Update time! Another long chapter which I hope you enjoy. Things will get a bit crazy around here. Anyway, next chapter will be special, so look forward to it! Once again, thank you all for your support, especially to my reviewers; most of my inspiration comes from you! After that outburst, I give you chapter five. Keep on enjoying summer c:


CHAPTER V.- BAD BLOOD

"All this bad blood here, won't you let it dry?

It's been cold for years, won't you let it lie?"

*Bad blood-Bastille*

"No, no, you're not doing it right!"

My commands echoed through the woods, scaring animals away. Irritation filled my insides and amusement lighted up Stefan's face.

The Germans were wrestling in front of us. Klaus' hands were on Johann's shoulders, as the young vampire's claws sunk in the older one's ribs. They both looked at us with a puzzled expression on their faces. I shook my head as I got off the rock where I was comfortably sitting and approached the Germans with a purposeful stride.

"If you grab him by the neck, you leave you ribs unprotected; and if you go straight to the ribs, he could easily rip your head off" I pointed out, our recently found comrades still perplexed. Johann was the first one to speak after a brief smile.

"You're completely right and you know so much about fighting…Gott, no wonder why you outsmarted the Volturi".

"It's just the obvious thing to do. Now, try again". I headed back to my previous spot carelessly and sat down beside Stefan, who had a smirk on his face. I frowned at his nonchalance and he just widened his grin.

"What?" I barked, irritated.

"Nothing, this is amusing. I never thought I would see you playing the teacher", replied Stefan; my expression grew darker.

"I'm not playing anything; they asked for our help so they could assist us and I'm just fulfilling my part of the arrangement which you should also be".

Stefan stared back, less amused than before, a smile still playing at his lips.

"I don't think my intervention is required, you seem to be doing quite well. You managed to get their attention which is already a great achievement. Besides", continued Stefan, pointing with his chin towards Johann, "I don't think that boy wants me to stand between you and him".

I rolled my eyes irritated. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. It's completely idiotic to think that German boy is interested in anything else that is not my ability to fight".

"Perhaps he's interested in other kind of 'abilities' of yours". Stefan's grin widened and I got off the rock to correct the German's postures once again…or at least that was what I wanted it to look like. As I reprehended our comrades, I tried to keep my gaze focused on anything else but Stefan, even though I could feel his gaze on me.

What he had just said sounded as complete nonsense. How could Johann look at me in that way? But most important, why would Stefan care? I let my mind drift for a few minutes, rejoicing myself in the thought of Stefan sharing my feelings but I soon came back to reality. That thought sounded even more impossible than Johann fancying me, so I shook it off and kept on helping the blonds.


Cold breezes entered through the windows of the castle, cooling everything inside, included my mood. We were all sitting at the table of our dining room chatting with our guests; Johann was sitting across the table mumbling about his motherland and random stuff and my patience was already running low. Soft music was playing in a small device our guests had brought with them. Stefan stared intently towards it and Klaus noticed.

"Interested?" asked the German, taking my mate by surprise. "It's called an iPod, and those are plain speakers. It's like a Walkman but it saves you the trouble of carrying your CDs everywhere. It's quite practical once you develop a fond for it", finished Klaus with a sideways smile. Stefan just snorted.

"I don't like modern stuff, no matter how practical it may be. Anyway, where are you from, precisely?" My mate didn't seem to be in the mood for making friends but he was doing his research as usual.

"I'm from Düsseldorf and Johann was born in Stuttgart, but he spent his youth somewhere else, or so he says", answered Klaus.

"And how come you came across him?" asked Stefan but as soon as he realised the hostility on his tone, he cleared his throat and spoke in a more polite way. "What I mean is that Düsseldorf is quite far from Stuttgart or its surroundings, practically on the other side of Germany, so it must've been quite a coincidence to find another vampire in such a vast territory".

Klaus smiled at Stefan's politeness; his words could astonish almost everyone he met. "I found him outside a tavern in Wiesbaden; he was causing a bit of trouble as usual and I managed to get him out of it. His scent is one of the most powerful I've ever come across with, so it wasn't hard to find him".

"And how long have you been mates…comrades…partners…" Stefan was finding it hard to name Klaus and Johann's relationship, so the German interrupted him.

"We've been roaming around Germany for a couple of years. There's a lot of reciprocity in our relationship; I save him and he saves me, simple logic. But I must admit I have a lot of fun with him", Klaus looked back at Johann, gratefulness written all over his face. "So", he went back to Stefan, "I assume that's the way it works between you and Vladimir".

Stefan went blank for a few minutes just before recovering composure and nodding. The ashy blond seemed unsatisfied with the answer and asked:

"You've been together for centuries, how come you haven't got tired of each other?"

That question triggered my attention and I concentrated in Stefan's breathing, which had quickened a bit. All that time I had been busy coping with Johann's mumblings and praises and trying to pay as much attention as I could to the conversation taking place beside us. I sharpened my senses and listened intently, waiting for Stefan's response. My mate thought for a moment before answering: "It's hard to explain and perhaps even harder to understand, but I guess we have a lot of things in common; we have a common enemy and I suppose that shared hatred is what draws us together". Stefan smiled but the gesture didn't reach his eyes. "Funny, isn't it? Bad blood is what keeps us from parting".

Klaus didn't seem to notice Stefan's implications but I had fully understood them. Something inside me clenched and I could feel my guts contract in pain. Everyone kept on talking but I couldn't hear anymore; numbness had overwhelmed me and there were few things I could think of.

Stefan was right; our need for revenge was the main purpose of our alliance and come to think of it, bad blood seemed to be the only thing that pulled us together. Suddenly, all my hopes and "dreams" were crushed and all the plans I had made for when we "accomplished our goal" sounded completely ridiculous. I had taken Stefan's presence for granted; what could possibly assure me that he wouldn't leave as soon as we dethroned the Volturi? Those were possibilities I hadn't thought about and my mate, with those simple words, had shattered whatever was left of my heart and humanity.

I got up wearily, drawing everybody's attention to me.

"Where are you going? It's late, you know", expressed my mate and I could swear I felt a bit of anxiety in his voice, but of course that couldn't be true. He had just made a statement that answered most of the questions in my mind, so what was left to assume?

"I need some air" I replied as indifferent as I could. Stefan stood up as well.

"I'll go with you…we'll all go. I'm sure our guests would like to hunt…"

"I'd rather be by myself. Feel free to go hunting; we have very tasty specimens in town". I headed to the door trying not to pay attention to Stefan's hurt expression and to our guests' confused glances.


The cool Romanian air hit me with full strength, flooding my whole body with its humidity and refreshing it. Stefan's words ran through my head as I walked aimlessly; he had indeed answered most of my questions, except for one: why had he pointed out Johann's attitude? Did he care? Or was it just some kind of personal joke? I didn't find it funny either way and it was frustrating to know there was no hope left for me. I let sorrow take over me, smiling at the thought of Stefan's smile, that gesture I thought I knew so well but that surprised me every time I had the chance to see it. The way his eyes sparkled whenever he was happy or when he adopted a defensive position; the flawlessness of his skin, that skin I wanted to touch so bad; his elegant words that hadn't changed over time and that wrapped me in an endless embrace. All of those things were meaningless now; I had spent my days fantasizing with meanings to those gestures, trying to pretend that for a minute, they were all for me, to let me know he cared as much as I did but right now nothing could matter less.

I was deep in thought when I heard footsteps behind me. I knew Stefan too well (or at least I knew his scent) to even hope to find him standing there when I turned around. Indeed, it wasn't my dark-haired tantalising friend but the young German vampire. He looked at me with a mixture of reverence and concern and something else I couldn't put my finger on. I just rolled my eyes, irritation written all over my face.

"What do you want, Johann? Go back, I said I wanted to be alone", I snapped, not caring if I hurt the boys feelings in any ways.

"I heard you but I was worried you might get into trouble. It's not a wise idea to go out while you're angry". I raised a brow back to the boy, who seemed as positive and light-hearted as always.

I let out a sigh before grabbing the blond by the arm and replying: "Come on, I'll take you back to the castle. I'll continue with my walk once I make sure you're safe".

Johann grabbed my arm as well, stopping me from pushing forward. His burgundy-coloured eyes stared at me curiously; he was closer to me than he ever had been and I felt a bit uncomfortable.

"May I ask you a question?" requested the pale boy, to which I could only respond with a nod. "What has kept Stefan and you together?" I was about to reply that my mate had already answered that question but Johann seemed to expect that and shook his head.

"I know it's not just because of what Stefan said. I mean, no one can bear somebody else's company for centuries if the only thing that binds them is loathing".

I felt my hopes rise and fall abruptly as I struggled to keep myself glued to reality. What that boy was saying was true, it had to be true! Otherwise, why would we still have to bear with each other's company even when we knew we had no serious chances to stand against the Volturi? And as much as reality bit, that was the truth; we were no thread to the Volturi's reign of terror and hypocrisy so there had to be another explanation for Stefan's stay in my life or whatever I could call this existence.

"Think about it". Johann smiled sufficiently and started walking slowly back to the castle as I stood in place, dumbfounded. When my German mate was already various steps away, I rushed to catch up with him.

"Hey, German boy!" I shouted as I approached him, composing my expression not to look too enthusiastic. He waited for me and then we started walking together to the fortress. Johann had a silly grin on his face and I raised a brow towards him, inquisitive.

"What? I was just thinking how curious this whole situation is", responded my comrade to the unspoken question.

"And what situation would that be?"

Johann laughed. "It's hard to explain. Anyway, it's good to see you smile again".

"I'm not sm…" I shut myself up when I realised I had a strange smirk on my face and started walking a little faster, making Johann laugh.

"Don't be angry at me! I'm just saying what I saw!"

When we reached the castle's walls, I stopped. Insecurity started filling my mind and crushing my resolution; I still didn't know what that determination was for but it had certainly decreased as we approached our home. I swallowed audibly and felt Johann's hand on my shoulder, glancing back at him with a confused look. He winked and gestured to the door.

"Come on, they don't bite"

"We all bite…idiot"

Johann snickered. "You're quite stubborn, aren't you? But still, I think you're great".

I snorted. "Are you ever going to stop complimenting me?"

"If you stop being cool, I will"

I couldn't hold back a sideways smile, making Johann's grin widen. I mixed his hair in a careless way, gesturing to the door and making an exaggerated caravan towards the blond boy.

"Would you do the honours?"

"By all means", Johann answered and opened the door, entering the hall being followed closely by me. Klaus and Stefan were still at the table and they both stood up when we made our entrance. Klaus seemed amused and Stefan looked at us with a mixture of relief and something else harder to read.

"I brought the forest fairy back", exclaimed Johann triumphant, earning himself a punch on the arm sponsored by me. The boy complained as I made my way towards the table and turned off the device that belonged to the Germans.

"Hey, I liked that song!" mourned Johann.

"Yeah, it's all well and good but we have a lot of work to do tomorrow. We have plans to discuss, things to learn and humans to hunt so we better get some rest. Dawn will soon come".

Klaus nodded and Johann stretched in an exaggerated manner, yawning. Both Germans made their way to the living room and Stefan stood there, staring at me. I stared back, interrogative.

"So, aren't you coming to get some rest?"

Stefan looked as if he wanted to say something else but then he just nodded and turned around. I couldn't hide my disappointment and snorted, about to head to my room when my mate halted where he was and spoke without turning to see me.

"May I rest in your chambers? Mines get a bit humid by this time of the year"

I could hardly believe what my ears were hearing. I tried to swallow saliva but found it impossible thanks to a knot in my throat that had suddenly turned out to be big enough to block it completely. My eyes were wide and my brain urged me to answer to the request but I could barely manage to perform the basic functions of my body, needless to say that speaking wasn't one of them at the moment. Stefan turned slowly, looking for a response, his eyes glued to the floor. He then suddenly lifted his gaze and stared right into my eyes.

"If you don't mind, of course"

That look completely melted my inside and almost brought me to my knees but I managed to control myself. The only thing I could do was shaking my head to let him know I didn't mind at all; in fact, it was one of my best hidden fantasies and if I had ever thought about something that could be considered "romantic", that would perfectly fit in the description.

My mate nodded back, gazing back to the floor and turning around, heading for his room to get whatever he needed to spend the night at mine. That was when panic took over, as I mechanically made my way towards my chambers, my non-existing heart racing like hell and my brain shouting various insults at me.