Seth knocks on the hotel room door; almost immediately it swings open with Richie standing on the other side. Whatever anger Seth felt dissolves as soon as he takes in the fearful expression on his brother's face. He pulls Richie close to give him a hug. "It's gonna be okay. Don't worry."
Richie shakes his head, helpless, voice laced with desperation. "She's freaking out and it's because of me."
Seth leans back to look at his brother, gripping Richie's shoulders. "It's not your fault."
Richie's staring down at the floor, wearing the same guilty look he did when he was a kid and about to get them both in big shit with their bastard of a dad. "No. It is."
"Hey, look at me," Seth orders, cradling his brother's face. "Nothing is gonna happen to her, I swear." He sidesteps past Richie and enters the suite. A few feet away Kate is sitting on the bed dressed in a shirt that's too big for her, knees pulled up to her chin, body shaking with tears. He approaches her, feigning a breezy smile so as not to worry her more. "Hey there, Princess," he greets, taking a seat near her.
Relief floods over her tear-streaked face.
"No need to throw a fit to get me up here. You could've just asked."
A reluctant smile crosses her lips and she moves closer to curve her arms around him. He returns the hug, holding on to her tight. "What's going on?" he asks, rubbing her back.
"I think they're hurting Scott."
"They? Santanico? How do you know?"
"I had a dream about him, but it didn't feel like the other dreams. There was something so real about this one."
"What happened?"
"There was this old man torturing Scott, beating him, whipping him, burning him with cigarettes. There were so many bruises on Scott, he was covered in it. I was there with him too, just standing there, I didn't even try to help!"
She sounds distraught, breaking his heart, and he cradles her face. "It's just a nightmare, Kate. That's all. Scott's a vampire, remember? He's strong, he can protect himself."
"You don't know that!" she yells, glaring at him. "I saw Scott die in the fire with the old man. There was this other kid there too. He was the one who started the fire, tried to save Scott but it was too late. I could hear him scream in agony, I could smell that old man's burning flesh."
Seth casts a quick glance at Richie. A fleeting expression of panic crosses Richie's face but it's quickly replaced with a steely, stubborn mask, a look Seth's all too familiar with.
"He kept hitting Scott over and over again. That man was a monster!"
"It was just a nightmare," Seth murmurs, stroking her hair. "You're worried about your brother and it's messing with your head. That's all."
She continues to weep, the sound muffled against his chest.
"Don't lie to her, Seth. Tell her the truth."
Seth clenches his jaw, wishing there was some way he could kick Richie's ass from where he was sitting. Right away Kate moves back to peer at him closely, her gaze shifting back and forth between him and Richie. "What's going on? What are you not telling me?"
"It doesn't matter. It's not important. What you saw had nothing to do with Scott. I swear," Seth responds, throwing a hostile glare at his brother before shifting his attention back to Kate.
"What you dreamt was real." There's no emotion in Richie's voice, nothing to indicate the violence boiling under the surface. "That was our dad you saw. All those things he did, they happened to Seth. You must have tapped into my memories tonight and Scott was probably your brain's way of projecting you into the dream. I'm sure your brother's fine."
"That was your dad?" Kate asks, her features stamped with confusion.
"Yeah, and he did burn in a fire. I killed him when I was a kid," Richie declares before turning around and storming out.
"I'll be right back," Seth says, planting a quick kiss on Kate's forehead before chasing after his brother. Goddamn Richie is already at the elevators and slipping into his shoes by the time Seth catches up to him. "Are you fucking kidding me, Richard? You're just gonna say something like that to her and take off?"
"I don't want to see Kate look at me the way you did when you found out," Richie spits out, rage etched on to his face. "Because I did nothing wrong. That son of a bitch deserved everything he got."
Seth still remembers the anger he felt at finding out the truth. It still bothers him but he shoves the feelings deep down. "You need to go talk to her. Just explain-"
"You still look at me like I'm a piece of shit for getting rid of that asshole but she's gonna understand? Fuck that!" Richie starts pounding the elevator button. "I don't have to justify myself. To you or to her."
"So I have to tell her you pulled the old pump and dump?"
"I'm not leaving. I just need to clear my head," Richie mutters without looking at him. "I promised her I wouldn't take off."
"And what about me, asshole?" Seth shoves his brother's back, forcing Richie to turn around. "This isn't just about Kate! I'm not some whore you ditch when you're done with. I'm your fucking brother, Richard. We're family! You even remember that?"
The elevator doors open and Richie steps inside, facing him. "We can have this argument after I find someone to eat. Unless you want to come with?"
Richie knows full well how much the whole feeding thing still grosses Seth out which means his brother is deliberately being an asshole. "Fuck you, Richie!"
As the doors close, his brother taunts him with a cold smile.
Frustrated, Seth punches the wall and immediately regrets it when pain shoots through his nerves. After pacing back and forth for a few minutes to cool his temper, he returns to the room to find Kate sitting at the same spot, a lot calmer than before.
He sits down beside her and this time she's the one reaching out to comfort him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know or I wouldn't have started babbling about the dream," she whispers, squeezing his hand.
He gives her a small smile. "You some kind of psychic now?"
The greens of her eyes are filled with concern. "Did your father really do those things to you?"
Seth looks away, embarrassed. He hates talking about this shit, always has. "Not just to me, but he was easier on Richie. My brother was our meal ticket."
She scoots closer, planting a tender kiss on his cheek, yet he can't bring himself to look at her. He doesn't want pity, not from Kate.
Her voice cracks with emotion. "Why didn't you tell me it was Richie who killed him?"
"I don't want to talk about this anymore, Kate."
"It might make you feel better."
"I feel fine."
He closes his eyes, silently pleading with her to not push this any further.
After a long bout of thick silence, she finally speaks. "I'm really tired. I need some sleep. Take off your shoes and get into bed. I want you to hold me."
Seth turns to her, surprised, watching her closely to see if this is just a ruse to get him to talk but she's already standing up and heading to the closet to get him extra pillows.
"We'll need to get a new room tomorrow," she says, returning to him. "This bed isn't big enough but it'll do for now."
Seth gets up, kicks off his shoes before removing his t-shirt and jeans. Her eyes glide over him but she doesn't make a move and he's grateful. As much as he wants her, he's not in the mood tonight.
Soon they're under the covers and he's holding onto her tight, practically squeezing her in his arms, and it occurs to him how much he needed this. Being near her, holding her so close, he feels calm and in control once again, even safe and loved, and she must have recognised that. Brushing a gentle kiss on her lips, he closes his eyes.
Richie opens the door to the hotel room to find it completely dark. He can hear Kate and Seth breathing in the next room, lost in deep sleep. Not wanting to wake them up, he slips into the bathroom and turns on the light.
Spotting the blood on his mouth, he gets a towel and uses it to wipe off the smear. The woman he fed from seemed more than happy to oblige but got pissed when he refused to fuck her after. Maybe he should have. Maybe he should have gone further and killed her too because, according to his brother and Kate, he's a goddamn monster and that's what monsters do. They kill people, just like he's done in the past.
Overwhelmed, he takes a seat on the rim of the bathtub. A few hours ago he was the happiest he's ever been and now it's all ruined. Because assholes like him don't deserve to be happy.
The floor creaks and he looks up to find Kate standing at the door. She's still wearing his shirt, and looks so beautiful it would make him lose his breath if he still breathed. But then red-hot rage ripples through him, remembering the way she looked at him earlier when he told her the truth.
"You came back," she says quietly.
"I said I would, didn't I? Unless you want me to take off again," he bites out.
"Is that what you want?"
"No. What I want is a fucking life with you and my brother but both of you seem to think you're too good and perfect for someone like me."
"When did I ever say that?"
He glares at her. "You didn't have to. I saw the way you looked at me when I told you the truth about my dad. And I know you and Seth share the same mindset." Voice saturated with pain, he's so angry he could punch a wall. "I'm not going to justify what I did to that asshole. He deserved to die and I killed him. If you and Seth can't handle that, that's your fucking problem. Not mine."
She moves towards him unexpectedly, stopping in front of him, and he looks up at her to find not hate, not disgust, but an expression of sheer love on her face. She leans down to drop a gentle kiss on his forehead. "You did what you had to do to protect your brother. I would have done the same. And I love you for it."
Stunned, his gaze roves over her face. "You're not just saying that?"
"Would I lie about something like that?"
"No."
"I don't know what really happened but if it was anything like my dream, then he deserved to die. He was the monster for doing what he did to you and Seth."
Grateful, he wraps his arms around her waist to embrace her. With his cheek pressed against her stomach and her fingers stroking his hair, the heavy coil of anguish deep within his chest begins to unfold and lift away.
After a long time, she finally speaks. "Let's go to bed. You're probably exhausted. I know I am."
He stands up, watching her closely while she undresses him, and follows behind until they've both slipped back into bed. He can hear Seth shift around in the dark, moving closer to the opposite edge so Kate has some extra space between them in the middle. Richie shifts to his side and she throws her arm over his waist, hugging him tightly.
Soon the room is silent, filled with soft breaths, and he can hear both Seth and Kate's hearts beating in tandem. And it feels like he's found a home at last, a place where he finally belongs.
A/N - Thank you for reading. If you have the time or the inclination to do so, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
