Mana sat a few floors down on the stairs and laid her head on her knees, sobbing painfully, she hadn't noticed until now that all she still wore was Spike's shirt and she was starting to feel a chill. "Why must you taunt me?" She murmured into the fabric that barley covered her knees. "First the dreams. Then the baby's cry in the dark and now? Now you throw HER in my face!" She shook violently as she sobbed, "I failed them I know that! I couldn't save them but I tried!" She let her head bang against the cement wall that lined the stairs a few times.
Even from her spot several floors down, she could hear Selene's screams, her voice almost a perfect match to her childish one, "Momma it hurts make it better!"
Mana pressed her hands flat against her head, trying desperately to block out the screaming, though she thought it no use because it had to be in her head. "Stop it! Please make it stop!" she whimpered pathetically in the emptiness of the stairwell.
Finally the young woman fell silent, her pants soaked red, feeling shadows starting to fall over her whimpering, "B-bring my mommy back. Please...I want my momma...s-she's hiding on the escape...please bring her back....don't wanna die with her hating me." Weakly she groped out, almost blindly whimpering like an abuse animal, "I'm sorry I was a coward Mommy...please...I can't die with you hating me...." she was reaching out to feel her hand softly, "P-please....bring me a priest...or my mommy."
Lorne just so happened to be strolling through the stairwell, avoiding the commotion of the office, when he came across the teen, half naked and sobbing on the steps. "Hey there sweet cake," He sat next to her casually and glanced up at the noises that had been echoing through the hollow stairwell. "Hm someone doesn't sound too happy do they?" He glanced at her and offered a weak smile.
Her back stiffened as he spoke, her head raising slightly. "You.... you can hear that?" She frowned as he nodded some and took off like a bat outta hell back up the stairs, bursting through the door and looking around before quickly moving back to where the girl lay, dropping to her knees, whimpering some, taking the girl's hand in her own and using her other to smooth the hair back from her face. "I don't hate you…" She muttered.
"Y-you do too Momma..." Selene said whimpering.
"No I don't." Mana whispered as she lightly stroked her head.
"Y-you tried to hurt me..." the older vampiress argued, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around her mothers neck slowly, whimpering gently, "H-hold me?"
Mana's own eyes closed, her face held a look of pain as she let her arms go around the girl's body.
Selene gave a weak purr burying her head against her mother's neck, "I wont drink you again mommy," she said lightly kissing her throat, "J-just slurry..."
"Shh," the teen stroked the woman's back, "Hush b-baby. I'm here now..." She swallowed painfully, a lump now formed in her throat.
The ancient one smiled a little snuggling against her close, slowly starting to still, "Don't let go," she requested.
"I won't... I promise." Mana sighed softly and held her tighter, as if she truly were her long lost child.
"You didn't burn up..." Selene whispered, her voice weakening but still in awe that another had escaped.
Her body went rigid but still she held tight. "No...I didn't," Mana stammered a bit.
"You came here to find me..." Selene decided before Snuggling closer and going silent.
In truth Mana had come here to forget. Forget everything and start over, and if not that then to at least hide from her past but it seemed fate had something else in mind for her, but she wasn't going to tell her that. "Of course I did baby.."
Selene smiled weakly before giving in, "G-get someone who'll pull me off, and I'll do what momma wants," she whispered softer still.
As if on cue Lorne had casually wandered onto the floor a few moments prior and perched now on the back of the couch she rested on. "How's it going girls?" he asked, the ever cheerful demon.
"I found my mommy," Selene smiled weakly at her friend, "And now I'm going to die."
Mana sighed loudly. "You always think you're dieing!" She lay the girl back on the couch but held firm to her hand. "Just take it," She said again lifting the wrist to her lips.
"I won't be able to stop..." Selene whimpered childishly, "I don't wanna hurt you!"
"He's here now," her mother motioned in Lorne's direction. "He'll help stop you."
Selene smiled a little before gently taking her wrist in her mouth careful with how she cut it, before starting to suck like an infant, slow and gentle, as her eyes slowly came back alive with that spark, a low feral growl emitting from the young woman as she tightened her grip, her dark gold eyes widening as she sucked over moaning loudly.
The girl grunted softly as her feeding became more persistent but didn't pull back just yet.
At this Selene smirked some whispering in a hushed tone, "Such a pure taste. MY pure taste, my creation, my tease, MY Mana," her eyes were darker now as she began to trace the puncture wounds with her tongue, "Tell me you want it."
Mana whimpered softly, starting to slump slightly. "I-I do..."
Selene smiled darker, her eyes almost brown, as she lapped harder at the wounds before pulling back slowly, tying a piece of cloth around it to stop the bleeding, "Lay down my little one."
Mana gasped lightly, the room spinning around her as she lowered herself to the floor and curled up, Selene reaching out to gently rub her side.
"Shh it's ok precious," the older vampire was saying to her softly, "I would never hurt you my princess." She said, crawling over Mana slowly, before turning and hissing at the watching demon, "Leave us alone, she needs tending." The girl whimpering softly as she shook a bit on the floor, Spike's shirt riding up to expose her hip as she curled into herself.
Quickly taking the hint, Lorne backed off, heading in the direction of Spike's recovery room where the boys now were.
Mana whimpered again, softer this time as her body responded to a long forgotten touch. "You...you were dead..." She sobbed softly.
"Nooo," Selene said, her own voice soft as she moved up to gently lick her tears. "I left a meal for you and Calli...I went back out for my own supper," she explained, softly kissing her eyelids. "You burned alive I heard you."
The girl's breath caught in her throat as the tears spilled down her cheeks. "Calli... I found her under David's.... corpse she was alive...barely. The flames..." She shuddered violently. "They caught her hair and she...she was gone..." Her heaved suddenly, emptying the contents of her stomach at the memory.
Slowly the ancient's own body started to quake as she quickly wrapped her arms around the teen gently pulling her close, stroking her hair softly, her voice gentle, "He died slowly. I castrated him, disemboweled him, staked him to the earth and let the sun burn him alive."
Mana's hand clenched tightly around the dirty fabric of the other woman's shirt as she buried her face in her chest and sobbed, in over fifty years she hadn't spoke to anyone about the family she lost, especially not sweet, innocent Calli.
Holding her tight, Selene rolled over so they were laying on their sides, snarling and snapping at anyone who dare come near the pair, "Let it all out my precious mommy," her own tears flowing, glancing up at the two makes in the doorway, one in a wheelchair, "D-Daddy? Father?"
"I-I don't know," Mana shuddered again. "I heard L-Lestat calling for Louis. And screaming for me to get out. Remy was looking for Hope. Someone screamed but it could have been me. Then the flames caught my skirt and something knocked me to the floor...when I woke up again I was outside there was nothing left but a smoldering pile of ash." She sobbed softly, Selene's shirt now soaked through with her tears. "Calli was with me... folded in my arms but... she looked like a baby doll someone threw on the fire for awhile... I buried her... All proper like you would have wanted…" She stilled some against the other girl, sniffling occasionally.
Holding her tighter than before, Selene began smoothing back her hair softly, whispering, "Such perfection, you did all you could my perfect angelic sweetie."
The girl calmed slowly, the events of the last twenty-four hours now pulling heavily at her limbs as her eyes drifted shut.
Smiling and kissing her head, Selene finally glanced up, taking noticed at last of the two confused males, before pointing at Angel, "YOU take her to my bedroom," the ancient gold eyed woman demanded of her younger husband.
At this Angel blinked, but with a confused nod he strolled over and gently lifted her, cradling her against his chest as he moved to take her to Selene's bedroom, unsure where he would now sleep tonight.
" 'Ey! Why's she going to your room?" Spike muttered, rolling after Angel in his wheelchair, not willing to let her out of his sight another moment.
He got no more than a few inches before Selene strolled after him, easily grabbing him from behind the back of the neck, "You and I need to speak child." Never before had she ever played the age card with any other inhabitant of the firm.
"Ack!" He cried as he was pulled back, glowering over his shoulder. "I'm not leaving her alone with that git! leggo!"
"Angel is not stupid enough to cross me, he will not put hands on my precious," Selene declared, dragging him towards her office.
Being in the wheelchair Spike hardly had a chance to fight back and sighed heavily. "Come on! I have to be with her!" He groaned. "Just wait until I recover before you pummel me again!"
"She will be fine," She said shoving him into the office, images appearing on the wall of the rock band from years past, the pretty curly black haired one with a nine year old on her shoulders who had VERY familiar gold eyes. "She Is Mine First." The woman growled, carefully puncturing each word.
He stared at the wall in awe. "Sodding hell!" He sighed. "How could I not have seen that?! So you are that Selene! I knew it!"
"The one and only," she finally admitted after years of denial, "I will share with you Spike, because you make her happy, but she is mine first and foremost, otherwise what I gave you last night will be but a small fraction of hell, understand?"
He swallowed quickly, definitely not wanting a repeat of last nights performance, but at the same time not wanting to have to share his love. "Why...why don't we let her choose?"
"Because she wouldn't." Selene said firmly, "She won't want to hurt us and we shall not hurt her. Now you can agree to this or I can spread your ashes over San Quinton bay your call."
"Now I know that will break her heart," he frowned and Selene had to fight not to giggle at him. "Fine. But you should know... I'd never hurt her... not her not ever."
The older vampiress smiled brightly, "Good," she replied carefully crawling into his lap and gently nuzzling him, making purring sounds before ripping her wrist gently and placing it to his lips with a simple command, "Drink."
He hesitated for a moment but the copper tang hit him and that was that, he took hold of her wrist and fed, blood trickling down his chin before he finished, causing Selene to smile before pulling away and petting his head, "Who's your favorite kitten?"
He laughed softly, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth. "You are of course."
She smiled again, childishly giggling. "Good," she said before kissing his healing wounds licking at one that was still closing.
He turned his head some, "Come on! Stop it ya brat!" he laughed, grateful that the tension between them had eased.
But that didn't last to long as her voice dropped several degrees, "No I am not a brat Spike," she stated, lifting her head slowly, her eyes ice cold gold, "I am a bitch." And with that declaration she crawled off his lap, going to check on Mana before stalking off before dawn to find her husband.