Peter laid on the grass, holding out a hand as the sun sparkled on his fingers, his gaze contemplative. Astrid sat rigidly next to him, her eyes on the tree line.
"What am I doing here?" Peter asked, dropping his hand and turning to glare at Astrid. He was bored, she could tell, and she could also tell that he wanted to be in the presence of another female.
"You don't like spending time with me anymore?" She taunted, briefly looking at him before returning to the dark trees. It was the beginning fall, the oaks beginning to turn a fiery red. It was beautiful to see the green pigment fade into red, a welcomed change to the farm.
"I never did. And if I remember correctly, you were quite annoyed with me as well."
She hummed in agreement. Peter groaned and sat up, dusting the grass out of his hair and giving her a look that could kill. She smiled, sensing the danger approaching. Peter was brilliantly unaware, muttering about her bipolar attitude towards socializing with people.
"Why don't you talk to anyone? Except for the ten you never even tried-"
Major appeared at the tree line, large shoulders and bright eyes, his smirk full of malicious intent. Peter didn't hear or smell him as Major darted towards him, grabbing him by the back of the shirt and hauling him to his feet. The brunette yelped and spun, karate chopping his hands to get the Major's off of him. The older vampire laughed, bending halfway and shaking his head.
"What the actual fuck?" Peter punched the air.
Astrid giggled at the look on his face, so fed up and so ready to kill them. Major was still laughing loudly, brushing his wild hair back.
"We were testing if Astrid's gift could project," Major said, grinning at his friend's offended look. "It can."
"Great. Now I have to deal with two assholes who can sneak up on me. Why is it always me?" Peter groaned.
Astrid stood and gave Peter's shoulder a consoling pat, "Because you're funny to watch, dear Peter."
Major walked to stand beside Astrid, their hands brushing, and he gave Peter a serious look, "The Purge is coming up."
Peter's face darkened at the mention of it. Astrid bit the inside of her cheek and bowed her head, thinking of Bethany and Tanner. Maria had pulled Major aside the night before to tell him that it was time for the yearlings to be killed. She had no reason to keep them around with her surplus of newborns.
"Do you want me to take Bethany or Tanner, sir?" Peter asked calmly, his expression fading into one of a soldier's compliance.
"I'll deal with them," Major stated. His gaze was heavy as he met Peter's eyes. "Your little pet has passed her six months."
Peter snarled and looked away, "I know."
Major nodded and grabbed Astrid's hand, pulling her behind as they headed back to camp. Peter stayed in the woods, head bowed in thought. She had an answer to Peter's earlier question of why she didn't speak to anyone and he was experiencing it. Everyone who entered this life died. Either in battle or by her own hands. There was no lifelong friendships in Maria's world; she had already watched her family be slaughtered and didn't need to see a close friend die with betrayal in their eyes. Astrid looked at Major and he met her gaze, a sense of understanding trickling down her spine.
Charlotte sat on the yard fence with Roosevelt and Elizabeth, silent as they watched the others move about in the woods. Charlotte looked at them as they walked in, her eyebrows pulled together at the lack of Peter. She had thrown a little fit when Astrid had asked Peter to go for a walk with her, arms folded and scowl in place.
"Where is he?" She asked when Major and Astrid were close.
"Does the pet miss her master?" Major mocked, shaking his head at the worry in her voice.
Charlotte scowled and looked at her hands, Elizabeth and Roosevelt keeping their mouths closed. They had no problems with talking back to Astrid, knowing that she wouldn't end their lives after the weeks they had spent together. Major, however, was still a terror and unapologetic towards his soldiers.
"Stop bullying the kids," Peter appeared behind the fence, his hands on either side of Charlotte's waist. He gave Major a pointed look. "It's not a flattering look."
"And who am I trying to impress?" Major asked, raising an eyebrow.
Astrid glanced at the farm house to see Maria's curtains drawn. Charlotte smiled and leaned into Peter's embrace, relaxing with his return. She wondered if Charlotte actually thought they had killed him. Although, with Astrid's track record, she couldn't blame them.
"Missed you, sugar." She purred, pressing a kiss on his chin.
Major walked ahead, leaving Astrid standing in front of the sickly couple. She lingered, not knowing why. Perhaps she hoped that Charlotte would ask her what they had been up to or give her a look that said she was in her good graces again. None of that happened, instead she received deadly looks from all three and a blank stare from Peter. She sighed and followed Major into the barn.
"You heard what I told Peter," Major said once the door was covered and they were alone with Robert. "Why do you care for them still?"
Astrid sat across from Robert, pushing his head up with her forefinger. He lagged in her hold, heaving through clenched teeth. He was starving, his skin beginning to turn grey and thick like stone. He still held out.
"I've never had friends." She said simply, releasing Robert's head.
Major slowly paced behind Robert, his hands behind his back, "Friends in this life are hard to come by, yes. That is why you stick with who's been around."
She met his eyes, "Is that anyway to live?"
He scoffed at the use of his words being turned against him and she grinned at one upping him. His eyes fell to Robert and he kicked him in the back, making the vampire fall into Astrid's lap. Robert moaned, shaking his head.
"No more." He murmured, his jaw locking from the lack of blood.
Astrid hummed, brushing his hair behind his ear and caressing his face, "I can make him stop. Just tell us where your camp is."
Robert blinked and Astrid could only see her reflection in his black gaze. Nothing was left of Robert, just a body and pain.
"We were in the cemetery," Robert whispered brokenly. "We've only ever been in cemeteries."
Major grabbed him by the hair and pulled - his head popped off, his eyes forlorn and knowing his end. Astrid stayed on the floor and shoved the headless corpse off her legs. After months of Major emotionally draining Robert and Peter punching him to a pulp, he had finally given to the hunger. She felt something stir in her chest, a sense of purpose that hadn't been there before, and her eyes drifted from black boots to red eyes. He was projecting his feelings, so lost in them that he didn't realize it.
Astrid stood and brushed out her dress, pushing her hair back and turning to walk out of the barn. The first thing to do was report to Maria, not ponder over what Major had concocted. His hand shot out, grabbing her elbow and pulling her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his chest pressed luringly into her back. Without her consent her body relaxed, their hips pressed together.
"Let's go to the woods." Major murmured, his hand finding it's home in her curls.
He was close to her neck, her skin buzzing with the knowledge that his lips were so close to where she wanted them to be. It was intoxicating, the longer she stood, his fingers twining her hair between his knuckles. Astrid wondered how much was her own emotions and how much Major was putting out.
"Why?" She finally asked.
He exhaled and for a moment, Astrid imagined him saying what she wanted to hear. Imagined his hand encasing hers, tugging her out of the barn with a dark look in his eyes. She could vividly see the fiery red oak leaves over his golden head as he pushed her into a tree trunk, his fingers dancing over her waist before holding her tight as he pulled their mouths together. Major's hand tightened on her hair, no doubt sensing the lust that clouded her mind.
"We need to speak to Peter," Major said, stepping away. "Remember when I said there were better things in life? This is the first step towards that."
Astrid turned to look at him but his face was emotionless, eyes firmly locked on hers. The room was sucked of those intoxicating emotions, leaving them in a room of dread and Robert's body. She thought of the newborn from last week and of Maria's claws dragging down his back and it was easy to nod her head and once again head for the doors. Her tongue burned to question him on everything he did. How could he touch her like that, say those things, and then change the entire conversation? He wanted her to call him by his real name, he wanted her to trust him in a way that she had never done with anyone else, yet he still played games.
In some aspects, he was still the old Major.
Astrid gladly walked out of the barn, immediately heading towards the fence. Major made sure their hands brushed as they walked and she turned to glance at him, their eyes meeting. If Major asked her to go to the woods with him, would she go?
The answer was as clear as day.
Peter had his arms draped over the fence, gazing adoringly at Charlotte as she rough housed with Roosevelt and Elizabeth. The three darted around each other in the grass, Elizabeth flipping out of Roosevelt's grasp, a move similar to one that Astrid used often. The sun was high in the sky and there was a gentle breeze that ruffled Major's hair.
Astrid watched as a newborn jumped on Charlotte's shoulders, a crescent shaped grin on his face as he twisted her neck and pulled up.