Nicholas and Anaryn Finale
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Trigger warning: This post contains a reference to rape.
Teh Awkward is So Embarrassing
Musical Ambiance:My Immortal (Evanscence) (Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5anLPw0Efmo)
I'm so tired of being here,
suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave,
I wish that you would just leave
Your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
Nicholas paused outside the shop door, collecting himself. He really had no idea how to do what he was about to do, and he was terrified thanks to Anaryn-withdrawal. Not to mention that Anaryn's sister was a piece of work, and he couldn't resort to violence to solve the problem. He couldn't quite remember why she was a piece of work. Only bits and pieces leaked through the memory wipe. Something about her calling him meat. Something about her seeming more afraid of him than vice versa. Something about Anaryn meekly allowing her to take charge nevertheless, and that was what really scared him. Not what Kaitlyn might have done out of fear of him, but that Anaryn might have cooperated because she might still want him gone.
These wounds won't seem to heal.
This pain is just too real.
There's just too much that time cannot erase
He squared his shoulders, reached a hand inside his vampire hunter's uniform, and walked inside.
The sight that presented itself to him was not one he expected. The whole shop was neat as a pin-- well, that part was fairly normal-- but it was nearly empty as well. Anaryn's sister was painting over the various paintings of "All the Perfumes" over the years with a roller. That rankled him-- they were good paintings to just casually make go away like that. Anaryn was helping Azusa pack up her cave (and more importantly, her treasure hoard). All of the clothing racks were empty, and a stack of boxes, each addressed to a customer and ready to mail, stood by the door. Anaryn's mezusah was no longer on the doorway to the stairs up to Anaryn's apartment, and a pair of suitcases were parked against the wall. Even Kaya and Charlotte were packing a tiny suitcase on the counter. Anaryn was too distracted by Azusa and her unusually large collection of chotchkes to notice Nicholas' entry. But Anaryn's sister, Kaitlyn, noticed him immediately.
"Anaryn, don't go! No, wait-- you can go-- just take me with you," Nicholas exclaimed, blushing a little. One sentence in and he was already botching things. The sad part was it wasn't even a record for him.
Kaitlyn's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh good! Snacks for the road. I was feeling a bit peckish," she announced.
Nicholas glared. "Butt out. This is between me and Anna, and she doesn't need your pretend-scary. I know why you're doing this."
"Who's pretending?" she asked innocently.
Nicholas shrugged as inoffensively as he could manage. This was going to be a delicate line to walk. "The person who, when she first saw me, was afraid of me 'cause I'm a vampire hunter. At least, that's what I remember."
Kaitlyn bared her fangs. "Maybe a vampire a hunter on the outside, but under the hood you're still grade-A meat."
"Outside's all you're ever going to get to find out about, sis'," Nicholas answered. "C'mon Anaryn. You don't have to hide behind Kaitlyn with me. Just tell me what you want straight out."
Anaryn pointed down emphatically to the already-filled suitcase by her feet, and Azusa hrmphed. She then made her way to the counter, giving Kaitlyn a stern look. "Let him be, Kaitlyn." Kaitlyn shrugged nonchalantly before going back to whitewashing the place at vampire speed, though conveniently picking a task very close to where Nicholas was standing. "Nicholas, you can't go where we're going. It was fun, but this is it."
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
Nicholas stared at her, confused. "Why?"
"You are a vampire hunter, and I'm going home to live with my folks," Anaryn said. "The Hollows was much more tolerant to our relationship than most vampire communities are going to be."
"Do we really have enough time for all this plot exposition?" Kaitlyn asked, "The sirens are getting louder."
Nicholas shook his head. "Just like that?"
"Just like what? Like a spoiled little brat discarding a toy she's gotten bored with?" Anaryn asked bitterly, refusing to make eye contact with him. With her hands she fidgeted by helping Charlotte pack up her note cards.
"I think I at least deserve an explanation," he stated firmly.
Anaryn finally looked up from the cards in front of her, opening her mouth like she was about to say something. For a moment, something flitted across her features, but she quickly closed her eyes and when she opened them again it was gone behind her emotional shields.
Kaitlyn put a worried hand on her sister's arm, "This stress isn't good for you right now. Maybe I can wipe him hard enough that he'll stay unconcious until we're clear."
Anaryn bit her lip, clearly tempted. She finally made eye contact with him and whispered, barely audibly, "Please?"
"No," Nicholas stated firmly. "Maybe it's different for you, but I don't want to just lose a year of my life."
However, Kaitlyn must have thought the 'please' was directed at her because she replied sweetly with, "My pleasure." As she raised her hand, yellow light gathered around it. There was a bright flash.
You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me
"Wha... what happened?" Kaitlyn asked, somewhat dazedly. "Why is there a piece of metal in front of me?"
Nicholas was holding stock still. In his hands, he was holding a plate-sized mirror between himself and Kaitlyn. But the reason he dared not move was because in that instant, Anaryn had jumped across the counter and landed behind him. She had one of her delicate hands across his eyes, also shielding him from the flash, the warm sensation of her skin on his sending a slight tingle down his spine. For a moment, he was afraid to move, afraid to break whatever spell had dragged a corner of his Anaryn back to the surface. Underneath was another story. His mind reeled as it tried to analyze what Anaryn's latest move in their bizarre chess game of a relationship meant.
"What the hell, Anna?" Kaitlyn asked, stomping her foot. "I thought you wanted to leave him behind. He's a hunter who obviously isn't going to leave you alone as long as he remembers." At the sound of Kaitlyn's shrill voice, Anaryn quickly retracted her hand from Nicholas' face. With a blush, she tucked her hands behind her back and took a few steps away from his personal space.
Nicholas backed up until both Kaitlyn and Anaryn were in front of him once again, not trusting Anaryn behind him. "Please, Anaryn. Stop playing games and just tell me what's going on. I know about the baby. What I don't know is why that means you suddenly have to get rid of me."
The surprise came and went across Anaryn's face so fast that he would have missed it had he not gotten so used to watching her reactions. "I think that about sums it up, really. Vampire hunter with a vampire child?"
Nicholas shrugged. "I wouldn't be seeing you if I didn't think vampires were people. What's the problem? And what makes you think the child's going to come out a vampire?" He almost said, 'you're barely one yourself' but managed to restrain himself at the last moment. That'd drop his chances to zero pretty much instantly.
Anaryn made a pained face and crossed her arms. "I... don't know. But I'm not human. Unlike other vampires, I never was human. I can't imagine it'll be human..." She shook her head, all the while her gaze avoiding Nicholas' eyes. "But that's besides the point. With a child... our child... I need to start over. I... I can't be around you. I can't take..." Though her voice had started strong and confident, but as she spoke, her voice got so quiet Nicholas couldn't make out her last words. But Kaitlyn could and her eyes narrowed slightly.
These wounds won't seem to heal.
This pain is just too real,
There's just too much that time cannot erase
"What did he do, Anna?" Kaitlyn asked, confusion evident on her face. Her hands, which had been up and ready to flash Nicholas the moment his guard, dropped lowered a few inches.
Anaryn stood up straighter and Nicholas could see the wheels turning as she tried to find a way out of whatever jam she'd gotten herself in. "I..." she started, glaring at Kaitlyn. But when her eyes fell on Nicholas, he saw fear and pain in her eyes peering around the cracks in her armor, "He didn't do anything. It was me. It's... I'm sorry..." she finally whispered and was gone before Nicholas blinked.
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
Kaitlyn shook her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "This is so embarrassing. Can I just blame her emotional outbursts on the pregnancy?"
Nicholas shrugged. "I'd say it was my fault, but... I kinda feel like she's always had this in her...like a time bomb waiting to go off. There just weren't enough civilians in the area until I showed up."
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
"I didn't realize how much Aaron had messed her up," Kaitlyn whispered, shaking her head in amazement.
"This isn't about Aaron. This is about God," Nicholas replied. "There's no faith like a broken faith... only I don't think it's completely broken. Maybe it's just that there's no atheists in a fox-hole. But when the demons came, Anaryn was a real live miracle worker. Part of her still believes."
"What about the other part?" Kaitlyn asked.
"That part is about to realize she left her stuff," Nicholas replied, putting his foot on one of her suitcases and grinning a little.
Kaitlyn smiled a bit. "You are dangerous."
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
Me
Me
Upstairs, said Anaryn was having a crisis of her own making. She was kneeling on the living-room floor of the second story, her face buried in her hands. Damn him! she thought, Why couldn't he just let me erase his memories of that awful night? It would be so much easier on everyone.
Feelings she hadn't felt in decades were threatining to surface. Guilt. Regret. Even love. Some of these were feelings a vampire was never meant to feel, and because of that, she didn't know what she wanted to do anymore, let alone what she should do. All her vampiric instincts were telling her to flee, but her Jewish instincts were telling her to go back downstairs and face the music.
And so she just sat there.
In My Veins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymJvCqECR44
Nothing goes as planned
Everything will break
People say goodbye
In their own special way
Kaitlyn looked out the front windows as a pack of vampires moved quickly towards one of the evacuation points. "So while we wait for my wayward sister to come crawling back, why is there an evacuation?"
"So there's this ninja, goes by the name of Figaro. Real... traditional Japanese family name," Nicholas explained, with a grimace in the direction of the fourth wall. "He has a ...reputation or periodically... well... exploding if tampered with. And it's usually holy energy. TPCD put out an alert because someone stole the sword he uses to regulate his energies. He'll hold it in as long as he can, but he did enough damage with just a small vent last year that the Hollows has an evacuation plan in place, just in case."
Kaitlyn looked suitably impressed. "So everyone will just come back when it's all over?"
"Yep. Reckon a few of them will try to sue him for civil damages... if there's anything left of him when the vent's over," Nicholas checked his watch while they waited. He didn't want to see Anaryn caught in the blast, but there was still some time before the final evacuation call.
"This city is so strange..." Kaitlyn said with a shake of her head. "I can see why Anaryn likes it here."
Nicholas gave a half-smile. "They do match."
Kaitlyn watched him for a minute, evaluating how suicidal it would be to pry. "So. My sister. Do you love her?"
Nicholas crinkled his brow. "I want to. She makes it so hard sometimes."
All that you rely on
And all that you could fake
Will leave you in the morning
Come find you in the day
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
Oh, you’re all I taste, at night inside of my mouth
Oh, you run away, cause I am not what you found
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
"I think our parents are to blame for that one." Kaitlyn whispered.
"I think she can stand to take some of the blame," Nicholas replied tiredly.
"Are you still angry at her?"
"You name it, I feel it," Nicholas replied.
"Jealousy?" she suggested, a little hopefully.
Nicholas shook his head, "Guess not. Can't say I envy her her position. Also, don't look at me like that."
Kaitlyn pouted, her stomach momentarily overshadowing her brain. "But I haven't eaten in days..." When Nicholas glared, Kaitlyn took a few steps back, holding her hands up in surrender. "Don't you look at me like that. I'll be good..."
"Well, if you decide not to go to London after the blast, there's a lot of petty rivalries in the Hollows. You could probably find a jealous person to chew on. They would probably thank you for it, and you probably wouldn't have to flash them for it because this city is full of crazy people."
Kaitlyn chuckled, "I'll think about it. I guess it depends on whether there's a hunter gunning for my sister when all is said and done."
Nicholas sighed tiredly. "There's only two ways this will end. Either together or one or the other of us ends up leaving the city. There's no resolution any other way. And this needs to be resolved."
"Stop metagaming, that's my job!" Ash protested from beyond the fourth wall. But no one in the room heard.
Everything will change
Nothing stays the same
Nobody is perfect
Oh, but everyone is to blame
All that you rely on
And all that you can save
Will leave you in the morning
Will find you in the day
What did she do?" Kaitlyn asked seriously.
Nicholas couldn't make eye contact. "She..." He stopped, not sure if he could make himself say it. "She raped me."
There was awkward silence in the room for a moment.
"Oh", was all Kaitlyn could manage. Nicholas nodded distractedly. After a moment, she asked, "Why are you here?!"
Nicholas swallowed, determination showing in his eyes. "We had something, before that. Call it chance, or chemistry, or I don't know what. I want to see if we can get back to that. Move past this."
"Move past it... Can you really forgive her for that?" Kaitlyn pressed on.
Nicholas' gaze looked distant. "Eventually. Gonna be some damned awkward make up sex." He then blushed intensely, realizing he'd just said that to the Anaryn's sister.
"How can you even think of having sex with me again, after what I did?" Anaryn whispered, coming down the stairs. She wore a guarded expression, but he could make out honest confusion in her eyes.
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
Oh, you’re all I taste, at night inside of my mouth
Oh, you run away, cause I am not what you found
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
Nicholas blushed even more furiously, if that was possible, "Well, I...um...da, oh look your baby sister is standing right next to me. There's no way I can answer that question."
"You owe me, hunter," Kaitlyn replied with a chuckle and was gone in a flash.
The older vampire came into the little lobby of the dry-cleaners and stopped well outside of Nicholas' personal space. "Nicholas...you should be with someone you can trust to respect you as a person all the time, and not just when it's convenient. And you don't deserve to have to raise a child who will be a constant reminder of how I took advantage of you. You deserve better than that."
"It's not about rewards and punishments," Nicholas replied. "I'm not your parents. It's not my job."
"No, it's about me finally doing right by you. And it's not right for you to spend the rest of your life dealing with the consequences of my mistake," Anaryn replied. She started to fidget, so she instead took a seat at the counter and folded her hands in her lap where she wouldn't do something she would regret.
"Not letting me see my child doesn't seem right to me. Isn't he or she a consequence?"
Anaryn's hand drifted to her abdomen. After a moment, she said very meekly, "Yes..." With a headshake and a self deprecating laugh, she added bitterly, "Four hundred years and this is the union that results in an offspring. I don't know how I am going to face what I did."
Nicholas put a hand out. "You don't have to face it alone."
No I cannot get you out
No I cannot get you out
Oh no, I cannot get you out
No I cannot get you out
Anaryn looked at his hand like there might be a bear trap in it. "I feed on fear. How can this even work?"
"I don't know. It worked for a while. Ya know, before," he replied earnestly.
"Yeah," she replied skeptically. "By me turning you into a yo-yo. Would you really want to spend any length of time in a relationship like that?" she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling exposed with so much of her laid bare. Her gaze remained solidly fixed on his feet.
"I did. Anyway, you had a stable relationship before," Nicholas regretted the words the instant he said them.
She finally met his gaze, and the icy, hurt glare she gave him sent a shiver straight to his core. "You mean my marriage to a mortal who turned himself into a monster like me," she said with a bitter laugh, "My husband who subsequently tried to murder you at least three times, kidnapped me and tried to rape me, all because he wanted to be together forever?"
The bitterness of her own words stung her ears and she was reminded of the real reason she had offered to ressurect Sareth. She had hoped that she would die in his place, and she wouldn't have to face the same possibility with Nicholas, or worse become the monster who hunted him down like Aaron had hunted her. She had thought that God had allowed her to ressurect Sareth because God had agreed with her logic - a vampire's life for a mortal's life - but then Nicholas had to go and save her - again.
"You shouldn't compare yourself to him. You're different. You aren't a monster," Nicholas replied, "I told you that at the hospital."Everything is dark
It’s more than you could take
But you catch a glimpse of sunlight
Shining
Shining down on your face
Your face
On your face
"You're the only one who believes that. Even my sister thinks I'm a monster now," she replied. "You should have let me die on the rooftops."
"I do not!" Kaitlyn's light voice called from the back of the store, followed by the sound of her hands quickly covering her mouth.
Anaryn blushed profusely and looked at Nicholas. "The difference between a monster and a person, is that a person can choose," Nicholas told her.
Initially she looked like she was going to argue. After a moment of various emotions flitting across her features, she closed her eyes and nodded. "I know. I restrained myself in the past. I'm sorry I hurt you," she said finally, though it was a barely audible whisper.
Nicholas gave a sad little smile. "So. Do you want to try to keep this dance going, or have there been too many mashed toes?"
Anaryn bit her lip and opened her eyes. "What do you want to do?"
Nicholas resisted the urge to say that he had asked first. "I want to learn more about you. See how deep the rabbit hole goes, as it were. Umm... perhaps that wasn't the best choice of words. And if I'm going to be a father, I want to do it as... as part of a family."
She quirked an eyebrow and got that look that sent shivers down Nicholas' spine. "Is that supposed to be a proposal?"
Nicholas turned a delightful pink. "Well, I, ummm...what the hell. I... uh... don't have a ring, or anything, but..." he ripped the empty set symbol off his hat, bent the center slash out of the way so that it made at least a vague ring shape, got down on one knee, and, muttering a little to himself, said, "Anaryn Castella, will you marry me?"
"Anaryn, your childhood friend was Shakespeare. You gonna take that?" Kaitlyn heckled from the stairs. Nicholas tried to ignore her, and kept his gaze on Anaryn.
"'What the hell', huh?" Anaryn echoed skeptically.
"Oh, you heard that?" Nicholas asked with a nervous and thoroughly un-masculine laugh. "No, no, that's not what I meant-- I mean, I do mean it, but the..." he stopped, swallowed, and attempted to gather his wits. She watched him and Nicholas noted that his floundering was bringing about a healthy flush in Anaryn's cheeks. If he thought it was embarrassment it would have been cute, but he was pretty sure her blood pressure was spiking with his nerves, which meant if he didn't spit it out soon, she was going to bite him again, regardless of whether either of them wanted that.
"What I mean is, I kind of just lost the element of surprise, and I'm not really prepared to ask, but yes, I do mean it. That's why I came back." He ran a hand through his hair to try to calm his nerves, "I mean, if I were prepared, I'd have a proper ring, for instance. I mean, I'm prepared in here." He pointed to his chest.
Anaryn just watched him for a long moment. Nicholas swallowed when her eyes retracted into cat-like slits, but didn't stand up from his kneel. Anaryn whispered quietly. "Am I still allowed to scare you and bite you?"
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
Oh, you’re all I taste, at night inside of my mouth
Oh, you run away, cause I am not what you found
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
Nicholas swallowed. "I'm going to regret this, but yes. Wouldn't be fair to deny you that."
She watched for a moment longer before she finally closed her eyes. After forcing herself to take a few deep breaths she opened her eyes and the pupils were back to normal, though she still remained flushed. She took Nicholas' hand. "There's a but here," she said. "Yes," she said and she couldn't entirely hide the tentative smile crossing her face. "But this was all so rushed. I want you to take some time to think about whether this is really right for you, and propose again when you are sure."
"And I've had to shop for a ring that's not made of scrap metal?" Nicholas suggested.
"Your ring can be made of string for all I care, but I've hurt you, and I want you to do what's right for you. I don't want you to propose because I got myself knocked up," she said seriously. Her right hand came up to cup his cheek while her left slid her finger through the empty-set symbol, and drew him in for a kiss, resisting the urge to draw him in for a bite instead. Besides, she'd said yes. He wasn't nervous anymore. But he'd be tasty again soon.
"Guys, I like PDA as much as the next vampire, but we are on a schedule here. Blast hits in five minutes," Kaitlyn called from upstairs.
Anaryn reluctantly let her hand drop from his cheek and intertwined their fingers, but she definitely made a face. "Where to? Do we take the Hollows evacuation, or just go back to your place?"
"My place is probably still in the affected area," Nicholas answered, looking out into the overly-persistent night sky.
"Do you still want to come with us?" she asked. "Or shall I catch you again when the danger's passed?"
"Yeah... the streets aren't exactly safe right now. Probably better to stay in a group."
She nodded and picked up a small suitcase. The rest could stay and would survive the blast, since she was apparently staying in Megatokyo. However, she paused when she was at the door of the shop. "Oh, and about that 'awkward' thing. You let me know when you're ready, so I don't get carried away again," she said lightly, but Nicholas could see the mischief in her eyes.
Nicholas blushed a little and said, "Well, I um... I'm not ready now now," looking at Kaitlyn. "But, um...you have my permission... as it were... to surprise me." His eyebrow waggle left little to the imagination.
No, i cannot get you out
No, i cannot get you out...
Oh no, I cannot get you.
"Ieewwwww! Stable couples are so embarassing!" Kaitlyn squealed.
Summary:
-Kaitlyn does not actually want to chase Nicholas off, she just wants her sister to be happy, by whatever means necessary
-Nicholas admits to Kaitlyn what's been eating at their relationship for the past 2 threads-- Anaryn raped him just before the demon invasion.
-Despite the obvious and heavy baggage of their relationship, they both want to try to work things out.
-They will not be fleeing the city permanently after all.
Authors' Notes:
This is the result of approximately 5 drafts' worth of attempting and revising putting this plot line into a concluded state. The issues involved were very heavy, and looking back, we probably should not have taken them in quite a serious and dark direction. It seemed to fit with the thread at the time, but having that weight on their relationship sucked a lot of the fun out of writing for them, which is part of why it's taken us over a year to get this conclusion written (most of that time spent with us not paying much attention to it-- it wasn't continuous effort).
But it's done, and I think it hangs together reasonably. If there are any lines that make no sense, let us know in comments so we can clean them up-- they're probably remnants of previous drafts.
I'd love to know what happened to the other characters after the end of the demon invasion. So many plot threads were left hanging due to lack of people to write with! I'd love to hear what other people think happened with their characters.
Trigger warning: This post contains a reference to rape.
Teh Awkward is So Embarrassing
Musical Ambiance:My Immortal (Evanscence) (Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5anLPw0Efmo)
I'm so tired of being here,
suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave,
I wish that you would just leave
Your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
Nicholas paused outside the shop door, collecting himself. He really had no idea how to do what he was about to do, and he was terrified thanks to Anaryn-withdrawal. Not to mention that Anaryn's sister was a piece of work, and he couldn't resort to violence to solve the problem. He couldn't quite remember why she was a piece of work. Only bits and pieces leaked through the memory wipe. Something about her calling him meat. Something about her seeming more afraid of him than vice versa. Something about Anaryn meekly allowing her to take charge nevertheless, and that was what really scared him. Not what Kaitlyn might have done out of fear of him, but that Anaryn might have cooperated because she might still want him gone.
These wounds won't seem to heal.
This pain is just too real.
There's just too much that time cannot erase
He squared his shoulders, reached a hand inside his vampire hunter's uniform, and walked inside.
The sight that presented itself to him was not one he expected. The whole shop was neat as a pin-- well, that part was fairly normal-- but it was nearly empty as well. Anaryn's sister was painting over the various paintings of "All the Perfumes" over the years with a roller. That rankled him-- they were good paintings to just casually make go away like that. Anaryn was helping Azusa pack up her cave (and more importantly, her treasure hoard). All of the clothing racks were empty, and a stack of boxes, each addressed to a customer and ready to mail, stood by the door. Anaryn's mezusah was no longer on the doorway to the stairs up to Anaryn's apartment, and a pair of suitcases were parked against the wall. Even Kaya and Charlotte were packing a tiny suitcase on the counter. Anaryn was too distracted by Azusa and her unusually large collection of chotchkes to notice Nicholas' entry. But Anaryn's sister, Kaitlyn, noticed him immediately.
"Anaryn, don't go! No, wait-- you can go-- just take me with you," Nicholas exclaimed, blushing a little. One sentence in and he was already botching things. The sad part was it wasn't even a record for him.
Kaitlyn's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh good! Snacks for the road. I was feeling a bit peckish," she announced.
Nicholas glared. "Butt out. This is between me and Anna, and she doesn't need your pretend-scary. I know why you're doing this."
"Who's pretending?" she asked innocently.
Nicholas shrugged as inoffensively as he could manage. This was going to be a delicate line to walk. "The person who, when she first saw me, was afraid of me 'cause I'm a vampire hunter. At least, that's what I remember."
Kaitlyn bared her fangs. "Maybe a vampire a hunter on the outside, but under the hood you're still grade-A meat."
"Outside's all you're ever going to get to find out about, sis'," Nicholas answered. "C'mon Anaryn. You don't have to hide behind Kaitlyn with me. Just tell me what you want straight out."
Anaryn pointed down emphatically to the already-filled suitcase by her feet, and Azusa hrmphed. She then made her way to the counter, giving Kaitlyn a stern look. "Let him be, Kaitlyn." Kaitlyn shrugged nonchalantly before going back to whitewashing the place at vampire speed, though conveniently picking a task very close to where Nicholas was standing. "Nicholas, you can't go where we're going. It was fun, but this is it."
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
Nicholas stared at her, confused. "Why?"
"You are a vampire hunter, and I'm going home to live with my folks," Anaryn said. "The Hollows was much more tolerant to our relationship than most vampire communities are going to be."
"Do we really have enough time for all this plot exposition?" Kaitlyn asked, "The sirens are getting louder."
Nicholas shook his head. "Just like that?"
"Just like what? Like a spoiled little brat discarding a toy she's gotten bored with?" Anaryn asked bitterly, refusing to make eye contact with him. With her hands she fidgeted by helping Charlotte pack up her note cards.
"I think I at least deserve an explanation," he stated firmly.
Anaryn finally looked up from the cards in front of her, opening her mouth like she was about to say something. For a moment, something flitted across her features, but she quickly closed her eyes and when she opened them again it was gone behind her emotional shields.
Kaitlyn put a worried hand on her sister's arm, "This stress isn't good for you right now. Maybe I can wipe him hard enough that he'll stay unconcious until we're clear."
Anaryn bit her lip, clearly tempted. She finally made eye contact with him and whispered, barely audibly, "Please?"
"No," Nicholas stated firmly. "Maybe it's different for you, but I don't want to just lose a year of my life."
However, Kaitlyn must have thought the 'please' was directed at her because she replied sweetly with, "My pleasure." As she raised her hand, yellow light gathered around it. There was a bright flash.
You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me
"Wha... what happened?" Kaitlyn asked, somewhat dazedly. "Why is there a piece of metal in front of me?"
Nicholas was holding stock still. In his hands, he was holding a plate-sized mirror between himself and Kaitlyn. But the reason he dared not move was because in that instant, Anaryn had jumped across the counter and landed behind him. She had one of her delicate hands across his eyes, also shielding him from the flash, the warm sensation of her skin on his sending a slight tingle down his spine. For a moment, he was afraid to move, afraid to break whatever spell had dragged a corner of his Anaryn back to the surface. Underneath was another story. His mind reeled as it tried to analyze what Anaryn's latest move in their bizarre chess game of a relationship meant.
"What the hell, Anna?" Kaitlyn asked, stomping her foot. "I thought you wanted to leave him behind. He's a hunter who obviously isn't going to leave you alone as long as he remembers." At the sound of Kaitlyn's shrill voice, Anaryn quickly retracted her hand from Nicholas' face. With a blush, she tucked her hands behind her back and took a few steps away from his personal space.
Nicholas backed up until both Kaitlyn and Anaryn were in front of him once again, not trusting Anaryn behind him. "Please, Anaryn. Stop playing games and just tell me what's going on. I know about the baby. What I don't know is why that means you suddenly have to get rid of me."
The surprise came and went across Anaryn's face so fast that he would have missed it had he not gotten so used to watching her reactions. "I think that about sums it up, really. Vampire hunter with a vampire child?"
Nicholas shrugged. "I wouldn't be seeing you if I didn't think vampires were people. What's the problem? And what makes you think the child's going to come out a vampire?" He almost said, 'you're barely one yourself' but managed to restrain himself at the last moment. That'd drop his chances to zero pretty much instantly.
Anaryn made a pained face and crossed her arms. "I... don't know. But I'm not human. Unlike other vampires, I never was human. I can't imagine it'll be human..." She shook her head, all the while her gaze avoiding Nicholas' eyes. "But that's besides the point. With a child... our child... I need to start over. I... I can't be around you. I can't take..." Though her voice had started strong and confident, but as she spoke, her voice got so quiet Nicholas couldn't make out her last words. But Kaitlyn could and her eyes narrowed slightly.
These wounds won't seem to heal.
This pain is just too real,
There's just too much that time cannot erase
"What did he do, Anna?" Kaitlyn asked, confusion evident on her face. Her hands, which had been up and ready to flash Nicholas the moment his guard, dropped lowered a few inches.
Anaryn stood up straighter and Nicholas could see the wheels turning as she tried to find a way out of whatever jam she'd gotten herself in. "I..." she started, glaring at Kaitlyn. But when her eyes fell on Nicholas, he saw fear and pain in her eyes peering around the cracks in her armor, "He didn't do anything. It was me. It's... I'm sorry..." she finally whispered and was gone before Nicholas blinked.
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
Kaitlyn shook her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "This is so embarrassing. Can I just blame her emotional outbursts on the pregnancy?"
Nicholas shrugged. "I'd say it was my fault, but... I kinda feel like she's always had this in her...like a time bomb waiting to go off. There just weren't enough civilians in the area until I showed up."
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
"I didn't realize how much Aaron had messed her up," Kaitlyn whispered, shaking her head in amazement.
"This isn't about Aaron. This is about God," Nicholas replied. "There's no faith like a broken faith... only I don't think it's completely broken. Maybe it's just that there's no atheists in a fox-hole. But when the demons came, Anaryn was a real live miracle worker. Part of her still believes."
"What about the other part?" Kaitlyn asked.
"That part is about to realize she left her stuff," Nicholas replied, putting his foot on one of her suitcases and grinning a little.
Kaitlyn smiled a bit. "You are dangerous."
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
Me
Me
Upstairs, said Anaryn was having a crisis of her own making. She was kneeling on the living-room floor of the second story, her face buried in her hands. Damn him! she thought, Why couldn't he just let me erase his memories of that awful night? It would be so much easier on everyone.
Feelings she hadn't felt in decades were threatining to surface. Guilt. Regret. Even love. Some of these were feelings a vampire was never meant to feel, and because of that, she didn't know what she wanted to do anymore, let alone what she should do. All her vampiric instincts were telling her to flee, but her Jewish instincts were telling her to go back downstairs and face the music.
And so she just sat there.
In My Veins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymJvCqECR44
Nothing goes as planned
Everything will break
People say goodbye
In their own special way
Kaitlyn looked out the front windows as a pack of vampires moved quickly towards one of the evacuation points. "So while we wait for my wayward sister to come crawling back, why is there an evacuation?"
"So there's this ninja, goes by the name of Figaro. Real... traditional Japanese family name," Nicholas explained, with a grimace in the direction of the fourth wall. "He has a ...reputation or periodically... well... exploding if tampered with. And it's usually holy energy. TPCD put out an alert because someone stole the sword he uses to regulate his energies. He'll hold it in as long as he can, but he did enough damage with just a small vent last year that the Hollows has an evacuation plan in place, just in case."
Kaitlyn looked suitably impressed. "So everyone will just come back when it's all over?"
"Yep. Reckon a few of them will try to sue him for civil damages... if there's anything left of him when the vent's over," Nicholas checked his watch while they waited. He didn't want to see Anaryn caught in the blast, but there was still some time before the final evacuation call.
"This city is so strange..." Kaitlyn said with a shake of her head. "I can see why Anaryn likes it here."
Nicholas gave a half-smile. "They do match."
Kaitlyn watched him for a minute, evaluating how suicidal it would be to pry. "So. My sister. Do you love her?"
Nicholas crinkled his brow. "I want to. She makes it so hard sometimes."
All that you rely on
And all that you could fake
Will leave you in the morning
Come find you in the day
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
Oh, you’re all I taste, at night inside of my mouth
Oh, you run away, cause I am not what you found
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
"I think our parents are to blame for that one." Kaitlyn whispered.
"I think she can stand to take some of the blame," Nicholas replied tiredly.
"Are you still angry at her?"
"You name it, I feel it," Nicholas replied.
"Jealousy?" she suggested, a little hopefully.
Nicholas shook his head, "Guess not. Can't say I envy her her position. Also, don't look at me like that."
Kaitlyn pouted, her stomach momentarily overshadowing her brain. "But I haven't eaten in days..." When Nicholas glared, Kaitlyn took a few steps back, holding her hands up in surrender. "Don't you look at me like that. I'll be good..."
"Well, if you decide not to go to London after the blast, there's a lot of petty rivalries in the Hollows. You could probably find a jealous person to chew on. They would probably thank you for it, and you probably wouldn't have to flash them for it because this city is full of crazy people."
Kaitlyn chuckled, "I'll think about it. I guess it depends on whether there's a hunter gunning for my sister when all is said and done."
Nicholas sighed tiredly. "There's only two ways this will end. Either together or one or the other of us ends up leaving the city. There's no resolution any other way. And this needs to be resolved."
"Stop metagaming, that's my job!" Ash protested from beyond the fourth wall. But no one in the room heard.
Everything will change
Nothing stays the same
Nobody is perfect
Oh, but everyone is to blame
All that you rely on
And all that you can save
Will leave you in the morning
Will find you in the day
What did she do?" Kaitlyn asked seriously.
Nicholas couldn't make eye contact. "She..." He stopped, not sure if he could make himself say it. "She raped me."
There was awkward silence in the room for a moment.
"Oh", was all Kaitlyn could manage. Nicholas nodded distractedly. After a moment, she asked, "Why are you here?!"
Nicholas swallowed, determination showing in his eyes. "We had something, before that. Call it chance, or chemistry, or I don't know what. I want to see if we can get back to that. Move past this."
"Move past it... Can you really forgive her for that?" Kaitlyn pressed on.
Nicholas' gaze looked distant. "Eventually. Gonna be some damned awkward make up sex." He then blushed intensely, realizing he'd just said that to the Anaryn's sister.
"How can you even think of having sex with me again, after what I did?" Anaryn whispered, coming down the stairs. She wore a guarded expression, but he could make out honest confusion in her eyes.
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
Oh, you’re all I taste, at night inside of my mouth
Oh, you run away, cause I am not what you found
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
Nicholas blushed even more furiously, if that was possible, "Well, I...um...da, oh look your baby sister is standing right next to me. There's no way I can answer that question."
"You owe me, hunter," Kaitlyn replied with a chuckle and was gone in a flash.
The older vampire came into the little lobby of the dry-cleaners and stopped well outside of Nicholas' personal space. "Nicholas...you should be with someone you can trust to respect you as a person all the time, and not just when it's convenient. And you don't deserve to have to raise a child who will be a constant reminder of how I took advantage of you. You deserve better than that."
"It's not about rewards and punishments," Nicholas replied. "I'm not your parents. It's not my job."
"No, it's about me finally doing right by you. And it's not right for you to spend the rest of your life dealing with the consequences of my mistake," Anaryn replied. She started to fidget, so she instead took a seat at the counter and folded her hands in her lap where she wouldn't do something she would regret.
"Not letting me see my child doesn't seem right to me. Isn't he or she a consequence?"
Anaryn's hand drifted to her abdomen. After a moment, she said very meekly, "Yes..." With a headshake and a self deprecating laugh, she added bitterly, "Four hundred years and this is the union that results in an offspring. I don't know how I am going to face what I did."
Nicholas put a hand out. "You don't have to face it alone."
No I cannot get you out
No I cannot get you out
Oh no, I cannot get you out
No I cannot get you out
Anaryn looked at his hand like there might be a bear trap in it. "I feed on fear. How can this even work?"
"I don't know. It worked for a while. Ya know, before," he replied earnestly.
"Yeah," she replied skeptically. "By me turning you into a yo-yo. Would you really want to spend any length of time in a relationship like that?" she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling exposed with so much of her laid bare. Her gaze remained solidly fixed on his feet.
"I did. Anyway, you had a stable relationship before," Nicholas regretted the words the instant he said them.
She finally met his gaze, and the icy, hurt glare she gave him sent a shiver straight to his core. "You mean my marriage to a mortal who turned himself into a monster like me," she said with a bitter laugh, "My husband who subsequently tried to murder you at least three times, kidnapped me and tried to rape me, all because he wanted to be together forever?"
The bitterness of her own words stung her ears and she was reminded of the real reason she had offered to ressurect Sareth. She had hoped that she would die in his place, and she wouldn't have to face the same possibility with Nicholas, or worse become the monster who hunted him down like Aaron had hunted her. She had thought that God had allowed her to ressurect Sareth because God had agreed with her logic - a vampire's life for a mortal's life - but then Nicholas had to go and save her - again.
"You shouldn't compare yourself to him. You're different. You aren't a monster," Nicholas replied, "I told you that at the hospital."Everything is dark
It’s more than you could take
But you catch a glimpse of sunlight
Shining
Shining down on your face
Your face
On your face
"You're the only one who believes that. Even my sister thinks I'm a monster now," she replied. "You should have let me die on the rooftops."
"I do not!" Kaitlyn's light voice called from the back of the store, followed by the sound of her hands quickly covering her mouth.
Anaryn blushed profusely and looked at Nicholas. "The difference between a monster and a person, is that a person can choose," Nicholas told her.
Initially she looked like she was going to argue. After a moment of various emotions flitting across her features, she closed her eyes and nodded. "I know. I restrained myself in the past. I'm sorry I hurt you," she said finally, though it was a barely audible whisper.
Nicholas gave a sad little smile. "So. Do you want to try to keep this dance going, or have there been too many mashed toes?"
Anaryn bit her lip and opened her eyes. "What do you want to do?"
Nicholas resisted the urge to say that he had asked first. "I want to learn more about you. See how deep the rabbit hole goes, as it were. Umm... perhaps that wasn't the best choice of words. And if I'm going to be a father, I want to do it as... as part of a family."
She quirked an eyebrow and got that look that sent shivers down Nicholas' spine. "Is that supposed to be a proposal?"
Nicholas turned a delightful pink. "Well, I, ummm...what the hell. I... uh... don't have a ring, or anything, but..." he ripped the empty set symbol off his hat, bent the center slash out of the way so that it made at least a vague ring shape, got down on one knee, and, muttering a little to himself, said, "Anaryn Castella, will you marry me?"
"Anaryn, your childhood friend was Shakespeare. You gonna take that?" Kaitlyn heckled from the stairs. Nicholas tried to ignore her, and kept his gaze on Anaryn.
"'What the hell', huh?" Anaryn echoed skeptically.
"Oh, you heard that?" Nicholas asked with a nervous and thoroughly un-masculine laugh. "No, no, that's not what I meant-- I mean, I do mean it, but the..." he stopped, swallowed, and attempted to gather his wits. She watched him and Nicholas noted that his floundering was bringing about a healthy flush in Anaryn's cheeks. If he thought it was embarrassment it would have been cute, but he was pretty sure her blood pressure was spiking with his nerves, which meant if he didn't spit it out soon, she was going to bite him again, regardless of whether either of them wanted that.
"What I mean is, I kind of just lost the element of surprise, and I'm not really prepared to ask, but yes, I do mean it. That's why I came back." He ran a hand through his hair to try to calm his nerves, "I mean, if I were prepared, I'd have a proper ring, for instance. I mean, I'm prepared in here." He pointed to his chest.
Anaryn just watched him for a long moment. Nicholas swallowed when her eyes retracted into cat-like slits, but didn't stand up from his kneel. Anaryn whispered quietly. "Am I still allowed to scare you and bite you?"
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
Oh, you’re all I taste, at night inside of my mouth
Oh, you run away, cause I am not what you found
Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out
Nicholas swallowed. "I'm going to regret this, but yes. Wouldn't be fair to deny you that."
She watched for a moment longer before she finally closed her eyes. After forcing herself to take a few deep breaths she opened her eyes and the pupils were back to normal, though she still remained flushed. She took Nicholas' hand. "There's a but here," she said. "Yes," she said and she couldn't entirely hide the tentative smile crossing her face. "But this was all so rushed. I want you to take some time to think about whether this is really right for you, and propose again when you are sure."
"And I've had to shop for a ring that's not made of scrap metal?" Nicholas suggested.
"Your ring can be made of string for all I care, but I've hurt you, and I want you to do what's right for you. I don't want you to propose because I got myself knocked up," she said seriously. Her right hand came up to cup his cheek while her left slid her finger through the empty-set symbol, and drew him in for a kiss, resisting the urge to draw him in for a bite instead. Besides, she'd said yes. He wasn't nervous anymore. But he'd be tasty again soon.
"Guys, I like PDA as much as the next vampire, but we are on a schedule here. Blast hits in five minutes," Kaitlyn called from upstairs.
Anaryn reluctantly let her hand drop from his cheek and intertwined their fingers, but she definitely made a face. "Where to? Do we take the Hollows evacuation, or just go back to your place?"
"My place is probably still in the affected area," Nicholas answered, looking out into the overly-persistent night sky.
"Do you still want to come with us?" she asked. "Or shall I catch you again when the danger's passed?"
"Yeah... the streets aren't exactly safe right now. Probably better to stay in a group."
She nodded and picked up a small suitcase. The rest could stay and would survive the blast, since she was apparently staying in Megatokyo. However, she paused when she was at the door of the shop. "Oh, and about that 'awkward' thing. You let me know when you're ready, so I don't get carried away again," she said lightly, but Nicholas could see the mischief in her eyes.
Nicholas blushed a little and said, "Well, I um... I'm not ready now now," looking at Kaitlyn. "But, um...you have my permission... as it were... to surprise me." His eyebrow waggle left little to the imagination.
No, i cannot get you out
No, i cannot get you out...
Oh no, I cannot get you.
"Ieewwwww! Stable couples are so embarassing!" Kaitlyn squealed.
Summary:
-Kaitlyn does not actually want to chase Nicholas off, she just wants her sister to be happy, by whatever means necessary
-Nicholas admits to Kaitlyn what's been eating at their relationship for the past 2 threads-- Anaryn raped him just before the demon invasion.
-Despite the obvious and heavy baggage of their relationship, they both want to try to work things out.
-They will not be fleeing the city permanently after all.
Authors' Notes:
This is the result of approximately 5 drafts' worth of attempting and revising putting this plot line into a concluded state. The issues involved were very heavy, and looking back, we probably should not have taken them in quite a serious and dark direction. It seemed to fit with the thread at the time, but having that weight on their relationship sucked a lot of the fun out of writing for them, which is part of why it's taken us over a year to get this conclusion written (most of that time spent with us not paying much attention to it-- it wasn't continuous effort).
But it's done, and I think it hangs together reasonably. If there are any lines that make no sense, let us know in comments so we can clean them up-- they're probably remnants of previous drafts.
I'd love to know what happened to the other characters after the end of the demon invasion. So many plot threads were left hanging due to lack of people to write with! I'd love to hear what other people think happened with their characters.