"What the hell was that all about?" Gavin says as he rushed into the house.
Gena sat on the couch with out saying a word. She was in complete shock.
'It couldn't be him…I must have been hallucinating…he's not real, he's dead.'
"Gena!" Gavin yelled as he moved closer to her. "Tell me why you decided to ditch me! Was it something I did or something I said?" He looked at her, his eyes full of regard.
A wave of guilt ran through her mind. Gavin wasn't the problem and he shouldn't be punished for her own.
"I'm sorry for leaving you, Gav. You did nothing wrong. It was…"
"Were you embarrassed that you had about five glasses of wine spilt on you?" he asked lovingly. He took her hands in his and gave her a shy smile. She couldn't help but giggle a little.
"No. That was embarrassing, but that wasn't why I ran…it was because of someone in the restaurant."
"Did someone do something to you?"
"No…no one hurt me. It was…someone that was there brought back a lot of bad memories."
"You can tell me, Gena," Gavin said. He engaged her eyes and brought her hand to his lips.
Gena's eyes filled to the brim with tears. She couldn't tell him. She'd only told two other people in her life and it only brought about suffering.
"Don't go through this alone; I'm right here, Gena."
Alone. She had always done it alone; why stop now? Why bring him into her world?
She started to sob as she felt his mind pull away in defeat. He was starting to give up and move away. She had finally gotten him back in to her life, and she was going to let him slip through the cracks yet again. But then, not by her own accord, she felt herself begin to speak.
"You're going to think I'm absolutely crazy."
"Not more than I already think you are," he replied with a smile.
"Do you want the short, blunt version or the long, complicated one?"
"Whatever you feel comfortable with, my love."
'His love. It's so good to hear those words again.' It also compelled her to go on and reveal the truth. Her truth.
"I grew up in Italy, out side of Florence. My mom and twin sister died when I was born. I had four older siblings; two sisters and two brothers. I was closest to my brothers, Stefan and Damon; they were very protective of me. I was closer to Stefan than Damon. No one could really get close to Damon; he was angry at Stefan and I since we were born. You see, when Stefan was born, my mother became very ill and was bedridden for a long time. Damon was upset that she couldn't go and play with him anymore. All he knew was that it happened because of his 'little brother.' Then I came along and, well, my mother couldn't take the child birth and she died of complications. After that, Damon blamed both Stefan and I for killing 'his' mother. Besides all of Damon's animosity, my life was typical for a girl my age in a wealthy family until I turned seventeen. I met a boy that my father disapproved of, mostly because I was already betrothed to marry some other man."
"Wait, you were supposed to marry someone? Betrothed? I thought that tradition died out hundreds of years ago!"
"Please don't interrupt; I have to get through this. I eloped with the boy against my father's wishes. The man I was supposed to marry became infuriated with the news and pursued us. Then, he stabbed my love and I with a dagger…we…we both died there in a small village in Tuscany."
"Died? Oh, come on now…if you died, then how are you here?"
"We had lived at home with a girl named Katherine, who was very nosy and immature. She and I didn't get along at all. She followed us and witnessed the stabbing. As I laid there on the dirt road, she drank from my neck and offered her own blood to me. She gave me a new life...as a vampire."
"Ok, Gena. I know you're into the supernatural with all the ghosts and stuff, but this is ridiculous. Vampires aren't real! And, if the legends were somehow true and you were one, you would have been fried by sunlight by now!"
"That's not true, Gavin. This ring," she pulled her lapis-lazuli ring off her hand. "This ring protects me from the sun. I can go out whenever I want."
"Ok…this is getting a little weird. I think I'm going to go," he said as he started to move uncomfortably across the room. She knew that she was starting to lose him.
"You call me your love. If you really love me, you'd not question me! I know it's hard to grasp, but it's the truth!" she started to cry with frustration.
"Do you think this is easy for me to tell you? It's hard as hell, Gavin! I swear on my mother's eternal life that I am NOT LYING! Do you need a demonstration?!?" She started to snarl and felt her canines push against her lips.
She looked into his eyes and saw that Gavin was truly frightened. She felt her frustration, and her teeth, subside as she fell to her knees in sorrow.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…I didn't," she couldn't finish her sentence. Her sobs stopped her from making any other sound. Gena couldn't believe what she had done. She never let herself get out of control like that. That was a promise she had made to herself a long time ago; after all, a temper like that was genetic in her family. But, she wasn't going to let it get to her.
She expected to be left alone in the room and hear the door slam behind him. He was going to leave; it was inevitable. Just then she felt a hand on her head. His fingers brushed through onyx strands. Gena lifted her gaze upward to look at love. His eyes were glazed with shock, but it was mingled with compassion.
"You're shaking," he said to her as he bent down to look into her eyes. "Are you alright?"
"I'm just…I'm scared…I want you to believe me. It's the honest to God's truth. Well, and I'm hungry. I haven't fed in a day."
"But you just ate," he said. Gena looked up at him and pointed to her teeth. "Oh, that fed. No offense, Gena, because I know I love you and I want to make sure you're all right, but this is...well, it's weird to say the least. I mean, ok, you have the teeth," he reaches in her mouth to feel her sharp canines. "Ouch! And they're not fake. I did notice you tend to shy from sun contact."
"Just because I have the ring, doesn't mean I like the sun. It's still not good in full doses for anyone I suppose," she said with a sad smile.
Gavin moved over to the couch and rested his head on his hand contemplatively.
"Wow…this is…something else. This is...this is going to take some getting used to."
"I know, honey," Gena said as she gracefully shifted towards him. "I don't expect it to be an easy transition for you to know this. If it's too much for you, we'll just stay friends…or we can just stop seeing each other all together. It's your call."
"No, it's nothing like that. It will take some adjustment knowing that you not only consider me your boyfriend, but a meal as well," Gavin said with a nervous half-smile on his face. "Is there anything else you want to spring on me, since you're coming clean? This time is as good as any to let all the dirty laundry out."
"Um…a few more things," she grabbed for his hand and placed the lapis ring in his palm. "Read the inscription."
"G W…1495. Ok, so the ring is …507 years old. And…," he said, asking her to continue.
"That G that is inscribed in that ring stands for my name. My husband's name was William. We were married in 1495…I grew up in Florence during the Italian Renaissance."
"You're kidding, right? You're over 500 years old?" he looked at her with a queer glance.
"Well, if you can believe that I am a vampire, why is it so hard to believe I'm 507? I was changed when I was only 17, and I will look this way for as long as I am here." She paused herself before she moved forward. "Gavin, that man in the restaurant…"
"I had almost forgotten about him," he jumped in.
"That guy…he was my brother. Stefan. I don't know how he's here, but I think it's because he is the same as me. His girlfriend Katherine was the one who changed me. But, he died with my brother a long time ago."
"So, your brother is alive? Well, kinda alive at least. Are you going to go talk to him?"
"I don't know…he thinks I'm dead." Gena looked pale and faint.
The two exchanged nervous, shy glances before Gavin cautiously grabbed her hand.
"If you haven't fed yet…you could always feed off of me."
She gave him an awkward look. Why would he ask this of her?
"Gena, please, it would help me to know that I helped you…and it would show me your world and mine since I'm a part of yours," he said as he pulled down his collar to expose his neck to her.
Gena just looked at him terrified, afraid of what could happen if she did. She looked into his eyes, and they reflected love, acceptance, and fear all at the same time. He was afraid, she knew that, but he was willing to give himself to her because he cared. With her hands, she gently guided him forward so his head was resting on her strong shoulder. She could smell his skin; he smelt like the woods after a fresh rain. Her teeth itched as his heart beat against her body. Gena's skilled hands graciously took hold of his neck.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Gavin."
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," she breathed onto his neck.
Then she gently sunk her teeth into him. His blood tasted like honey as she drank his essence. It was his gift to her; he gave her the gift to live another day. As she drank, the earth stood still and there was no one, except the two of them. Tears welled up in her eyes as she savored his sweet life.
Gena sat on the couch with out saying a word. She was in complete shock.
'It couldn't be him…I must have been hallucinating…he's not real, he's dead.'
"Gena!" Gavin yelled as he moved closer to her. "Tell me why you decided to ditch me! Was it something I did or something I said?" He looked at her, his eyes full of regard.
A wave of guilt ran through her mind. Gavin wasn't the problem and he shouldn't be punished for her own.
"I'm sorry for leaving you, Gav. You did nothing wrong. It was…"
"Were you embarrassed that you had about five glasses of wine spilt on you?" he asked lovingly. He took her hands in his and gave her a shy smile. She couldn't help but giggle a little.
"No. That was embarrassing, but that wasn't why I ran…it was because of someone in the restaurant."
"Did someone do something to you?"
"No…no one hurt me. It was…someone that was there brought back a lot of bad memories."
"You can tell me, Gena," Gavin said. He engaged her eyes and brought her hand to his lips.
Gena's eyes filled to the brim with tears. She couldn't tell him. She'd only told two other people in her life and it only brought about suffering.
"Don't go through this alone; I'm right here, Gena."
Alone. She had always done it alone; why stop now? Why bring him into her world?
She started to sob as she felt his mind pull away in defeat. He was starting to give up and move away. She had finally gotten him back in to her life, and she was going to let him slip through the cracks yet again. But then, not by her own accord, she felt herself begin to speak.
"You're going to think I'm absolutely crazy."
"Not more than I already think you are," he replied with a smile.
"Do you want the short, blunt version or the long, complicated one?"
"Whatever you feel comfortable with, my love."
'His love. It's so good to hear those words again.' It also compelled her to go on and reveal the truth. Her truth.
"I grew up in Italy, out side of Florence. My mom and twin sister died when I was born. I had four older siblings; two sisters and two brothers. I was closest to my brothers, Stefan and Damon; they were very protective of me. I was closer to Stefan than Damon. No one could really get close to Damon; he was angry at Stefan and I since we were born. You see, when Stefan was born, my mother became very ill and was bedridden for a long time. Damon was upset that she couldn't go and play with him anymore. All he knew was that it happened because of his 'little brother.' Then I came along and, well, my mother couldn't take the child birth and she died of complications. After that, Damon blamed both Stefan and I for killing 'his' mother. Besides all of Damon's animosity, my life was typical for a girl my age in a wealthy family until I turned seventeen. I met a boy that my father disapproved of, mostly because I was already betrothed to marry some other man."
"Wait, you were supposed to marry someone? Betrothed? I thought that tradition died out hundreds of years ago!"
"Please don't interrupt; I have to get through this. I eloped with the boy against my father's wishes. The man I was supposed to marry became infuriated with the news and pursued us. Then, he stabbed my love and I with a dagger…we…we both died there in a small village in Tuscany."
"Died? Oh, come on now…if you died, then how are you here?"
"We had lived at home with a girl named Katherine, who was very nosy and immature. She and I didn't get along at all. She followed us and witnessed the stabbing. As I laid there on the dirt road, she drank from my neck and offered her own blood to me. She gave me a new life...as a vampire."
"Ok, Gena. I know you're into the supernatural with all the ghosts and stuff, but this is ridiculous. Vampires aren't real! And, if the legends were somehow true and you were one, you would have been fried by sunlight by now!"
"That's not true, Gavin. This ring," she pulled her lapis-lazuli ring off her hand. "This ring protects me from the sun. I can go out whenever I want."
"Ok…this is getting a little weird. I think I'm going to go," he said as he started to move uncomfortably across the room. She knew that she was starting to lose him.
"You call me your love. If you really love me, you'd not question me! I know it's hard to grasp, but it's the truth!" she started to cry with frustration.
"Do you think this is easy for me to tell you? It's hard as hell, Gavin! I swear on my mother's eternal life that I am NOT LYING! Do you need a demonstration?!?" She started to snarl and felt her canines push against her lips.
She looked into his eyes and saw that Gavin was truly frightened. She felt her frustration, and her teeth, subside as she fell to her knees in sorrow.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…I didn't," she couldn't finish her sentence. Her sobs stopped her from making any other sound. Gena couldn't believe what she had done. She never let herself get out of control like that. That was a promise she had made to herself a long time ago; after all, a temper like that was genetic in her family. But, she wasn't going to let it get to her.
She expected to be left alone in the room and hear the door slam behind him. He was going to leave; it was inevitable. Just then she felt a hand on her head. His fingers brushed through onyx strands. Gena lifted her gaze upward to look at love. His eyes were glazed with shock, but it was mingled with compassion.
"You're shaking," he said to her as he bent down to look into her eyes. "Are you alright?"
"I'm just…I'm scared…I want you to believe me. It's the honest to God's truth. Well, and I'm hungry. I haven't fed in a day."
"But you just ate," he said. Gena looked up at him and pointed to her teeth. "Oh, that fed. No offense, Gena, because I know I love you and I want to make sure you're all right, but this is...well, it's weird to say the least. I mean, ok, you have the teeth," he reaches in her mouth to feel her sharp canines. "Ouch! And they're not fake. I did notice you tend to shy from sun contact."
"Just because I have the ring, doesn't mean I like the sun. It's still not good in full doses for anyone I suppose," she said with a sad smile.
Gavin moved over to the couch and rested his head on his hand contemplatively.
"Wow…this is…something else. This is...this is going to take some getting used to."
"I know, honey," Gena said as she gracefully shifted towards him. "I don't expect it to be an easy transition for you to know this. If it's too much for you, we'll just stay friends…or we can just stop seeing each other all together. It's your call."
"No, it's nothing like that. It will take some adjustment knowing that you not only consider me your boyfriend, but a meal as well," Gavin said with a nervous half-smile on his face. "Is there anything else you want to spring on me, since you're coming clean? This time is as good as any to let all the dirty laundry out."
"Um…a few more things," she grabbed for his hand and placed the lapis ring in his palm. "Read the inscription."
"G W…1495. Ok, so the ring is …507 years old. And…," he said, asking her to continue.
"That G that is inscribed in that ring stands for my name. My husband's name was William. We were married in 1495…I grew up in Florence during the Italian Renaissance."
"You're kidding, right? You're over 500 years old?" he looked at her with a queer glance.
"Well, if you can believe that I am a vampire, why is it so hard to believe I'm 507? I was changed when I was only 17, and I will look this way for as long as I am here." She paused herself before she moved forward. "Gavin, that man in the restaurant…"
"I had almost forgotten about him," he jumped in.
"That guy…he was my brother. Stefan. I don't know how he's here, but I think it's because he is the same as me. His girlfriend Katherine was the one who changed me. But, he died with my brother a long time ago."
"So, your brother is alive? Well, kinda alive at least. Are you going to go talk to him?"
"I don't know…he thinks I'm dead." Gena looked pale and faint.
The two exchanged nervous, shy glances before Gavin cautiously grabbed her hand.
"If you haven't fed yet…you could always feed off of me."
She gave him an awkward look. Why would he ask this of her?
"Gena, please, it would help me to know that I helped you…and it would show me your world and mine since I'm a part of yours," he said as he pulled down his collar to expose his neck to her.
Gena just looked at him terrified, afraid of what could happen if she did. She looked into his eyes, and they reflected love, acceptance, and fear all at the same time. He was afraid, she knew that, but he was willing to give himself to her because he cared. With her hands, she gently guided him forward so his head was resting on her strong shoulder. She could smell his skin; he smelt like the woods after a fresh rain. Her teeth itched as his heart beat against her body. Gena's skilled hands graciously took hold of his neck.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Gavin."
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," she breathed onto his neck.
Then she gently sunk her teeth into him. His blood tasted like honey as she drank his essence. It was his gift to her; he gave her the gift to live another day. As she drank, the earth stood still and there was no one, except the two of them. Tears welled up in her eyes as she savored his sweet life.