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| ALCIDE |
He stayed at Belle Vita until just before dawn not wanting to be around when the Vampires came downstairs to go to ground. Not that his presence seemed to matter much. The remainder of the night he'd heard people moving around him but no one made any effort to engage him by coming into the library. The journal that Mason had tossed down on the desk seemed to start at the beginning. She'd been around eight and the entries were written in a young girls broken letters. The pages were filled with the hopes and dreams of a child, her daily experiences both good and bad,and of course all of her dreams. It seemed that she had started writing the journals around the time she started to dream of the white wolf. The mentioning of him starting within the first few entires. Many of the pages mentioning her dreams of him were written outside the lines as if she'd woken up in the middle of the night and wrote down what had happened in the dark. Both so she would not forget what had happened and so that her parents would not catch her. He came to her several times a month and he never showed her his other self. She knew he was in there and often asked if he would be willing to become human and talk to her but he never did. As she grew the visits became less frequent and unlike when she was younger she no longer believed he was actually in the dreams with her. Somewhere along the line he had become just a vision of what he had once been. He had left and she had no idea why. She wrote of her studies and how her powers seemed to grow without her even trying. The women of her line were thrilled and mesmerized by her, and she heard their whispers of how her abilities surpassed any they had known before. She often held back in the hopes of taking some of the eyes and pressure off of her. Only releasing newly acquired gifts when she was alone most often within the shelter of the meadow. She knew that she was expected to take over the coven. She did not want this nor did she want to incur the wrath of her Mother who wasn't to keen on her daughter surpassing her before she believed her time as leader had come to a end. He followed her through her first encounters with Alex, embarrassed to be reading about her loosing her virginity and knowing that much of what Rebecca knew sexually she learned from him. He read of the turmoil over her marriage to Christian. Her fears that her Mother's insistence despite her objections would lead to disaster. She knew that her Mother's visions were wrong. But in the end she had conceded and done what the dutiful daughter was supposed to do. She wrote of her wedding and how watching her marry someone else made Alex mad with jealousy and how Mason had worked his magic to get his son to understand and come to terms. She explained the dynamic of her and Christian's relationship as if trying to get people to accept it from the pages of her journal but knowing full well most would never get it if they knew the truth of it. She painfully recounted the two miscarriages she had before finally bringing Sage into the world. How she and Christian decided to leave after the death of her father. August Beniot has been Were and well, the pack leader and his death had come after a challenge to his leadership. Rebecca believed he had been murdered. Her Mother had honored the rites of pack law. It was then that the fragile thread that bound Mother and Daughter together broke. Rebecca held no respect for her Mother. Her actions going against everything Rebecca believed they should be. Christian more than willing to be free of the glaring eye of her family agreed to leave with her. It had hurt her to leave those she truly loved like Etigenne and Adele but they had given their blessings and even encouraged her to go. They had moved to New York and found a peace neither of them had known before. They were free to live their lives for themselves and had no one to answer to. She had been happy but there was always the shadow of something she could not see hanging over them. She often waxed poetic about the one that never came to be. The wolf from her dreams and how he had ceased being a part of them but she had never forgotten him. Many times it was his eyes she saw when she closed hers at night and she wondered what had become of him. Was he still out there? Did he ever think of her? The journals stopped around the time of Christian and Sage's deaths, none of that time documented in depth like the rest of her life to that point. They started back up a few years later and told of her travels,the companionship she had found with Mason and of her hopes for her new home in Bon Temps. He'd taken the one that contained the time they had known each other with him. The need to read the entries over and over without worrying about interruption. From the first day she had felt drawn to him and she had cried to Mason the night she realized that he was the wolf from her dreams. She had argued with herself over how much to say and when to say it. Expressed her fears of loosing him just when she had found him, the hurt his judgment had caused and the disappointment in herself over what had happened between her and Jason and how she has been thankful and elated when they had finally come together. He thrilled her and she craved him, all of him. The only mention of any spells regarding him was the one she had put on herself to hide the tattoo on her back. He had read of how she came to have it and now he couldn't wait to see it for himself. From what she wrote everything else had been real and just as scary for her as it had been for him.
" You thinking your gonna find something new in that book big brother?" Janice sat a cup of coffee in front of him. They were sitting in her shop, the rest of the crew was away at lunch. He hadn't been much use that morning but felt the need to at least make his presence known. There was no way he was going to sleep anyway.
" Don't know. Guess I half expect answers to come jumping out at me from the page. Maybe she could send them to me with her little mind melding powers." He moved his fingers around his sisters face. She slapped them away and told him to behave. He had no idea if she was even awake to do such a thing. He'd found himself calling for her a few times but if she was out there she was pretending not to be.
" You're gonna have to make your own choices and find your own answers now." She tapped her finger on the leather journal " She already gave you all the answers she has." He had shown up disheveled and half dead and after much prodding he had told Janice everything. She had been worried for Rebecca's health and Alcide's sanity. Then she had gotten angry when he told her of his reaction and now was trying to help him work through what he was feeling. He didn't often go to his sister for advice but right now he needed someone close to him, who had grown up the same way he had. Someone who knew why he had become the way he was. Janice of course thought he was nuts for even questioning it. She believed Rebecca was the best thing that had happened to him. The fact that she knew that he was Were had been married to and the daughter of one should have been the final selling point and sure as hell not a reason to question whether they belonged together or not. Rebecca knew pack life and it did not phase her. She could and would move through his world without hiccups. Janice thought Alcide should go beg her forgiveness and pray he hadn't fucked it up for good. Even her allegiance with Vampires didn't give Janice pause. Rebecca said Alcide was the one and she believed it was true.
" She says she's known me most of her life. That I came to her in her dreams but I don't remember any of it. I feel like I should but I don't."
" Wait." Janice was looking at him as if a light had just gone on in her head. " What do you mean you came to her in her dreams? When was this?"
" According to these" He held up the journal " When she was eight."
" No shit? You two are about the same age right?" she was working something through in her head.
" She's a few months younger but yeah why?" he asked.
She shook her head back and forth slowly. " You really don't remember do you?" She looked at him as if willing him to know what she was talking about. Alcide of course had nothing. " Man he did a number on you" she whispered to herself.
" Janice" he said his tone more than a little pissy.
" Okay, I'll spill but don't go getting shitty with me ya here?" she sat back in her chair and gave him her best no nonsense glare.
He nodded and then waited.
" You were eight and I was six and it was summer. We had gone to visit Uncle Mike in North Carolina. Dad had been hoping to get you to turn while we were out there but of course you were fighting the change with all you had. Hated the idea of it from the very beginning. It pissed him off that you were refusing to acknowledge your second nature. Dad despite his trust no one mentality has always been damned proud of being a Wolf. Made him feel powerful and above everyone and he expected you to be just like him." So far he remembered and agreed with everything Janice had said. His Dad had been extremely hard on him. Still was.
"We'd been there a couple of weeks when you started talking about his girl. You'd tell me about how you'd come across her in this field of tall grass and how she hadn't jumped or been scared when she saw you. That she would let you come sit next to her and talk and read to you. You never spoke of girls with anything but distain in those days but when you spoke of her you would blush and I teased you about it until the day you threw me in the lake for it. I thought you were in love with the redhead girl with the nose full of freckles. I didn't know at first she was just a dream I thought you were sneaking off to meet her when you disappeared for hours into the woods. I would look for her myself when we'd go into town or when we'd be around other people for barbecues or picnics. I really wanted to meet the girl who had made you kind of nice for a change. I figured she had to be amazing and if she could be friends with you she'd be friends with me to. But eventually I heard you telling Uncle Mike about her and how she came to you when you were asleep. You told him how excited you were and how it made you less scared of the change knowing that there were people who would still like you as a wolf. You were really worried about people finding out about you. Always wanting to fit in and not call attention to yourself. Uncle Mike had a soft spot for you knowing what Dad was like so he encouraged you to talk about her but only with me or him. He told you specifically NOT to say anything to Dad. You never had any intentions of doing so but unlike our parents you listened to what Uncle Mike told you. You started to change and Dad was thrilled until one day he overheard you talking with Uncle Mike. He'd been hearing snip-its of conversations but hadn't thought much of it. But when he heard that this girl was a dream and that the only reason you were changing was because of her and how you knew that if you found her you could tell her Dad went nuts. He grabbed you by the arm and tossed you against the wall. Screaming that you were to never talk about her again and you were to never ever tell anyone about what you were." She paused.
Alcide sat silent his gut churning. He could hear his Dad screaming and remembered he had ran from the house afterward and thrown up in the woods. His Dad had scared her out of him. She had made him feel feel like a freak and that made him weak. Weakness was not something Herveaux men were aloud to feel much less exhibit.
" I really can't believe you don't remember anything. I just figured you put her in your pocket after that. I had no idea he'd made you forget her."
His forehead broke out in a sweat and his lip started to quiver, the memories that flooded back to him were not one's he'd read in the pages of Rebecca's journals. She could not have known his point of view of their encounters. She had not be around to hear the conversations he had with his Uncle or know the pain he had felt in the days after the confrontation with his father. He had buried her because of the shame his father had made him feel. But now there she was, every moment he'd spent with her. Even after he'd stopped talking of her until the guilt ate away at him and he'd made himself stop thinking of her. It was then that his rebellion had truly begun. He'd never looked at his father the same again and he had never been able to trust anyone completely. Within those few minutes his father had turned him hard and whatever childlike innocence he'd had had been lost forever. She had been there all along. Everything she had said had been true and now his heart beat hard in his chest causing him to double over. He longed to see her, to tell her and hope that she still felt the way she had that last night they had been together. He knew where he wanted to see her. He just needed to get there.
" Janice, I'm gonna head out. I got something I need to do." He jerked himself up out of his chair knocking it over and jumping forward at the sound of the crash. He ran his hands through his hair and started to bend to pick the chair up when Janice grabbed it instead.
" You go Alcide. Fix it if you can and don't worry 'bout anything else." Alcide nodded and grabbing the journal as he went hightailed it to his van.
It hadn't taken him long to fall asleep. He was exhausted and determined to get to her. It might have been easier just to drive to Belle Vita but he knew she was being looked after and that the chances he'd be left alone with her was slim. He checked through the house, double locking the newly installed deadbolts and fell into his bed. He awoke in the field, human and alone. He was lying on the blanket a pillow under his head. He looked up at the clear blue sky and listened to the sounds around him. After a few minutes when he felt sure that he would stay there he began to call her. When he got no response he became restless and wondered if it was possible she could be somewhere else within the dream. He easily made his way through the grass and out into the wood his eyes finding a grown over path that he began to follow. The day was sunny and the light came down in scattered beams splashing varying places along the forrest floor. It was green and lush and the hint of myst kept everything cool and clean. He walked slowly taking everything in the memories flooding back. His Uncle had been a calming influence and when he'd died not to long after Alcide had turned twenty it had torn him up . The woods around his Uncle's had been very similar. His homestead on the boarder between the two states. He supposed the close proximity is what had opened their minds to one another. He couldn't believe that he'd really been in those dreams with her. So many things he didn't understand. He'd always been the kind of man to believe in what he could see and what he could feel. If you couldn't show him or prove it to him he didn't subscribe to it. But there was much about Rebecca that just was. He'd have to start taking things on faith and trust. She was a witch, who could call upon the elements, read minds and could steady the most jittery of nerves. A flash of Terri from the party came into his head. She'd done that to he thought with a smile. She was immortal. What did that mean? Like a vampire she would never die? Her journals said very little about her immortality. She had mentioned Etienne doing research trying to discover what it was that made them how they were. How he had spent years looking for others of their kind. She had written of her father's death and how she had stayed by his body expecting him to come back. Apparently bloodline was not a guarantee... She wasn't quite sure how it worked herself. She felt like she aged but she looked exactly the same as she had the night she'd died the first time. He couldn't help but wonder what if any lasting scars she would have from the two nights ago. He thought back to the last time he had seen her being carried away by Bill. She'd been grey and white hot. He hated that he had no idea what had been wrong or if she was okay. He hoped that he would find her here. If not he'd have to face the unwelcoming scene waiting for her at her home.
He had no concept of time here but he could tell hours had passed while he walked by the way the sun moved through the wood. He had seen no signs of her. Not even a scent. It had been years since she'd roamed these woods. Somehow they seemed sad and lonely without her. He knew how they felt.
He made his way back to the field and as he pushed his way through the last thicket of grass before the meadow he saw movement. Blue fabric blew lightly in the breeze and he could just make out the the curve of her body lying curled on the blanket he had left behind. He smiled and said thanks to anyone who might be listening. When he reached her he could see she was sound asleep. He lay down next to her and ran his fingers across her temple and through her hair.
" Becca" he whispered. She stirred and and after calling her name again she opened her eyes. She blinked away the sleep and when he came into focus,she smiled. It was the most beautiful thing he had seen in a very long time.
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| REBECCA |
She thought she heard her name being called but it sounded muffled and far away so she couldn't be sure. She struggled to focus and move towards the sound not sure who it was but sure that she needed to answer the call. When she finally worked her way into her consciousness she opened her eyes and blinked, the brightness of the sun above temporary blinding her. She turned her head to the side letting her eyes adjust to the light and clear of sleep. She knew she was in a dream but the voice she had expected to hear wasn't the one that spoke her name.
" Alcide?" Her head jerked straight up and when she saw the dark slightly crooked features of his face she smiled. " Holy hell how did this happen?"
Her favorite grin spread shyly across his face "Hell if I know, I fell asleep and have I've been waiting for you ever since. Didn't think I was doing it right."
She sat up and looked around her. She was back home in the field where so many of her dreams took place and in this one Alcide was human. She looked down at herself, her body here was fully healed, there was no pain or effects from the infection that had ravaged through her the last twenty-four hours. She was whole and she couldn't help but notice wearing a royal blue spaghetti strapped maxi dress.
" Well this isn't mine." She pulled at the string and gave Alcide a did you do this look. " Your dream, your clothing choice so don't look at me like you didn't have anything to do with it."
He'd seen it in a shop in Shreveport and had wondered what she would look like in it. " You don't like it?" His glare told her he surely did.
" It's beautiful and my boobs look great. Guess it's not what I expected to be wearing." She adjusted the girls and the hem of the dress which was blowing up her leg with the breeze surrounding them.
"What did you expect?" He asked quizitively.
" Well to be honest either a witch costume or naked." She stifled a giggle and ached an eyebrow at him.
" Didn't think naked would be a good idea right off the bat and we'll save the costume for Halloween." He deflected the images of her naked in previous dreams. Rebecca shook her head and sent him a few of the images she'd seen in his head before.
" Ah shit." He muttered and looked down at the ground.
"It's all right your not unlike every other man. You just have the disadvantage of having a woman who can see inside there" She sent to him tapping her finger on his temple
" And you wouldn't be here now either." he sent back.
" No I wouldn't. You move around the silent conversation well." She looked at him closely, she knew being here like this was a good sign but he was keeping the details close to the vest. He also knew how to block her when he needed to.
" Guess this is what was going on whenever you and Mason were passing looks back and forth. I thought it was just because you knew each other for so long or the blood tie but it was because you were talking around people."
" Yes when it is just the two of us we have been known not to say a word for days." she shrugged.
" I can see how this can come in handy. You can say all the things you are thinking to someone without hurting anyone else's feelings."
" It does make being caddy about someone's clothing choices or their lack of table manners much easier. It also saves you from having to scream down the stairs at your man when you want him to bring back something to snack on with that soda he originally went down to get."
" LIke I said handy." his eyes moved to her mid section his mind flashing on what she'd looked like in the circle. " Are you alright?" he asked
" Yes, here I am fine." She took his hand and put it to her stomach moving it around so he could feel the smoothness through the fabric." In the real world I'm doing better. I had an infection. Silvia has it under control." She turned his hand around and traced the length of his life line. Long and uncut. A promising sign. She was surprised she had never noticed it before. She moved her fingers between the spaces of his and curled them around taking a tight hold.
" I thought at first this was all a fever dream but I guess you really are here aren't you?"
He gave her a squeeze. He kept expecting her to be be angry, bitter or to walk away.
"I told you I wasn't going anywhere." she squeezed back.
" Yes you did." he paused. " Becca did Mason tell you he let me read your journals?"
She nodded. She didn't object to him reading them. Mason had been angry when he had given Alcide access but he had known exactly what he was doing. His intentions had been to get Alcide to come to terms, to make a decision. It had been more for her than for Alcide but whatever the result he wanted a resolution. Mason wanted the hurt on both sides to stop and he knew that sometimes it was easier for people to wrap their heads around things through the written word. Rebecca had been moving around her life instead of hitting it straight on. It was not her usual way of doing things. She'd put on the kid gloves and it had gotten her ripped in half both physically and emotionally. She laid out her life in those journals and if he couldn't understand and find his way to her after reading them then he would never be able to. If reading her words got him here then she was happy for it.
" I am sorry that I made it impossible for you to be completely honest with me. I don't suppose most of what I read would normally be admitted to so early into things but you and I are not normal people. My self loathing kept you from being who you were and for whatever reason you let that hatred guide your decisions. I knew so much, I just couldn't let my self admit to. I should have had faith in the feeling I had that you were different. Everything told me you would understand, I just wish I'd listened instead of denying it."
He stopped and hung his head.
" I know that what happened in the woods wasn't me but it was my hand and you can never understand the pain that went through me knowing that I had killed you. I was sitting there thinking there was no going back. I could never hide what I had done and I was contemplating whether to kill myself or take the cowards way out and let Mason do it. I would have never been able to live with myself. I'd never have been a whole man again. The sights and the smells of that night, I will never forget." A tear ran down his face and Rebecca brushed it away with her thumb as it reached his jaw. He looked at her, his own agony running through his mind, his eyes hopeful for forgiveness.
" I remember everything." He hadn't until that morning. His Sister reminded him of a time he had lost and she went through the images he showed her to see how close they had been to one another and that he had been forced by a Father who would never understand to abandon his thoughts of her.
She raised herself up on her knees and pulled him to her. He fell into her embrace and she stroked the side of his face as a few more silent tears fell away with any lingering doubt.
" I told you we were meant to be." She kissed his head and then brought his face up and moved her lips lightly across his.
" I can show you if you'd like." she kissed him again this time letting her lips linger and wait for the feel of them to send a shudder through his body. The chemistry between the two of them shifted and what he needed from her changed. His arms stayed around her but clutched the back of her dress pulling it down so that his fingers could feel more bare flesh. His lips responded by parting and taking her lip in between. Slowly he pulled her in savoring the taste of her not wanting to let her go but not sure he should keep going. His mind was racing his heart beating out of his chest. The thrill of having her this close again consumed him, it felt like so much more than a dream. She pulled his head back and looked deeply into his eyes that saw her clearly despite the reddening brought on by his tears. She put her hands to the side of his head and showed him all the things she knew they could be. The happiness they could bring each other if they just gave in to it. How they could find the contentment they had both be searching for and find some peace.
She then sent him a silent " It's okay" along with the feelings that ran through her whenever they were this close. This time it was he who pulled her into the kiss with out hesitation. He tasted like cream and sugar and his skin was warmed from the sun and the heat of his second nature. When she breathed him in she caught the scent of the pines that surrounded them. He was here in her special place holding her and everything became about getting closer. She let him pull her down onto the blanket and with hot passionate kisses and hands all over she let herself go and forget about everything but what she felt at that moment.
He stopped just short of taking her seemingly satisfied with laying his lips an hands all over her. She read that he was still worried she wasn't quite whole inside and she did not bother reminding him that there was no limitations within a dream. She's been happy just to be near him and to know that he was happy to be near her to. She was lying in the crook of his arm moving her fingers across his chest smiling each time the little jolts she sent through him made him wiggle in his place.
" You have quite a few tricks up your sleeve I have yet to experience don't you?" The thought of finding out what they were excited him greatly. Having a magically gifted girlfriend could be fun her thought dirtily.
" Oh you have only begun to know the benefits of my abilities." She said teasingly.
" I'm looking forward to finding out all about them." he turned onto his side and ran his hand along the side of her face. His hair fell forward as he leaned down and kissed her gently. " You said earlier you could show me that we were meant for each other."
She nodded rubbing her hand down the arm at her side.
" How?" he couldn't imagine there could be any bigger example than how he felt when he was near her.
" You sure?" she looked within to ensure he was and with a nod she sat up. " Let's take a walk." They stood and she took his hand leading him out of the field and into the wood. Slowly they moved through the brush and moss lined trees until the wood became less dense with green and brown became the more predominant coloration. He said nothing but knew he was no longer in charge of this dream and the grip on her hand stiffened when he realized where she was taking him.
" Becca?" he pulled back stopping her in her tracks.
She placed her other hand over his and spoke softy. " You have to trust me Alcide and you have to go back there. Belle Vita will be my home and that clearing a source of energy and power for me. I need you to come back with me and believe me when I tell you that nothing will ever touch you there again."
He surprised her by not only agreeing but leading the way and within seconds they were parting the great oaks and entering the clearing. Everything needed was sitting in the center of the circle and she released his hand and walked purposefully inside her clothing changing from the blue dress to the white of her robe as she walked. Just as in the real world there was no evidence of what had happened in this place a few nights prior. Mason and William had seen to that. Silvia had performed a cleanse of the circle removing all of the negative energy surrounding the ground and woods beating back the dark forces that had caused her attack and bringing back the light. She had let go of her fear and pain with a ritual cleansing of her own. Now all that was left was to do the same for Alcide. He stood just inside the clearing his hands folded, his stance ridged his head proud. He was determined to stay put and to do as she asked but with every movement of wind his eyes darted about and betrayed his resolve.
She kept one eye on him but her mind firmly on opening the circle. Answering his questions silently as she worked but calling the elements to her out loud. In front of the green candle which she lit with a flick of her finger she called " Old ones of the North, Spirits of the Earth. I call upon you to attend my circle. Guard it with your powers Mighty ones" She repeated her plea in front of each remaining candle. Yellow at the East for Air, Red at the South for fire and lastly Blue at the West for Water.
Once they had all been summoned she moved to the northwest corner athame in hand, Alcide stood just outside and watched as she cut the door.
" How do you enter?" she asked him.
" In the light and love of the Goddess" he spoke it soundly and with truth behind it. She smiled her eyes shinning and motioned for him to duck down as he entered. She was not nearly tall enough to cut the doorway to his height. Once inside she closed the door and then took his hand and lead him to the middle of the circle. With her hands in his she moved him to the ground sitting with their legs crossed their knees touching.
" Is all of this you?'" he was referring to the light surrounding them in the circle.
" Yes when you open a circle you visualize a beam of light. It starts here." She pointed to her center " and grows until it fills the entire circle."
She let him have a few moments to take in what was happening around him. She watched as he moved around his surroundings using several of he senses. He signaled that he was comfortable by pulling the hair back from his face and giving her a grin. " There is so much energy, it's electric. I always knew there was something about you that was different. That your light shined brighter than most but to actually see your inner strength. I never knew this existed. I can't believe I'm here." He shook his head. " Thanks for showing me Becca." He cupped her face with his hands and brought his lips lightly to hers.
" Your welcome" she said breathily. " But I have something else to show you. Are you ready?" If there was any doubt there would be no way she would attempt this but she knew in her gut she was right.
" Yes." He sent her "show me what you got"
She raised her hands and face to the sky " Goddess I ask that you bless me with your presence. That you greet and envelope in the warm of your love and protection the man I love and help me show him what you and I already know to be true. That we are bound together by a force greater than the eye can see. I ask you give me the power to reveal the cord that binds two souls together. The thread that may fade at the end of one lifetime but will be burn bright again in the next." She felt the tug in her stomach it pulled them just slightly closer together and as she slowly dimmed the lights that surrounded them she saw it start to glow. Alcide's eyes grew wide letting her know that he saw it to and when it was completely dark, not even the stars in the sky glittered above all that remained was the glimmering cord that connected them together. They were soul-mates.
" Holy shit." Alcide whispered running his hand through the beam of light. Tiny shards broke free at his touch, dancing through the space between them like sparks from a stirred up camp fire.
She found his hand and grasped it. " It doesn't mean the road will any less winding or that we will handle the bumps any better than most but for whatever reason the universe has bound us together and we'd be remiss if we did not do everything within our power to explore and make the very best of this gift. Many never find this connection and it was a twist of fate that brought us to each other. I feel incredibly blessed, you can't possible understand how much it means to be here with you. I had given up hope of ever finding you." She choked up then her voice lost to the waves of emotion that ran through her. She bowed her head and covered her face. She felt him move working his way behind her grabbing her up,pressing her body to his and wrapping his arms around her. She stretched her legs out so that the mirrored his and leaned back against his chest. His chin came to rest on the top of her head he soothed her silently and told her he was grateful to. He was thankful for that very moment and that she had shared this part of herself with him even though it had not come easily. He was thankful to whatever it was that brought her to Bon Temps and even more thankful that he had taken her call. He promised to try and be worthy of this gift.
" I'm mad about you Rebecca Keane and I'll fight for you until it kills me." He kissed the soft skin at the base of her ear making his way down the side of her neck until she couldn't help but sigh and more her face towards his. She didn't let herself think about other part of her theory, there was after all no way to prove it for sure. She knew he had thought of it and wondered but she hated the idea he might be less cautious, teasing fate to test the idea. All she had to go on was the stories of others who had come before them. The connection of her Great Grandparents and how their story read very much like the one they were writing with each other. Other couplings Etienne had discovered through his research. If you went on the facts at hand it was very likely that Alcide was immortal just as she was. She wanted to be with him forever but would never recover if something happened to him and he did not return to her. With all they had already been through in just a few short weeks It was best to live in the moment and enjoy the time they were given.
Rebecca felt a shift in the dream, it was coming to an end. Morning was breaking in the real world. Alcide had slept through the most of the day and the entire night.
"Alcide" she brushed her hand through his hair his face nuzzled into the nape of her neck.
" I know." He had felt it to.
He didn't protest as she stood the light becoming bright again in the circle. " Thank you Goddess for gracing us the insight we sought, the safety of the circle and the tender moments we shared with in it. She opened the door for Alcide and before he went through he pulled her in for one last kiss.
" I will come to you soon." He said as he broke free and walked through the door.
" I will be waiting." She smiled and closed the door. She retraced her steps thanking each element for it's service and releasing it back into the night. When the circle was closed she gathered up the candles placing them back within the box they had been housed. Alcide had already gone. She had felt his presence fade away as she worked her way through the circle. It was now time for her to go back as well. She laid down in the middle of the clearing. The first golden beams of light streaked across the sky. She watched them bend and break through the trees turning the dark shadows of the leaves a brilliant green. The sounds of frogs and crickets were gave way to the songs of various birds.
With one last smile Rebecca closed her eyes and woke up.
The day rolled into night with no sight of Alcide though she did hear from him. Work at his sisters shop and a pack meeting about Debbie who had disappeared into thin air after the night of the full moon kept him away. Rebecca told him not to worry that they would be in each others presence soon enough and to not stress over it for it would make the rest of what he was dealing with all the worse. He of course listened but still his heart and mind was waiting to be with her and he didn't want to deal with or be around anyone else. She was now sitting on the couch in her room looking out into the moonlit night and letting her mind wonder through her day. It kept her from letting the antsy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach over take her and make her start to worry about what was really nothing.
She had gotten up and walked around again and she considered it a personal accomplishment that she didn't get sick or pass out on the marble floor this time. Her room was empty but she knew that she had supervision somewhere in the house. She made her way down the stairs in the search of a little company and some sustenance. She had been expecting to see Sookie when she woke up that morning after her dream but instead it was a shaggy headed Sam sitting in her living room sipping coffee and reading her New York Times.
" Sam? Well isn't this a pleasant surprise." Sam had been more than kind letting half of his staff spend their days and nights looking out for her and now she guessed he figured it was his turn. She gave him her best smile and wished she'd run a brush through her hair and her teeth before coming down stairs. He started to stand as if to help her but she flicked her hands to tell him to stay put and then walked over and sat down on the couch closest to him.
" You tired of doing all the work yourself I take it?"
" Nah but after a couple of days of not getting the whole story I figured I'd just come to the source. All of them have been rather tight lipped bout what happened to you but I finally put my foot down with Sookie and she spilled enough." Sookie had of course asked Rebecca if she could tell Sam before she had spilled. It was nice to know they were doing the best they could to be discrete but there was no harm in Sam being in the know. He was after all just as big a part of this otherworldly phenomenon as the rest. So now Sam to knew she was a witch and what had happened to her and Alcide a few nights ago.
" I'm sorry Sam it's hard to keep track of what is and isn't a secret around here. Everyone's got their own fair share and no one wants to be the one who lets the cat out of the wrong bag." Sam stiffened up at the word cat. " Don't worry I'm not going to put buck shot in your ass Sam." His eyes closed in relief and then opened wide again at the realization that she was aware that he was the dog that had chased her cat through the woods.
" Wait? Who? How?" He stammered. He had been dumb enough to think his second nature was still secret.
She laughed. " No one had to tell me Sam I already knew."
" I see. Thought it was just Alcide you were pretending not to know about. Guess I should have known better."
" I don't usually let on to anyone two natured I meet unless they want me to know. It's kind of like religion,politics or sexual preference. If they don't offer up the details you don't ask about them. It is a part of you but it doesn't say everything about you. I can understand you wanting to keep it from everyone considering the worlds reaction to the Vampire assimilation." Sam was thinking that while most would not be keen on the two natured they were not nearly as bad as the Vampires who openly drained and tortured humans. " Oh now Sam you of all people should be above that shit. Not every Vampire is a killer and not all humans who enjoy the company of Vampires are glamoured into feeling that way. Believe it or not some find their relationships with Vampires full filling and the blood letting is part of the sexual release. There are those who I'd rather not walk through a room alone with but most are just fallible like any other human, capable of making stupid thoughtless mistakes. Russell is a nut case, so was Franklin but William despite his faults does not fall in their category. You going to tell me that there are not two natured, like your parents maybe who participate in activities that others would find questionable. That those Were's that worked next to Russell weren't just as responsible for what happened to Sookie,Tara and William as he was? No species is without bad seeds and those who are good prefer not to have their entire kind grouped in with those who are bad."
" Your right but like all humans I have my hang ups and prejudices that I can't shut off. I ain't keen on Vampires. My experiences have not been good up to this point." He was right but he felt guilty sitting in her house knowing she had alliances to Vampires and that they were very likely nearby.
" I can not change what you have had to deal with in the past Sam. I can not blame you for the way you feel. I just hope that you will keep an open albeit suspicious mind whenever you make a new Vampire acquaintance."
" Mason and his men seem like good people. I'm not saying I won't welcome them into the bar or greet them when I see them in the street" he paused a bit frustrated that he couldn't get his point across without feeling like an ass" I guess it's just that I will probably always have one eye looking out for trouble is all."
" I can understand that. No one should turn a blind eye in this day and age. There are threats coming from many different directions and honestly in most cases Vampires are the least of your problems. Mason and his men are good people. They don't go looking for trouble but sometime it does find them so if your keeping an eye out you can warn them when it's coming. You got a epidemic of Vampire hunting junkies, some of them Were's, in these parts and they and the shit they are dealing is far more dangerous than the vampires they are taking it from. You also have an entire town of volatile cross breeding two natured right up the road who are getting desperate for new blood for their ever shrinking line and of course the day is coming quick when your kind will be out and you will have to deal with all the prejudices that William and Mason are now having to deal with."
He knew everything she said was true. " Be nice if everything wasn't so damned complicated."
" Of course smooth sailing would be a welcome respite but after a while you'd be bored out of your mind." She crossed her eyes and threw her head back which made Sam chuckle.
" You one of those that don't know what to do if there is no drama in their lives?" from what he'd seen so far he'd say the answer was yes.
" Honestly no but I've been fairly drama free for years. Figured it would catch up to me eventually."
" And now it's hitting you hard?" He thought of what Sookie had told him about her injuries. He hadn't expected to see her actually up and around during his visit. But to him she seemed perfectly fine,guess that was the power of witchcraft and vampire blood.
" I don't know about hard but it is throwing a few challenges my way. What happened the other night being the worst so far. Everything else I'd been handling fairly well. I mean a Vampire Stalker, a Were Stalker, a budding relationship and a complete home over hall are nothing compared to having your insides ripped out."
Sam winced.
" Sorry it's probably to soon to be so nonchalant about the whole thing huh?" It was a coping mechanism she often used.
" Yeah, probably want to NOT do that when Alcide is around." Sam couldn't imagine how he'd handle it if he were responsible for something like that. Even if it wasn't his fault it would still eat him up inside.
" It is killing him to but he will get through it. " She paused " Sorry Sam I know that isn't your favorite thing in the world."
" No it's all right. I always tell Sookie she can go in there. Sometimes it's easier to express things that way but she never does." He knew all to well why Sookie didn't. She couldn't pretend that Sam didn't have feelings for her if she went rummaging around in his thoughts.
" All the same I shouldn't do it. Now that you know all my secrets it makes it less fun anyway."
" You don't have to worry about me knowing. I know how to keep things in the bag." His eyes smiled at her from the top of his coffee cup.
" I'd appreciate that. Many are just as unwelcoming towards my kind as they would be to yours. Closed minds are closed minds it matters not what the difference is."
Something Tara said to Sam about Rebecca went through his head. He shook it off and tried to bury it where she wouldn't see it.
" It's alright Sam, I know Tara thinks I put some kind of spell on everyone but honestly I haven't. Not a single one have I cast. to that I can promise you. I have read a few minds though. Can't help but want to know if I have a chance in hell of getting people to like me or not." She shrugged and stood. The rumble in her stomach was just to much to ignore.
Sam stood quickly and followed close behind her as she made her way into the kitchen. There was muffins on the counter and she picked up two and sat down as Sam brought juice and milk over to her.
You want something else? I'd gladly make you some bacon and eggs. Could use some myself."
He sat a couple of glasses down in front of her then went to the fridge to get what he needed when Rebecca nodded through bites of muffin. She wasn't sure who made them but they tasted like pure heaven and she tossed the reminder of one into her mouth while peeling the wrapper of the other. She stopped stuffing her face and poured herself some milk. Her body was sucking up the nutrients quicker than she could shovel food in her mouth. It was really the only food she'd eaten in days. She had refused anything when she'd been fighting off the infection yesterday and her time in the dreamworld with Alcide had taken up the rest of the time between her last meal and now. She downed the glass of milk and poured another. She was going to take in everything she could until the hunger gnawing inside her stopped.
Sam sat the food down in front of her and she thanked him before digging in, everything tasting more amazing than she ever remembered it tasting before. Either Sam was a world class breakfast cook or she just plain ravenous.
" Sookie says you don't know why that Vamp has been hanging round right?" She nodded but knew that Sam had something to tell her about that very subject.
" Well I don't know what he's up to but I have seen him myself twice outside Merlotte's. Once on his own the night Alcide made the scene with Jason and one other time he was standing in the woods with a woman. I couldn't tell for sure but I think it may have been Debbie. I haven't ever seen her but Sookie described her to me and I'm pretty sure she was the one."
" What night was that?" she put her fork down and waited intently for his answer.
" The night before you got hurt. They were arguing, Debbie was pissed and when he saw me the Vamp grabbed her and pulled her further into the woods."
So Icey Vamp was talking with Debbie. She knew someone was pulling Debbie's strings and pointing her in the right direction. Debbie had known there was something different about her long before their confrontation on the lawn. Someone had to have told her and the two of them running into each other was more than possible since they were both stalking the property. The question now she supposed was how did Icey Vamp know anything about her. She had never seen him before, neither had Mason so why was he coming here now stirring the pot?
" If you see him again Sam let me know. I still have no idea what he wants here but I would like to find out." He stayed in the shadows and watched. He knew he'd been seen and yet he still did nothing. What the hell was his game? She couldn't help but think that it had something to with a unforeseen loose end from her past. But without getting close enough to read him or finding Debbie who had some idea of what was going on she wouldn't be figuring it out any time soon.
" Will do" He had just about finished his plate and Rebecca looked down at hers the hunger that had been pushed aside by her thoughts came back and she finished the plate as Sam took his last bite.
" You wanna lick it before I take it away?" Sam asked teasingly as he stood with his plate in hand. She lifted it as if to do just that and watched Sam's surprise " I was just joking" reaction before handing the plate over to him.
" Maybe if you weren't here." She laughed heartedly and then helped Sam clean up. Sam wasn't a talker so they worked in silence and when finished she acknowledged his mental wish and told him to go and chill out by the pool. She was going to get cleaned up and try and catch up on things she missed while down for the count. If she needed anything she'd holler.
Once again alone she made her way into the guest bath, no work had been done on the house in days. Both crews minus their foremans had been working at Janice's shop. They would be done soon and she was glad to be mobile again so Mason wouldn't have an excuse not to let the men come back to work. He was being more protective than usual. Something had shifted the night before when he was talking with Alcide. His details had been vague when it came to their conversation. Mason's mind held more emotion than normal. She had thought it was because he was worried about her but the more she pondered it the more she knew that that was not it. Something Alcide had said had opened a closed door for Mason and now he was wondering around inside digging up the past. She sighed, they always walked a tight rope in their relationship. Parts of their past seemed unfinished and swept under the rug and every once in a while something would happen that would bring those issues back up. When Silvia had returned and she and Mason had picked up as if no time (or lovers) had past she had a hard time with the idea so she supposed she couldn't expect Mason would have the same pains now that she had found someone to. Not just anyone, but the one which had always been a matter of contention in her relationships. She'd been honest about the wanting she felt but she knew that didn't make them feel any better. There were connections and there was love but there was always something missing. Rebecca always kept a part of herself reserved just in case. She had been horrible and greedy in her past. She knew without a doubt that Alcide would not even consider sharing her so she prayed that Mason worked through his angst quickly. They had been good for such a long time she hated the idea that this could cause a rift between them. Maybe she was being selfish yet again in hoping that she could still have Mason as her friend while she worked to build a relationship with Alcide. She simply did not know how she would live without either of them.
It was not a choice she hoped either would expect her to make.
She ran a brush through her hair and examined her face in the mirror. There were dark almost black rings around her eyes and her skin was still blotchy from the fever. She was surprised Sam could actually eat anything sitting next to the mess that she was. She shook her head at her self deprecation and then pulled back her robe,running her hand over the scars on her stomach. The wounds were closed but she could still feel the claws as they entered her,the rush of pain and the gushing of the blood as it poured from the wound. But mostly she remembered the look in Alcide's eyes. Those chocolate brown eyes full of hatred and then fear. What she hated most was that someone on the other side had used Alcide to do their dirty work. She had her share of sins to atone for. She knew that there were spirits who wished her harm and had taken great joy in seeing her in pain. They were probably even more pissed now knowing that she would not be joining them in the great beyond. When the day came she finally did meet up with them they would be the ones who paid for putting him through such pain. Hers was almost over but despite all she said Alcide would still hang on to his. It was his nature. He remembered and carried both the hurt he inflicted on others and the hurt inflicted on him. For a fleeting moment she thought of erasing all of it but dismissed the idea as playing God. Sometime you needed reminders to keep you from making the same mistakes. The pain helped you to remember to be humble and honor the pleasures that life brings. Good and Bad, Ying and Yang. Everything in balance. She stepped into the shower ready to clean off the muck of the last few days and move forward. She hoped it was going to be far less work than she anticipated.
Several sunny hours later she was sitting on her bed surrounded by her cats and her computer she was finishing up a long drawn out chat with her Mother and when the knock came at her door she was thankful for the distraction and the excuse to sign off. Mother was surprisingly upbeat considering. There was barely a mention of doom and gloom. She'd been pissed that no one from the family had been at her side but knew full well she could not expect anyone else to come when she would not come herself. Not that Rebecca wanted her there. Her Mother had been happy to see she was on the mend and listened without interruption to everything Rebecca had to say about the matter. In the end she knew her Mother conceded because there was no chance of changing her willful daughters mind and not because she thought her daughter was right. Rebecca decided she'd be more than willing to take that. A draw was as much as she could hope for in the battles between she and her Mother. Sam stood in the doorway and waiting until she had closed the computer before speaking. He looked relaxed and sun kissed and Rebecca couldn't but notice that Sam was quite handsome when he let go of some of the hardness surrounding him.
" Hey there handsome" She figured a ego boost couldn't hurt anything. " You look positively glowy. Enjoy the fruits of my labor?"
" You built that pool yourself did ya?" As a working man he smirked at the idea that she thought any of her labor had gone into any of what surrounded him. He also didn't know what to do with the flirtatious tone in her voice. He didn't want to even entertain the thought of her or anyone else. He always got his signals crossed and ended up getting fucked over. Rebecca as beautiful and desirable as she may be was not an option. It was more than clear to him she belonged to Alcide. He then thought that all of that was rude considering he was in her home and changed gears. " Sorry, You got a great place here Rebecca. I shouldn't have been out baking in the sun. I was supposed to be hanging close to you."
" I've been just fine just taking care of some business so I can pay for all this labor." She gave him a look that said he shouldn't assume she hadn't worked hard for what she had.
" All right if I come in?"
" Of course" She motioned for him to take a seat on the couch. Saffy and Emmy looked at him suspiciously. Emmy threw her nose up and sniffed the air. Her ears went ridged and her eyes got wide. She gave Rebecca a questioning look and then stood walked behind her Mother and got as low as she could on the bed.
" Saffy, I believe thinks you are the devil." Rebecca soothed her cat while giving Sam a mischievous grin.
" You still gonna put buck shot in my ass?" he looked around for any convenient weapons.
" I don't plan on giving you the chance to chase either of my girls around again,not that I think Saffy will ever attempt an escape after what you put her through the last time."
" I wouldn't have hurt her. It was just the thrill of the chase." He leaned to his side " Sorry Saffy I won't do that again I promise"
Saffy peaked around Rebecca's back for just a second before sticking her nose up in the air and moving back out of sight.
" She will forgive you eventually. They don't tend to hold grudges when there is a possibility of future attention."
" You feeling alright?"
" Yes thank you. Why don't I look alright?"
" You look better than earlier. Got your color back and you don't look as tired." Sam had been to much of a gentlemen to react to the state she'd been in earlier. She found she was glad for that give me. Seeing people beat and broken up was becoming a regular event. He found that he barely even blinked now when it happened.
" I feel better every minute."
" Good" He nodded his head up and down "Your a tough chick. Been through a lot from what I understand." Her losses were something he didn't think he'd have been able to live through much less make a life after like she had. He had a feeling there was more to her than met the eye, but when Sookie had told him about her family his heart had hurt for her.
" I'd like to think that was true and Sam we've all been through our share of fucked up shit." She shifted her weight and edged to the side of the bed so that she was facing him head on. Sam had questions.
" Is there going to be any trouble for Alcide if he shows back up here?" Sam was worried that anything happening to Alcide would bring unwanted attention and a whole hell of a lot of trouble to Bon Temps. The relationship between Were's and Vamp's was contentious. He didn't want to be in the middle of a war between the two right now. He was really looking for some down time from the constant otherworldly bullshit of late.
" No everything is going to be fine. There is tension but no bodily harm will come from it. Mason is protective but has my best interests at heart. He knows that Alcide means something to me. He would not hurt him. Pam and William wouldn't risk my anger either."
" It don't matter to you at all what he is?" he found it hard to believe. He didn't have much faith that he'd find someone who wouldn't care at all." No second thoughts? No what the fuck am I doing with him?"
" Sookie didn't tell you?" She could read that she hadn't " Sam my Father and my husband were Werewolves so no it doesn't matter to me at all."
Sam chuckled to himself. Of course he thought a woman who didn't even blink at their men being inhuman. He hoped he'd find one of his own one day." Then I won't ask you if you know what your doing. Clearly you've been down this road before. He's a good guy. I hope that everything works out for you two."
" Thanks Sam, I know you mean that and I appreciate it." She stood and went and sat beside him. " You will find the right one someday Sam and I hope I am there to tell her how damned lucky she is to have you." She patted him on the back. " Until that day you got a bunch of busy bodied woman in your life who will try and point you in the right direction. Hoping that one day one of their choices will stick."
He looked uncomfortable and blushed. He hoped she was right and wondered what it was he was doing with Tara. They were loosing themselves in each other but for how long and how bad would it be when it ended? Tara could never be like Rebecca. They were both to screwed up. He couldn't help himself sometimes. When it became to much he needed the release and Tara was usually more than willing to help him with that.
" You need each other right now Sam. There is nothing wrong with that. As long as your both honest about it you will be fine when the day comes your ready to move on." She smiled and took his hand. Behind them she could feel the sun slowly working it's way down the skyline. " You done at sundown?"
" Yeah but I got no where to go. Sookie should be here soon."
" Nope I told her to take the night off. She's gonna run herself ragged and I'm well enough not to need constant supervision. I think Mason and Silvia will be more than enough company. Until then though why don't we go and make some dinner and talk about when you would like for me to go running with you.
" Come again?"
She stood and then turning back to him wiggled her fingers in front of his face " I can change myself into various creatures with my magical powers and if you'd like I could be a friendly running companion every now and again."
" No shit?" He ran his hands through his hair which of course made her think of Alcide and she hoped he would arrive soon. The hope of holding him made her smile.
"No shit. I am hoping we will be friends Sam. I've missed my two natured friends."
" I'd like that to Rebecca, I really would." They walked together to the kitchen where they stood made dinner and lively conversation until Sam was relieved of his duties by the sunset.
She sat with Mason and Silvia for some time before excusing herself for a few moments of solitude. They were both far to quiet and brooding for her taste at the moment. Mason was stewing and Silvia was pouting. A fight must have taken place but neither of them was offering up the details. She could only assume that it had been about her,Alcide or both. Mason moved around anything in the conversation he didn't want to deal with and Rebecca grew tired of the work involved in trying to keep the dynamic between them light. It had made her a bit hot under the collar and decided that she would cool off with a dip in her barely used by her pool. Wanting to see what stars were in the sky that night she didn't turn on the deck lights. The light from the porch and the pool itself helped her find her way. There was quite a bit of noise in the woods around her. The night had actually brought a bit of a break in the heat, a gentle breeze running through the tree tops. She was comforted by the crickets and the frogs songs they let her know there was nothing in the woods she needed to worry about. Rebecca felt the rain in her bones. The earth around her needed a good drenching she hoped Mother Nature would bring it sooner rather than later. Of course if she stayed away Rebecca could make a storm or two of her own. She dropped her robe at the waters edge and slipped into the water. Her body had returned to it's normal temp but since it was still hotter than the average person the water felt wonderful. She stretched out her limbs letting the waters natural tension add as a protective barrier, everything was stiff but she found that everything moved and worked as it should. She let her body relax and she floated across the water and closed her eyes. She was tired but didn't think she could sleep. Her mind had come out of its fog and now was processing a moment a minute. She had trouble concentrating on anyone or anything else at times like these. She let herself move through the questions she had answering some without hesitation. Many though had multiple possibilities and others she had no clue how to answer. "Alcide?" She sent out silently. No answer. Still not close enough to hear her. She wondered if he would even make it to Belle Vita that night. She was tempted to get into her car and drive to him but she didn't want assume she be welcomed or that her guardians would even let her go.
He said he would come for you. Stop being so impatient. Stop worrying about nothing. He will be here. She sighed and reached her hands behind her just before reaching the wall. She flipped herself around and pushed off in the other direction this time concentrating on the stars above her. She was naming off the constellations she could see in a sing song voice when the world around her went silent. She sat up quickly pulling her weight back under the water,she was near the stairs so she sat and kept low to the water. She heard something moving through the woods in front of her. It was not human,vamp or fairy. It was animal but not deer or dog. She saw the eyes first. They glowed red and disappeared from view as quickly as they came. She felt movement and question within the house but she requested they stay where they were. A lone wolf wouldn't be a real threat and she wanted to see if it was a who before there was any evasive actions taken. The eyes reappeared just before the wolf broke through the brush. It stopping with a few feet of the wood and in looked in all directions. After checking to his left and to his right and finding nothing he focused his stare on the house and sniffed the air around him. His gaze slowly turned towards the pool and stopped when he found her. A howl pieced the night air and then he was running fast and straight for her. There was no where for her to go so she stayed where she was and let him come.....
The Justin Bieber baby Daddy Scandal.... I am not a fan of the Beibs but I don't think he deserved to have some random skank come out of the primotial ooze and accuse him of being her baby's Daddy. Not that I don't think him completely capable of having meaningless sex back stage at one of his concerts, he is a man and a teen aged one at that BUT I would like to think he'd have better taste than this
Christina Aguliera is a HOT MESS! In a year where her Mickey Mouse counterpart seems to have gotten her life back together both personally and professionally Good for you Britney Spears!! Christina felt the need to pick up the dropped torch and go running with it. She flubbed the National Anthem at the Super Bowl ( not the only one to do it this year but considering she has been singing it at events since she was a child she sure as heck was the one who knew better). Almost took a nose dive trying to out diva the other diva's at the Grammy's. Got arrested for public intoxication ( only once but that was just luck. She was fall of her ass drunk on numerous occasions) and should have been arrested for public indecency for constantly going out in public without PANTS. Even her supposed comeback on The Voice has been marred by reports that her Diva attitude and demands have made her personal non grata with those behind the scenes as well as her co-mentors. The biggest issue being her relationship with Adam Levine, which makes their collaboration on Moves Like Jagger ironic as well as successful. A lot has been made of her weight gain. As a big girl myself I got no problem with that. I do have an issue though with her making the rest of us look bad... Big or little it is common decency to wear pants in public, just saying...
