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Post by sillygoth on May 11, 2009 14:22:36 GMT -6
Donovan sat in his hotel room, fighting the urge to leave. He'd known about the vampires that lived down the hall for awhile now. He was quite sure that their human baby was well taken care of...but it bothered him; vampires raising a baby must have some other angle. It couldn't be that they loved it...it had to be like free range cattle to them.
He'd tried to keep his cool, and forget about it, but it wasn't working. Each day, he tried to forget about them, but he'd end up passing them in the hall, or see them in the check-in area. Since he'd become a werewolf, it had only become harder, because each time he walked by their door, he couldn't avoid the stench of them, and the underlying scent of a human inside. He almost envied the rest of the hotel guests. They didn't know what was here in the hotel. If that baby died, there'd be no blood on their hands. On his, however, that was another story. He had the power to save the child from its potentially grisly fate. He'd tried to tell himself it was none of his business...but it was.
It was almost a full moon that night; he still hadn't been able to quite keep a handle on the wolf on nights near or on the full moon. He walked down the hall, preparing to give in to the animal side, maybe meeting up with Iris for a run or some patrolling, and then some fun later on.
The vampires' door was slightly open, flooding the hall with their stench. He could hear laughter coming from the room, and as he peered through the gap, he saw them laughing at the baby bouncing happily in its swing. He stepped quickly into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
They spun, baring fangs at him. "What do you want? Oh..it's you!" the male vampire said, fangs retracting, greeting him with a smile. "You're a werewolf now, eh? Never would have figured you'd be into that," he laughed.
Donovan smiled, knowing the friendliness had to be a lie. He reached out, shooting lightning into the vampire's temple. The female opened her mouth, and Donovan similarly jolted her. As she fell, she reached an arm out to the baby, who continued to goo and gurgle, happily oblivious to the horrific deed Donovan had to do to save its life.
He quickly dragged the vampires into the bathroom, tossing them into the tub."You...you monster..." the man mumbled.
"Shut UP!" Donovan yelled, trying to avoid the urge to stop this and run. He had to do this, for the sake of the child. All of this was a lie..they were the monsters, not him.
"My..my..baby..my Rachel..." the female said, a bloody tear running down her face. Flames appeared in Donovan's hands, and the vampires locked hands, fear in their eyes, as they realized their end was at hand. "I love...you..." the female said to the male, before the flames went from Donovan's hand to their bodies, turning them to ash.
Donovan went back to the living area, grabbing the baby out of the jumper. He found her car seat, and buckled her in, leaving so quickly he didn't think to grab anything else, beyond a stuffed bear that was near the car seat. "I'm gonna make this all right," he told the baby, who craned her neck, staring back at the room.
"Ma! Mamamamadamadada," she babbled, staring up at him.
"What the hell did you do, you freaking psycho?" Donovan asked himself. The unpleasant feeling that he had made a horrid mistake settled over him.
He hopped into the Envoy, needing to get the baby out of the hotel; she couldn't stay with him. The police would be looking for her. It was storming outside, and he drove quickly but cautiously, somewhat thankful he couldn't see the moon. That was a complication he didn't need right now.
He drove to the only place he could think of at that moment...Claire's apartment. She would understand...she was a slayer. He hoped she was home. He pulled the baby from the car seat, cradling her to him, and trying to shelter her from the rain.
He banged on her door, ringing the doorbell over and over, frantic. "Please be home, please be home, please be home!" he thought.
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Post by Claire Bryants on May 11, 2009 20:29:07 GMT -6
Claire was smiling and singing one of her favorite Frank Sinatra songs, spinning around and dancing around. She dropped a pinch or two of salt in the pot and then tossed in the onion slices. She was cooking dinner for her and Spero, who wasn't coming over til later and wasn't even expecting a nice dinner for just the two of them. Claire wanted to show just how much she cared about him and wanted to be with him. She laughed as she kept dancing around, her mood giddy and anxious. She was wearing her cute long-sleeved purple sweater and her tight dark wash jeans with her black Converse's and her hair down and wavy around her face. She was casual, wanting him to see her in her everyday wear instead of her killer black slaying attire. The doorbell rang, and she froze at the incessant banging on her door. Oh, God...not tonight... No one really knew where she lived, and Spero wouldn't come through the door...he'd step through the shadows to get to her as close as possible instead of hassling himself with doors and such. She turned around and contemplated grabbing the butcher knife where it sat on the counter. She reached out into the emotions of whoever was at the door, and whoever it was was scared and begging for her to be home. She rushed to the door, throwing it open and staring in horror at Donovan covered in blood and holding a beautiful baby girl in his arms. Her mouth went dry, and she gasped at him with widening eyes. "Donovan...what the hell is going on? Whose baby is that? Where's Iris?" she asked quietly, her eyes never leaving the baby in his arms. She reached out and took the girl into her arms, holding it tight to her chest to keep it safe and dry from the rain as she now stared at the blood all over him, becoming afraid of what he had done. Now that he was a werewolf, his animal instincts and powers have increased, making him more powerful and inclined to get out of hand with his wolf state as Iris had a few times. She beckoned for Donovan to get inside of her home...NOW...she needed an explanation, and what was worse and terrified her more than anything, she knew that the blood wasn't his, the baby wasn't his, and that Iris probably knew nothing about this.
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Post by sillygoth on May 11, 2009 22:03:23 GMT -6
Claire looked at him oddly, Donovan realized, like maybe he'd done something wrong...had he? No..no, he hadn't...he'd saved that baby.
"Umm..." Donovan said, trying to figure out which question to respond to first.
"I...I rescued the baby...she was being raised by vampires...they were probably going to eat her one day," he said, pacing nervously. "And every day I'm walking by their door, and all I can smell is the death of them...and tonight..the door was open, and they were laughing at the baby...and...and..." Donovan trailed off, his hands shaking, nerves and possibly a little shock setting in.
"And so I saved her," he said in a quiet voice.
"I brought her here, because...I can't keep her at the hotel; soon enough they're going to figure out that I acquired a baby after the vampires...moved out. " The way he said "moved out" would probably satisfy all of Claire's questions about the blood, he figured.
"Iris...I have no idea where Iris is at...she's probably out on patrol. I couldn't really risk bringing a baby out there. That would be like dangling raw meat in front of the tiger cage, ya know? I...I just brought her here...because Iris trusts you, and you can kind of read minds...and you're a girl, so babies are your thing....I mean, what was I supposed to do, leave her to die at the hands of the vampires?"
Donovan's mind was racing, struggling to contain the nagging urge that he'd screwed up somewhere. It was eating at him...and he didn't like it; he'd done good, so why didn't it feel good?
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Post by Claire Bryants on May 11, 2009 22:33:50 GMT -6
She was staring at the baby in her arms, the smallest of smiles on her face as she looked at the innocent little girl in her arms. Then, her eyes turned back to Don, and she was trying her best not to panic, although her voice came out louder than she wanted it to. "What the hell did you do, Don?! This child...her mind...she just keeps seeing her parents...she loved her parents...and they loved her...those...weren't...evil...vampires, Donovan...they weren't trying to kill their daughter..." she managed as she caught the flashes of happy memories in the baby's mind. She grabbed onto the sofa arm with one hand, trying not to collapse from shock and weakness. It was even more consuming on her powers to read younger human minds. "Why did you do this? Iris...she...oh, God! How could you...what...oh my GOD!" Claire could barely speak, tears forming in her eyes at the thought of this child having no family like Iris did. "What is Iris going to think about what you've done?" she turned away and walked into her bedroom, trying to find a warm blanket. She settled for one of her fluffy towels and wrapped the baby up as though it were a blanket. She immediately started to rock it and make shushing noses to get it to relax and try to sleep. Her eyes were full of conflicting emotions as she kissed the baby's forehead, staring down at it. "Her parents are gone now...just like Iris' mother and unborn brother..." She was shaking with grief and sympathy for the baby and for Donovan.
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Post by sillygoth on May 11, 2009 22:50:32 GMT -6
Donovan heard the mild freak out in her voice, and the unthinkable came tumbling out..
they loved her...those...weren't...evil...vampires, Donovan...they weren't trying to kill their daughter..."
"No...no...that was an act...them being nice to me...that was an act...they were...they were just pretending to love her...right?" Don's voice went from shaky and confused to frantic and upset.
And then she brought up Iris again...Iris wouldn't be mad, would she? Claire knew her better than he did, and she seemed to think she'd be upset by him rescuing the baby. He did rescue the baby, right?
Either way, Claire was seeming to be rather upset with him being here...he figured it best if he left. "Umm..I think I ought to go...lots, lots of work to do, ya know?"
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Post by Iris Robina on May 11, 2009 23:10:23 GMT -6
Claire watched his expressions change as he thought it over and tried desperately to reason with his actions, but his voice was shaking and upset, so she put the now sleeping baby down on the sofa, making sure it was safe and would stay there before walking over to Donovan and staring at him with sad eyes. He was trying to leave none too gracefully and leaving the baby with her...God knows what she could do with it! She wasn't its mother...not even close! Jesus Christ, why did this have to happen to her? Why did SHE have to be dragged into it...and why the HELL was she the one stuck with the BABY?! SHE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO TAKE CARE OF A BABY!!! "There's no pretending here, Don..." she spoke softly, putting the baby's memories into his own mind so that he could see what she saw, so that he could understand the truth of what he had done. She put her hand on his shoulder and kissed his forehead like a loving sister before returning to the baby's side. "You need to tell Iris what happened...she needs to know about this baby...and she's your mate now...she'll find out anyway through your thoughts..." ((Yeah, I know...I was too lazy to switch accounts!))
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Post by sillygoth on May 11, 2009 23:26:57 GMT -6
The baby's memories crashed into his mind like a horrid tidal wave of truth. Donovan staggered back, trying to push them away, and he wasn't able to. He tried to look away from them, but he couldn't make his mind focus on anything else but these fresh and foreign thoughts.
"Oh god...Iris..I've...done something horrible..." he managed to think, before the baby's thoughts overwhelmed him again, and he sat down, trying to find anything negative in the memories, something to prove his theory right, anything to prove he wasn't a monster. He couldn't find anything, no matter how many times they replayed over and over, until they finally seemed to fade. He found nothing to justify what he'd done.
He went over to the couch, watching the baby laying there. She was still awake, though slowly fading into the gentle sleep of innocence, blissfully unaware of what he'd done. He scooped her into his shaking arms, holding her tiny form against him, cradling her. "I'm sorry..." he said, unable to hold back the tears that fell. "I'm so sorry..."
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Post by Iris Robina on May 12, 2009 0:04:24 GMT -6
Claire could tell after she had shown him the memories that he was visibly upset. He staggered, and her hand tightened on his shoulder to help support him. Her lower lip shook, and she tried not to cry as the realization of what he had done hit him hard, and she felt nothing but total sympathy and anguish for him. She felt all of his sadness and complete horror of what he now thought he was flooding through his mind. God, how she wanted to make him feel better...but the only person that could help him through it, help him deal and love him no matter what...was Iris, and Claire showed him that too in his mind...she let him feel all of Iris' love for him so that he could know and understand who to turn to. When he walked over to the baby, she tilted her head in confusion until she watched him pick the baby up in his arms and cradle her against him. Claire couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes as she stared at a man who felt so horrible for what he had done to the baby and its future. He repeated that he was sorry, and Claire knew he was. "Don...you need Iris now...you have to find her and talk to her...she loves you, remember that...she always will...you know that..." Claire finally choked out through the lump in her throat.
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Post by sillygoth on May 12, 2009 17:40:35 GMT -6
Claire's words seemed to penetrate Donovan's brain as he calmed, and he nodded. "Yeah...either that or she'll run from me, because I'm a monster," he said, sounding dejected but rather calm. He quietly stood up, putting the baby back on the couch, rubbing its back for a moment as she began to stir.
He left the Claire's place, hopping into his Envoy, heading back into the city, looking for Iris in all her usual patrol areas, or signs that she'd been there recently. He finally caught her scent outside one of the seemingly endless graveyards of New Orleans. He parked the truck, slipping out of his clothes and staring up at the moon, letting its energy fill him and fuel his shift. The phasing still felt weird, but for whatever reason, it seemed easier for him when the moon was more full. He nosed the door shut, hopping over the fence with ease, figuring the truck would be safe.
"Iris!" he telepathed out to her, hoping she could hear. "Iris!" he called again, his thoughts starting to become frantic when she didn't immediately respond. He sat on his haunches by a mausoleum, letting out a sad howl, loud and baying, echoing into the night air. "Iris, I need you!" he mentally cried, trying to keep himself calm, and his thoughts in check.
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Post by Claire Bryants on Aug 2, 2009 21:54:59 GMT -6
((OOC: Too lazy to switch accounts...))
Iris was walking across the cemetery grounds, her eyes wary as she stared around her and kept watch for vampires. Her thoughts were full of happiness as she thought of Donovan and everything they had been through together here in New Orleans and back at her house in Alaska. He loved her...and he allowed her to imprint on him and turn him into a werewolf so he could be with her. He can be with her forever now...she wouldn't have to be alone, and it was exhilarating knowing that. She kicked a small pebble on the ground as she kept at an easygoing pace, but then she froze as she heard Don's sudden frantic wolf thoughts in her head.
Every muscle in her tensed, and she sorted through her thoughts to get to him, and she saw where he was, heard where he was in her mind. She hurried and undressed, then shifted into her wolf form, grabbing her black pants and red tank in her teeth as she sprinted off to her love. When she arrived, she nuzzled him worriedly and sat back on her haunches close to him. She cocked her wolf head to the side and stare at his disheveled form, his fur askew and his eyes haunted.
'I'm shifting back,' she told him. 'I want to talk to you in human form...it's so much easier...' She morphed and quickly changed back into her black skinny jeans and her bright red tank top and then sat back and waited for him, her face full of anxious confusion as to why he was so frantic and sad. SHe needed to find out why, so she could help and calm him down.
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Post by sillygoth on Aug 2, 2009 22:11:08 GMT -6
Don did the same, phasing back to human and grabbing his clothes from the truck. Then he walked over to Iris, hugging her tightly and shaking a bit.
"Umm.." he said, his voice wavering a little. He stepped back, leaning into the truck to grab his clove cigarettes. Don had pretty much quit since becoming a lycan (they tasted a little funny now), but he needed a smoke.
His hands shook as he puffed on the cigarette and related the night's events, not leaving out a single detail. He stared at the ground, never looking at Iris, his voice as shaky as his hands.
"They just smelled so...vile..I...I was sure they were evil...and then...I got mad...I got so mad....I...I had to eliminate them...for the kid's sake..."
He turned his back now, leaning face first against the truck. "I just..I remembered what they took from you...and how it hurt you...they're all tainted creatures...you told me yourself that I should never trust one..."
His fist rocketed into the side of the truck, and a snapping sound could be heard as two of Don's knuckles fractured. "And then Claire put its thoughts in my head....and showed me that they loved the baby...and the whole time she's looking at me like I'm...I'm the bad guy..."
He raised his face to look at her, his eyes full of pain. "Am I a monster, Iris?"
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Post by Claire Bryants on Aug 2, 2009 22:30:23 GMT -6
IRIS' Pov:
Iris rocked back on her heels with wide eyes, her mouth parting in shock as she stared at him. It was as if he physically struck her as she heard about him killing the vampire parents of the baby that Claire now had at her house. She shook her head, willing for the graphic images to leave her mind, but all she kept seeing was the faces of the parents and the child that will now be like her...with no parents to take care of her and love her. When she could finally look at Don, she saw how tortured he looked and her anger somewhat dissipated. She sighed and raked a hand through her hair, unable to meet his gaze completely as she fought back tears. It was hopeless...she couldn't do anything to bring back the parents...she was at a loss of what to do now...especially about the baby...
"Why..." she finally whispered calmly, finally meeting his gaze with a fierce gaze. "Why would you ever think that I would think you're a monster? You'll never be a monster to me, Don...you just did what you thought was right...I love you, and this isn't going to change that...we just have to figure out what to do about the child..." she took his face in her hands and leaned in, closing the gap between them as she made her decision and kissed him firmly on the lips.
CLAIRE:
The blonde haired slayer watched Don stand up with one last look at the child, and then her mind went numb as she faintly heard him leave out the front door. She stared at the child laying there asleep and rocked herself back and forth, hugging herself around the chest and curling up on the couch with conflicting emotions. Oh, God..she needed Spero...how she needed Spero right now...she started to cry softly as she remembered the baby's thoughts pouring through her head and wondered if that's how Iris felt every time she remembered her parents. Every piece of Claire felt like she was being torn apart in ten directions, and she gave into her emotions, which she didn't do all that often.
"Spero! Oh, God, Spero! I need you! Please! Where are you? Why'd you have to be late?" she tried to sit up on the couch, but everything that had happened weakened her mind and made her physically weak as well. The thoughts of the young child weakened her after she had used her powers to channel them. She grabbed onto the side of the couch as her eyes never left the peaceful child, and she lifted herself painfully to her feet, wobbling unsteadily. A dizzy spell rushed through her, and she swayed again.
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Post by Spero Xakex on Aug 3, 2009 23:34:55 GMT -6
Spero had gotten off the phone with Claire’s voicemail about two hours ago. He was getting antsy his father had him going to a family meeting of slayers. He hated being there, he say in his chair contemplating on whether he wanted to get up and walk out. Sitting at one of the head general seats aka the one of the princes seats. Seems though there were not enough to go around for the triplets, but Ciril “daddy’s favorite” was in the true prince’s chair. Spero sitting across from her with Trece at his right and his father on his left.
It took about three hours in total for the meeting to come to a close. He knew Claire would be pissed at him. So it being night he took his Black skyline out for a spin. Taking it on the highway where no one would see him. He opened a large portal in the tunnels of New York to teleport him and his car to New Orleans where she lived. He knew that if he didn’t take the car his father’s people would follow him or even become suspicious. He even had to avoid the clan when he got to NO. I mean how strange would it seem if he was just seen leaving a slayers meeting in New York and within the same hour he and his car was seen in NO. Spero drove into the back alleys of NO to get to Claire house. Jumping into oblivion every time he got to a dead end.
He finally got to Claire’s drive way. He figured that he would knock on the front door seems though he always surprised her, he thought he would be “normal” for a change seems though this was going to be a great night with her. He realized that this night was going to be like all other hectic nights when he noticed wolf tracks. Peering into the shadow world oblivion he caught scent of Don and blood. His mind raced something was defiantly not right here. He looked towards her door which was oddly cracked. Approaching it he could hear a baby cooing. Opening the door to see what was on the other side he could see Claire getting off the couch, next to her is what seemed like a human baby. Then he saw her wobble and sway unsteadily then she fell towards the floor. With all but instinct forcing him to react, he shadow fazed towards her. A technique he quite didn’t get down completely, but was supposed to enhance his already inhuman speed. Catching her before she fell he brushed her hair aside and looked inside her eyes.
“How you doing Claire Bear, sorry I’m late but I see things are getting out of hand… or more like a normal night for us” he snickered
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Post by Claire Bryants on Aug 4, 2009 23:16:01 GMT -6
Claire was falling, and she was sure that she would hit the ground when she felt arms around her tight, holding her to a man's chest. She gasped in shock and then familiar emotions and thoughts rushed through her head. Spero...her head lifted and she looked up into his half worried half joking face with a relieved sigh. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder, unable to say anything but just leaning against him and inhaling his light trace of cologne he was wearing. She tried to gather her thoughts together and help channel his slightly calmer emotions through her.
"Spero..." she finally managed as she looked back at him and forced a smile onto her face as she heard his words. "It's alright...I understand you had family things...and so much happened in the past fifteen minutes...I'm so tired..." she sighed wearily, her eyes rolling just a little until she shook her head to clear her thoughts. She kept her arms around him so that she could make sure he was really there with her, keeping her safe like he always did. "The baby...and Don...oh God...it was horrible..." her eyes flickered with sadness. "I saw what was in the child's head...what Don did to its parents...and Don just left it here with me...what am I supposed to do?" she asked hopelessly as she stared up into Spero's eyes, tears forming in her own.
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Post by sillygoth on Aug 5, 2009 22:08:51 GMT -6
Eventually, in the kiss and the embrace that followed, Don's heart rate slowed and his thoughts calmed. Everything was going to be fine-he still had Iris. Everything seemed easier with her around.
"You're my sanity, you know that?" Don asked her softly, leaning his head against hers. He held her as long as he could, not wanting to break the embrace, that wonderful sensation of security and perfection.
He sighed, knowing at some point he'd have to let her go and return to the harsh reality of the world. It was a world teeming with undead filth, waiting to kill and maim humanity, waiting to kill and maim him, waiting to kill and maim her. It was an ugly world, one that needed to be purified, so Iris, Don, and everyone they cared about could be safe.
"We should probably get back to Claire's place....I'm sure she doesn't want the baby there. She seemed kind of pissed off at me over it," he sighed. "I'm sure she'll be glad to see you with me, she was pretty freaked by what I did...like she didn't trust me."
Under his breath, Don muttered, "Almost like she likes vampires more than she likes lycans."
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