Chapter 8: With Or Without You

Tucson, Arizona. 1983

Dusty's Bar was a shithole.

It was a dive. A grease pit. A biker dream and a truckers refuge. It occupied a barely existent building in a barely existent strip of road in a barely existent town. There was nothing around it for miles and the people who occupied it very normally had nowhere to go but the bottom of a bottle till the sun came up.

It was perfect.

Most of the patrons were busy, either drinking or smoking or playing pool or occupying what they didn't know were the last few minutes of their lives as casually as possible. Conversations were barely whispered, music softly played, it was as calm a situation as anyone could picture.

Then they showed up.

It was a simple caravan. An rv, a couple of bikes, and a station wagon, with the last vehicle being driven by an overly eager blonde man with a scar on his face, sporting a baseball cap he'd gotten from the station wagons previous owner. "A little hunting trophy", was what he'd called it.

He couldn't stop grinning, even as his dour passenger stepped out and turned his green eyes up to the building. The black haired farmboy slammed she car door closed behind him and wasted no time shuffling over to the side of the building where he leaned against it, coughing heavily, heavily enough that blood came up. Blood that he spat on the ground with a groan.

The blonde man came up behind him, clapping his hand on his shoulder with a chuckle.

"What's the matter, Percy?" The man chimed, "Hungry?"

Percy doubled over slightly at Luke's touch before he snapped his gaze up to the man and glared at his hat.

"Take that off." He demanded.

Luke let out a dry chuckle, "Oh come on now. You're not still mad about Portland, are you?"

Percy's look didnt falter, and Luke let out a sigh.

"Fine, but for the record..." He said, pulling off the hat and tossing it in a nearby trash bin, "...they were delicious."

If Percy had any energy he'd have crushed the man's eyes in with his thumbs, but he didn't. Luke was right, Percy was starving. It was slow, and agonizing, and made just about every act he performed feel like he was working through molasses. He wanted to eat. Bad. But he wouldn't, he just...

He couldn't. Not right now.

He reached for his pocket, grabbing at his pack of cigarettes. He wasn't going to smoke them. No, he'd decided days ago that he'd stop pretending they did anything. He wanted to get rid of them.

He turned to the garbage can, taking note of the familiar hat that say in it. He grimaced, his teeth baring slightly as he remembered who it had belonged to, and why it hurt to look at.

He tossed the cigarettes in the bin, before fishing out his old zippo, striking it, and lighting the garbage that surrounded the hat.

He was quiet for a moment, a long moment, before he hung his head and spoke.

"I'm sorry, Gleeson."

It wasn't enough, not what the man or his family deserved, but it was all his starving body could manage.

He leaned against the building as Luke made his way inside, leading in the hunters that piled out of the R.V. . Percy took heavy labored breaths. That was bad, if he was breathing, and it wasn't instinctual, that was bad. He considered maybe digging his hand in the dirt, seeing if he could find a mole or something to drain, just to stave off the hunger.

That was until he felt her slip her hand into his.

He didn't need to look up, nor did he really want to. He just sighed and let his head hang a bit lower as she spoke.

"You need to eat, Percy."

He felt his gaze lift a bit, out to the desert in front of him.

"I know, Zoe."

The girl grabbed his cheek and pulled his face to look at her. She looked worn out. Exhausted. Most of all, worried. Her brow was tensed and her mouth was a firm line and.just about the second Percy's eyes met hers her hand had softened from gripping his cheek to softly stroking it.

She was worried, and it was because of him. Part of him was happy he made her upset, part of him wasn't. He was too hungry to focus right now, anyway...

"Percy..." She repeated, her voice taking on an almost pleading tone, "Percy, please..."

He shrugged her hands off of him, barely having enough energy to do so, before he leaned his back into the building.

"Are Beck and Lena here?" He asked, honestly hopeful that they weren't.

"No." Zoe replied, "You know how they are when Luke... needs to let it out."

Percy scowled, knowing exactly what she meant. Truth be told he was a bit conflicted about them not being here. He'd bonded a lot with them lately, especially Beck. They shared his opinions on their life and it was nice to have someone to confide in, especially now, considering the thoughts he'd been having.

The thoughts about leaving.

It had been on his mind for a while now. Leaving. Disappearing. Packing up and shipping out while Zoe and the rest slept. He'd thought it was a good idea, until Beck let out some of that old man wisdom in his ear.

Then what?

Two words. Two words and all of Percy's planning, all that built up courage, all that excitement he had for when he finally took that plunge. All of it just went poof.

Then what? What would he do? What could he do? It's not like he could settle down anywhere, people would catch on when years went by and he didn't age. He couldn't have a job or a career or anything like that, either. Relationships? Same problem. Even if he found a friend, or anyone, and told them that he was what he was, then what? A handful of years before they moved on, and a handful of decades before they withered away.

Then what?

Nothing, that's what. Nothing. All there was was the clan. Beck. Silena.

Zoe.

He paused for a moment. There was Zoe. Sure she'd gone and done this to him, but now she was all he really had, wasn't she? It made him sad, even depressed, but it was true. She'd gone ahead and handcuffed him to her never ending life.

Part of him told himself he could do worse, another part of him said he was doing better before. He made them both shut up.

Zoe took a step towards him, laying a hand on his chest. It was an act she'd done hundreds, if not thousands of times before, but everything she did it he couldn't help but let that non-existent heartbeat raise a little.

"Percy..." She said, her voice tight. Tighter than it had ever been, tighter than he'd ever heard it before. He met her eyes as he leaned into the building.

"Percy..." She repeated, her lip trembling a bit as she spoke, "I'm sorry."

He let his eyes float back up to hers, a slight look of shock in them as his brow furrowed.

"What... what do you mean." He asked, struggling out the words through his breaths.

Her hand, which had just been a gentle palm before, tightened itself into a fist.

"I'm sorry I did this to you, Percy." She said, her onyx eyes swirling with emotion, "I know you hate it, I'm not stupid, Percy." She said, her eyes getting a little watery, "I know you aren't happy, I know that."

Her head fell, as did her hand from his shirt, as she stared at the dirt.

"I know... and I'm sorry."

He was still for a moment. He didn't know what to say. Part of him wanted to jam his finger in her face and tell her it was about damn time. He wanted to hurt her, to make her feel his sorrow. He wanted those tears she was trying to hold back to become sobs as he pulled her heart apart, and told her that he hated her and hated this life and would love nothing more than to go back.

Another part of him wanted to wrap his arms around her shoulders and tell her that it was alright. Tell her that she was one of the only constants he had anymore. Tell her that deep down, even though they both knew this was her fault, she was all he had, for better or worse.

He didn't say either, he suspected that was just the hunger thinking for him.

He straightened himself up, pushing off the building with as much grace as he could as he took a shaky breath.

"Zoe..." He began, making her look up at him, eyes full of what he suspected was hope.

"I... let's just go inside, alright?"

She let out a small smile, and shifted under his shoulder, helping him to the steps, before they pushed through the doors of the building, a couple hunters closing it behind them immediately.

Luke had evidently wasted no time, as the bar patrons were already on their knees in the middle of the room. The bartender, Percy assumed, was already dead on the bar with his throat ripped out, and considering the blood that stained Luke's shirt he had some idea who'd done it.

The man held up his hands as Zoe and Percy entered, a beaming blood stained smile on his face.

"Well look who decided to join us?"

Percy took note of something he hadn't noticed before, Luke's revolver. He used to rarely use it, only on special occasions, but recently he always had them on. Told them they made it easier to play with his food.

He also took note of the pearl grips, a certain General Patton quote ringing out in his mind...

(A.N. look it up)

Luke stepped out from behind the bar, walking up to the small group as they all practically shook with fear.

"So..." Luke began, a smarmy smile over his lips, "Would you lovebirds care to share one, or is Percy gonna keep acting like a bitch."

Zoe was quiet, as was Percy. Normally he would've snapped right back in Luke's face, but he didn't have the energy, nor could he focus on what the man was saying.

All that rang out in his ears was the hammering heartbeat of the young girl in front of him.

She was young. Probably too young to be inna place like this. She had long auburn hair and soft blue eyes and looked to be just about a buck even soaking wet. She looked scared, shaking in her massive red flannel as her teary eyes met Percy's.

She looked like Prey, a small voice in his mind said. He grit his teeth as he tried, desperately so, to curb his hunger, to stop himself from doing what, deep down, he knew he was going to do.

"I'm waiting, Jackson." Luke called out, drumming his fingers on the bar.

Percy couldn't. He just couldn't. He knew he was going to, he barely had the willpower to hold himself back, but he met the girls eyes. Her soft, tender blue eyes, stained with tears and filled with fear. He just couldn't.

Zoe was still beside him. He knew what she wanted to say, she'd already said it outside, but she knew better. He didn't want to hear it.

Luke had no such restraint. Just about the second he realized Percy wasn't going to move, he drew his revolver, cocked back the hammer, and blew a hole through the girls throat.

She was dead. Instantly. Percy knew death and knew it well and he knew the second she'd started to fall that the girl was dead.

It made him feel a little less horrible when he drove his teeth into her throat.

He couldn't help it. He'd been struggling to fucking help it for the last week. Or month? He couldn't tell, never when he was hungry, and right now all he could think about was how good she tasted. He hated it. A lot. But he needed it even more.

Evidently so did Zoe, as she drove her own teeth into the girls throat too.

Luke was probably smiling, and that sme grew to a grin when he killed he rest of the patrons and the hunters dove right in. They were less reserved than Percy was, ripping off limbs and chunks of flesh before taking them across the bar and drinking them dry. Luke caught one of them as they scurried off and brought her mouth up to his for a disgusting, bloody kiss. He was just... letting it out. Just like he did every ten years. Probably explained why he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, and unbuckle his pants while he was at it...

Percy hated this. He hated it, everything that was happening around him. All the death, all the pain, all the wasting of human life. He hated that it was all he could see and he hated even more that the only distraction was a corpse he was drinking dry.

He hated it. But at the moment? He couldn't even be bothered to care.

All he could think about was the blood. The blood and the taste and the fervor and the hunger and the blood. It was all he could think about. The blood, and Zoe.

He always got like this around human blood, he suspected its what made her like her and what made Luke like Luke. The blood just... took hold of you. It didn't care what you wanted, or what you needed, or how much you hated it. It was all there was when it was there and all you could think about when you wanted it. It made him do things, made him want things.

Right now, he wanted Zoe.

The corpse of the girl fell to the ground, dry of any liquid as Percy and Zoe both took a step back, taking deep breaths as they both tried to catch themselves.

Zoe took a look at Percy, her eyes flashing with concern as she watched him. She watched his breathing deepen, she watched his eyes as they kept that hungry look in them. She worried for a second that it wasn't enough, and that she'd need to pull and arm away from a hunter.

She was corrected when he turned his hungry eyes to her and grabbed a fistful of her collar, pulling her into a kiss.

She was still for a moment, a little in shock at how the normally conservative man was taking charge, but that shock quickly dissipated as she threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in deep.

He wanted her. Bad. Bad enough to ignore how disgusted he was with himself, bad enough to ignore how angry he was too. Bad enough that the little voice in his mind that always told him this was wrong was nowhere to be seen. Bad enough that he told himself he could be disgusted with himself later. Blood brought bad things out of him, thoughts like this, and right now? All he could think about was how the blood she had stained on her lips tasted.

It tasted good, and as he threw her onto a nearby table and aggressively traced his hands down her chest he couldn't help but wonder if the rest of her tasted the same.

The ride home was certainly something.

Percy had taken the opportunity to spend most of the ride wringing out his shirt onto Annabeth's floor mat, all while muttering out "Sorry..." Over and over whole she tried not to laugh.

Tried and failed, to be fair.

He caught her snickering when dhey were around halfway home and couldn't help but shoot her a soft glare.

"What?" He asked her incredulously, "You've got my jacket, and a flannel ain't exactly waterproof..."

She let her laugh become a smile, "Yeah, speaking of which..." She mused, pinching the fabric between her fingers, "What is it with you and your ancient clothes?"

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" She cocked an eyebrow, "Percy. You wear leather jackets, and those ancient jeans, and spurs. I know actual cowboys who don't wear spurs..."

He let a pout spread over his face, "Hey now, I already told you I ride horses."

She let her eyes draw back into a soft squint, "Well yeah maybe that steel horse you rode in here on..."

It was his turn to squint, letting a small smile spread over his lips as he did.

"So... does that mean you've been watching me, then?"

It was her turn to stop squinting, and start blushing. She focused back on the road as her grip tightened.

"I may have seen you come in..." She admitted.

He let his smile grow, "Annabeth..."

She firmed her mouth into a line, "Yes, friend?"

He glanced at her, the slyest look on his face as he did.

"Did you follow me to the bar last night?"

She let her breath slip, and her grip tighten a bit on the wheel, and that's all he needed. He leaned back into his seat, a satisfied look on his face as he put his hands behind his head.

"I knew it."

She let her upper lip twitch, "Thalia wanted to go, and Nico did too, and they had a half off special on drinks day night, and it's really rhe only spot in town and..." She trailed off when she caught his sly smile and his gaze pointed at her.

"I knew it."

She let a frown spread over her face, "You know nothing."

His smile only pulled a little harder, "I bet you fell asleep in my jacket, too."

Her blush grew a bit as she let her grip tighten on the wheel some more.

"It was very comfortable..." She admitted, before snapping her gaze to his, "Hey now, you're not innocent in this! Who the heck gives a girl their jacket the first day they know them?"

Percy shrugged, "It was the polite thing to do."

She kept her eyes on him for as long as the road would allow. Maybe a bit longer, if she was being honest, before she focused back on the road and loosened her grip on the wheel.

"You..." She said, a curious tone in her voice, "...are very frustrating."

"Mhm." He mused.

"And very sly."

"Mhm." He repeated, smile on his lips.

"And you have a real way with words that I don't think I've ever heard before."

He let his gaze flick over to her, "I try."

She let out a deep, frustrated sigh as she pulled up to her house, pulling into the driveway as Percy sat in in his seat, wasting no time hopping out of the truck and fohhing around to her side, opening the door and offering his hand to help her out.

She raised her eyebrow and let a soft smile spread over her face, "Holding open doors? I thought I was the crazy one here, Percy."

He shrugged, "What? You said it yourself, I'm polite. My momma raised a gentleman, thank you very much."

She let her smile spread a bit as she took his hand and let him lead her out of the car. She didn't want to admit it, or hell, maybe she did, but she held his hand a bit longer than she needed to.

He wasn't one to complain, almost absent-mindedly reaching down and grasping the other hand right along with it, holding them both in front of him.

Just like the had a day before, after the bar.

She couldn't help but let her heart hammer a bit at the thought.

He smiled at her, giving her a little wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Not making you nervous, am I?"

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, "Who, you? Not a chance." She tightened her grip on his hands and flashed him a smile.

"Just tryna figure out why your hands are so damn cold."

His smile faltered a bit, she noticed.

"Sorry..." She said, slipping her palms from his, "I didn't mean to be rude."

"No, it's okay." He said, "I mean... you're not wrong. I'm a little chilly, to be fair..."

"Meh, maybe on the outside..." She said, "but on the inside?" She reached down and gripped his hands again, with a smile.

"You've got quite the fire in you, Jackson."

He raised his eyes to hers, and there it was again. Something. Something really deep inside him that was just trying so desperately to get out. He let his gaze linger a bit before he cleared his throat and took a step back, letting go of her hand to rub his tattoo.

"Well, I've got some stuff at home I gotta do." He said, his smile falling a bit as he spoke, "But, if you're free later..."

She shrugged and smiled, "I guess we'll just have to see, won't we cowboy?"

He couldn't help the bolt of excitement that shot through him.

"I guess we will."

With that, she turned around and walked into her house.

He stood there for a moment, before he took a step back, leaning against her truck. He felt amazing right then, like a million bucks, like he was on fire.

To be honest, if only for a moment, he felt like that heart in his chest was beating again.

He relished the feeling, letting it wash over him before another, more familiar one cropped up. Dread.

He turned back to the den, wasting no time in starting his short-but-long march back to his home. He walked up the steps, opened the door, and stepped in, shutting it right behind him.

Bringing him face to face with Zoe.

She was... thinking things. He could tell she was trying to hide it, but her poker face never worked with him. He took her in for a moment, eyeing her up as she stood in front of him, before he spoke.

"What is it?"

He didn't mean for it to sound so blunt, but he really couldn't help it. He missed Annabeth already.

She folded her arms over her chest, her eyes flicking up to his for a moment, before they darkened and she looked away.

"Nothing."

He was still for a moment, watching how her body language screamed words that he guessed she couldn't bring herself to say. He didn't want to hear them, and suspected she was building herself up to say them.

"I'm going upstairs." He said, "I've got work to do. Windows to black out."

He shifted past her, heading for the steps. He got to the first one before he heard her speak.

"Did you get my jacket yet?"

Her voice was soft. Softer than ever before, and weak too. Like it hurt to have to ask.

He breathed through his nose, feeling his anger start to bubble.

"No."

There was a silence that crept over both of them before Percy walked up the stairs. He didn't want to deal with this right now. He was tired, and busy, and didn't want an interrogation, especially not after the nice time he'd just had, so he didn't let her answer him before he left. He got to the top and was still for a moment, letting his ears perk up.

He pretended not to hear her tears hitting the floor, just like he'd pretended not to see her watching him and Annabeth through the window.

It was late in the evening when Percy was finally done.

He didn't mind physically labour, really. He'd grow up on a farm, he'd done his fair share of yard-work and barn-work and coup-work, so physical labor was nothing to him.

Didn't make it any less of a pain in the ass, though.

His hands were sore by the time he was done. Sore, and raw, and aching, which was definitely something considering how hard it was for him to even break a sweat, but he couldn't help it. He had a lot on his mind, a lot of frustrating things that he needed to distract himself from.

So naturally, once he was done, he was already looking for another distraction. One that he decided he'd find in his room.

He got to his room and cracked open his door, shifting inside before he shut it behind him. He let out a long sigh, kicking off his boots and shifting off his flannel as he made his way over to the bed. He glanced at the boo on his nightstand, the one Annabeth had given him.

Interview With The Vampire

A smile spread over his face. He'd be a no good liar if he said he hadn't been looking forward to this basically all night. He grabbed the book and fell back into bed, flipping it open and checking chapter one before a familiar voice nearly scared him stiff.

"Hi Percy."

He leapt out of bed, the book flying backnonto his nightstand as he hissed out a "Jesus fuck, Zoe!", Again ignoring how his tongue burned at the words.

She was in the corner of his room, away from the soft shine of his lamp. She looked... tired. Tired and not too happy. He sighed, dropping his head slightly as she approached him.

"Look Zoe, I've had a long day..." He began, half expecting her to start working his pants off him, but she didn't. Instead, she approached him, arms across her chest, eyes low, mouth closed into a firm line.

"I want to show you something."

He didn't really know how to respond, or how to react to what she said. He just clenched and unclenched his fist, swallowed his nerves, and answered.

"Alright."

A soft smile pulled at her lips as she took his hand and let him to his window, popping it open and pulling him out of it. He knew she could fly, she'd done it before and would probably do it again, he'd just never done it with her before.

She held his hand, whatever magic she had apparently applying to him as well as she floated him up, past the window, onto the roof.

She sat down on the shingles, him taking a seat right next to her, as she gazed up at the stars.

He'd never seen this before. Her, like this, just... it was new.

He felt his body stay rigid, half expecting something crazy to happen. Something did, but it wasn't what he expected.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?"

He watched her mouth as she spoke, the words gently falling from her lips. He didn't know if it was the genuine tone she had or the way her eyes shone when she spoke, but he couldn't help the smile that his lips formed.

"They are." He replied.

They sat there for a moment, leaning back into the roof. Percy had the feeling this was gonna last a minute, and he was admittedly kinda beat, so he laid back, kicking his knee up and tucking his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. She stayed in her position, tilting her head up slightly to watch the stars as she spoke again.

"Y'know, I never used to like the night sky."

He let out a soft chuckle from his position.

"Why's that?"

She looked over her shoulder, watching him with a soft expression.

"It's a reminder."

It was his turn to look. Opening his eyes to look first at the sky, then at her.

"A reminder of what?"

She turned back forward, looking out into the sky again, her shoulders slouching slightly.

"A reminder that this is forever."

Percy let out a quiet chortle, "I'd think you'd be used to it by now, all things considered."

She was silent for a moment, letting her thoughts rattle around in her head, before word came out. Words so honest they made Percy's smile fall.

"You never get used to it, Percy."

He was still, then he sat up. He scooted a little closer to her. Consciously or not, he didn't know, and frankly, didn't care. There was a silence between them. An aching, deafening silence that could've driven them mad.

"I... I don't think I ever will either." Percy said after the silence had ran its course.

And then there was silence, again. Silence that washed over them as they tilted up their heads and watched the stars.

"I'm sorry I did this to you, Percy." She said quietly, not wanting to ruin what they were sharing. He couldn't help but let it as a scowl crossed his face.

"Yeah, well... sorry doesn't fix things, now does it?" He said in a low tone.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, letting her head rest on them as her eyes fell from the sky. She gazed out into the horizon, letting the stars illuminate the vast infinity.

"I'm so alone, Percy."

Her words once again, with how honest they were, knocked his legs out from under him. He turned to her, a certain look in his eye, as he let his eyes wander her face.

"What do you mean?"

She let out a sigh. A quiet, somber sound that sent a cloud of air out into the night.

"I... I've been this way, for so long, Percy. Longer than I can stand. Longer than anyone could, being alone at least. I just..."

She let her onyx eyes flick to his green orbs.

"...I needed someone."

He knew what her words meant, both literally and not, and he turned away from her, out to the horizon.

"Why did that person have to be me?" He asked in a quiet tone, "Why not let it be someone else? Let it be Luke."

It was her turn to scowl, "If Luke didn't have his short list of uses he'd pulling his head out of his ass right now. No, I needed someone Percy. I needed someone real, someone I could connect with, someone I could..."

She trailed off, letting her gaze wander back in front of her.

"Someone I could love."

He was silent for a moment, words dancing at the end of his tongue. He wanted to tell her she was wrong to do this. He wanted to tell her she should've picked someone else. He wanted to tell her that the thought of just driving a stake into himself occurred more often than not. He didn't though. He just sighed and dropped his head.

"Y'know... I don't even know your last name."

She snapped her gaze up to him, "What?"

"I don't even know your last name. I've spent the better part of half a century lying in a bed naked with you, and all I know when I do is I'm with Zoe. Not I'm with Zoe Burton, or I'm with Zoe Andrews. No, it's just I'm with Zoe."

She was silent for a moment, letting it sink in. He was right, and he'd barely given her a chance to realize that before he continued.

"And yet, you still do what you do with me. I don't know anything about you, Zo. I don't have any idea why you are the way you are."

She felt her brow furrow.

"That's none of your concern, Percy."

He let his gaze wander over to her his own blow furrowed and his lips tightened into a scowl.

"Oh bullshit, Zoe. I know what this is, what you want. You want me as your immortal lover or something, isn't that it?" She didn't answer, so he did.

"You wanted me, so you took me, and I don't even know why. I don't know why you just came along and... and made me yours."

There was nothing but silence from her. Silence that he could tell she hated.

"I know there's no escape from this, I learned that long ago, but maybe..." He let his scowl loosen and his gaze fall, staring at the ground beneath them, "... Maybe if I knew why, it wouldn't hurt as bad..."

No words came. She just kept her position, sitting on the roof. He sighed, raising to his feet and dusting off his jeans. He knew he could make the jump down, that wasn't a problem. No, that came when she finally answered.

"Nightshade."

He turned back to her, a look of confusion on his face.

"What?"

She looked back at him, her eyes dark with thought.

"My name. My full name. It's Zoe nightshade."

He was silent for a moment, letting his jaw work around the knots that were forming as he tried to find a response. He didn't expect that. Frankly, he didn't expect anything.

"That's... a lovely name." He said.

She didn't respond, not how he wanted anyway. What she said after just left him with more questions.

"I don't know if I'll ever be ready to tell you, Percy..."

She rose to her feet, letting the soft light of the stars illuminate her form as she took a step toward him.

"...But there is a reason why I am who I am."

He didn't know ow how to answer, and she didn't give him time to. Without another word, she floated back down. Back into his room, leaving him standing on the roof with nothing but his thoughts as the stars shimmered above him.

Stars that they'd both live to see go out.

Hey guys.

I know, been a while hasn't it?

Been a minute or two since you got a good old fashioned Bronzeandsteel authors note. Did you miss them? My whacky anecdotes? My delves into my inner thoughts? I missed them, at least a little.

There's a reason why they haven't been here.

This story isn't like godless land. Not even close. I'm sorry if it wasn't what you were expecting from me, but it's what I wanted to write. A dark story, a mature story. A story about humanity, and pain, and loss. A story about one man and his own journey. I know that this story is about vampires (amongst other things) but to me, it's about humans.

It's not a story I want to ruin with my goofy self, constantly trying to be quirky or funny or winking at the audience in the A.N.s I leave. I just want this story to be that; a story.

What does it mean to be human? Does a life only hold value so long as it's worth living? What makes it worth living?

These are the questions I want to ask with this story.

I know a lot of you have said that this story is too dark, and a lot more of you have complaints, but I assure you they will be addressed.

Namely Zoe. A lot of you don't like Zoe, or don't understand why she was chosen for this role. You will.

Next chapter, you will.

I hope to see you all soon. I'll be honest, the burn out is starting. I've actually planned this one out properly, and have 21 chapters planned out. It's structured right, and I feel it tells the story I want to tell.

Last but not least, shout outs. I don't want to make this A.N. a chapter of its own so I'll just skim through some names.

Hunter19941, guest (who mentioned Alaska), Ladis11, Random randomness, Dududududhehe, helios (of course), LorenzoRlima, king of Prussia, robotdocter, and the rest.

Thanks for your comments.

The ones who were negative... well, the worst thing a story can be is for everyone. If your story is made for everyone, then it's special for no one.

I hope to see you guys soon, thanks for the support. A.N.s will probably still be sparse, but just remember. I always read comments, and I always will.

Take care everyone.

-Bronzeandsteel