My Beloved

  "Breathe, Firefly. Try and calm your mind." His voice soothed her like never before. Almost like a soft lullaby.

  Her eyes closed as she did what he asked. The buzzing in her mind almost immediately receded to the background of her head, making her feel more peaceful. Her eyes darted around the room and noted they were alone. "V-Vincent? Am I... am I a..." she trailed off, trying to feel what was different from her human self. She did feel a little cold, but that was normal for her anyway. Her vision has improved to the point she didn't think she needed her contacts or glasses ever again. Everything else felt normal though. It was strange; something was missing. With a gasp, her hand flew to her heart and felt no thudding.

  "Yes, Firefly. You're now a vampire. You blacked out after I bit you. Now here we are. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

  Something in her wanted to almost purr at the sound of his voice. It unnerved her and made her want to check herself into a mental institution. Her feelings for him seemed to have magnified instantaneously. It stole the breath from her lungs and nearly had her topple over. Was this how he felt for her all the time? Shaking her head to clear the startling new revelations, she looked at him.

  "I feel strong," she uttered in surprise.

  He let out what sounded like a relieved chuckle and walked up to her. Slowly he cupped her jaw with both hands and this time she did let out a slight purr of contentment. She felt only the very subtle hint of heat grace her cheeks of embarrassment and wondered why it wasn't more since something like that would have made her entire face flush. "You need blood to feel more alive, if you will."

  The thought of drinking blood did not appeal to her in the slightest but, when the door opened and Darcy came in with a small, maybe five-ounce glass filled with the red substance, she felt hunger possess her.

  "Good evening, sleeping beauty. So glad you're not screaming your head off anymore." He winked at her and handed the glass into her awaiting hands.

  She paid no mind to his little quip as her eyes looked over the red, thick liquid in her palms. Her nose and head told her it smelled good, while the logical sense in her told her it was gross and vile. Vincent rubbed her arm up and down to try and encourage her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she downed it like the shot it was and had to gasp as the taste flooded her taste buds.

  Everything about it was exotic and new. It still had that metallic twinge but she found she rather liked that part now. It made her palette explode with new awakenings of flavors that had never been discovered. Opening her eyes, she let out a blissful sigh.

  "Good, right?" Darcy joked before backing off when Vincent gave him a look. "Okay, okay! I'll leave," he grumbled and walked out with slow exaggerated movements.

  "That was unexpected," she uttered, but let out a squeak when she flitted into Vincent's arms without meaning to. "H-How do you control this?" she asked with a slight stutter. She wasn't sure if she liked the speed yet, as her mind was still getting used to having these abilities.

  "It's like you’re learning how to walk again. Take one step at a time, and eventually you will get the hang of it."

  It did make sense, she thought with a slight mental shrug. "How come I feel strong, yet tired at the same time?" Confusion seeped into her voice as she peered up at him.

  "Of course you're tired, Firefly. Think about it. Your body is now completely changed, and with that you will feel like you've run around the world and back again." He turned around and began to massage her neck, making her moan out loud. Wendy was now only just feeling how tense and wound up her entire body was.

  "What now?" she asked when they moved to the bed as he continued to relax her.

  He paused slightly before massaging the middle of her back. "Now you rest. I don't want to hear any buts either," he said quickly at the end when she opened her mouth. Huffing, she rested her head back down. A mischievous thought bloomed in her head as she flipped over so quickly it even startled Vincent as he was now straddling her. "What is that look for, Firefly?" he asked with an accusing smirk.

  She crooked her finger to motion him closer, making him bend down and listen to what she was going to say. Her warm breath graced his ear, making him shudder. "Catch me!" She giggled and pushed him off before flitting out of the room with a giggle. Yes, she felt tired, but she also felt awake. It was an odd feeling, but what better way to run off the small bout of energy than running?

  It felt exhilarating to run this fast! The cool breeze running through her hair was amazing, and it made her laugh. She flitted past Anya, making the Russian drop her book and scowl at her, but she had a small smile on her face so Wendy wasn't worried.

  "Looks like someone is enjoying their speed," Anya muttered even when Wendy was now far away from her, but she still heard her.

  It was all so incredible, but she laughed when Vincent caught her. He kissed her neck with a slight chuckle. "You're going to wish you didn't do that," he warned her.

  She looked at him in confusion before her body sagged against his when a wave of fatigue fell over her. It was almost as if her energy was never there! Groaning, she let him pick her up. His soft chuckle met her ears and she fought the urge to stick her tongue out like a child.

  "How come I feel so juvenile?" she asked with a twist of her lips. It was almost as if she reverted back to being twelve! She always did hate that age.

  He smiled down at her and flitted back to the bed. "Your brain is trying to process everything, so in a sense it's kind of out of order. Don't worry though, you'll feel more like yourself in a couple of days."

  She nodded against him and slowly fell asleep.

  Vincent

  Laying her down, he kissed her forehead with a sigh. There was going to be a lot of ups and downs for the next few days. Leaving her to sleep peacefully, he went out of the room. Truth be told, he was tired himself, but he didn't need to sleep as much as his Firefly did. He could go another couple of days without it.

  Asher paused beside him and inclined his head to Wendy's sleeping form just on the other side of the door. "How is she?" he asked, making Vincent glare in turn. He still wasn't fond of the little hunter. The irrational part of Vincent wanted to rip Asher's head off for ever flirting with his Wendy, but knew his Firefly would be upset if he did that.

  "Fine." His answer was curt, showing his feelings for Asher.

  The hunter rolled his eyes and huffed. "Oh, relax, would you? So I called her cute, so what? Get over it and realize that I don't like her like that and even if I did, she only has eyes for you."

  Vincent knew he made sense, but his possessive side wanted to annihilate him. "Just stay out of my way," he muttered and stalked past him.

  "Wow, if I knew you'd be this big of a baby, I would've called her ugly," Asher remarked with a teasing glint in his eyes.

  Vincent spun around and shoved him against the wall. "What did you say?" he growled dangerously. He knew he was acting petty and childish, but his emotions were already high-strung with what happened the last few days. This cocky hunter took the last straw.

  Asher was suddenly looking angry, which was a first for Vincent to see. "Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me," he said with a slight snarl.

  Smirking dangerously at him, Vincent took him by the throat and hurled him down the hall into the living room.

  "What the hell?!" Anya shouted in outrage as she walked in from the door.

  Both men ignored her as Asher quickly got to his feet and they began to slowly circle each other. "You know what? I think Wendy is hot! In fact, I'd love to have her in my bed, screaming my-"

  Vincent cut him off as he flitted to him with an enraged growl. He went to punch him quickly, but Asher dodged and punched Vincent in the stomach, and although Asher put a good amount of strength behind it, Vincent was stronger.

  "I'm going to enjoy this," he said with a hiss then punched Asher in the face so hard, the hunter fell down onto the floor.

  Swinging his legs around, Asher managed to cause Vincent to fall as well. They were ab
out to lunge at each other from crouched positions when they froze as a distinctive click of a gun rang through the room. "If you don't stop acting like children, I'm going to treat you both like one by shooting both of you with wooden bullets. You may not be a vampire, Asher, but it will still hurt like a bitch," Anya spoke with an angry smirk.

  They both slowly got up with their hands showing to show they meant no harm, well, more harm. "Asher, stop trying to rile him up! You're worse than a small boy! And Vincent! I know your emotions are everywhere at the moment, but damn it! Stop throwing temper tantrums! Ugh! It's like I'm living with two six-year-olds!" she exclaimed as she holstered her gun back into place by her ankle, under her pants.

  "Sorry," they both muttered as Darcy walked in the room. Taking in the scene before him, he looked at Anya. "Anya? Can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked but didn't wait as he strode past her and walked into the study.

  Vincent saw her roll her eyes before she followed silently, but just as she reached the door, she turned around. "If I come back out here and find you two are at it again, I will personally make sure neither of you can walk right," she warned and left them.

  Anya

  Her heart started to beat a little quicker as usual when she was alone with Darcy. She quietly cursed herself for her natural reaction. Darcy gazed at her, not saying a word, making her grow more and more frustrated. "Is this all you wanted? Because if it is, I'd rather be out there babysitting thing one and thing two." Her smartass reply was a cover-up and they both knew it.

  Taking slow, deliberate steps, Darcy cornered Anya. "How long have we known each other?" he asked in a quiet voice. He wasn't that close but it was close enough to have her heart nearly beating out of its ribcage.

  "Too long," was her curt reply. Oh, how she wanted to run from this room. It was too much to be alone with him now.

  He smiled slightly and shook his head. "You don't mean that," he murmured and walked even closer to her.

  Anya was frustrated with herself. She hated feeling weak and vulnerable! For crying out loud, she's fought with vampires before! And won! But with just one smile from Darcy, she turned into the helpless school girl she hated.

  "Yes, I do. I think we've known each other too long."

  He smiled even broader this time and now was only just a couple of feet away. Wanting to run from this room, Anya turned to do so, but suddenly he was there and she gasped. His warmth was radiating from his body into hers. Flashing a wicked grin, Darcy bent down. "I'm sorry I was treating you the way I was. Forgive me?" he asked with sincere eyes that made her want to close the last few inches and cover his lips with her own

  They both knew she would forgive him. It was her curse in a sense. "N-No," she stuttered pathetically and let out a small whimper when his lips brushed against her own.

  "Maybe this will help?" he suggested before closing the gap. She sucked in a surprised gasp as her world froze. Her eyes drifted closed before surrendering herself to him. She didn't know what changed his thinking, nor did she care. Even if this was some fluke, she was going to enjoy this sensation

  His palms framed her face as he deepened their kiss. She surrendered herself completely to him, knowing most likely she'd kick herself for it later. The kiss was sweet, or at least it started out that way, but with one whimper from Anya, Darcy snapped. He brought her closer to him and ravished her in a way she only dreamed about. Her hands came up and delved into his thick white-blonde hair. She bit his bottom lip, making him groan. When they both broke away, they were panting pretty heavily.

  "Please forgive me? These last few days have made me think. Of you. Of us. I was so stupid to treat you the way I did. Can we give this a go?" he asked, looking into her eyes with an almost desperate expression.

  "I've waited my entire life to hear that from you," she whispered and kissed him again. Holding tightly to him, her heart soared with finally getting what it's been after for so long. After all those days and years fantasizing over what his lips would feel like, she finally had the real thing. It was even better than what she imagined. Now she knew though, with tasting him now, she would die if he decided to leave her now. It would slowly kill her. 'My life is yours,' she thought silently and enjoyed this incredible moment.

  Chapter 24

  (Part one)

  Wendy

  "Now try again," Vincent ordered softly, making Wendy sigh. Closing her eyes, she focused on her surroundings, trying to find him. This underground house was a lot bigger than it looks, and it already looked big! Right now Vincent was training Wendy how to hone in on her vampire skills. It was a lot more difficult than she originally thought. Concentrating, she listened to everything around her. That wasn't the difficult part. The hard part was trying to pick apart which sound belonged to what then trying to find Vincent in the midst of it.

  She could hear the faint ticking of a clock two rooms down, then the soft pitter patter of Asher and Anya's heart upstairs. The curtain rustled with the slight breeze of the vent next to it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she concentrated harder. On the very other side of the house she could hear breathing but no heartbeat. Flitting to the sound, she had to grin when she saw Vincent in the small library, waiting for her.

  "That was a lot faster! Good job!" he praised and scooped her up in a hug. It's been a long couple of weeks for Wendy. She felt a little stir crazy being stuck in the house, but understood she needed to control her abilities before she could go outside where humans were. It wouldn't look good if she suddenly flitted in front of others.

  Kissing the side of her head, he set her down with a grin. Suddenly though, there was a crash. "Stay behind me," he said with a stern voice as the two of them flitted upstairs. Thankfully the sun had just gone down, making it safe for them both.

  Wendy burst out laughing at the sight before her. Anya and Asher were covered in various ingredients, like flour, sugar, and some kind of paste. "Laugh it up, princess. Maybe you need a hug?" Asher said mischievously, making her cry out and duck behind Vincent trying not to laugh. She's honestly never felt so happy. Her thoughts were cut off when the sound of a TV turning on had them all stop short.

  Flitting to the living room, she gasped as tears welled in her eyes. Her family was on the news. 'Oh God, how could I have forgotten them?!' she thought when pain surged her heart. They were all crying, begging for whoever had Wendy to release her. Vincent hugged her from behind, causing her to turn into him and cry.

  "Can someone turn that off?!" Vincent asked in a growl. Asher's eyebrows furrowed when he clicked on the remote. "It's not turning off..."

  Vincent interrupted him when Wendy cried harder as she heard her mother’s sobbing become louder. "Unplug it!"

  Asher wasted no more time as he unplugged the TV, but all were astounded when it still didn't turn off. Asher then threw it on the ground and jumped on it until it was completely dead. Wendy felt like she was a mess. This had to be the worst feeling. Like thousands of hot knives stabbing directly into her heart. Vincent wasn't kidding when he told her vampires feel more emotionally. How she wished she could rein this feeling in, but her heart wouldn't allow it! Vincent cursed and fled the room with her into their bedroom. He shushed her soothingly and tried to calm her down.

  "Can I see them? Please?" she begged when her heart gave a painful squeeze.

  He kissed her forehead. "It's not safe right now, but I can project you into their dreams if you want," he offered, making her perk up a bit. It was still hard since that blasted drawer she locked away a while ago burst open.

  "I'll take it!" she said instantly, wanting to see them again. She hated feeling this emotional, but Vincent told her it was to be expected. She was getting better at ringing them in, but having to see something like that, her family in tears, was too much. Laying down, she peered up at him. "Oh Vince, I'm sorry I'm such a mess. It's just... I miss them, you know? And now with all these heightened emotions, it feels as if they died or something," she tried to explain but she saw in his eyes she didn'
t need to.

  "It's alright. I've been there myself once. Now close your eyes and try to sleep. I know it feels funny now since it's dark out but your family should be sleeping by now."

  Wendy calmed herself with great effort and relaxed her mind. It took another hour before she convinced her mind she was drowsy enough to sleep.

  *****

  Wendy gasped as she looked around her old room to find herself alone with her mother who was sobbing into her old pillow. "Mom?" Wendy took a tentative step forward but froze when her mother's eyes snapped to hers.

  "W-Wendy? Oh God, Wendy!" she exclaimed and ran to her. Wendy felt the undeniable relief flood from her mother into her. It was short lived, however, when Debbie pushed back to look at her with a broken gaze. "This is a dream, isn't it?" her mother questioned.

  "In a way," Wendy answered vaguely.

  Debbie choked out a broken cry before grabbing Wendy up in another hug. "Where are you?" she whispered into Wendy's hair.

  Sighing dejectedly, Wendy took her mom by the hand and led her to her old bed. "Mom, I wish I could tell you, but it wouldn't be good for you to know. I am safe, and I promise one day, I will come back to see you all."

  Debbie looked up at her daughter with a confused expression. "I-I don't understand."

  Wendy tried to rein in the feeling of guilt for making her mother feel this way. "I'm so sorry, mom," Wendy cried and enclosed her arms around her. "Please trust me when I say it's better this way-"

  Debbie cut her off by angrily getting up and lifting her arms. "How?! How is it better to have my only daughter gone?!" Wendy was beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea to do this when her mom heaved out a heavy sigh and kneeled down before her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be wasting this precious time with you. Come here, baby."