingers over the boxes in the Children's Section. One of them came bounding up to the counter, his slightly dirty blond hair hanging like a thin curtain in front of his face. "Hey mister, you got FernGully? I wanna see it but it don't seem to be over there."
Laddie smiled the least frightening smile he could muster and bent down to look through the boxes in the plastic bin under the return slot. When he saw the tape he was looking for he wiggled it out from under four other movies and triumphantly straightened up. The kid was gone. In his place stood two dark figures that were immediately recognizable. Dwayne and Sela. "Where's the kid?" Laddie asked warily. They might seem like two of the more sensitive members of the Pack, but they still had a blood lust without the burden of guilt and morality.
"Left, not dead," stated Dwayne succinctly.
"We told them that we had to talk to you about something important. They'll be back with their mothers in awhile," assured Sela. "Don't worry about it. Why don't you close up the store for...say, twenty minutes?"
"All right, I guess we should talk," said Laddie and he walked around them, closed the door, and flipped the sign over. "So, who wants to start?"
"How are you feeling?" asked Dwayne.
"Confused. That about covers it. I guess you guys never really had to worry about making the decision of whether or not to become what you are."
"Actually," started Sela, leaning against the counter, one hand on her hip. "I *was* given the choice. I suppose, though, that it was really no choice at all, since I had no one else to go to."
"See? What would you have done if you *did* have family to go to? Would you have chosen Dwayne and the Pack then?" asked Laddie.
Sela sighed lightly. "Truthfully, I don't know. Our situations are different, regardless. Your mate is not waiting for you. Mine was. I trusted David with everything I was. You don't. They saved my life. They never saved yours. I was never originally blood. I didn't have the history with them like you do."
"Why did you trust David? How could you?" asked Laddie, his voice confused. He hadn't really been aware of the events that lead to Sela joining the Pack.
"He cared for me. Comforted me at a terrible time. Made me feel like I had a home and a place and a family. Didn't he ever make you feel that way?"
During this conversation Dwayne stood silently and listened. He had never heard Sela's true feelings about David, but was glad that she could perhaps show Laddie that David wasn't all bad and wasn't always the bad guy.
Laddie appeared deep in thought for a moment or two. He shook his head. "I always thought I was a nuisance. Just some little kid that was there by accident, or maybe used to keep Star in line. It always seemed like he pushed me aside and never noticed me. I was so scared of him, that maybe he would get mad at me and hurt me. I just tried to keep as small and invisible as possible," he said quietly, his voice wavering a bit toward the end.
Dwayne reached out and put his hand on Laddie's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Believe me when I say that I never thought of you that way and I'm sure that David never thought of you that way either. He would never have hurt you, he wanted to protect you, even if he would never show it. David's got a tough exterior and maybe a tough interior, too. But he does have feelings too, you know that."
"Maybe. I guess he does," Laddie ran his fingers through his hair and let out a breath that he might have been holding. "I just never saw it, really."
"Not even when we had been killed?" Dwayne asked.
"Rage was what I saw then. I never saw any sort of other feelings. Sadness, love, any of that. I'll tell you what I saw during the time I was with you. Rage, lust, hunger, cruel happiness, usually at other people's expenses. That's all I can think of. Maybe some pride, too," Laddie answered, anger rising in his voice.
Dwayne nodded his head in partial agreement. "Yeah, those are his prominent feelings."
"But what about how he acts around Annabelle?" asked Sela.
"Annabelle is his mate. That's a totally different thing that must evoke different feelings in him," Laddie pointed out.
Sela threw up her hands in defeat. "Laddie, bottom line is this: David wants you to be Pack, we want you to be Pack, and Pack is in your blood. Whether you want to believe it or not, that is the truth. The sooner you see it, the better," she snarled, and turned on her heel and stomped out of the store.
Dwayne rolled his eyes and gave Laddie a small half-smile. "Don't worry about her. Sometimes her temper is worse than David's. She's not mad, just frustrated. As we all are. I'd better catch up with her before she does any damage," he said, disappearing out of the store.
Laddie followed him to the door and pulled it back open and flipped the sign again. What a way to start the evening. He was sorry about angering Sela, but he couldn't stop feeling how he did about David. He supposed it would take David himself to change his mind. Or maybe it couldn't be changed at all. Just then the bell clanged and his head shot up. It was only Alex and Laddie gave him a relieved smile.
"Rough night already?" Alex asked.
"Oh yeah. Just got a visit from two members of the Pack. Ended in a little fight," Laddie added.
"Those guys still bugging you? Wait, let me guess. You didn't tell 'em to fuck off just yet, right?"
Laddie shrugged sheepishly. "Uh, not quite. I just can't do it, Alex. You have no idea how hard it is for me."
"Maybe not but, dude, I do know this. They're pretty shitty for what they did to you. They fucked you up in the head really good. I just can't see what else you *could* do besides gettin' 'em the hell out of your life."
"Listen, they practically raised me. I wouldn't be who I am, good *or* bad, without their influence. It was Paul who showed me how to look at life a little bit differently, Marco who made me love music, Dwayne who taught me how to listen and protected me. Later, it was Annabelle who gave me some of the best advice I've ever gotten and Sela who taught me how to look out for myself. I *can't* just turn my back on them," Laddie said, and felt his anger rise.
"Sorry, Laddie, chill. I didn't mean to offend you or nothin'. Hey, what about that guy...David? I thought he was like the leader or something."
"David...he taught me how...," Laddie's voice faded as he thought, 'how to be scared and hateful,' but no, that was wrong. "He taught me about family, and loyalty. The two things that are the most important to him," he finished, his voice confident.
"Well, what can I say? It sounds like you got some shit choices to make and I wouldn't for anything want to be in your shoes," Alex said with humor in his voice.
Laddie smiled back at his friend and gave him a playful punch in the arm. "Thanks a lot, Alex. I knew I could count on you for some uplifting words," he said sarcastically.
"Anytime, man. Look, I'll see ya later, ok?"
"Sure, later."
----------------------
At the cave, the Pack sat around, restless and bored. They couldn't go out until Dwayne and Sela returned, and they weren't back yet. Marco was the first to hear two voices, one raised angrily and the other soothing and calm. "Looks like they're back," he said.
Sela stomped into the cave and flung herself on the first chair she came to. Dwayne perched on the arm of the same chair and gently massaged her shoulders. "Rough night?" Paul asked.
"What do you think?" Sela snapped, but she quickly caught herself. "Sorry Paul, I'm just so aggravated, that's all!"
"Why, what happened?" David asked from his chair.
"Laddie, of course! He won't listen to reason! That kid is just *fucked* *up*," she stated flatly.
"Now, don't be unreasonable, sis. Dwayne, what happened?" Paul asked, figuring that Dwayne would be more reasonable.
"The talk was going along fine, everything was cool. Until we got to talking about David," Dwayne said, and shot a concerned glance towards the leader. He was just leaning forward, listening intently with a cool expression on his face. "Then it all went to hell. Basically, he doesn't trust you in any way, David. You're still the Big, Bad Wolf to him. He is...or was scared shitless of you, to be perfectly honest."
"Scared of me? Why?" David asked without any irony. He was truly confused.
"He's pretty sure that in your eyes he is, or was worthless. He feels that he was either an accident or a tool used to keep Star in line," Dwayne said, echoing Laddie's words. "Either way, he thought you were on the edge of killing him at all times."
Annabelle's eyes filled with dark red tears. "God, David, how could you? How could he even love us? What his life must have been like back then, what a hell it was," she whispered, her voice laced with sadness and horror.
"It's not my fault, Belle. I never treated him that way. True, I never meant for him to be Pack, but once he was...well, he was. I never would have hurt him," David said, defensiveness seeping into his voice.
"David, it doesn't matter what you would or would not have done. It's what he believes, and *that* is what he believes," Sela said quietly, her anger lessening now that she began to see Laddie's feelings.
David growled lightly and his eyes flashed gold. "What do you want me to do about it? How the fuck can I change his mind? He's obviously very set in what he believes."
Annabelle slid onto David's lap and toyed with his now slightly grown-out but still spiky hair. "I'll talk to him tomorrow. He listens to me, he trusts my advice. If that doesn't work, well...then it's up to you. You know that you'll make whatever decision he makes final."
"Yeah, babe, I know. But now," David said, allowing Annabelle to slide off of his lap and standing up. "I think a good hunt is in order. Agreed?" he asked his Pack.
His question was met with a roar of approval.
-------------------------------------
Lucy was sitting at the kitchen table with her father, a cup of tea in one hand and a box of tissues near the other. Laddie was still at work, which was good. Old Nanook was sprawled out on the floor, his coat turning silvery gray in some places. "Oh, Dad, what are we going to do?"
"About what?" he asked.
"Laddie. What if he decides to go back to them? What will we do?" she asked, reaching for a tissue and dabbing her eyes.
"I don't know, Lucy. What can we do besides let him go?"
Lucy took a sip of her tea and turned towards the window. He was right. The only thing to do was wait.
