[A/N: Welcome to Fanfiction where the rules are made up and the points don't matter. Today, we're merging Twilight (vegetarianism - though the eyes turn blue instead of gold) and Vampire Diaries (the daylight rings) for ~vibes~ This is Polinween. Scroll to the bottom for TW.
For a clearer description, here's a snapshot:
At first, Penelope had hope. Colin's eyes remained his startling and wonderful green as the years passed. However, five years later, it was different. Penelope spotted it almost immediately. After all, she was uniquely suited to know what to look for in him. Colin Bridgerton had returned and his eyes would flash red occasionally. He refused to leave the house when the sun was shining (a rarity in England) unless he wore a new gaudy ring for promenading.]
"Don't do this, Colin," Penelope pleaded with him. While she was one voice among many, Colin had already made up his mind to leave.
"I have to go, Pen. You'll be fine here with everyone." Colin replied.
He didn't know about her gift. While her visions typically offered her an early, extra insight into the ton, her visions of Colin recently were very different.
When Penelope first discovered her gift, she thought that they were just dreams. Then she found proof while she was awake that her dreams were visions of the future. This was extremely helpful as Lady Whistledown. While she would hear rumors of scandals or events, her dreams provided her a front-row seat to the drama in advance.
Eloise may have known about Lady Whisteldown, but she didn't know about Penelope's gift. She was the reason that Penelope knew she could trust her gift. Penelope explained that her 'network' relayed the drama of Anthony and Kathani Bridgerton's engagement. While Penelope did have some rumors, her dream showed the exact scene with the bee sting in detail - an entire year before it occurred.
By casually explaining what happened to Eloise and receiving confirmation, Penelope began to trust her gift more and more. She would always find proof while awake. Now, she was less hesitant about her dreams.
Unfortunately, her dreams of Colin recently were different. The night before he left, Penelope saw him attacked in an alleyway in Italy - the Trevi fountain was in the background. He would be bitten on the neck and receive an immortal curse. By taking off now, Colin set into motion the world in which his whole family would become the demons of the night.
Penelope had no way to convince Colin of her vision. It was too late. She couldn't just convey the information without sounding crazy.
People didn't listen to her unless they were reading her words in Lady Whistledown.
Penelope had tried to stop her father's murder. Every time she tried to stop her father from gambling or from dealing with those terrible loaners, she failed. At first, she assumed it was just because her father was a man.
So, Penelope tried to stop a certain debutante from spending time around Lord Fife. She again failed. No one was willing to listen to her.
"Colin! At least promise me that you'll avoid Rome." Penelope begged. She felt tears gathering in her eyes. She would lose him and all the Bridgertons to this curse.
"Pen! Don't cry. I'll be back before you know it. If it matters so much to you, I'll avoid the entire country of Italy." Colin vowed.
At first, Penelope had hope. Colin's eyes remained his startling and wonderful green as the years passed. However, five years later, it was different. Penelope spotted it almost immediately. After all, she was uniquely suited to know what to look for in him.
Colin Bridgerton had returned and his eyes would flash red occasionally. He refused to leave the house when the sun was shining (a rarity in England) unless he wore a new gaudy ring for promenading.
He had become a demon of the night. It wouldn't be long now before he turned his family too. Knowing the inevitable outcome, Penelope worked to prepare Eloise for what was coming.
Maybe she could push Eloise and the family to shift their eyes to blue sooner? Penelope couldn't be sure when they would make the switch to a "vegetarian" lifestyle. She still hoped that if it was sooner than later, the Bridgertons wouldn't have to abscond from society entirely.
It was little work to encourage Eloise to move her focus from shooting targets to hunting animals. Eloise was a dead-on shooter. So, Penelope gifted Eloise books on how to hunt. Penelope forced herself to learn everything and anything about animal hunting to encourage Eloise to pick up the interest as well. However, the end of the season snuck up on Penelope. There wasn't much time left before the Bridgertons broke away from society.
Knowing her time with the family was limited, Penelope couldn't resist one last tea with Mrs. Bridgerton and Eloise. At six and twenty, Penelope had always hoped she would get to enjoy her spinster years with Eloise. Unfortunately, according to her vision, no one in the Bridgerton household would be spared. Not even Gregory, who was supposed to be away at Eton.
"Penelope!" Eloise called out from next to her on the couch.
Penelope startled. This can't have been the first time that Eloise had called her name.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought," Penelope admitted.
"What is with you today? You've been out-of-sorts since you arrived." Eloise asked.
Penelope blushed. Thinking quickly, she said, "My mama has started talking about my future again. But instead of me securing a husband, she envisions me taking care of her in her old age."
"Don't worry! Once we hit thirty, I can convince Anthony to give us the funds to move into a house together. Our mothers will have to announce their arrival ahead of time. We'll have free rein. You won't have to manage her idiosyncrasies day and night." Eloise promised, and her hands grabbed Penelope's.
Penelope smiled. It was a nice thought. If only she could see it in her dreams. Penelope just hummed and stuck a biscuit in her mouth. Though she made it through the rest of the tea intact, Penelope knew this might be the last time she saw this Eloise.
Before leaving, Penelope pulled Eloise into a tight hug. She didn't want to let go.
"Oomph," Eloise let out. She obligingly hugged Penelope back just as tightly. "I love you, Pen. What is this for?"
"You've been such a good friend to me, Eloise." Penelope dropped her voice to a whisper. "You kept the Lady Whistledown secret. But I think it may be time to retire her soon. I wanted to give you a heads-up. You're closer to me than my sisters."
Eloise and Penelope pulled back. Eloise kept a light grip on Penelope's upper arms. She had tears in her eyes. "So long as this is your choice and you feel that you are done with it. I love you as a sister as well."
"It is," Penelope said. She wasn't sure she could continue Lady Whistledown in the face of a ton without any Bridgertons. She loves their family. Without them, Penelope didn't know how to function, let alone maintain Lady Whistledown. Besides, she had no one left to try to share her visions with.
As the ton left at the end of the season, Lady Whisteldown published her last piece. It broke the news that it would be the last issue and the Bridgerton family had all been infected with an extremely contagious disease. The whole family and staff had absconded to the country.
Penelope cried and cried. She took the time to grieve her relationships with the family. No one was left unimpacted. Everyone from Anthony, Kate, Benedict, Sophie, Colin, Daphne, Simon, Eloise, Francesca, John, Michael, Gregory and Hyacinth would be infected. However, the ton only knew that the family was in the country to recover.
While the ton was suspicious, they were overcome with the news of Lady Whistledown's last article.
Penelope didn't hear from the family for two years. She still dreamed of Colin. She expected Colin and the family's move away from the ton would be the last Penelope would see them for her lifetime. Her grief was insurmountable.
As Penelope turned eight and twenty before the season, word circulated that the Bridgertons were back. Even without Lady Whistledown, gossip in the ton got around quickly.
Though the ton would write off any oddity as a result of the disease, Penelope was nervous to approach them. In her dreams, she saw Colin and the family drinking from animals, but she had no sense of how far that was in the future.
The Bridgertons appeared to seamlessly re-integrate into society. While the new members of the family - namely Eloise's husband, Phillip - were accepted without fuss, Penelope wasn't sure if she would be welcome to visit. Eloise hadn't even told her about this man.
Penelope was slightly annoyed. If they were both demons of the night, you'd think they could write letters. Especially, if the Bridgertons had always planned to return to society in this century. Yet, she could acknowledge that there was no way for her to convince the Bridgertons of her knowledge.
Most damningly, she hadn't received an invitation to tea. For decades, Penelope could always be sure that she was welcome at Number 5. Until now.
But that didn't mean Penelope couldn't issue one of her own.
When Eloise arrived for tea, she didn't touch the food, haltingly sipped the tea, and sat preternaturally still. Penelope knew it was due to her new existence. Yet, Penelope had no way to convince Eloise of her knowledge. So, a rather stilted tea time passed, despite the unnormal attendees. Penelope pushed for more details about this Phillip. Eloise had no trouble writing to this man during her family's exile.
During the tea, Penelope cautiously probed Eloise about her hunting skills. Penelope hoped it would lay the foundation for Eloise to tell her. Given Penelope had never told Eloise about her dreams, she understood a little that this would require a different kind of courage to share. So Penelope watched Eloise leave without discussing it.
Now, Penelope may no longer serve as Lady Whistledown. However, she didn't let all her writing ability decay or allow her ambitions to go stale. Penelope still had frequent trips to her printers' shop. In place of a weekly gossip sheet, she was now working on a novel - and some freelance writings of random topics for a variety of publishers covering everything from the dangers of gambling to fictional short stories. Penelope kept the same hours as her Lady Whistledown habits to avoid causing any scandals.
Typically, Penelope had forewarning on the times and locations to avoid at night when conducting her business. Unfortunately, her luck had run out. She had no warning before her attack.
Between one blink and the next, Penelope was shoved against the wall and three people were in front of her. The lone woman held her forearm across Penelope's throat holding her to the wall.
"You are wearing some fancy jewelry for this neck of the woods." The woman said in Penelope's ear.
"Just grab her purse, and let's get out of here." One of the men said.
"No, she wants to slum it with us, she can learn what happens to her kind here." The woman snarled.
"Let's just snap her neck and get her money." The other man said menacingly. Penelope heard a continual smack as though he was hitting his hand with some tool.
Penelope had never been so terrified.
"Hmmm, let me see the pipe. It's my turn to have a little fun." The woman said. She threw Penelope to the ground. From there, Penelope felt an intense pain in her temple and everything was fuzzy.
Someone was screaming. It was ear-splitting. What was that sound? Why was everything so far from her?
Oh. She was the one screaming. Penelope lost track of time due to the pain of constantly being struck. At some point, it must have ended. Lying in the street, Penelope couldn't move.
Penelope felt pain in her neck. It was different from the strikes. Instantly, Penelope was overcome by the most intense pain she had ever felt. It was like a fire coursing through her veins. She screamed again. Each second left her weaker and weaker.
Her vision narrowed down from the outside. It was so dark, but little white lights were darting across her vision slowly creeping in from the edge of her vision until it was all she could see. She passed out.
Penelope awoke slowly. She was on a comfortable bed. Her ears could hear everything in the house. Penelope had yet to open her eyes.
What was the last thing she remembered? She had been walking home at night. Within seconds, she had been attacked and lost all her senses, then pain, so much pain.
Focusing on what she could hear, Penelope realized that she couldn't still be in the street. The sounds were that of a household in Mayfair - but it couldn't be the Featherington house. Has she been kidnapped?
"Hello, Penelope." A voice cuts through everything Penelope hears. Blinking her eyes open, she recognizes the space as the Bridgerton family home's guest room. But, it was like it was more intense. She could see further than before. Where she might have struggled to read the titles of the books on a shelf until she walked up to them, she could easily read them without moving from the bed.
Wait, she recognizes that voice. Turning from the bookshelf and her newfound extended vision, she saw Colin standing in the doorway. "Colin!" Penelope said. She sits up and grabs the blanket to clutch it tightly to the top of her chest. "You can't be here. What is going on?"
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions. We can't let you be around your mother right now. We almost lost you, and it was only due to Eloise's hearing and quick thinking that we got to keep you."
"You're not making any sense. What do you mean by 'keep' me? I have to go home. It's just me and my mama. She'll be worried if I'm not home." Penelope felt a tug toward Colin. But he wasn't touching her. There were so many new sensations. It was hard to focus on one.
"Like she was worried last Wednesday morning when you weren't home until midday." Colin's voice was hard and his hands were gripping the doorway tightly.
"Wait, how do you know about that? Colin, what's happening? Why am I so thirsty?" Penelope patted her throat. She was parched.
"You know the answer to that. Eloise left you a glass to your right." He nodded to the bedside table.
Penelope grabbed the glass on autopilot and drank quickly. It tasted incredible. Then she opened her eyes and spotted how red it was. Was that blood? She started to cough.
Putting her glass down, Penelope's eyes unfocused.
She was suddenly lost in a vision. It was her spending time with all the Bridgertons, but they were wearing strange clothing and they were on a boat? The vision didn't last long. Blinking her eyes back to the present, she saw Colin watching her intently. She was more nervous. She'd never had a vision while awake before.
"Take another drink, love," Colin said. He walked into the room and sat on the end of the bed near her blanket-covered feet.
Penelope looked nervous. But she was incredibly thirsty and the drink helped to quench her hunger. Picking up the glass, Penelope drained it. Replacing it on the nightstand, Penelope realized that she was one of them - a demon of the night.
"That's it. You're just like me and my family - exactly as your dreams have been telling you." Colin said.
"You know about my dreams?" Penelope asked, horrified.
"I know your mind, so, of course, I know your dreams," Colin replied.
"Colin, my dreams are dangerous. They're partially what turned you into this." Penelope gestured between them.
"No," Colin growled out. Penelope looked at him disbelievingly. "Well, that's a part of it. But not in the way that you think." Colin sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"I was turned into a vampire in Italy. You must know that I've always been considered 'charming.'" Colin's voice took on a distinct edge at the word. "Now that I'm a vampire, I've learned that was my gift manifesting before I was changed. I've been blessed with a special ability and I can sense thoughts from those nearest to me."
"What? What does that mean? Why do I feel this strange pull in the middle of my chest? It seems to be leading to you. This whole thing is messing with me." Penelope admitted her fears. She held the blanket so tightly that she accidentally pulled it apart. It was as easy as ripping up paper, not what she expected from a woven blanket.
"You feel it too?" Colin's face was overtaken by a smile. He moved until he was seated next to her with his back to the headboard. He gently pulled the torn blanket from her hands.
"Yes, it's the only thing that's keeping me grounded right now," Penelope admitted. She rubbed her sternum, where she felt the pull. If she focused on it, the rest of her senses weren't overwhelming her.
"That's me. I'm your mate. The pull means we're meant to be with each other." Colin said. Colin put his arm around her shoulder.
"This is going to take some time to understand." Penelope sighed. She leaned back into his chest and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
"That's the best part, love. We have forever to figure it out." Colin leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head.
The End.
(TW: major character death; graphic depictions of violence; Penelope dies but is turned into a vampire)