Richie enters the beach-side bar, scans the open surroundings. The area is practically empty save for a few losers still hanging around. And Seth. He's sitting at the bar, shoulders drooped, downing a shot of something. Probably tequila, and definitely not his first if his dishevelled appearance is any indication.
Kate's face flashes in Richie's mind again, her devastated expression forever ingrained into his brain. Before he can fall into a state of self-pity and despair, he forces himself to snap out of it. There's no room for doubt when it comes to Kate. He did what needed to be done to keep her safe.
He walks over to Seth, pulls out a stool and takes a seat next to his brother. Seth eyes him, disinterested, before returning his attention to the empty glass in front of him. He starts tapping it on the table. "Hey Vato, hit me up with another one."
"Think you've had enough," Richie remarks.
"Think you need to shut the fuck up."
An affectionate smile forms across Richie's lips; he missed his brother.
"You want one?" Seth asks.
"No. Has no effect on me now."
"That blows."
"Tell me about it."
They sit there for a few minutes, both silent.
"What happened?" Seth finally asks.
The last thing Richie wants is to recall his night with Kate. The exact moment his deliberate cruelty broke her heart haunts him. He saw the pain flowing out of her like blood gushing out, felt it with every fibre of his being. "I told you. She left."
"Stop beating around the bush. Tell me what happened exactly."
"You want the gory details? Fine," Richie snaps, his temper rising in spite of his efforts to remain calm. "I fucked Kate, told her she was a lousy lay, and then I threw some money at her and told her to get out." The punch to his face isn't a surprise, not when he intentionally provoked Seth.
Seth shoves him hard and Richie topples backwards, landing on the floor.
At first he takes it when Seth kicks him but soon he's fighting back, desperate to unleash his inner demons. He and Seth are rolling on the floor, kicking and punching each other, the bartender is screaming at them in Spanish and suddenly they're soaking in water.
"What the fuck?" Seth screams, looking up at the toothless bartender holding an empty bucket. "You better hope that was clean water, asshole!"
Richie pushes Seth aside, gets up from the floor.
"Get the fuck out!" the bartender screams at them in broken English, repeatedly.
"Yeah, yeah, we heard you old man," Seth grumbles, swiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
Richie removes his jacket, throws it over his shoulder, and exits the bar. He walks across the sand, watching the waves crash into each other. Shortly after Seth joins him, holding a bottle of rum. He pops off the cap, throws it aside before taking a swig.
"That was a load of crap you fed me back there," Seth accuses.
"Was it?"
"You might be an asshole, but you're not that big of an asshole."
Richie refuses to look at his brother, still staring straight ahead. "I did what I had to do."
"Is that your new fucking mantra?"
"Maybe it is," Richie snaps, irritated by his brother's eyes studying him, watching him intently. Seth has always been able to see through his defences and Richie knows it's a matter of time before he loses it completely under Seth's scrutinising gaze.
"What happened?" Seth asks again, his voice much more compassionate now.
"She was still waiting for you at the motel, she wasn't planning on going anywhere until you came back."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really." Richie turns to meet Seth's gaze. "She loves you. She has a big heart and she would forgive you for anything. So I had to find another way to break her."
"Jesus Christ, Richard. That's cold."
Anger ripples through him, hot and volatile and he grabs Seth by the collar. "Don't you think I know that, Seth? You think I enjoyed this? You think I liked fucking her over? She's the only other person besides you that thought I was worth something, that I wasn't some psychotic loser! And I had to look into her eyes and tell her she was worthless, that she meant nothing to me. I had to break her goddamn spirit because that's what makes her pure, that's why she's special, and the reason why every pious freak wants to sacrifice her to the gods."
The pain is agonizing, more intense than when he lay dying in Santanico's arms, and he wants it to stop, he doesn't want to feel anymore. He bends over, heaving, his vision blurry and his stomach coiled into knots. For fucks sakes he's a vampire now, he's not supposed to have goddamn panic attacks, but apparently some of his old habits are still a part of him and didn't just magically disappear when he turned. All of a sudden he feels Seth's hands on his back, comforting him, telling him to breathe, close his eyes, count his breaths - all the usual things Seth says and does to help him cope with these attacks.
It takes a while but eventually his nerves settle down.
They're sitting on the sand, staring out into the ocean, the bottle of liquor going back and forth between them.
"You know what the worst thing about being a vampire is?" Richie says after a long pause.
"How hideous you look when you're all fanged out?"
"Fuck off." Richie takes a drink before passing the bottle back to his brother. "I can't get smashed, no matter what I drink. Alcohol is wasted on vampires."
Seth chuckles. "Can't have it all, bro."
"Yeah, I guess. I'll just have to be happy with the eternal life bullshit."
Silent once again, they finish the bottle between them.
"You saw her cross the border, right?" Seth asks, his voice hesitant.
Richie nods his head. "Yeah, she's gone. Don't worry."
"You think she'll be okay?"
He remembers the glint in Kate's eyes, the way her brightness diluted with each insulting word he hurled at her. "She won't be dead. That's all that matters."
"How was she when you found her?"
Richie looks at Seth but his brother glances away. "Heartbroken. I'm pretty sure she's in love with you."
Seth just makes a face, shakes his head 'no'. "She'll get over it."
"Will you?"
Seth casts him an annoyed expression. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"You know what I'm talking about."
"She's a kid. It's not like that."
"Yeah, that's why you've been getting wasted every night since leaving her, right?"
Seth grumbles to himself for several minutes before finally responding. "So what's next? How do we get rid of viper fang-bitch?"
"First we hunt down the artifacts that'll kill her, and then we go after Santanico."
"Stake through the heart won't do it?"
"No, she's more powerful than that."
Seth draws a long out breath. "And then what?"
"And then, bro, we save the world. Gecko style."
Seth starts laughing. "How fucked up is that?"
Richie simply smiles.
