"Well, Savannah said that Liam told her Mary is all right," Amy told Klaus. "Although her curse has to be enacted by now, whatever it is, so I bet the poor girl is just saving face."
"Yeah," Klaus nodded. "Sadly, I think you're right. A person's first experience of being cursed by magic is never pleasant."
"And how would you know that?" Amy asked.
"Um, hello?" Klaus asked. "Vampirism is a witches' curse. I wasn't always like this, you know."
"Oh, right!" Amy nodded. "Silly me. How could I forget?" She paused. "Can I ask what happened? You probably have told me before, but I've forgotten."
"Well, with my insatiable lust for blood, I killed a servant girl I was fond of," Klaus replied. "That's how I transitioned. I can't remember her name now, but she was the only serving girl in Mikael's household who made me wait to take her into my bed. I still hadn't done it when I killed her."
"That must have been horrifying for you!" Amy cried.
"Not as horrifying as it was for Elijah," Klaus replied. "He killed his wife and all his children."
Just then, Rosalie came in and Amy seized upon her, eager to change topics. "How are things with you and Aaron going? Any better?"
"Not yet," Rosalie shook her head. "He still thinks I'm too good for him or whatever and he probably won't change his mind until I tell him the truth. Can I?"
"No," Klaus replied. "But you can always compel him to like you. That's an alternative that won't out us as vampires to the local population."
"Klaus, don't tell her to do that!" Amy said with disapproval. "It's wrong!"
"So you want her to just let some human boy think he's too good for her?" Klaus wanted to know.
"If he can't appreciate her for the person she is, then that's his loss," Amy replied.
"Handle it however you want, sweetheart," Klaus told Rosalie. "It really doesn't matter to us."
Rosalie thought about it and realized that both her parents had very good points. However, because she was feeling spiteful and vindictive, she listened to her father, ignoring the twinge of guilt she felt cause she knew that by compelling Aaron to like her, she was further victimizing a boy who had already been through so much already.
She found him talking to a group of his friends at the mall, and when she tried to engage him in conversation, he ignored her, until, at last, she got his attention by getting up in his face and shouting.
"What do you want?" He asked dryly.
"I think you and I need to talk," Rosalie replied, then looked at his companions. "Would you three mind leaving for a bit so we can have privacy?"
"No," Aaron told them firmly. "Whatever she has to say, she can say in front of all of us, or she won't be saying anything at all."
"You know that if I wanted to tell you something, you couldn't stop me," Rosalie replied. "I'm only being polite because of all you've gone through in your life. I don't wanna make it worse."
"Never mind about that," Aaron replied. "Just say what you came to say and then go away."
As the other boys stared at her, Rosalie cleared her throat. "Even though I don't think this is warranted, I'd like to apologize for anything I made have done to offend you and make you act like a giant asshole toward me. You're someone I really value, and I want us to be friends again."
"And yet, the first thing you do in your so-called 'apology' is call me an asshole," Aaron pointed out. "You sure know how to make a guy feel good."
"Okay, fine," Rosalie said through her teeth. "So my apology is shit. What can I do that will actually make you forgive me?"
"Show me your secrets," Aaron replied. "Tell me everything that you're keeping from me, especially why we go to different schools."
"Why do you think that's a big secret?" Rosalie wanted to know. "You went to my school for the basketball game. You saw that the kids there are no different than anyone else."
"Will you stop lying?" Aaron asked. "Once you tell me the truth about yourself, then we can be friends. But not until then. Now get the fuck out of here. I don't want to look at you anymore."
Rosalie sat in silence for a long time before making a quick but sincere mental apology to her mother, and then telling Aaron, "Fine. You want to know a secret about me? I'll tell you. But we have to get away from these bozos first."
"Fine," Aaron replied. He looked at his friends, told them he'd be back in a minute, and then followed Rosalie off to a hidden corner some distance from their table. She backed him against the wall, looked him directly in the eye, and said, "You don't care why we go to different schools. You trust my reasoning and you will not ask me why ever again. We will be friends and whenever you see me, you will greet me with enthusiasm, just as I will you." Then she let him go and they walked back to the table together, and Aaron said, "I'm gonna head out now, you guys. Rosalie and I are gonna do stuff, but this was fun."
"Bye!" Rosalie added to the dumfounded trio of boys. They then left and after Aaron drove his car home, he went to meet Rosalie back at Klaus and Amy's.
"How lovely to see you, Aaron," Amy remarked. "I'm so glad you and Rosalie seem to have patched things up."
"Of course we have!" Aaron replied. "Rosalie is wonderful. Why wouldn't I want to be friends with her?"
"Why indeed?" Amy asked. He headed out to the car, and then before Rosalie followed, Amy stopped her. "Is Aaron all right? He seems a little off."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Rosalie replied. "He had a really big slushie at the food court and it's probably made him a bit nutty."
"You really think I believe that?" Amy wanted to know. "You listened to your father, didn't you? You did something to that poor boy!"
"I just compelled him to be nice to me," Rosalie said. "I swear I tried your way of dealing with him first before I compelled him, but I just wasn't getting anywhere. Now things are good. I know I did wrong. I admit that. I'll atone for my sins later. Can I go out with my friend now? Since Amanda's in detention all the time now, he's the only one I have."
"Well, all right," Amy sighed. "I knew this was coming, and it's not like I can stop you from doing it, but please…please don't make compelling people for your own gain a habit."
"All right, Mom," Rosalie promised. "I won't. Aaron will be the only one. I swear." She then headed out and Amy sighed and collapsed on the sofa for a few minutes before heading to her and Klaus' bedroom and cuddling with him on the mattress.
"They should really change your name to Evil Michelle, you know that?" Sean barked at Eva through the phone one night when he finally got up the courage to talk to her again. "How could you take my clothes and leave me naked and vulnerable like that?"
"Cause I wanted to," Eva replied. "Face it, I have a dark side. But I wasn't as bad as I could have been. I zapped you into your house. It wasn't like you were naked on some street corner and a bunch of people were laughing at you."
"That hardly excuses anything!" Sean replied. "What do you have to say for yourself? Don't I get an apology?"
"Yes," Eva sighed. "I'm sorry you're so sexy that I want you more than anything. I'm sorry that I have to keep you on the edge of your seat so you won't think I'm boring. But I'm not sorry that I taught you a very important lesson about listening to your feelings. Do you understand? Just because I seduced you and stole your clothes and locked you out of my bedroom when you were naked doesn't make me a bad person!"
"What did you say?" Sean asked. "Did you say you want me more than anything?"
"Yes, you idiot!" Eva told him. "That's exactly what I said. Why do you sound so shocked? I've hardly been subtle."
"Well, I-Thank you," Sean told her.
"You're welcome," Eva replied. "I'm glad it finally got through that thick head of yours."
Just then the doorbell rang and Sean said, "I have to go, there's someone at the door. Talk later!" He ended the call and went to get the door, letting Liam in and ushering him into a chair.
"Are you all right?" Sean asked and zapped up a couple of drinks for him. "You look like you've been through a lot."
"'A lot' is putting it mildly," Liam sighed. "She keeps running off, I haven't seen her in who knows how long, the most communication I'll get from her is a really brief phone call, and that's only so I know she's not dead. It's not like she's willing to have a really long conversation. That's why I'm taking this break. I love her, you know, but this…this is really starting to wear on me."
"As it would anyone in your position," Sean said and put a hand on his friend's arm. "But thank you so much for looking out for my sister."
"You're welcome," Liam replied. "It's my pleasure, really." He stayed until midnight, and after he left, Sean was alone in the house (Sarah had told him she was 'visiting friends' and wouldn't be back that evening). He sat in front of the fire, drinking until he felt himself get a buzz, and then, as he poured himself another drink, he heard a splash from the pool outside. He put the bottle of wine down and went outside in his bathrobe, wondering who would be in his pool at midnight on a cold night like this. It didn't take long for him to get his answer. He got outside and leaned down to stare into the jewel blue water, and then, to his shock, Eva popped up out of the water and boosted herself out of the pool. She was wet, naked, and covered in goosebumps.
"H—h-hey, baby," she got out, her teeth chattering, and her arms crossed. "I'm c-c-c-cold. Can I come inside?"
Not sure if she was actually there or some effect of the alcohol he'd consumed, Sean reached out and gave her arm a pinch.
"Ow!" She cried. "What did you do that for?"
"I just…I had to make sure you were real," he cried. He bustled her inside and got her in a bathrobe. "Now, what the hell were you doing skinny dipping in my pool this late at night when it's this cold? You could make yourself sick!"
"No, I can't!" Eva replied and zapped herself up a cup of warm tea. "I was perfectly fine. I like swimming at night like this, but you really should put a heater in your pool to warm the water up."
"No!" Sean shook his head. "I won't! Cause only a crazy person swims when it's this cold out!"
"Fine," Eva shouted. "Whatever!" She finished her tea and then said, "I'll be going now. I don't want to abuse your hospitality any longer."
"You stay right where you are!" Sean ordered. "I won't have you going out this late at night. You're gonna stay here until morning."
"Wow, whatever you're drinking, keep drinking it," Eva smiled. "It has a good effect on you. What room will I be in?"
"Mine," Sean replied. "You're shivering. You need to be warmed up." He took her hand and led her to his room where they both shed their robes and got in bed, hugging their naked bodies close together as their lips met again and again. Sean then laid Eva down on the mattress, kissing between her breasts and moving down her torso. When he got down far enough, she instinctively spread her legs and then let out a surprised cry when she felt him lick her over and over again before slipping his tongue inside her and moving it around.
"My god," she breathed. "How…how…?"
"Shhhh…." Sean replied, his lips still staying where they were, his hair tickling the skin of her inner thighs.
After Eva burst into laughter, Sean decided to switch positions, capturing her lips with his as she threw her arms around his neck. Then, he said something that surprised her. "Bite me," he whispered.
"Excuse me?" Eva said.
"Bite me," Sean repeated, a little louder this time. "Please."
"Oh, but I don't want to hurt you," Eva protested.
"You won't," Sean assured her. He looked positively wicked.
Eva let out her breath and kissed Sean's neck a few times before she sank her fangs in, pausing for a moment when he cried out, but then drawing blood as he burst out laughing. When she'd had enough, she licked the extra blood off the wound and then sat up.
"Was that as good as you'd hoped?" She asked and touched the spot where her fangs had been.
"Oh, yes," Sean nodded, but she could still see him wince a little. "I hope I taste as good to you as you do to me."
"I'm sure that's true," Eva replied. "Maybe we should go to sleep now. You're still bleeding."
"Not yet," Sean replied, bringing her underneath him again. "There's one more thing I have to do."
"Is there?" Eva smiled. "Go ahead and do it."
"All right," Sean replied and gave a grunt as he entered her going deeper and deeper, filling her until he couldn't anymore, then pulling out and repeating the process, all the while holding Eva close to himself and running his lips over her soft, bare skin.