(Charlotte's POV)
She figured, if the group was going after the Dandies, she might as well go after Gabe. Knowing she was better off as a loner even though she told the group she'd act as bait with Amelia, Charlotte made her way off, taking side streets and back alleys until she reached the edge of the city.
She could see the Dandies' mansion from where she was, but she knew it was better to hide in the shadows, hell, they probably already knew she had ended the game. Just beyond the mansion, the area gave way to trees and enough shadowy places that Charlotte could have her pick of hiding spots.
That was the one thing that never got old. AJ knew all the best places to fall asleep in the forest, for a good week prior to each transformation she'd scout out another area she could suffer in in peace. In the way that AJ knew them, Charlotte learned in time as well, for as soon as she learned of the horror AJ dealt with every month, she wanted to help her through it.
How was it she'd never found this part of the woods before? Settling down beneath the shade of the pines, she waited.
She was almost ready to give up some two hours later, realizing everyone probably knew she was there.
But what she didn't expect was the hand on her shoulder, the giggle as she turned.
"Lottie, if you wanted to hide you should've just climbed up the tree, not sat down here, silly." AJ said, laughing. Lottie could hardly see her, the way the younger vampire was dressed in almost completely black, down to the sheepskin UGGs and sheer leggings beneath the pencil skirt she wore. The only exception was a small silver headband adorned with white crocheted flowers.
And the black velvet choker she wore, the fabric the same quality of the derbies the rest of the Dandies wore.
"I'm not-"
"What, you waiting for someone? Think he'll actually forgive you for ending that game of yours? I'm not stupid, but I know some things I probably shouldn't."
Lottie paused. This wasn't AJ, it sounded far too...sarcastic to be her.
"Like what?"
"You ended your game with Gabe because William took Amelia and you thought he hurt me, didn't you?"
Reluctantly Lottie nodded, "How'd you ev-"
"Because...you're not the only who who's game has ended, Charlotte." AJ said, smirking as she stepped forward into what patches of light were there, although the light only came from the stars.
Sighing, AJ handed Charlotte her phone.
"What's this for?"
"More light. Now look at me."
Charlotte lifted the phone, and AJ turned, pulling her cardigan off her shoulders.
"Jesus, AJ. You'd better hope those heal!" Charlotte exclaimed, still managing to have been surprised by the bite marks littering the hybrid's pale skin.
"That's just my arms and neck. You think that's bad, you should see my hips. Guess it's true what they say, after those games, yes, there's a total sense of attachment. I'm surprised he's realized I've wandered off this far. And about those marks? Yeah, they'll heal. If I ever manage to stop getting new ones, anyways."
And then, Charlotte saw it in her eyes, what she'd felt after she had been hung up on. Something had changed. Someone had changed, and from the feeling Charlotte got, it wasn't for the better.
"Your game's ended? Were you actually stupid enough to imprint with him?!"
AJ smiled.
"I don't know you anymore. Your best friend gets kidnapped, and instead of going to find her, you lock yourself into a relationship with the reason she's missing. You need to prioritize."
"Not so fast. Charlotte, if any needs to prioritize, it's you." AJ said, drawing the older vampire into a hug.
"I'm still your friend. It's not like I meant for any of this to happen this way," she started, Charlotte knew something was up, "But if you're going after somebody that I can count as family, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stand up and protect them."
And before Charlotte could move, the younger of the two had phased, throwing the taller blond into a tree.
"A-AJ...listen to yourself!" Lottie cried, scrambling to her feet but stumbling against the trunk, hands reaching blindly to put herself to her feet as AJ phased back.
"No. I don't need to. I know what you are." AJ was eerily calm, the thought of the normally easy going always out late drinking friend Lottie used to know was gone.
"What am I, then?" Lottie challenged, raising a hand like she was going to fight. Like AJ would do anything anyways.
"Traitor. Ex-best friend. Call it what you will, the result in my eyes in the same."
"What, you'll never talk to me again? Grow up, AJ, all this acting like of one them isn't doing you any good."
"I'm more a Dandie than you could ever hope to be, with your running around with Jack and Tobias following you like little dogs. Even Cat doesn't know why she follows you. Face it, you're no coven leader." AJ spat, smirking at the shock registering on Charlotte's face.
"Take that back! And shut up, it's not like you are one either! Just because the leader bit you and you're stupid enough to initiate an imprint makes you nothing but a high class call girl!"
AJ paused, making sense of the insult, and it was another second before her hand went across Lottie's face, hazel eyes livid with anger.
"HIGH CLASS CALL GIRL?!"
Her hand wrapped around Lottie's throat, fingernails digging until little beads of blood appeared.
When AJ let go, Charlotte glared, rubbing her throat before throwing her own punches, one fist sinking into AJ's eye, where no doubt she'd have a nice shiner later, the other connecting with her nose.
AJ gave a cry of pain as the blood began to pour from her nose.
"You bitch! These are clothes brand new! If William sees any bl-"
Charlotte paused time, grabbed the headband that was on AJ's head, rubbed each of the ivory crocheted flowers under the hybrid's nose until each flower was spotted with blood, the yarn already staining pink. After it looked messed up enough, she placed it back where it had been.
Once time was unpaused, she spoke.
"Huh. Nice grip 'round the throat, bitch. Wonder if you're doing that just to feel like him, yeah, I'll bet that's how that imprint got started, bastard probably held you down. Oh, wait, you're too stupid to need to be held down. You probably went willingly."
"And no, that's not something that happened to me. I know he wouldn't do that! And as for as make myself feel like him, you're damn lucky I haven't decided to kill you yet."
"Kill me? KILL ME?"
AJ smiled, "You threaten anyone remotely close to the coven I now belong to, you face the consequences. In my eyes, an attempt on someone's life constitutes the taking of someone else's."
"So you're after me because I'm after Gabe, is that it? Y'know, if that's how this is going to go down, fine. Kill me. Amelia and her friends are after you and your little boy toy anyways."
"So it goes. Fine, we'll let them come. Anyone that walks through those doors," AJ said, motioning off toward the mansion, "Isn't getting out alive."
AJ reached into the cardigan, to one of the pockets. Earlier when she'd stopped home to grab the rest of her things, she'd remembered she had kept some of the vampire killing equipment Remus had given her before he left for the Great War of London, where he had died and once again left her all alone. Hand wrapping around the handle of the gun he had given her was she still was but a little girl of ten, she closed her eyes for a moment before she spoke again.
"Much like you and these woods tonight, I'll add."
And before Charlotte could move, AJ turned, cocked the gun, and fired.
These bullets wouldn't make the body disintegrate, they would burn from the inside, leaving a shell. Just to make sure it would really work, AJ slipped the pocket knife from her leggings and moved, the small blade sticking Charlotte where her heart had been.
"It's been nice knowing you, traitor. I'll see you in hell. Oh, wait, I'm going to be here for the rest of eternity!"
AJ cheered, watching as Charlotte slumped against the tree, eyes closing.
The last thing she saw was AJ walking away, whistling something, somewhat of a swagger in her step.
(William's POV)
The redhead he'd been feeding from stumbled away, collapsing against a nearby wall. A few more and the night could end, but first he'd have to find Adeline.
He knew she knew her way around the bars, she had been the one to find him, after all. Still, there was some lingering thought that she had gotten herself into trouble.
Pushing the thought out of his mind, he scanned the floor, eyes settling on a in-her-early-twenties brunette.
Beckoning her towards him, he let all the worry about Adeline leave him, and switched to focus on the hunt.
Returning home shortly before sunrise the next morning, he noticed the lack of the clean staircase.
For one, Adeline's cardigan had been draped over the bannister, and then, her shoes had been set at the foot of the last stair.
William smiled, shaking his head.
"And she thinks she's home already."
After he had checked in with the rest of his men to discuss any plan at all for going after the demon and the lycan and his friends, William made his way upstairs, not surprised to find the bathroom door shut and the shower on.
Great. Looked like that was the new routine. Come home, pick up shoes and the jackets. Come upstairs, shower's on and he's locked out. Water bill increasing, anyone?
William sat on the bed, figuring he'd just wait for her.
Looking around, everything seemed to be in its right place, bed made up and sheets turned down the right way, pelt and cloak draped over the closet door.
Until he noticed the laundry basket, filled to the brim. Walking over, he couldn't shake the smell of blood that had somehow worked its way into the room. Making matters worse, it didn't smell like human blood, ether. Picking the entire basket up and overturning it on the bed, he raised an eyebrow in confusion as he looked over the items.
It took a moment to realize the outfit had been what Adeline had been wearing before they left, and everything was there, right down to the silver flower adorned headband buried at the very bottom of the basket. But something didn't look right, the headband wasn't silver. Well, it was, but the flowers that had been hand crocheted had been white when she left, they weren't white now. In fact, they looked almost pink, but some spots were darker, almost red, almost like-
Gingerly William lifted the headband and sniffed the flowers, unable to keep his eyes from glancing towards the bathroom door. They smelled like blood, and with a jolt he realized the blood was AJ's, it was laced with that woodsy scent he'd become so used to from her hair.
Three seconds later he stood before the bathroom door, knocking. He heard the shower turn off, and then she called, "Just a minute!"
"Adeline, open this door. Now."
He heard her sharp intake of breath, he knew she knew.
"I can explain…William, believe me…"
"The best part of believe is the lie," he muttered as she opened the door, curls dripping water and a towel wrapped around her.
She shook her head, "So I got a little out of control and ran into some things, that's why the headband's all bloody."
The steam had finally cleared from most of the room, and William probably would have believed her if he hadn't noticed the bruise that was decorating her left eye.
His eyes widened, and he picked her up and carried her to bed, walking over to the dresser to grab some of the pajamas she'd brought over earlier before they'd gone out.
"If it's no trouble, can I sleep in something of yours? I know there's the cloak, but…"
He smiled, planning to ask about the bruise as he reached into another dresser and pulled out the first thing he thought would fit her somewhat.
After she'd gotten dressed into the old Snakes & Suit shirt he'd grabbed, and then duck tailed a pair of his boxers so they'd at least stay on, she grinned, climbing onto the bed and wrapping the pelt around her.
When she didn't speak for a minute or two, he turned to her.
"Now, how'd you get this, doll?" he said softly, hoping to coax an answer out of her, one hand lightly brushing against her cheek.
She blinked.
"Like I told you, I ran into some st-"
"The truth. You don't get a black eye unless someone's got it out for you." He said, hand grabbing her chin.
"I…Charlotte. My friend. Ex-best friend. The one that betrayed Gabe, that's working with them. I...we got into it."
"Got into it?"
"Started a fight. But I take care of it. She broke my nose, gave me the black eye. Called me a high class call girl, that's a blow to my personality and the entire game I had to play to find you."
"Define 'taking care of it'."
Adeline bit her lip, nails curled into the pelt around her. Managing a smile, she looked at William.
"I killed her."