The Night World Fables
A Series Of One-Shots
If Delos seems out of character then sorry because I imagine that he'd be slightly thrown off balance from being in a human world and having loads of new things to see. I'm just trying to bring out his childish side.
This one won't be as funny as the last. It's just meant to be funny at the beginning – the end should make you go 'aww'. God, I only finished Soulmate this morning – can you believe it? Loved it though.
"You buy an eight-hundred-dollar pen and then it doesn't write,"
Hee hee! Anyway. On with this chapter.
Created by: Salvatore Shan NW
Chapter Title: Hang Loose
Characters: Thierry and Hannah
Hang Loose
Occasionally a luminescent pink light bleached the large stained-glass window, but then eventually died back out – leaving the black rose hovering in the window with all its dignity.
The mansion would have originally looked grand and elegant – had it not been for the large quantity of partiers going in and out through the front doors. Security had been lax all day – all except for the one nineteen-year-old boy standing watch outside, his brown hair tied back into a small ponytail.
Club music poured out through the doors like a light washing out of a refrigerator. The atmosphere bubbled loose, the music soared through the air until the air itself was a loudspeaker and the excited voices inside screamed and ranted until the door whistled shut again.
That didn't stop the noise inside. The whole mansion had been obliterated. Not in a chaotic or criminal way – items of expense were pushed aside, leaving a gigantic floor space. All courtesy of Hannah Snow, who was still pushing things to the side of the walls and occasionally catching expensive vases that fell from dizzying heights.
Thierry, however, was nowhere to be found. He'd caught a flight to New York the other day – top-secret business (not even Hannah knew about it) – and wasn't going to be home for a few days.
That suited every one fine. They had the 'house' to themselves.
The games room had been emptied. The living room had been stripped bare. There was a giant party reaching out over the entire mansion and enclosing it like a shroud.
A buffet had been laid out over the table in the dining room and – though no one noticed – Eric kept peeping in and pouring vodka into the punch bowl.
No wonder Ash couldn't help falling over when he had his tenth cup of punch.
James and Poppy were acting as the DJs – their forte being techno music. But they played all sorts to keep people happy – jumping and jiving excitedly in their sound booths. It took some time to notice that there, in the thick of it, was Quinn and Rashel dancing like there was no tomorrow. They couldn't help but laugh. The once so serious couple were now drunk out of their heads.
Speaking of drunk…
"Didn't I tell you there was something in that punch!" Mary-Lynnette roared over the music, trying to pull Ash up off of the floor. She was failing terribly.
Part of her was afraid that they were going to get trampled on, but the other part was threatening to make her giggle until her stomach was sore.
What the heck? It was all part of the fun.
She bent down, kissed him on the lips and laughed so hard that she passed out.
Hannah walked around, arms folded. Her work here was done. Everyone here was having fun – screaming, dancing, kicking loose.
Even Delos.
She suppressed a giggle.
Delos was… well, the only polite word for it was insane. He'd had a couple of drinks of punch – even though he knew it wouldn't do anything for his vampire appetite – and was pressing buttons on anything and everything.
Maggie was running around after him, grabbing him and telling him to stop being so excited. He was acting like a little kid. In fact – everyone was.
Hannah shook her head. She was surprised that vampires could get drunk. But then – why not? Just because their metabolism was different to humans and they drunk blood didn't mean that they couldn't get pis–
She stopped. Something wasn't right.
James and Poppy were nodding to the music – it was Marilyn Manson, Personal Jesus. Though it wasn't their thing, they seemed to be lost in it.
That wasn't what was wrong.
Quinn had plucked his t-shirt off. He was dancing atop a table and trying to tug Rashel up after him.
That was slightly wrong, but nope – it wasn't it.
Ash and Mary-Lynnette were being overcrowded on the floor, but didn't feel threatened. Ash had his face screwed up, his shirt was covered in spilt punch and Mary-Lynnette was breathing lightly on his chest as she slept. She was out cold.
That was fine – so long as no one stepped on them.
Hannah turned away.
Maggie was still running around after Delos.
Eric and Thea were sat at the table in the dining room, eating finger sandwiches and sausages on sticks.
Gillian and David were playing Twister in the games room, along with Keller, Galen, Kestrel, Jade and Mark. It was hard to tell who was playing or watching, their roles seemed to switch unfairly.
Jez and Morgead, however, were sat in front of their own TV in an anteroom, drinking Bacardi Breezers. They were watching a home movie… laughing and poking each other. But it was particularly obscene home video. Involving a bed and two very horny soulmates.
Hannah blushed furiously, shut the door on them and tried to drown the thought of the video out of her mind.
Nope. The soulmate couples and Wild Powers were fine. No, wait… Iliana!
"Straighteners are so last season…" Hannah heard someone say as she ran past one of the downstairs bathrooms.
She sighed. That was the blonde Witch Child. She could breathe easy.
Everyone of importance was accounted for.
Lupe was getting a piggyback from Poppy's twin brother, Phil (who had arrived last week), and was shouting things that amounted to 'yahoo' and 'yeeha'.
The crowd was a gigantic body – almost one person – moving together, screaming, ducking, diving and dancing.
Hannah wondered whether the neighbours would complain about the noise. She laughed to herself, feeling slightly alone that Thierry wasn't here.
She should've saved her breath.
"How was the Big Apple, sir?" Nilsson asked, taking Thierry's heavy suitcase away from him and placing it in the back of the limousine.
Thierry sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He was at the airport – with Nilsson who had ditched his guard post. He had come running at his master's call.
Even though Thierry had come back ahead of schedule, Nilsson was prepared to drop everything and come to him.
Thierry shook out his blonde hair and sighed again. "Well… how can I put this?" he grinned and then showed his PA a ruby-red box. "I found a perfect one,"
Nilsson smiled and swung into the front seat of the limo. "I'm sure Lady Hannah will be thrilled, sir. Knowing your tastes it was undoubtedly expensive."
Thierry didn't know what to make of that statement. He climbed into the back and shut the door behind him.
Leaning back into the leather chairs, he smiled to himself – fingering the jewellery box. "Put it this way, I had to search a dozen jewellers to find one quite like it,"
Nilsson started the engine up and looked in the rear-view mirror. Thierry saw the slope of his eyebrow as Nilsson looked at him sceptically.
"Sir, what kind of ring where you looking for?" he asked. "Diamond rings aren't that rare, sir, unless it were a hefty amount of carats you were after…"
Thierry shook his head as the car lurched out of Las Vegas airport's car park and purred away. He looked out of the window at the Mohave Desert.
"I was looking for the perfect engagement ring." He said slowly.
Nilsson stiffened in his seat. Then said, "Ah,"
Thierry didn't like the way he said it.
"I'll double your salary, Nilsson, if you tell me what that is supposed to mean," Thierry frowned, folding his arms and staring at the back of the drivers seat.
Hitting him where it hurt… Nilsson always buckled at the mention of his pay.
"It's just that, the house isn't how you left it, sir." He replied, shortly, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove in the direction of the Strip.
Thierry's eyes narrowed. "Did Hannah burn it down?" he asked, suspiciously.
Nilsson held his breath. "Not quite."
Thierry leant forward in his seat, dangerously. "What? There's been major reworks?"
Nilsson shook his head.
"She crashed the car! Tell me she didn't crash the car," his tone was rushed, anxious.
Nilsson shook his head.
Thierry sighed, one thing taken care of. Then he looked exasperated. "What then?"
"Trust me, sir. You'll see."
Nilsson didn't know whether his answer qualified to a raised salary or not. So he put his foot down on the pedal, and made it back to the Descouedres mansion in half the time.
As soon as Thierry stepped out of the limo… his mouth fell open and his eyes grew wide.
Then he looked lost for a minute.
Nilsson parked the car and got out – turning to see Thierry standing a ways off.
"Sir?" he called.
Thierry was shaking. He clenched his fists. His eyes meant business.
"Hannah!"
Hannah froze. A telepathic voice rung out in her mind and she stood stock-still. Thierry? He's back? Oh… Goddess!
She ran to the back of the living room, throwing people aside. "James! Poppy! Cut the music!" she screamed. They didn't hear her. They were playing Daft Punk, and they weren't in the mood to turn it off.
Hannah threw herself forward, grabbing hold of the sound booth. Next she clung on to the curly-haired vampire-girl and tugged off her headphones.
James simply looked startled.
"Cut the music. Now!"
A flick of a switch and then the house was thrown into silence.
Everybody looked about. Dazed.
"What the–?" Quinn blinked furiously, then looked down. Rashel stared at him, at a loss for words.
His hands were clinging to the belt on his jeans. They were poised – ready to yank it off. As soon as the music had been killed, the craziness had evaporated.
"Was I gonna–?" he began.
Someone from the crowd called, "Nice abs, Johnny-boy!"
Quinn went pale, grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on. "I wouldn't be that stupid," he said under his breath. Rashel stared at him through heavy-lashed eyes, titled and cat-like.
Ash and Mary-Lynnette shook their heads a few times then stood up.
"Hey! What happened to the music?" Ash called.
Everyone was chatting and gibbering.
Hannah grabbed the microphone that sat on one of the sound booths and leant forward. "Thierry's here! Everybody tidy up! NOW!"
Everybody froze. Then immediately they ran about – pulling rugs back, straightening paintings, placing vases on tables, sorting out statues and sculptures.
Iliana's beauty session ended. She crammed all her hair-things and make-up into her arms and ran up to her room in the east wing, leaving a distressed Jean McCartney looking about with her hair tied back and heavily blushed cheeks.
Maggie came along and helped her friend upstairs, while Jean scrubbed furiously at the make-up.
Delos, having had his soulmate removed from his back for a while, went into the kitchen. Bad mistake.
Most of Thierry's servants – including Chef – had been sent on a well-deserved holiday. With no one there to mind him, Delos was being over curious and eating practically all the food in the cupboards.
When the house was in a proper state ready for Thierry's eyes, Hannah stood waiting in the large hallway. Everybody else had gone to bed, all except Jez and Morgead who were busy making out in one of the anterooms.
The door opened. Thierry had somehow known to stay outside while all the tidying up had been going on. Hannah wondered whether she'd let anything slip due to the soulmate principle. She worried her bottom lip – chewing it nervously.
The tall, blonde vampire stood silhouetted in the open doorway. He was taking shaky breaths. Hannah's heart lurched at the side of him – he was home! But she kept still.
"How was New York?" she asked, sweetly, cupping her hands in front of her. She hoped she looked innocent.
Thierry stepped forward and shut the front door behind him. "It rained practically every day," he replied quietly, then in a politer tone said: "What happened here?"
Hannah laughed nervously, almost sounding flattered and flirtatious. "Oh, we had a little party – no biggy,"
"No biggy?" Thierry repeated. "Well then, why is Lupe outside on the front lawn howling at the moon – in human-form? Why are Keller and Galen in the back garden chasing their tails? Why was the music so loud that I could hear it out here and where the hell are the rest of the guards?"
"G-Garden? Y-You were in the garden?"
"I wanted to know whether the commotion in here was the same outside. Ash threw up over the patio when I was stood there, Val Stillman was break dancing and most of our witches were skyclad, doing a spell so they wouldn't have a hangover in the morning!"
Hannah slapped her forehead. She'd forgotten the garden. She'd thought nobody had gone out there – she thought that it was spotless.
"As it is," Thierry was continuing, "One of the fountain's are busted and Delos collapsed into one of the bushes – he completely flattened it. All that is 'no biggy'?" His tone was cold.
Hannah shut her eyes, readying herself for his shouts.
But Thierry didn't shout. Instead he broke into a smile. "You were that glad to get rid of me?"
She opened her eyes. "What?"
"Why did you guys get to have fun while I was away? You should have kept partying."
"But… But you sounded really mad when you called me. Aren't… Aren't you mad?" Hannah stuttered.
Thierry sighed. "I was worried. There were no guards, you could have gotten in trouble."
"But now that Maya's gone and Hunter's gone and… and… well, I guess… I thought we were safe."
"Thank Goddess you are," Thierry smiled. He kissed her on the cheek.
"Here," he pulled out the small jewellery box from his trouser pocket. "I got this for you,"
He opened it and when Hannah gasped he knew it had all been worthwhile. He smiled brilliantly – his eyes bright.
The ring was as perfect in Hannah's eyes as it was in his. The band that wound round the finger started with a looping curl and ended with one – so they clashed together perfectly and erupted with a diamond that shone like a rainbow in the overhead light.
Hannah made to retrieve it, when Thierry stopped her.
He got down on one knee.
Hannah's eyes flew open. So… So it wasn't just a gift? H-He was really g-gonna…
"Will you marry me?" Thierry asked.
Hannah trembled. Warmth spilled out of her eyes and she realised she was crying.
Then she started laughing and crying at the same time. "Yes! Yes! Of course I will!"
Then they were in each other's arms. The sadness in Thierry's eyes had been wiped out forever. As they held each other, he slipped the ring onto Hannah's finger.
Hannah sighed. "Hannah Descouedres." She mused, then ruffled Thierry's hair.
He smiled.
Behind them, Jez and Morgead poked their heads out from one of the anterooms. They looked on guiltily.
On the count of three, Morgead told Jez. She nodded wordlessly. One… two… three… Together they snuck upstairs, tiptoeing behind Hannah and Thierry as quiet as they could possibly manage.
Thierry and Hannah broke apart, grinning brightly.
"So," Thierry began, "can I have some punch now?"
Hannah nodded fervently. "I'll have some, too,"
It was a pity that Hannah was the only one who didn't know that Eric had poured the equivalent to a whole bottle of alcohol in the punch bowl.
It was also a pity when Jez and Morgead remembered that they'd left their video in the VCR.
That was a shock in the morning.
The moral of this story is: never throw a party for Daybreakers… it always has a habit of going wrong.
DONE!
Skyclad means naked for all you people that might be wondering. I know it's not that good and it's not funny but I tried my best. Ahh, my first fic for Hannah and Thierry. It's weird writing and reading about someone with the same name as you… it's hard because you keep writing them as yourself and give them your personality. It's just as well that Hannah Snow has slightly the same personality as me.
Review!