A glimpse back
Mare's fangs sank deep into Tegan' s wrist, the hunger he felt was raw and honest, it was a need he couldn't fight as he drew quite deeply from Tegan's vein, taking hectic gulps, coughing as it was too much to manage in one gulp.
Tegan held him up, supporting Mare's head like people do with a baby's head.
"Take it slow, I won't run."
He could feel Mare didn't recognize him at the moment that he was in fact close to panic about who he was drinking from right now, wanting to stop, not to take too much, but unable to stop right now, the need burning too strong.
"Don't worry, I am fine. Just drink. I will stop you, if you take too much."
All the words where just whispers, silent growls, assurance usually given to a child or a lover – they were neither of it. But old battle comrades.
It hadn't been empty words when Tegan had said he was returning a favor. Mare had given him his blood when he had needed it to stay alive after he had been close to starving himself, collapsing on the floor next to…
"Te…gan…?"
It was a weak coughing, the usually deep baritone just a breathy whisper.
Tegan looked into Mare's half closed eyes grimly, the pupils still slits, his eyes yellow.
"Welcome back to the living, man."
Mare stared at him.
"What… The… I am… - Where am I?", he tried to focus a point, though not quite successfully, but he kept trying.
At the moment he concentrated on Tegan's gem green eyes – God, it was a déjà-vu turned upside down!
"Medical station of the Order, 200 meters under the surface, Boston. – Jesus, where have you been?"
"…All around Scandinavia, Northern Europe – Not like I haven't been looking for you.", Mare replied.
It sounded quite bitter.
"…Could have told me you are alive, Tegan. I was wondering if you are still roaming around for quite… Some time."
It did not only sound bitter. It sounded angry. It was a barely veiled subtext, a shivering in his voice, a glint in his still partly yellow eyes when he looked at Tegan.
Tegan could tell he was thankful – but something had happened to the man he had left 450 years ago in Trondheim – something that turned the already sarcastic man into a really bitter being.
"You could have told me, too."
Mare snorted at the answer.
"It's not like you left your number or your address – Heaven's sake, you did not even leave your full NAME!"
He was close to jump out of bed, already stemming himself up angrily, ignoring the pain his dermaglyphs were still showing.
Tegan didn't hold him back and Mare stood up – just it didn't work. At least not for long.
He was standing for a second or two maybe, before he had to grasp a table counter for support, the blood loss making him go dizzy in his head, blurring his sight further.
"Take it easy, you were worse for the wear when you came here – or should I say 'carried' here?", Tegan said drily.
"T, don't provoke him, 'kay?"
Gideon's warning voice came to Tegan's ears – but he knew how far he could go here. He knew Mare well enough for that. At least he had known back in Trondheim.
Mare however noticed Gideon just now – and the fact he was half-way naked.
"Who are you?", he asked, a wary tone in his voice.
"Gideon – the doctor, the technical genius here – pleased to meet you."
Gideon stretched out his hand. Mare took it slowly.
"Mare Erikson – just a warrior. – Freelancer, so to speak."
Gideon grinned.
"Working alone and not getting paid for it, hm? – Still, these hands are not used for killing only, are they?"
Something in his voice made Mare pull his hand back hectically – it was no real question. It was statement.
"…I don't know what you are talking about, neither what you are implying."
Tegan looked at him. The warrior was clearly uneasy, the pause a little too long.
~What are you trying to hide?~
He tried to touch Mare as if by coincidence – but Mare knew his gift – and his hand got blocked by the thin, physical, yet invisible shield. Tegan hissed.
"Stop that, Mare!"
"I am not going to let you read me, Tegan! Not after what happened!"
Mare was weak on his feet, unsteady, but it didn't affect his anger – or the hurt. No matter how hard he tried, Tegan could see through all his anger without even touching him. Mare couldn't hide the pained look in his blue eyes.
"Okay, alright, I won't. Just don't use your gift like that, you know how much blood it's using up."
It was a calm warning, an advice, showing he cared about him, he was worried.
Just that was what really set Mare off. He laughed. Hard, bitter and joyless.
"Oh, that's just priceless! THAT coming from YOU! – Fucking, bloody hell, Tegan! You don't even have a CLUE, do you? What happened? "
He was shaking.
Whether out of pain or anger was hard to say, but Tegan assumed it was a mixture of both – just that the pain wasn't only physical – but psychic.
"No. No, I don't.", he said silently, calmly.
He knew yelling back now; taking the invitation to a serious quarrel would take the situation to a level none of them would be able to control anymore.
From the corner of his eye he saw Gideon was looking at Mare watchfully, one hand hovering over a keyboard, ready to call for help in an instance. The warrior was simply careful – he knew a Gen One was not to be dealt with easily – not even Tegan was fully sure whether he could handle Mare – even in his current condition. He was steaming with anger and that pretty much ruled out everything else – he knew that from his own experience. – Of course, yes, Tegan was able to hold Mare down. But he would have to hurt him. And that was not what he intended to do.
"She died, Tegan! She… Fuck, no she didn't just DIE – she was MURDERED!"
He clenched his teeth, his jawline tightened, his dermaglyphs vibrant on his bare chest, giving away his real feelings.
"I was away, I wasn't THERE, I just… I was hunting Rogues and I failed to protect her from mere MENNESKER!"
The fact Mare was partly jumping back to his mother tongue, got Tegan even more worried – he understood Norwegian quite well, even though he hadn't spoken or heard the language for a long time. But he knew Mare could speak English rather well too – that he was now too agitated to find the right words…
"They set the whole tavern on fire – the only thing… I could only get her corpse out of the flames – and do you remember her son? Do you remember little Morten Henderson?"
Tegan cursed.
"Mare, it wasn't…"
"IKKE SI DET ER IKKE MIN SKYLD!"
Mare spat the words, stepping up to Tegan, fuming, throwing off heat like a radiator, barely able to hold himself back.
Tegan stretched out a hand to touch him, to read what was lying under the surface, what Mare was unable to tell right now. It was a pure impulse – but it got Mare to hiss at him, his fangs grew long and sharp again, his yellow eyes with the slit pupils where back and he bared his fangs at Tegan, growling lowly – one more step…
"WAG DET!"
So far none of the Order needed to be able to speak Norwegian to get that hell was about to break loose as soon as someone pushed Mare any further – he was a loose cannon.
Mare stepped back, inching away from Tegan, his shield… - Oh, Christ!
"Forsiktig, Mare, jeg kan se ditt skjold!"
Mare's shield… It was always invisible – except for times when he couldn't control it anymore, when strong emotions were about to take over control and Mare was nothing more but a puppet on a string, completely at the mercy of the power he possessed. – Just that in these moments… It wasn't Mare who possessed the powers. It were the powers who possessed Mare.
The vampire was shivering, trembling, barely able to hold himself up any longer – he was in no condition for the stress he was putting himself in – not even talking about the fight which was only one wrong step away.
Tegan knew there was more to his story, Mare had to tell more – but he would not push him now, he couldn't risk Mare snapping – he had once seen him go all berserker – and quite literally that.
When they had met Mare had been about to throw himself into a fight against twenty Rogues all alone. – And after fighting with him, Tegan was sure he would have made it. Not without severe injuries and a condition that would have come close to being fatal – but he would have killed every single bastard.
He could see him fighting it – and being close to fail, shivering violently, going down on his knees – and Tegan kneeled down next to him.
"Du kan gjøre det! Helin visste det. Hun stolte på deg."
Maybe it had been the wrong thing to say. As soon as Tegan had said that Helin had trusted him, Mare began too shiver even more – the shield was wearing off, yes, but…
"Hennes eneste feilen...", Mare whispered, his voice pained and weak.
~"Her only mistake…"~