So Lunar Charming (6/6) Annie/Tom PG-15
It was amazing how relaxed Annie could get in the back of the van, curled up against Tom as he slept, listening to the way his breathing changed, the pounding on his heart, the warmth of his body. When she'd been with Mitchell she'd rarely spent the night in bed with him, too worried about keeping him awake and him being too tired for work the next day, but it was different now. She was too scared to go wandering around alone just in case she was seen by a vampire, and she didn't like to leave Tom alone for the same reason, plus there weren't exactly many places to go within the confides of the van, so now they slept together, as if they were normal, just a couple out camping in the woods or something, because of course all those stories always ended so well.
She was so relaxed it took her a moment to hear the tapping on the back window of the van, the moment she moved to find out what it was Tom shot up, already reaching for his stake.
"I'll deal with this, okay?" he said quietly.
Annie raised an eyebrow, she was dead, the sooner he remembered that and didn't feel the need to be the big protector the better really. Still there was also the fact that she was invisible and few things looked more odd than a van door opening alone.
“Just let me check it out first,” Annie said, moving silently to the backdoors, peering out into the darkness at the policeman peering back in. "Okay,” she whispered.
Wearing nothing but a pair of jogging bottoms Tom opened the door, it was still dark, though this close to the change he could see fairly well, not that he had to, the man reeked of it - vampire.
"You know it's legal to park here," the man said. "Could you get out of the van please?"
Reaching to pull on his trainers Tom did as he was asked, slipping the stake into the waistband of his trousers, playing along for now, on the off chance the vampire had no idea who he was dealing with.
"We're not hurting anyone," he said, bidding his time, trying to decide exactly what to do. There was no sign of everyone else, no other vampires.
Behind him Annie had crawled to the back of the van, watching Tom and the newcomer, waiting. She was sure he could handle this, but there was no way she was going to count on it.
"Well now we both know that's not true, don't we? You and your little girlfriend." He peered round Tom and smiled at Annie, who was attempting to hide in the darkness. "Allow me to introduce myself, Griffin. I've been hearing so much about the two of you, mostly from cowards admittedly, but at least they got out of their encounters alive, which is more than can be said for a lot of my kind, isn't that so?"
Annie appeared beside Tom, it seemed better to rentaghost than have to awkwardly get out of the van and walk the short distance to join them, more dramatic.
"We were provoked," Annie said.
"Oh I'm sure you were, Annie, isn't it?"
He looked her up and down. She looked so ordinary, it was almost a disappointment and the wolf, he looked so young. He'd imagined something much more spectacular, this was just a boy and a girl, a ghost and a werewolf yes, but other than that there was nothing special about them that he could see. Perhaps they'd got lucky, come up against disorganised weaklings, that was the only explanation, surely.
"That's me," she said, raising her jaw, attempting to look imposing.
"The ghost and the werewolf. I expect you're more imposing when you're in the middle of a fight, at least I would hope so."
Tom drew his stake and twirled it in his hands. "I reckon we can do imposing pretty well," he said.
Griffin laughed. "Have you met many Old Ones?" he asked. "I think you'll find we're quite different."
"Yeah? Only you smell the same. I reckon you probably die the same an’all." He stepped forward, but didn't make a move.
"I could stop all this, you know?" he informed them.
Annie laughed humourlessly. Why did every single vampire seem to think they were in charge? That they just had to say the word and that was that?
"Maybe for a while," she said. "But it wouldn't last, it never does. There's always someone waiting, so we'll just keep fighting if it's all the same to you."
Griffin sighed, his eyes turning black as he bared his fangs at the two of them. "Very well, just don't say I didn't make the offer."
The vampire leapt forward snarling. Annie moving away quickly to keep out of Tom’s way as she watched, ready to jump in if she needed, but she was sure Griffin was going to be nothing but a pile of dust in a second. It was taking longer than normal though, the two men snarling and growling as they fought, wrestling with each other. Annie was just about to try separating when finally they did it themselves, an anguished grimace plastered across the vampire’s face as it crumbled to dust.
Beaming Annie laughed into the moonlight. “And again,” she said, looking round for Tom, ready to fling her arms around him, to start another celebration, only he was no longer standing there.
“Tom!” Annie’s voice seemed to reverberate around the wood as she rushed to his side, kneeling beside him in the rotting leaves and mud as she reached for his hand. She should have seen it happen, surely? How had she not seen him fall? “It’s gonna be okay,” she said, squeezing his fingers. “Just…just keep breathing.” Even through the feeling of her whole world being ripped away she was still dimly aware that this was probably stupid advice.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice much too feeble, shaking with the effort it took to form words.
She shook her head and gave him a shaky smile of reassurance. “Don’t be stupid. You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”
“I’m sorry I let you down.”
“You didn’t let me down. You never let me down. Just stop talking, okay? Stop saying bloody stupid things. You need to save your breath.”
He had so many questions. So many things he wanted to say. It occurred to him, as each breath he took took more effort as if someone was standing on his chest, that it was probably a bit late now. Anyway he’d find out the answers to his questions soon enough he supposed. Because this was it. He was going to die. And the very worst part about that was the knowledge that it meant leaving Annie all alone.. She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve to have to watch all her friends die. It wasn’t fair. He gave her a little smile and closed his eyes.
“Tom? Tom. Stay with me. We just need to get you back to the van. Then I’ll patch you back up, just like always. Remember what you used to tell me? The curse? It isn’t a curse. It’s a blessing. It makes you stronger.” She didn’t know if he could understand her anymore. She wasn’t even sure how she was still able to speak over the tears and sobbing, but she just couldn’t shut up. It was vitally important he listen to her. “You have to be strong, Tom.” Another squeeze of his hand. “For me.”
“Annie.” He opened his eyes to get one last look at her as he croaked her name through dry lips.
Annie buried her face against his chest and clung to him weeping. She couldn’t hear a heartbeat, couldn’t feel his chest rising and falling. He still felt warm though. He still felt like Tom, like he had when she’d wrapped herself around him night after night.
“Annie.” Her name was clearer this time, stronger. Instinctively she looked to his face, but there was nothing there. No Tom, just a vacant mask of him. Eyes blank and dead.
“Annie.” He said again. It was strange. Looking down at his own body, at her there clinging to it, to him.
Quickly she let go of his body. The bloodied husk of the man that had protected the world with her for four months and instead ran at his ghost, flinging her arms around him and clinging to him instead.
“Tom,” she choked, burying her head against his neck, crying all over him.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, holding on to her just as tightly. It was strange how she still felt exactly the same as she always had, no more or less solid. She just felt like Annie, all warm and soft and wonderful.
He hit him lightly on the arm. “Will you please stop saying that?”
“I didn’t mean to die.”
A little snort of laughter. “It doesn’t matter. At least we won.”
“We won?”
“Well you took down that Griffin guy before…”
“Before I died.”
Finally she looked at him. With his sad puppy dog eyes, his beautiful, beautiful face. It really didn’t feel very much like a win. All the other times they’d won there were generally less dead people. More people to celebrate with and gloat about bloody arsehole vampires. And of course that was when she saw it, right there in the middle of the woods, which only made it seem even more stupidly out of place than usual. His Door.
“I don’t want you to go,” she told him.
“Hey. I’m not going anywhere. Dying didn’t stop you, did it?”
She nodded towards the Door behind him. No unfinished business then? Of course not. She’d never be that lucky.
“Oh.”
“They get really angry if you don’t go. I don’t want you to go but I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
“I’m not leaving you here on your own.”
“I’ll be fine.” She wouldn’t she had no idea what she was going to do now. She’d feared the scream of time in front of her before but now it just seemed even worse. Even bleaker and more lonely. She didn’t even have anything to fight against now, to fight for Tom had taken down the last of the Old Ones. So that was it. She wasn’t needed, not by anyone, not even the people who didn’t know she existed. She was just going to drift away into the wind. She was going to turn into nothing. A mote in the air. Forever.
“You should go,” she whispered, not trusting her voice very much. She wished she could tell him, about the men with sticks and ropes. Wished she could warn him, but he’d find out for himself soon enough and it was important that he go through the Door happy, not scared.
“I love you, Annie,” he told her, making no attempt to leave. As far as he was concerned she’d have to shove him through that Door, and while he had no doubts that she would he wasn’t going to make it any easier for her. He was going to hold on for as long as he could. Because the idea of leaving her alone was worse than anything else he could imagine. It didn’t matter how angry they’d be, what they’d do to him. He’d deal with it just to stay with her for a little bit longer.
“I love you too,” she replied, kissing him so gently he could hardly even feel her. “But you need to go. For me.”
“You can’t do that,” he frowned. “That’s not fair.”
“I don’t play fair. That’s why I’m still here. Forever and ever.”
“They’ll let you in eventually, won’t they?”
“I don’t know. Lia said so but…” She gave him another big, bright, Annie smile and stepped away from him.
“Now if you see George tell him I said ‘hi’ and your dad, tell him, tell him I looked after you. Made you eat your greens, and get your rest and-and tell him you looked after me too. Tell him you made him so, so proud.”
He was crying now, possibly because Annie had managed to stop herself in some misguided attempt to make it easier on him. He wished she hadn’t said all those things, but he’d never been happier to actually get the chance to hear them. To be able to see her again, just one more time. He hated her for making him do this. For not being selfish and just letting him stay. For telling him to do it for her because she knew he’d do anything she asked.
“Got it,” he said with a little nod. “So…I’ll wait. I’ll wait until they let you in. And if they ever let me out I’ll come and find you? Okay?”
She nodded and finally let go of his hand, forcing her hands into her pockets just to stop herself from reaching out to him. “You’d better.”
There was nothing else to say really, and yet so very many things. But this wasn’t helping either of them. He supposed it was like a plaster. You just had to rip it off, then it didn’t hurt as much, only he’d never really been a big believer in that theory.
Silently he reached out for the Door handle and turned it. “Um…Annie. It’s not opening.” He tried again, wondering if perhaps he was turning it the wrong way or something stupid like that. He wasn’t exactly thinking clearly after all.
“You’d better not be stalling,” she warned as she came forward, tried the handle herself. He was telling the truth though. It was as if the Door was locked. Something she didn’t exactly have experience with. But it had to be his Door. Hers looked nothing like this and there weren’t any other ghosts around.
“So…what now?”
“I-I don’t know. Maybe I get you keep you after all.” Smiling she reached for his hand. “Maybe you’re my prize or something, for all my good work protecting humanity from vampires.” It was about time The Men gave her something after all.
“But why would I even get a Door in the first place?” Shaking his head he tried it one last time. This time there was a click as it opened.
“Right, yeah, course I don’t get to keep you. Because that’d just be too good and The Men don’t let me have good. Well fuck you! Fuck you all-”
“Um…Annie?” he said, cutting her off before she could rant any further. “I think maybe this is our Door? That’s why it wouldn’t open for either of us alone but now…” he swung their intertwined hands back and forth.
Annie looked at him sheepishly, embarrassed by her little tirade. “Oh. Oh okay. That, yeah, that’d make sense. I’ll let you lead the way. Since y’know I’ve done this quite a few times now.”
She was so relaxed it took her a moment to hear the tapping on the back window of the van, the moment she moved to find out what it was Tom shot up, already reaching for his stake.
"I'll deal with this, okay?" he said quietly.
Annie raised an eyebrow, she was dead, the sooner he remembered that and didn't feel the need to be the big protector the better really. Still there was also the fact that she was invisible and few things looked more odd than a van door opening alone.
“Just let me check it out first,” Annie said, moving silently to the backdoors, peering out into the darkness at the policeman peering back in. "Okay,” she whispered.
Wearing nothing but a pair of jogging bottoms Tom opened the door, it was still dark, though this close to the change he could see fairly well, not that he had to, the man reeked of it - vampire.
"You know it's legal to park here," the man said. "Could you get out of the van please?"
Reaching to pull on his trainers Tom did as he was asked, slipping the stake into the waistband of his trousers, playing along for now, on the off chance the vampire had no idea who he was dealing with.
"We're not hurting anyone," he said, bidding his time, trying to decide exactly what to do. There was no sign of everyone else, no other vampires.
Behind him Annie had crawled to the back of the van, watching Tom and the newcomer, waiting. She was sure he could handle this, but there was no way she was going to count on it.
"Well now we both know that's not true, don't we? You and your little girlfriend." He peered round Tom and smiled at Annie, who was attempting to hide in the darkness. "Allow me to introduce myself, Griffin. I've been hearing so much about the two of you, mostly from cowards admittedly, but at least they got out of their encounters alive, which is more than can be said for a lot of my kind, isn't that so?"
Annie appeared beside Tom, it seemed better to rentaghost than have to awkwardly get out of the van and walk the short distance to join them, more dramatic.
"We were provoked," Annie said.
"Oh I'm sure you were, Annie, isn't it?"
He looked her up and down. She looked so ordinary, it was almost a disappointment and the wolf, he looked so young. He'd imagined something much more spectacular, this was just a boy and a girl, a ghost and a werewolf yes, but other than that there was nothing special about them that he could see. Perhaps they'd got lucky, come up against disorganised weaklings, that was the only explanation, surely.
"That's me," she said, raising her jaw, attempting to look imposing.
"The ghost and the werewolf. I expect you're more imposing when you're in the middle of a fight, at least I would hope so."
Tom drew his stake and twirled it in his hands. "I reckon we can do imposing pretty well," he said.
Griffin laughed. "Have you met many Old Ones?" he asked. "I think you'll find we're quite different."
"Yeah? Only you smell the same. I reckon you probably die the same an’all." He stepped forward, but didn't make a move.
"I could stop all this, you know?" he informed them.
Annie laughed humourlessly. Why did every single vampire seem to think they were in charge? That they just had to say the word and that was that?
"Maybe for a while," she said. "But it wouldn't last, it never does. There's always someone waiting, so we'll just keep fighting if it's all the same to you."
Griffin sighed, his eyes turning black as he bared his fangs at the two of them. "Very well, just don't say I didn't make the offer."
The vampire leapt forward snarling. Annie moving away quickly to keep out of Tom’s way as she watched, ready to jump in if she needed, but she was sure Griffin was going to be nothing but a pile of dust in a second. It was taking longer than normal though, the two men snarling and growling as they fought, wrestling with each other. Annie was just about to try separating when finally they did it themselves, an anguished grimace plastered across the vampire’s face as it crumbled to dust.
Beaming Annie laughed into the moonlight. “And again,” she said, looking round for Tom, ready to fling her arms around him, to start another celebration, only he was no longer standing there.
“Tom!” Annie’s voice seemed to reverberate around the wood as she rushed to his side, kneeling beside him in the rotting leaves and mud as she reached for his hand. She should have seen it happen, surely? How had she not seen him fall? “It’s gonna be okay,” she said, squeezing his fingers. “Just…just keep breathing.” Even through the feeling of her whole world being ripped away she was still dimly aware that this was probably stupid advice.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice much too feeble, shaking with the effort it took to form words.
She shook her head and gave him a shaky smile of reassurance. “Don’t be stupid. You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”
“I’m sorry I let you down.”
“You didn’t let me down. You never let me down. Just stop talking, okay? Stop saying bloody stupid things. You need to save your breath.”
He had so many questions. So many things he wanted to say. It occurred to him, as each breath he took took more effort as if someone was standing on his chest, that it was probably a bit late now. Anyway he’d find out the answers to his questions soon enough he supposed. Because this was it. He was going to die. And the very worst part about that was the knowledge that it meant leaving Annie all alone.. She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve to have to watch all her friends die. It wasn’t fair. He gave her a little smile and closed his eyes.
“Tom? Tom. Stay with me. We just need to get you back to the van. Then I’ll patch you back up, just like always. Remember what you used to tell me? The curse? It isn’t a curse. It’s a blessing. It makes you stronger.” She didn’t know if he could understand her anymore. She wasn’t even sure how she was still able to speak over the tears and sobbing, but she just couldn’t shut up. It was vitally important he listen to her. “You have to be strong, Tom.” Another squeeze of his hand. “For me.”
“Annie.” He opened his eyes to get one last look at her as he croaked her name through dry lips.
Annie buried her face against his chest and clung to him weeping. She couldn’t hear a heartbeat, couldn’t feel his chest rising and falling. He still felt warm though. He still felt like Tom, like he had when she’d wrapped herself around him night after night.
“Annie.” Her name was clearer this time, stronger. Instinctively she looked to his face, but there was nothing there. No Tom, just a vacant mask of him. Eyes blank and dead.
“Annie.” He said again. It was strange. Looking down at his own body, at her there clinging to it, to him.
Quickly she let go of his body. The bloodied husk of the man that had protected the world with her for four months and instead ran at his ghost, flinging her arms around him and clinging to him instead.
“Tom,” she choked, burying her head against his neck, crying all over him.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, holding on to her just as tightly. It was strange how she still felt exactly the same as she always had, no more or less solid. She just felt like Annie, all warm and soft and wonderful.
He hit him lightly on the arm. “Will you please stop saying that?”
“I didn’t mean to die.”
A little snort of laughter. “It doesn’t matter. At least we won.”
“We won?”
“Well you took down that Griffin guy before…”
“Before I died.”
Finally she looked at him. With his sad puppy dog eyes, his beautiful, beautiful face. It really didn’t feel very much like a win. All the other times they’d won there were generally less dead people. More people to celebrate with and gloat about bloody arsehole vampires. And of course that was when she saw it, right there in the middle of the woods, which only made it seem even more stupidly out of place than usual. His Door.
“I don’t want you to go,” she told him.
“Hey. I’m not going anywhere. Dying didn’t stop you, did it?”
She nodded towards the Door behind him. No unfinished business then? Of course not. She’d never be that lucky.
“Oh.”
“They get really angry if you don’t go. I don’t want you to go but I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
“I’m not leaving you here on your own.”
“I’ll be fine.” She wouldn’t she had no idea what she was going to do now. She’d feared the scream of time in front of her before but now it just seemed even worse. Even bleaker and more lonely. She didn’t even have anything to fight against now, to fight for Tom had taken down the last of the Old Ones. So that was it. She wasn’t needed, not by anyone, not even the people who didn’t know she existed. She was just going to drift away into the wind. She was going to turn into nothing. A mote in the air. Forever.
“You should go,” she whispered, not trusting her voice very much. She wished she could tell him, about the men with sticks and ropes. Wished she could warn him, but he’d find out for himself soon enough and it was important that he go through the Door happy, not scared.
“I love you, Annie,” he told her, making no attempt to leave. As far as he was concerned she’d have to shove him through that Door, and while he had no doubts that she would he wasn’t going to make it any easier for her. He was going to hold on for as long as he could. Because the idea of leaving her alone was worse than anything else he could imagine. It didn’t matter how angry they’d be, what they’d do to him. He’d deal with it just to stay with her for a little bit longer.
“I love you too,” she replied, kissing him so gently he could hardly even feel her. “But you need to go. For me.”
“You can’t do that,” he frowned. “That’s not fair.”
“I don’t play fair. That’s why I’m still here. Forever and ever.”
“They’ll let you in eventually, won’t they?”
“I don’t know. Lia said so but…” She gave him another big, bright, Annie smile and stepped away from him.
“Now if you see George tell him I said ‘hi’ and your dad, tell him, tell him I looked after you. Made you eat your greens, and get your rest and-and tell him you looked after me too. Tell him you made him so, so proud.”
He was crying now, possibly because Annie had managed to stop herself in some misguided attempt to make it easier on him. He wished she hadn’t said all those things, but he’d never been happier to actually get the chance to hear them. To be able to see her again, just one more time. He hated her for making him do this. For not being selfish and just letting him stay. For telling him to do it for her because she knew he’d do anything she asked.
“Got it,” he said with a little nod. “So…I’ll wait. I’ll wait until they let you in. And if they ever let me out I’ll come and find you? Okay?”
She nodded and finally let go of his hand, forcing her hands into her pockets just to stop herself from reaching out to him. “You’d better.”
There was nothing else to say really, and yet so very many things. But this wasn’t helping either of them. He supposed it was like a plaster. You just had to rip it off, then it didn’t hurt as much, only he’d never really been a big believer in that theory.
Silently he reached out for the Door handle and turned it. “Um…Annie. It’s not opening.” He tried again, wondering if perhaps he was turning it the wrong way or something stupid like that. He wasn’t exactly thinking clearly after all.
“You’d better not be stalling,” she warned as she came forward, tried the handle herself. He was telling the truth though. It was as if the Door was locked. Something she didn’t exactly have experience with. But it had to be his Door. Hers looked nothing like this and there weren’t any other ghosts around.
“So…what now?”
“I-I don’t know. Maybe I get you keep you after all.” Smiling she reached for his hand. “Maybe you’re my prize or something, for all my good work protecting humanity from vampires.” It was about time The Men gave her something after all.
“But why would I even get a Door in the first place?” Shaking his head he tried it one last time. This time there was a click as it opened.
“Right, yeah, course I don’t get to keep you. Because that’d just be too good and The Men don’t let me have good. Well fuck you! Fuck you all-”
“Um…Annie?” he said, cutting her off before she could rant any further. “I think maybe this is our Door? That’s why it wouldn’t open for either of us alone but now…” he swung their intertwined hands back and forth.
Annie looked at him sheepishly, embarrassed by her little tirade. “Oh. Oh okay. That, yeah, that’d make sense. I’ll let you lead the way. Since y’know I’ve done this quite a few times now.”