Disclaimer: Priest and its characters belong to Scott Stewart.

Claimer: I own Tessa.

Chapter #8: Desert Rose

She woke up with a pounding headache. She wasn't sure what time it was, but judging by the shadows in the room coming from the gentle sunlight filtering in through the window, she guessed it was somewhere between mid-morning and early afternoon. It hadn't been until the middle of the night that she had finally managed to fall asleep, and she almost wished she hadn't woken up. Closing her eyes, she released a low groan at the headache clawing at the inner walls of her skull, and she rolled over to get more comfortable. However, she nearly jumped from her skin when she turned to see him beside her.

He was lying on his side with his back facing her, the blankets draping at his waist, and he was shirtless. Quickly, she threw the covers back and got off the bed, staring at him with slightly widened eyes. How long had he been there? Blinking, she slowly tiptoed around the bed to get a look at his face, half expecting him to be awake and waiting for her, but he wasn't. She watched his sleeping face for a long moment, noting how his lips were pulled in the faintest of frowns. Lifting her hand, she waved it in front of his face a few times, and when she received no reaction she turned her head to the door. It was worth a shot. Quietly, she tried the handle, but to her despair it was locked. Briefly, she attempted a search for the keys, but they were nowhere to be found. He had probably made sure of that. Her last option was the window, but when she peered over the desk she was once again faced with defeat when she saw the three story drop. With a somber sigh, she slumped down into the chair at the desk. She folded her arms on the oak wood and rested her head down before closing her eyes once more.

He woke up about a half hour later to find she was no longer in the bed with him. Looking around, he spotted her leaned over the desk, fast asleep. One of her legs was tucked under the other, which hung loosely over the side of the chair, and her upper body was resting on the desk. It hardly looked comfortable. Did she seriously prefer being that uncomfortable rather than sharing the bed with him? Sighing, he got up and proceeded to get dressed before departing from the room. When he returned, he found her still in the same spot, but she was awake. Her head still rested in her arms, eyes staring distantly out the window. She ignored him at first, but when he didn't say or do anything she decided the silence was just as, if not more, annoying.

"So how long are you going to keep me here?" she asked monotonously.

He said nothing.

"Can I at least get my belongings? They're still in the town…" She expected him to deny her, figuring he was probably still angry at her from the day before.

"Fine."

Finally, she looked at him in surprise, and he set a tray of food down in front of her.

"But not until you eat something."

She was cautious, knowing he could have done anything to the food, but then again what was the worst that could happen? Besides, if he wanted her dead she doubted he would kill her using poison. Reluctantly, she ate a little of the scrambled eggs and a few bites of the apple he'd brought her. It was ripe, red, and juicy, and she savored the taste. Once he was satisfied, he lead her out of the room, keeping a firm grip on her wrist as they walked through the mansion. As they walked, she paid close attention to her surroundings, picking out landmarks and carefully mapping the layout in her head. They received curious stares from the Familiars as they passed, one of which she promptly flipped the bird to when he made a rather crude gesture with his tongue.

To her discontent, she was forced to hold onto him as he took off on a motorcycle at full speed. Her hair whipped about her head and face, and she regretted not thinking to tie it back earlier. It wasn't until late afternoon that they reached her town, and it was hardly a home sweet home sight. The once lively streets were completely deserted, but there were no bodies to be found. Only a few chickens remained, debris from fires and struggles littering the ground. Windows were shattered, and claw marks could be seen on both metal and wooden surfaces. A deathly silence wafted through the air, the only sounds being the clucking of the chickens and the gentle breeze that swept through the area.

She cursed inwardly when she felt her eyes beginning to sting, but she held the tears back. She wouldn't cry in front of him. Dismounting the bike, she set off at a swift stride, and he followed her closely. Her home was just as wrecked as all the others, the windows having been shattered. Shards of glass littered the floor, crunching under her boots as she walked over to grab her rucksack. Wordlessly, she started packing the essentials first; a hairbrush, some spare clothes, and other supplies. While she was doing this, she could hear him milling around, his boots crackling against the glass shards, but she paid no mind.

Black Hat's eyes scanned over the room with acute vigilance as he studied his surroundings. A few familiar sights were presented to him, such as the oriental bedspread. A flush of memories sparked that revolved around the embroidery-styled comforter alone. Turning, he walked over to stand in front of a shelf filled with books that were labeled on the spines with dates. Curiously, he plucked out a leather journal and flipped it open to a random page. She had always been an amazing artist, it seemed. He remembered this sketchbook. She had been sketching in it during the time he spent with her in her apartment. Then he paused as he thought of something, before he resumed flipping through the pages. He stopped when he reached the spot he was looking for, but instead of finding the sketch he was looking for he saw she had ripped it out, the rough edge where the paper had been torn visible in the crease. It had once been the sketch she'd drawn of him, but it was no longer there. Before he could ponder on it long, the book was suddenly snatched from his hands, and he looked up to see she was sending him a unappreciative frown.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't snoop through my things."

He frowned at her. "You never cared before."

"That was before." She stuffed the sketchbook into her rucksack.

He watched her silently as she finished packing. He hated that she was being so cold with him. At one point in time, she had been so eager to share her art with him, but apparently that was no longer the reality as well. If it had been anyone else, he would have become angry much quicker at her attitude, but Tessa was different. She had given him something no one else ever had, and he craved to have that back. He knew all this was hard for her, and that she was scared and angry, but he was determined to show her what he was doing was the right thing. It might take awhile, but she would come around eventually. Once she had finished packing, she slung the heavy-looking pack over her shoulder and moved to stalk passed him without a word, but he held out his arm in front of her. She looked up at him with a frown.

"What?"

"Talk to me."

Her frown deepened. "What?"

"I miss talking to you. Stop being so silent."

She merely shook her head, but at least she didn't appear angry. "I don't know what you want me to say. I thought I was very clear with my earlier reaction."

He sighed. "I know I've been putting you through a lot, and that you're angry with me. I know how you feel about vampires, and what they've done to you, but you need to try and understand."

"I understand just fine." She stared up at him, eyes hard. "You want me to tell you I understand where you're coming from and give this plan of yours a chance. You want me to treat you the same way I did back in the city."

He stared at her.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," she said, but she wasn't snotty. "Want to know why? Because I can't bring myself to show forgiveness to a man who thinks he has a right to choose who does and doesn't deserve to live. You were going to attack the city. Did you ever stop to think that you would be killing my friends? Hell, did you ever think you might be killing me?"

"You think I haven't been thinking about you, Tess?" he said. "Of course I thought about you. I thought about you every day. Your safety was guaranteed under strict orders."

She rolled her eyes. "Even if what you're saying is true, did you guarantee my friends' safety?"

He was silent.

"What about Benny? Remember Benny?"

His eyes fell.

"You didn't even consider my friends. Why should I believe you remembered me?"

"Your friends didn't impact me the way you did. They were your friends, not mine. But I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to." He met her eyes directly. "I know you hate me for what I am, but—"

"I don't hate you because you're a vampire. I could care less about what you are."

He was staring openly at her. "I don't follow."

"I believe you when you say you didn't have much of a choice when you were infected. It's not what you are; it's who you've become. You chose to become a murderer. You chose to hurt all those people. As I said before, just because you're a vampire doesn't mean you have to be a sadistic psychopath."

"What do you want me to say, Tessa? It's not like I could have just lived amongst normal people."

"You could have come to me."

He scoffed. "Please. Are you forgetting your reaction earlier?"

"That was more out of shock. I thought you were going to kill me."

"Why the hell would I kill you?" He stared at her, wide-eyed. Did she really think he would ever attempt to kill her?

"I don't know; because I was trying to stab you maybe, and that you haven't even made the attempt to contact me for the past five years?" she replied snappily. "Then we finally run into each other, and I find out you've been behind all the murders."

"Well, I'm here now."

"It's too late. You've already killed too many people, and you're not showing even a vaguest signs of remorse. I can't forgive someone who is indifferent to other peoples' pain." With that, she shouldered passed him and stepped back out into the hall. A moment passed before she heard him follow after her, and she didn't have to look to know he had a deep scowl on his face. Night had fallen by the time they returned to the mansion, and he could tell she was depressed. He had hoped allowing her to retrieve her belongings would snap her out of the dark mood she was in, but it appeared that wasn't the case. He couldn't worry about that now. He needed to go to the hive. He ordered the Familiars to keep an eye on her while he was gone, and then he was leaving.

Tessa let out a deep sigh as she wrote in her journal, the pen scratching lightly against the paper. She had opened the window to let in the cool night air, the gentle breeze outside filtering into the room. She didn't know how long she had been sitting at the desk, but it would be sunrise soon. As to where Julian was, she didn't know, but she knew it was likely nowhere good. For all she knew, he was out destroying another town. It was just as she was sure her mood could not possibly get any worse that she heard the sound of keys jingling, and the door opening. Turning, she didn't see Julian, but three Familiars entering the room. Instantly, she flew from her chair and threw up a defense, her eyes fierce. She didn't like them the moment she saw them. Their faces were twisted into malicious grins, and she cursed inwardly when she reached for her dagger but remembered he had taken it. The third Familiar standing in the doorway, probably acting as a lookout.

"You're all idiots!" he hissed at the other three. "He's going to kill you when he finds out!"

"If he finds out."

The other chuckled darkly, their ghostly blue eyes staring at her with predatory anticipation.

"Of course he'll find out! He'll be able to smell you on her!"

She was horrified, as the realization of their intentions slowly sunk in. "Take one step closer, and I'll break your necks!" she growled at them.

They hardly seemed intimidated. She backed up as they drew near, and then it came to the point where they got too close. She took them all by surprise when she suddenly lashed out at the one closest to her and drove her pen into his neck. He released a piercing scream of both surprise and agony, causing the others to jump as she shoved him backwards out the window. His screams rang through the air, and then came to an abrupt quiet with a muffled thud. Because the other Familiars were still in shock, she was able to plow through them and take off for the door. Bolting from the room, she tore down the hall, knowing they were probably chasing after her. She followed the map in her head to the best of her memory, praying she didn't run into anymore Familiars on the way. Her heart thudded against her chest from adrenaline as she made it to the main hall, the huge double doors displaying themselves to her as Heaven's Gates.

"GET THE GIRL! SHE'S ESCAPING!" a voice boomed.

She yanked the doors open, but her escape was stopped short when she slammed full body into a figure. She nearly bounced off them and fell to the floor, but they grabbed her around the waist at the last second, probably out of reflex. When she looked up, she was horrified to see it was him. He was staring down at her with wide eyes, and then a moment later the shock transformed into unmistakable rage, gold eyes flashing hazardously. She snapped her head behind her at hearing rushed footsteps. The Familiars skidded to a halt at seeing him in the doorway, and without really thinking about it she quickly ducked under his arm to take refuge behind him. He looked over his shoulder at her with a confused frown, reaching back to take a hold of her wrist so she couldn't run as he looked back towards the Familiars again.

"Something I should know about?" he asked. His voice was calm as the morning tide, but only a fool wouldn't be able to detect the danger.

No one spoke, and he knew something had happened. Turning his head back down to Tessa, he frowned when he saw she appeared genuinely rattled. His eyes narrowed, and once again shifted back to the Familiars dangerously. They shrank back at their master's perilous glare, the other two that had been in the room staring at Tessa warningly. Other Familiars had gathered out of interest, watching the situation with cautious eyes. Growling in frustration at not getting any answers, he pulled her back in front of him and glowered down at her.

"What happened?" he demanded. She didn't answer at first, and he snarled. He wasn't in the mood for games. Turning with her, he shoved her up against the door and asked her again. "If you don't answer me, I'll bite you again."

Her eyes were watering, but she managed to tell him, her voice so quiet only he was able to hear her. She watched his eyes transfer from impatience, to a blank stare, and then to pure, unadulterated rage. In one swift motion, he was whirling around to face the three surviving Familiars who had ambushed her, but they wouldn't be surviving for long. The moment they saw the fury in their boss's eyes, their faces became horrified, but before they could even think to run he was on them. The poor bastards barely saw it coming, and within seconds both were lying dead on the floor.

"Anyone else that touches her gets worse," he snarled at the rest of them. "Get rid of the bodies." With that, he turned swiftly and grabbed Tessa by the arm. He brought her back to the room, and he walked over to shut the window and draw the curtains, when he looked down and froze. She knew he was looking at the dead body of the fallen Familiar. He looked back at her, eyes incredulous. "Was this your doing?"

"I told him not to touch me."

He let out a sound of disbelief, but he also looked vaguely amused. Drawing the window closed, he pulled the curtains together, and the room instantly grew darker, but it wasn't pitch black. She watched as he took his hat off and placed it on the dresser before shrugging off his coat. It appeared he planned on sleeping in here whenever he needed rest. Once his shirt was unbuttoned, that went as well, as did his boots, but his pants remained on. Against her better judgment, she found it hard to look away from him. Although they were not on good terms, she still found him handsomely attractive, and briefly she craved to run her hands over those broad shoulders. Eyes shifting to his back, she counted each scar with her eyes, and she realized he had a few that were new since the city. She assumed he had gotten them when he had been dragged into the hive. There were only two things that could scar the vampires of this world: silver, weapons blessed by priests, and other vampires.

"Sometimes I still have nightmares from when my parents were murdered," she said quietly.

He turned to her.

"I was only nine years old." Her eyes shifted up to meet his. "You ask why I refuse to accept your ways? Because it would be the greatest dishonor to my family… to accept the blood of their killer."

He was staring at her intently. "You think I have dishonored my brothers?"

"You didn't dishonor them by turning into a vampire. You were pinned and really had no choice. Rather, you dishonor them by killing the people they risk their lives to protect and leading an army of murderers across the West," she said calmly.

Her words appeared to anger him slightly. Turning, he walked up to her, and she held her ground as he loomed over her ominously. "I'm getting sick of you treating me like an abomination."

"You think what you have is a gift?"

"It's because of what I have that I'm still alive!" he growled.

"And I feel sorry for you that this is the life you are forced to live."

"I'm perfectly content with this life. The queen showed me mercy, and I've given her my loyalty in return."

"Oh, please! Do you seriously think the queen spared you because she pitied you?" she exclaimed.

"She showed me mercy when no others did!"

"She spared you because you were a priest! A damn good one. Vampires are incredibly smart, I'll give them that. She knew you were giving up. She knew you wanted to die, and that you felt abandoned. Anyone can look at a priest and know they crave a different life. Don't you see? She didn't see a man in need when she saw you! She saw a perfect opportunity to fight back against the ones who wanted her dead!"

He shoved passed her, but she just turned with him.

"Think about it. Who better to carry out her dirty work than a man who possesses the gifts and skills of a priest, and then the strength and agility of a vampire? You are her weapon. Nothing more, and nothing less. A tool to carry out her bidding. Do you think she would have so much as sniffed at you if you hadn't been a priest? Of course not! You've allowed yourself to be manipulated by a slimy, eyeless bitch who wants nothing more than to see the human race burn."

Without any warning whatsoever, he turned on her with snarl and grabbed her by the shoulders. He slammed her down on the bed, hand gripping her throat, but he didn't squeeze. His fangs were bared in a furious snarl, lips pulled back angrily. She continued anyway, not bothering to struggle against him.

"Do you really think she will give a damn about you once the human race is eradicated? What will happen to you once it's all over? Did you ever think of that? If not, I feel bad for you. I really do. It's honestly saddening that you were so desperate to the point you allowed yourself to be turned into some blood-sucking bitch's pet."

His hands were shaking from the force of holding himself back from snapping her neck, and if she had been anyone else she would have been dead ten times over by now, not to mention her blood drained from her body.

"I'm not saying this to hurt you or to piss you off, Julian" she continued, remaining calm. "I'm trying to make you realize you're being played for a fool! You ask why I refuse to accept you? Because I refuse to become a disposable servant! Because I still have hope. Because I haven't given up!"

"ENOUGH!"

"You need to realize—"

She was abruptly cut off when the back of his hand made harsh contact with her cheek, causing her head to snap to the side and leaving a burning sensation in its wake. It was enough to stifle her, and a tomblike silence fell over the room like a black plague. At first she didn't move, shocked he had just slapped her. When she finally looked up at him, her eyes were cold and once again filled to the brim with betrayal. He was staring down at her with opposite eyes, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Tessa… I—"

"Save it." Lifting her hands, she shoved him off her and turned her back to him on the bed. She had nothing more to say to him.

"Tessa, please—"

"I said leave me alone!"

"I'm sorry."

"That's what my ex told me."

He silenced, frowning. "He hit you?"

She looked at him, and he paused at the look in her eyes. Ice cold stared into molten flame, and if were possible she would have turned him to ice with her stare.

"You're not my Julian."

He went silent, but she didn't react, determined not to look at or talk to him. Her cheek still stung from the slap, and it took everything in her to keep the watering in her eyes at bay. She was partially aware of shuffling behind her, and then the sound of booted footsteps. From the corner of her eye, she saw him walking passed her towards the door, and she promptly rolled over so he couldn't see her face. The door opened and closed quietly, and she closed her eyes as a single tear slipped down her cheek. She knew he hadn't meant to hit her, but that didn't make it any less hurtful or unacceptable.

She was awoken later by the sound of a door opening and closing, and she cast a hesitant glance over her shoulder. He was back again, and he was shedding his clothes once more. She was a little annoyed he had the nerve to try and share the bed, but all she did was pretend to be asleep when he turned. From behind closed eyelids, she could hear his footsteps as he walked around the bed to her side. She heard him set something down on the nightstand beside her, before the feeling of blankets being draped over her carefully. Then she was aware of what felt like a thumb gently brushing over her bruised cheek, as if to soothe it. It wasn't until she felt him settle into the bed beside her that she finally opened her eyes, and they shifted to the nightstand. A small pot was sitting before her, and in it was a desert rose plant. She stared at it in poorly concealed disbelief, lips parting ever so slightly as she admired the beautiful pink and white flowers. She remembered telling him they were one of her top favorites back in the city. He had remembered. But where had he gotten it?

This was where he must have went when he left the room after slapping her, she realized. He was trying to apologize to her. She wasn't sure what to think, as she recalled the look of horror in his eyes after he had struck her, but then her brain insisted on reminding her of the fact he'd hit her in the first place. If a man hit a woman, even if they said they were sorry, they almost always would do it again. She forced herself not to roll over and face him and closed her eyes.

Some grammatical corrections and minor dialogue changes have been made to this chapter.

Things will be starting to come together over the next couple of chapters. He can't keep her in that room forever. She's being harsh, but it's because of her past and the deceit she went through with her ex. Priest will be showing up soon enough as well! The chapters are kind of just flying out this week. Hope you enjoyed. xoxo