'I bet I can tell you why you're here.'
Carol didn't need to hear Simon walk up behind her to know he was there. She felt him just as he rounded that corner. Those hazel eyes were like beacons in the night but it was that feeling you get when you're being watched. The hairs on the back of your neck that say 'WTF! ALARM!!!' She knew he was there, just like she knew he would come.
Carol stood and flicked the excess water from the hand that had been in the pond. With nothing to wipe it on, she used her other hand to spread the moisture. She did this not only because it was practical, but mostly because she didn't want him to see her hands trembling.
'Lately you've noticed something different in the way the world marches on. Something's changed and you're not sure what it is. Or, in your case, maybe you do. You act like you've made a decision. Like you're at peace with something that bothers you to the core. It's changed you. Opened your eyes and the eyes of other people around you. I'm not just crazy Carol, Ellis' familiar anymore. And you're not Simon, her lap dog...and you came to tell me that.'
She paused and shrugged.
'Or maybe you just came to ask me where Ellis is. Am I right?' She titled her head, tucking the same stray curl behind her ear. 'Or am I wrong, Simon?'
The Garden
He could smell the flowers before he could see them. Simon stepped down from the entrance of the convention hall and into the night blooming flower garden in search of Carol. He walked slowly down the path, listening to the murmurs of other guests walking about. Lovers had arms entwined or embraced in the shadows. At least he hoped they were embracing and not feeding out in open public.
The chest high brushes that surrounded the small pond in the center of the garden blocked his view of anyone standing near it. As he turned the corner, he found her, kneeling down at the water's edge.
Her dress was trailed behind her and her hand was drawing lazy circles in the water, causing a soft ripple across the glassy surface. For a moment, Simon had started to turn and leave, but stopped as she reached up to tuck a long blonde curl behind her ear. There was something about Carol now, as he looked at her. Something he was sure he had never seen before.
Or allowed himself to see.
The pond was full of white night bloomers and red flare water lilies. They were beautiful in the moonlight. The luminescence from the night sky sparkled in Carol's hair. Simon blinked, not really sure of what to make of his sudden thoughts of the woman he knew to be the property of his mistress and lover.
Carol the executive secretary in her lavender gown. It accented the colors of the pond and as she knelt there, quietly playing with the water, he was startled when she started speaking to him without looking up.
Carol
18 years ago
Simon Huntington
18 years ago
Simon blinked several times as she told him why he was there. It would seem that the clock of inevitability had not only started with his stand off with Ellis, but with Carol as well. He hadn't noticed her before, or the hundred other familiars that Ellis had possessed in the fifteen hundred plus years he had been with her. Definitely there were more even more beautiful than Carol, but he could not recall one ever capturing his attention as Carol had done. Maybe his realization that the world as he knew it should come to an end, opened up a part of his heart that he thought had long since faded away.
Maybe Ellis biting him and cursing him to this life was just a prelude. A necessary evil for a glorious end. Maybe, just maybe, he had lived a dozen lifetimes to tell Carol this one thing.
He reached out and pushed the other tendril of blonde hair back behind her other ear. 'I like it when your hair is out of your face. It's a shame to cover something so beautiful.'
He heard the words and something in him snapped. Simon felt his face flush and that little niggling voice in his head said, 'STOP!' He pulled his hand back and looked at it like it was on fire.
With an apologetic murmur, he took a step back and turned.
Maybe Ellis biting him and cursing him to this life was just a prelude. A necessary evil for a glorious end. Maybe, just maybe, he had lived a dozen lifetimes to tell Carol this one thing.
He reached out and pushed the other tendril of blonde hair back behind her other ear. 'I like it when your hair is out of your face. It's a shame to cover something so beautiful.'
He heard the words and something in him snapped. Simon felt his face flush and that little niggling voice in his head said, 'STOP!' He pulled his hand back and looked at it like it was on fire.
With an apologetic murmur, he took a step back and turned.
Carol
18 years ago
Simon pulled away from her and actually started to...run? 'What the...fuck?' She gathered up her dress and ran after him.
'Simon!'
He stopped and faced her.
'What are you doing? Why are you running?'
What in the blazing blue fuck was he doing? Carol could not figure out this man. One minute he's all over her, asking what's wrong. Concerned Simon. Simon with the puppy eyes. Next minute he's running like his hair was on fire. Wait no, if his hair was on fire, he'd jump in the pond. So I guess more like his hands were on fire? Shaking off her thought, she took a step forward and got mad.
'Listen, I don't know what's going on here either, bucko, but you don't come up to me, give me this...look of pained want, touch my HAIR? and then run off without a word. Throw me a bone here, will ya?'
She crossed her arms and huffed at him.
'Simon!'
He stopped and faced her.
'What are you doing? Why are you running?'
What in the blazing blue fuck was he doing? Carol could not figure out this man. One minute he's all over her, asking what's wrong. Concerned Simon. Simon with the puppy eyes. Next minute he's running like his hair was on fire. Wait no, if his hair was on fire, he'd jump in the pond. So I guess more like his hands were on fire? Shaking off her thought, she took a step forward and got mad.
'Listen, I don't know what's going on here either, bucko, but you don't come up to me, give me this...look of pained want, touch my HAIR? and then run off without a word. Throw me a bone here, will ya?'
She crossed her arms and huffed at him.
Simon Huntington
18 years ago
Boy, Carol had moxy, Simon thought as she practically stomped her foot and got angry. He didn't know whether to knock her block off or kiss her. He decided to shoosh her and pull her off to a shadowy part of the garden.
'Do you realize what just happened? What could happen? To the both of us? The one major rule in the vampire world that we just about broke?' She looked at him with hard blue eyes, waiting for him to say it.
'You don't belong to me, Carol. You belong to ELLIS.' He took a step forward and hissed her name. 'This...whatever this is...can't happen. Won't happen. Not if you don't want the entire clan coming after you. There'd be no where for us to go, Carol. She'd kill you in a heart beat and seal me in a cement grave forever.'
He gave her a sad look and he sighed defeated. 'I don't know what's happening either, Carol but...as much as I may want...you...' he blinked, confused that he was even saying what he just said, 'it can never happen.' He looked around with a paranoid look, afraid of whoever might have heard them.
'Do you realize what just happened? What could happen? To the both of us? The one major rule in the vampire world that we just about broke?' She looked at him with hard blue eyes, waiting for him to say it.
'You don't belong to me, Carol. You belong to ELLIS.' He took a step forward and hissed her name. 'This...whatever this is...can't happen. Won't happen. Not if you don't want the entire clan coming after you. There'd be no where for us to go, Carol. She'd kill you in a heart beat and seal me in a cement grave forever.'
He gave her a sad look and he sighed defeated. 'I don't know what's happening either, Carol but...as much as I may want...you...' he blinked, confused that he was even saying what he just said, 'it can never happen.' He looked around with a paranoid look, afraid of whoever might have heard them.
Carol
18 years ago
She nodded her head more than a little bit annoyed. Yes, yes, she knows the rules, for fuck sakes. She raised her hands and gave him a 'HELLO' look. 'Yes, Simon. I KNOW. But that doesn't explain what the FUCK is going on.'
Carol looked around and pulled him further into the garden, off the beaten path. 'You're up to something. Something big. Something very bad. WHAT IS IT? Is it this thing with Hillman that Ellis is going after? Is it Marthinus? What happened that's changed you into this...man I can't stop...thinking about? You're different, Simon. You're...god you seem almost whole. Driven.' She put her hands on his chest and felt the tears well up into her eyes for some god damn reason.
'Simon, I know your heart is in the clan. Ellis has...never seemed to care about it the way you do.' Her voice softened, almost to a whisper. 'You used to be this shadowy thing that trailed after her but now,' she reached up and touched his face. She watched him close his eyes and lean into it and for a moment Carol felt her heart want to love him, 'now you're suddenly becoming the man you were meant to be.'
The tears that welled up into her eyes fell down her cheek as she looked at him. She brought up her other hand and she cupped his face, her fingers lacing into his soft brown hair. She pulled him closer to her and his eyes slowly opened, looking deep into hers when suddenly he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back at arm's length.
Carol looked around and pulled him further into the garden, off the beaten path. 'You're up to something. Something big. Something very bad. WHAT IS IT? Is it this thing with Hillman that Ellis is going after? Is it Marthinus? What happened that's changed you into this...man I can't stop...thinking about? You're different, Simon. You're...god you seem almost whole. Driven.' She put her hands on his chest and felt the tears well up into her eyes for some god damn reason.
'Simon, I know your heart is in the clan. Ellis has...never seemed to care about it the way you do.' Her voice softened, almost to a whisper. 'You used to be this shadowy thing that trailed after her but now,' she reached up and touched his face. She watched him close his eyes and lean into it and for a moment Carol felt her heart want to love him, 'now you're suddenly becoming the man you were meant to be.'
The tears that welled up into her eyes fell down her cheek as she looked at him. She brought up her other hand and she cupped his face, her fingers lacing into his soft brown hair. She pulled him closer to her and his eyes slowly opened, looking deep into hers when suddenly he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back at arm's length.
Simon Huntington
18 years ago
In the moonlight she looked like the fairy he always teased her to be. Her hair done up in curls, the moonlight shining on her creamy shoulders and sparkles flying off the material of her dress. He ached in the places she touched him. When she placed her hands on his chest, he felt his knees want to buckle, but when Carol touched his face with those small delicate hands, he wanted to die. Good god, she was crying. He had never had anyone talk so profoundly of him. As a human or a vampire. Ellis never made him feel this way.
Carol's small hands cupped his face and pulled him closer. He opened his eyes and fell into her. He had never felt this ache before and he so desperately wanted to pull her close to him and...god just kiss her. Simon then realized something so awe inspiring yet so terrible that it snapped him out of his day dream.
He didn't want to bite Carol. He didn't feel the usual tingle in his fangs when so close to a desirable human. He recognized the feeling in him. Not only this want for her as a human, but this growing insatiable need to love her, as best he could, as long as he could and never taint her with his vampire side. The ache turned into pain and then into realization and he grabbed Carol by her shoulders and pushed her back.
He felt himself want to become angry but it was more fear. Fear for her. Fear that her need for Ellis and the euphoria she felt from being fed on would disappear. He knew it would and without the want of a bite came the excruciating pain from it. Then Ellis would know.
'Carol, when Ellis comes for you. To feed on you, will you want it? You know what will happen if you don't. She'll know. She'll KNOW, Carol.' He disengaged himself from her and stepped back. 'This will never happen, Carol. It can't.' He shook his head. 'If you need to speak to me within the Domicile, do it through Marthinus or Nova. Till whatever this is...fades away. Do you understand me?' He kept walking backwards, away from her. And she stood there, her arms at her sides, looking up at him with pained eyes. Her nose had turned a soft pink from her crying now and it made him want to go to her more.
'Just stay away, Carol.'
And with that, he left.
Carol's small hands cupped his face and pulled him closer. He opened his eyes and fell into her. He had never felt this ache before and he so desperately wanted to pull her close to him and...god just kiss her. Simon then realized something so awe inspiring yet so terrible that it snapped him out of his day dream.
He didn't want to bite Carol. He didn't feel the usual tingle in his fangs when so close to a desirable human. He recognized the feeling in him. Not only this want for her as a human, but this growing insatiable need to love her, as best he could, as long as he could and never taint her with his vampire side. The ache turned into pain and then into realization and he grabbed Carol by her shoulders and pushed her back.
He felt himself want to become angry but it was more fear. Fear for her. Fear that her need for Ellis and the euphoria she felt from being fed on would disappear. He knew it would and without the want of a bite came the excruciating pain from it. Then Ellis would know.
'Carol, when Ellis comes for you. To feed on you, will you want it? You know what will happen if you don't. She'll know. She'll KNOW, Carol.' He disengaged himself from her and stepped back. 'This will never happen, Carol. It can't.' He shook his head. 'If you need to speak to me within the Domicile, do it through Marthinus or Nova. Till whatever this is...fades away. Do you understand me?' He kept walking backwards, away from her. And she stood there, her arms at her sides, looking up at him with pained eyes. Her nose had turned a soft pink from her crying now and it made him want to go to her more.
'Just stay away, Carol.'
And with that, he left.
Carol
18 years ago
'Just stay away, Carol.'
She watched him leave. Quickly exiting the garden and walk back up the steps into the convention hall. Carol felt the pain well up inside her. Shaking her head she covered her face and sobs wracked her body. Not just because he pushed her away. But because she knew.
In a soft whimper Carol moaned, 'God, it's too late.'
She watched him leave. Quickly exiting the garden and walk back up the steps into the convention hall. Carol felt the pain well up inside her. Shaking her head she covered her face and sobs wracked her body. Not just because he pushed her away. But because she knew.
In a soft whimper Carol moaned, 'God, it's too late.'