Chapter One Hundred Fifty-one Only a few hours had passed since Anton left for work, and already she was calling to talk to him. It wasn't that she missed him...although she did. This time they had something important to discuss, and he wasn't going to like it at all. Waiting for his secretary to patch her through, she paced the floor of the living room. Putting down the tax report and picked up the phone. Michelle had stepped into his office and indicated that he should really take this call, even though he had asked to be left alone while he tried to plow through the paperwork on everything he had missed. So there was some uncertainty in his voice as he spoke. "Hello?" "My father served my mother with divorce papers." "What?" "Yes. John just blurted it out, after calling to ask me if I was nuts for inviting Mother to live here. She wasn't even going to tell me! No one has heard from him in months, and yet all of the sudden this person shows up on the doorstep to serve her divorce papers. And he has a new girlfriend!" Anton blinked and pushed the papers to one side so he could rest his elbows on the table. "Your father has a new girlfriend?" he said. There was no way he could keep the disbelief in his voice. "When did this happen?" "I don't know. How the hell should I know? I only find out about this crap weeks or months after it's happened. And I can't believe that little shit knew all of this was happening and still kicked her out of his house. What kind of jerk does that?" He rubbed his forehead. "Let me get this straight. Your brother found out that your father is getting a divorce from your mother. Even though he knew this, your brother kicked your mother out of his home. Meanwhile, your father has a new girlfriend, and nobody thought to tell you. Have I left anything out?" "Is there an echo in here?" When her comment was met with dead silence, she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, sugar, I'm just a little pissed off at the moment. And no, you didn't leave anything out. My brother is an ass, my father is an ass, and I'm pretty sure my mother qualifies as an ass for not telling me anything." "Agreed, my dear." Anton ran his fingers through his hair. "And nobody was going to bother to tell us this?" He let out a heavy sigh. "And why does your brother, who so kindly kicked your mother out, care if she comes to live near us?" Groaning, she sank down on the couch. "Good question. He said that he didn't think it was a good idea because she would drive me crazy. And I said that he should have thought about that before he kicked her out. Then he said she was driving *him* crazy and he couldn't take it anymore. He should have found a place for her to stay before he did it, but he didn't think about that. And now she's going to have to live here with us." "So in other words, he foisted the problem onto us." He rubbed his forehead, trying to remind himself that vampires didn't get migraines. "What did he expect us to do? Turn your mother away and send her back to him in some sort of bi-coastal game of ping-pong?" The image his words provoked in her mind actually made her smile...for a moment. "Apparently he thought she would get a place in Baltimore, and not visit too often. You would think he would know her better than that." Her heart rate was steadily increasing, knowing what was to come. And she was dreading his reaction. "I was thinking...not just in past few hours...and I think there's something I need to talk to you about." Anton immediately lifted his head. He knew the sound of her voice. This wasn't a 'I was thinking that I need to talk to you about what we're having for dinner' type discussion. This would be more along the lines of 'I have an earth shattering revelation' conversation. "Do I need to come home and we discuss this face to face, my dear?" She chewed her lip. "Um...maybe. I guess it depends on how busy you are...and how much yelling you're planning to do." That didn't sound good at all. "Well, I'm not busy now, my dear. And I promise not to yell too much." He sat back in his chair, crossing his ankles in front of him. "And you might as well tell me now, because I'll just be brooding over what it might be until I come home." Taking a deep breath, she leaned back as well and closed her eyes. "I think we should take Nate up on his idea and build Mom a house on the property." Anton took a deep breath. He didn't bother asking if he had heard her correctly, because he knew he had. So he focused on the next question to ask. "Why the change of heart, my dear?" She was a little surprised he was still so calm. She didn't think she would have been, in his shoes. "Well, I was thinking about the discussion we all had, about how Natasha might be even more of a threat now that Lilith is in prison. And now if Natasha did pull something, she probably wouldn't be prosecuted for a very long time, if at all. And so, I started thinking that maybe the townhouse, so far away from us and our security here, wasn't the best place for my mother to be. Because if Natasha did find out who she was, it might be the first place she would strike." It was a logical argument for her to make. But right now it wasn't logic, but emotions that Anton was most concerned about. "And what about you, Bryn? Are you going to be okay trying to live so close to your mother?" "I don't know. It's going to be hard, yeah. But I also know she's not going to stay in Baltimore. Her feelings are hurt and she always takes a long time to get over that. And since Dad is selling the house, she has nowhere else to go. It'll be a pain in the ass, sometimes, to have her here, but I'd feel a lot better if she was on our property than I would if she wasn't." Glancing at the clock, she said, "Will you come home so we can talk about this, please?" Anton glanced at his computer, making sure he had no scheduled appointments for today. "I'll be home in about half an hour, my dear," he said as he stated putting paperwork back into various folders and files. "Thank you, sugar. I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances." "It's okay, my dear. I'll be home soon." Hanging up the phone, he picked up his briefcase and headed out to inform Michelle that something had come up and he was needed at home. And he chose to ignore the smirk on her face at his choice of words. Then he went off to find Seth and inform him as well. Standing over the copy machine, his sleeves rolled up and a stack of paper in front of him, Seth looked up to see Anton walking closer. "Almost finished. Then I'll get started on whatever you need next." "Um, about that, Seth," Anton said, trying to figure out what to have Seth do next. He wasn't certain that Michelle would be able to come up with something for him to do, and he didn't want to antagonize his secretary any more. "A personal matter has come up which requires my attention at home. You think think you'll be able to find your way back on your own?" Seth blinked, as if that was the last thing he'd expected Anton to say. "Y-Yes...I'm certain I can. Unless, of course, I'm no longer needed here. In which case, I could tag along. If you didn't mind, that is." "Well, if you want to tag along, that's fine with me." Anton said. He pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Those copies can wait until tomorrow night since neither of us will be here. Unless you have something more you need to do before we leave." Relieved, Seth put down the papers and pushed cancel on the copy machine. "No, sir. Let's go." "Seth, one thing... Don't call me sir." She'd had the urge to change in to a sexy negligee, or perhaps to wear nothing at all, just to make him smile. But that would only end up leading to sex, which would be avoiding the problem. She thought about it again, anyway. Finally, she decided just to make a light snack and wait for him outside with the kids. Petunia was sniffing away at Max as he toddled across the grass, and Katerina was watching them with interest. After dropping Seth off at the werewolves home, Anton headed towards his. He didn't expect the floodlights to be on, bathing the front lawn in a glow. And he smiled when he saw Bryn, Kat, and Max outside waiting for him. "Here's my favorite family," he said as he started across the yard, scooping up Max. "I should hope so," Bryn said, softly, bouncing Kat in her arms. "I'd hate to have to compete with some other family." Stepping down from the front step, she met him on the sidewalk and kissed him softly. "There would be no competition, my dear." Anton bent to kiss Bryn's lips and then the top of Kat's head. "So, have you talked to anyone else yet about your idea?" She shook her head. "I was waiting for your okay first. I don't want to make a decision without you." Turning with him to go in the house, she whistled for Petunia to follow. "I made some mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce. I thought you might be hungry." "You're too good to me, my dear." Anton followed her into the house and the kitchen. "I have to admit, my dear. I'm not certain this is a good idea. I know it makes sense that if she's closer that she can be safer, but I'm worried about the affect that she will have on you." "Well, at least I'll have a lot of people around to hold me back when I want to kill her." She smiled at him. "I know it would be rough. But I keep hearing your voice in my head, ironically enough, telling me that maybe it would be a good thing." Anton arched one eyebrow. "My voice, my dear?" he said with a smile. "And maybe it would be a good thing. Maybe you'd be able to work through some of the issues that the both of you have." "And maybe I'd end up shipping her back to John after a week. Who knows. Either way...it does mean that she'd have to move in with us until the house was finished. And we both know what a pain in the ass that's going to be." "At least we know what we're getting into," Anton said. He let out a sigh. "I feel that I should be more charitable, given how she actually stood up for me to your father." "Anton, if you don't want this, just say so. We can come up with something else. Or, if all else fails, maybe I can beg my brother to keep her." "It's not that I don't want this, my dear," he said, trying to put his emotions into focus. "I do want to help her. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. You've made so much progress, Bryn. And I'd hate to see you fall into your old self-doubt because of her being around." "I know. And to tell you the truth, I'm worried about that too." She handed Kat over to him before grabbing a plate for the cheese sticks. "But...hopefully, now that I'm aware of it, I'll be able to handle it better. And you'll be able to remind me, too." "I know. And to tell you the truth, I'm worried about that too." She handed Kat over to him before grabbing a plate for the cheese sticks. "But...hopefully, now that I'm aware of it, I'll be able to handle it better. And you'll be able to remind me, too." Anton leaned forward to kiss the tip of Bryn's nose. "And the rest of the family will be around to help keep her in line as well. Who knows, my dear? Maybe after a few months she'll be calling John to ask him to take her back." She grinned, scooping some marinara sauce on to the plate. "She just might, especially when she gets exposed to the less glamorous side of vampirism." Licking her fingers, she motioned for him to precede her towards the couch. "I'm not going to hide anything from her, Anton. If she doesn't like it, tough titty." "Amen, my dear," Anton said as he settled on the couch. He reached out to pull Kat's fingers back as she tried to dab them in the sauce. "Are you sure you want to have these out here, Bryn? What if Max decides that marinara is more fun to fling than peas?" "Well, he's not getting any marinara. He'll just have to have plain cheese." With that said, she pulled a small piece off of one of the cheese sticks and handed it to Max. He immediately squished it between his fingers. "That's gross, little booger." Shaking her head as he finally started to eat it, she said to Anton, "So...anything more to discuss?" "Well, we'll need to talk to Nate and make sure his offer still stands, since technically this is his land we'd be building on." Anton grabbed a cheese stick and swiped it through he sauce. "And I was thinking maybe I should also set up an appointment to talk with Mulder about what happened." She looked up from dipping her mozzarella with wide eyes. "Really?" "Yeah," Anton said as he studied his cheese stick intently. "I carried around the guilt and shame of when I was attacked as a child for almost one thousand years, Bryn. I'm not going to carry guilt and shame over what Lilith did to me for a thousand as well." He then looked at her, noting her surprised expression. "Is it really that much of a shock?" "I just didn't think you'd do it so soon. I mean, we only talked about it a few days ago." Leaning over, she kissed his lips firmly. "I'm proud of you, sugar." Anton smiled a bit sheepishly. "I was figuring that I should get it over with sooner instead of having it hang over my head for who knows how long." He leaned against her shoulder before popping a cheese stick in his mouth. There was a few seconds of chewing and swallowing before he spoke again. "Do you need to talk to him to? I meant solo sessions, unless you and your mother aren't going to keep up the group therapy." "I'm sure that we'll work out something. I'm not all that sure those group sessions were doing anything. But I will keep talking to him. I'm probably have enough issues already to fill a vampire lifetime." Putting his plate on the coffee table, Anton put his arm around her shoulders. "My dear, you're going to find that now that you have plenty of time on your hands, many of your problems that once seemed insurmountable aren't. It may take a while, but you do work through them." She smiled at him, leaning back against his arm. "It's a good thing, now that Mom's moving here. I just hope she doesn't drive you crazy right along with me." He gave her a soft smile as he picked up another cheese stick. "My dear, that is a much, much longer drive than you believe." She grinned, grabbing another cheese stick of her own. She tapped hers against his, as if clicking glasses together. "Amen, sugar." Taking a bite and then swallowing, she said, "You know, I think we need to come up with some ground rules ahead of time. As in, she can't come over to our house without calling first...or at the very least knocking on the front door. She is welcome to help with the kids, as long as it really is helping and not meddling." "And don't forget one of the most important ones, my dear." "Which would be, sugar?" "When we're behind closed doors, for God's sake, don't open them!" When Lindy took a night off from work, Bryn saw the opportunity that she'd been waiting for. Inviting Lindy and Liam over for a play date, she started making some cookies. It had been nearly a week since the first time she'd fed from a human, and she was still feeling a bit uncertain. Although Anton's reassurances had helped a lot, she still felt the need for a second opinion. "Bryn?" Lindy called, entering the house from the tunnel. "We're in the kitchen." She should have guessed from the rich scent of baking that was coming towards her. Hefting Liam higher on her hip, she headed towards the kitchen. "I hope you're making a lot of those, Bryn," she teased as she stepped into the room. "Because the moment Walter and Alex scent them, they'll be gone." Bryn looked at her and grinned. "What makes you think we won't eat them all first?" Reaching for the coconut, she paused. "Do you like coconut or should I add chocolate chips? I already put in the macadamia nuts." "Let's go wild. Do both," she said, putting Liam down on the floor near Max. Handing the boys a large rubber ball, she smiled as they started pushing it back and forth between them. "Liam's just starting to learn balls are fun to throw as well as fetch," she said with a grin at Bryn. Ripping open the coconut bag and the chocolate chips, she dumped a large pile of both in to the cookie batter. "Does he still Change often? It feels like it's been forever since I've seen him." "Not so much around me and Nate, but definitely around Mom when she's baby sitting him. Same with the others in the pack." She watched both boys continue to play. "It's amazing to me how much Max has grown. When you had to leave for Hawaii, it was like he stopped growing in my mind." "Yeah, well, look at her," Bryn said, gesturing to the Kat, in her activity chair. "I have a feeling she's going to start crawling really soon. She sees Max running around and it really irritates her that she can't join him. She's gotten quite good at screaming until Anton or I pick her up and carry her to where the fun is." Lindy nodded. "Sometimes, I think Liam is missing out not having a brother or sister. But I don't know how we could give him one. He's got a half brother and half sister, but we can't contact them. And I wouldn't want to answer any questions from them about how we ended up with Liam." Bryn turned to look at her. "Why not adopt again? Maybe not a werewolf or anything, but I'm sure there's some way you could do it. Like you've said, there are ways of getting around legal issues." "Nate and I have discussed that," Lindy said pensively. "But the thing is that neither of us feel right putting a human baby into this family situation." She then shook her head. "Besides, you asked me here to talk about something else, and I'm monopolizing our discussion. What's up, Bryn?" Now that she had an audience, she wasn't all that keen to say it. Deciding to start with a safer topic, she said, "Um, actually, I had an idea. I wanted to find a way to thank your parents for how they helped us with everything in Australia and back home. And I wanted to run this by you. Do you think they'd ever consider getting married? Maybe not legally, but at least some sort of commitment ceremony?" Lindy's head tilted to one side as she considered it. "I know they've talked about it on and off for a while, but there was always a problem. They couldn't find someone to do it, were worried about what would happen if it got back to the schools me and Amanda were in, or just didn't think they needed to 'officially' bond. But I think they'd like the idea." "Good. I was thinking we could set it up and arrange it for them, but give them the final okay on everything." She smiled. One topic over with...now on to another. "Um, another thing...Nate said something about us possibly building a house on the property for my mother. Do you think he was serious?" Lindy's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Um, probably he was. I can ask again to make sure." She looked at Bryn a bit uncertainly. "Does this mean your mother is moving in?" Bryn sighed heavily, reaching for a cookie sheet. "Probably. Possibly. I don't know. I'm going to give myself a few days to think about it. As much as I like the whole townhouse idea, I think I would feel better if Natasha wasn't in the picture, you know? I'd much rather be uncomfortable than risk something horrible happening to my mother. I may not particularly like her, but I do love her. I guess." "Yeah," Lindy said grabbing a spoon. She began to drop dollops of dough on the sheet. "It makes sense that you want to be certain that she's safe from Natasha. But does she know what she's getting into? she knows about us being vampires, but what about the werewolves?" Bryn frowned. "Not exactly. But she'd have to learn to live with it. I'm not going to change to suit her. If she doesn't like it, she can go running back to John." Lindy nodded, making a mental note to talk to Jess about the situation. "Well," she said glancing at the children. "Hopefully she will adapt okay. Besides, it might be good for Seth that there's another human around." Bryn laughed. "Hopefully she won't warp him to her way of thinking." Giving a mock shudder, she placed the last spoonful of batter on the tray, then opened the oven. Sliding in the cookie sheet, she set the timer. "You want some milk with your cookies?" "Sounds good, Bryn." The mention of Seth's and Bernadette's mortality reminded her that Bryn was no longer human. "So," she said with a deceptively casual air. "Has Anton talked about teaching you how to hunt yet?" The glasses clattered together as she pulled them out of the cupboard. Setting them down on the counter, she stood there for a moment, facing away from Lindy. "Yeah, we've talked about it some." Retrieving the milk, she closed the fridge door with her butt. "And then...he gave me a bit of a demonstration." "Really?" Lindy was a bit surprised. She figured it would have been more like her training. Nate pointed her in the right direction and let her new nature take its course. "And how did it go?" Bryn hesitated. "And then I killed a guy, drained him until he was nearly dry, and jumped Anton's bones." Lindy blinked in surprise. Although she should have expected it, she had pictured it more that Anton would catch Bryn her meal and then help her subdue it. This sounded like Bryn had handled it on her own. "Anton didn't help you?" Bryn shook her head and poured the milk. "He found us, afterwards." Lindy nodded, understanding. "Why don't you tell me about it from the beginning, Bryn? What happened?" Suddenly reluctant to spill her guts, Bryn took her time in putting the milk away. The cookies were starting to smell delicious and were probably almost done. "We...well, I had just had a counseling session with my mother and I seriously needed to get out of the house. So Anton decided to cheer me up. We went and got ice cream, and then I told him that I might like to see him hunt. I guess, if I'm really honest with myself, I was kind of hoping all along that something would happen to force me in to action. Because I wasn't sure if I was brave enough to do it otherwise." Lindy nodded, understanding. "It's a weird feeling the first time that you hunt. You know you're going to end someone's life, but you don't feel like a murderer. Or at least you don't while you're hungry. And even then, there's a part of you that doesn't want to be doing it, even though the hunger and the instinct demand it." Uncomfortable, Bryn stared at her toes. "I didn't feel that. I never really felt guilty...except about the fact that I wasn't feeling guilty." "Nate told me that everyone reacts differently," Lindy said, wanting to reassure Bryn that she didn't find her guilty. "But you said that Anton was hunting. How did you end up feeding instead?" "Someone tried to steal my purse. Like I said, part of me kind of wanted it to happen, so I wasn't really protecting myself the way I could have. I didn't stay very close to Anton. And this guy just grabbed me. I could have just let go of the purse. I didn't really need the stuff inside--it could all be replaced. But I hung on. And when he hit me, I snapped. I jumped him from behind." "Maybe that's why you don't feel guilty, Bryn. This guy attacked you, hurt you. When I fed the first time, I just ended up picking the first guy who jogged by." She gave her a small smile. "I'm surprised Anton wasn't watching and didn't shred the guy on the spot." Bryn smiled. "He wanted to. I think he might have if it looked like I was overwhelmed." Lindy nodded. She glanced over at the boys who were still absorbed with playing with the ball. "So what happened next? You jumped him and then what? Anton put him out of his misery?" Bryn nodded. She felt a little silly admitting that, but she just hadn't been able to finish it herself. "He was..." She struggled to find the right words. "Amazing. I mean, the way he was looking at me...and what he did. I don't think I've really seen that side of him before. It was almost...animalistic." There was a look of understanding in Lindy's eyes. "The first think that Nate did was kiss me. And then later, after we fed, he and I..." she blushed, remembering how they had both been unable to keep their hands off of each other. Bryn nodded. "It wasn't just that, though. I think for a minute or two, he let me see his real dark side. And I loved it." That caught Lindy's attention. "You know, I didn't think Anton really had a dark side. Or not one that was that dark. Before he met you, he'd ask me if I'd want to go hunting with him, but I never did. But after he came back from Santa Cruz, he became more... mellow isn't the right word. Leashed is probably closer." "I know some of his other wives were afraid of his vampiric side. And his father didn't help, by telling him they were evil. I think he grew increasingly hesitant to be anything but human. And when he met me, he worried I might be like the others. But I've told him, repeatedly, that I don't want him to hide his feelings...no matter what they are." "Maybe you should talk to him about it, Bryn. Because if he's not comfortable with who he is after 1,000 years, what hope do either of us have." Lindy shrugged. "Nate's got his definite vampiric side, but I know he tries to make up for what he does other ways." "I've tried talking to him, believe me. He's having a hard enough time dealing with the execution. But...he did say that he was going to talk to Mulder, hopefully that will help." She started slightly as the timer on the oven began loudly buzzing. "Sounds like the cookies are ready." "Yeah," she said, inhaling appreciatively. "And I'll bet that Mulder will get Anton to open up some. If only so that Mulder will then leave him alone. His first name might be Fox, but it should have been Bulldog for how tenacious he is once he gets an idea in his head." Grabbing a pot-holder, Bryn opened the oven and pulled out the cookie. As she began putting them on the rack to cool, she looked to Lindy. "What do you think I should say to him? What might he respond to that I haven't already said?" Lindy shrugged. "I don't know. You said that some of his former wives were scared of that vampiric part of him. Maybe it would help if you channeled one of them and she told him she forgave him and didn't mean to hurt him," she said, only half serious. And then tilted her head slightly. "You know, that might not be a bad idea, if we could get it to work." "The only problem is, I can't just turn it on and off at whim. I don't know when one will come out, which one it will be, or why." Lindy pursed her lips. "Well, maybe Mulder can work with you on that. Zenobia just sort of stumbled across them that one time, but has anyone tried hypnotizing you and asking one of them to come out and talk?" Bryn thought for a moment. "I could give it a try, but I don't know if it would work or not. I guess I'll talk to Mulder the next time I see him. Thanks." Lindy shrugged as she smiled at Bryn. "I aim to please." Tentatively, she reached out to grab a cookie, and then pulled her fingers back, shaking them. "Still hot." Laughing softly, Bryn said, "You know, the two of us should go hunting some time. We'd scare the hell out of them." A devious glint came into Lindy's eyes. "Our prey, or our husbands?" "Both." It was some dark instinct that warned him something was wrong. He and Bryn were snuggled together on the bed, asleep. But something didn't feel right to him. One eye cracked open, and he saw why. One of the shutters had malfunctioned, leaving a hairline crack of sunlight entering the room. It wasn't near the bed, yet, but it would be soon. Anton grunted and grabbed the thick comforter. He couldn't go near the window to try to override the shutter manually. But fortunately a good thick blanket, although stifling, would provide protection. He pulled it over his and Bryn's head and then closed his eyes, settling close to Bryn again. She was fine for a while, but it eventually became stifling hot under that blanket. With Anton nearly smooshed against her side, his own body heat like a furnace, she was almost panting. Pulling back the corner of the blanket, she caught her breath and peaked an eye open. Yawning, she blinked, bleary-eyed, then let out a groan. Sitting up, she left Anton in his covers. Then she turned around and fixed the stupid shutters. [We should just put up a damned dressing screen between the bed and the window.] Sinking back down on her pillow, she laid there for a minute before pushing all of the covers on Anton and then settling against his chest once more. There was protection from the sun, and then there was the danger of self-igniting from the sheets that were piled on top of him. Sitting up, he started rearranging the blankets, eyes half shut. Deciding to check where the sun was, he cracked an eye open. His frown deepened as he realized that the shutters were now shut. Vaguely puzzled, Anton let out a soft grunt. "Must have been a dream," he mumbled as he laid down, only a top sheet on top of him and Bryn now. She blinked her eyes open again. "Not cold anymore? I woulda offered you a heating pad, if we had one." "Wasn't cold," Anton said, wrapping an arm around her waist. He didn't bother to open his eyes as he explained. "Thought that the shutters weren't working right, and since we can't go near the sun, I was covering us for our protection." "Hmm." Eyes closed once more, she pressed her nose to his chest. "Weren't working. Need..." Yawn... "To get 'em fixed." Anton grunted. "I'll call when we wake up in the evening," he said as he wrapped his arms around her tighter. Then one eye opened, a frown crossing his features. "Wait a second. They weren't working? They were open?" "Mm hmm." Starting to fall asleep again, she didn't follow his line of thought. Anton sat up and shook her shoulder. "You shut the widow?" he asked. He tugged lightly at her shoulder, wanting to take a look at her face and hands. "Roll over, Bryn. Did you hurt yourself?" "Anton..." she whined. "Can't you wait an hour or two? I'm tired." He was so intent on checking her for any injury, he didn't follow her train of thought for a moment. "Bryn," he said. "You just stepped into a full ray of sunlight to close those shutters. I need to make sure that didn't hurt yourself." Grumbling, she flopped over on to her back. "I didn't step anywhere. I was in bed...trying to sleep." Sighing, she looked down at her arms. "I'm fine. It was only a second or two." He took her arms and carefully studied them. "Bryn, a second or two in sunlight and I'm whimpering on the floor with third degree burns." But the flesh his hands ran over was flawless. "You're certain that you closed the shutters?" She gave him a dry stare. "Either that or we had a shared dream." Wriggling closer to him, she said, "Maybe I was just far enough out of the way. I wasn't exactly sitting in full sunlight or anything." "Maybe," Anton said. There was a bit of doubt in his voice, but she was probably right. He laid down and snuggled next to her. "Just be more careful in the future, my dear. I don't want to risk you getting burnt." "I will." She wrapped her arms around him, sliding her legs against him. "Although, you know, I'm wide awake now." Anton chuckled softly. "I thought that you said that wanted me to wait an hour or two?" he teased. "That was when I still had a chance of falling back to sleep. Besides, who said that was what I was hinting at? I was actually thinking it might be nice if you gave me a bath." "Would that be in the bathroom, my dear? Or a tongue bathing?" He ran his hand up and down her side. "Nice warm bath to get you relaxed and sleepy?" She was about to tell him he was a single-minded pervert, but she gave the idea a second thought. "Hmm. Whatever sounds good to you, I guess." Anton nuzzled her neck before pulling away. "In that case, my dear, let me go start the water running." After a soft kiss to the ear, he backed out of the bed. Even as he headed to the bathroom, he kept one wary eye on the shutters, as if he expected them to spring open. "Hey...I thought you were going to take me with you?" Anton turned around and headed back to the bed. "My oversight, my dear," he said and scooped her up in his arms. "Any other requests," he said as he started again towards the bathroom. She bit her lip, then shook her head. "Nope, this is fine." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she lifted herself a bit higher and kissed his mouth. "You're so good at indulging me." "It's not like you don't indulge me as well, my dear." Turning to one side so her legs wouldn't hit the door frame. Setting her down on the toilet, he started the tub filling with water. "Would you like this to be a bubble bath as well?" he asked as he reached for the bottle. She nodded. Standing up, she walked over to sit on the edge of the tub, watching him. "I had Lindy over yesterday, while you were at work. I asked her what she thought about us building a house for my mother. She said she thought Nate would go for it." "I'll ask him tomorrow night," he said as he dumped a capful of soap under the tap. Immediately bubbles started to foam. "The sooner we can get her home constructed, the sooner she can move out of ours," he added with a wry smile. She nodded. "You know, I'd be willing to put her up in a hotel, if we had a set time limit. I'm going to run out of my savings before long." Sighing, she grabbed a handful of bubbles and blew on them. "I bet you never included this in your fantasies of eternal bliss." "Can't say that I did," Anton said with a chuckle. "But look at it this way, my dear." He tested the depth of the water. "She'll only be around another forty to fifty years at the most. In terms of a vampire's lifetime, that's just a blink of an eye." "Yeah, well, to those of us who are newly Transformed, it will still feel just like a lifetime." Standing up, she stepped in to the tub and sank down in the warm water. Smiling, she reached her hand out to him. "Come on." Anton stepped in behind her and settled own in the chest deep water. He then pulled Bryn down into his arms. He let out a contented sigh as he nuzzled the top of her head. "So tell me, my dear, what did you expect from an eternity of bliss?" Snuggled against him, she pressed her cheek to his chest. "Someone that would understand me completely. Someone I could trust implicitly, that I could tell my deepest, darkest secrets to. And someone who could do the same with me." Anton lightly stroked her arm, drawing water and bubbles over it. "And do you have that, my dear?" he asked. "I know I haven't been the most open with you in the past, but I am trying." She nodded. "I know you are. I do have that...mostly. But I think there are some things you hold back, still, whether you're aware of it or not." She reached up and stroked his hair back from his face with a wet hand. "I think you still restrain the vampire inside you. Like you're afraid he might get away from you." Anton shifted a bit uncomfortably. "I am, my dear. Sometimes I'm afraid I won't be able to differentiate between the actions of the man, and the monster. Like the other night, when I snapped the neck of your first meal. Was it because I was putting him out of his misery and giving him a quick death, or because I was jealous of the fact that he felt his fangs in your neck?" She watched him for a moment. "And if you did? What then? Do you think that means you're a terrible person? Because the way I saw it, he was going to die anyway. Whether you did it or I did it, the outcome was going to be the same." "That's what I'm not sure of, my dear." His eyes were troubled. "I know that it was probably the merciful thing to do. But part of me still wonders, Bryn." "Whether you wonder or not, I still wish you'd share it with me. I'm here for the bad as well as the good, Anton. And how am I going to learn if not by your example?" Anton leaned against Bryn and let out another deep sigh. "I know, my dear." He pressed his forehead to her shoulder. "It's just..." He was quiet for several long minutes. In fact, Bryn was certain he wasn't going to speak again when he did. "Do you remember how Brinley reacted when she first learned I was a vampire?" "No. Tell me." "It wasn't pretty. It was just after they brought in Nathaniel, and it was clear that he was dying. Ivan ordered everyone who was human but the 'servant girl' meaning Lindara, from the room. I guess you weren't certain if he meant you or her. Why he asked Lindara to stay, I'm still not certain about." "You stood by quietly while Gisele and I pleaded for Nathaniel's life. And you know what the outcome of that was. I don't think anyone realized you were in the room until you screamed when I bit into Nathaniel's neck." "Ivan swore you to secrecy, of course, with threats. As he had Lindara. But the look of loathing and fear you gave me cut me to the core. You always looked away when I was around, and we didn't speak until the night we escaped the coup. And afterwards, when we lived in that tiny hovel, I had to hide what I was from the majority of the peasants, so it became easier to hide from you as well." Lowering her gaze, Bryn released a long sigh. "I'm sorry, sugar. I wish I could take back what she did to you." "I know you are." Fingers under her chin, Anton tilted her head so Bryn was looking at his eyes again. "And I don't blame you for Brinley's mistakes. But just keep in mind it's going to take me a while to undo a habit of hiding that's 900 years old." A bit of a glint came to his eyes. "Hopefully it won't take another 900 years." "Lindy had a bit of an idea...that maybe Mulder should hypnotize me again...so maybe you could talk to Brinley?" Anton blinked in surprise. "Is that even possible?" A similar thought had crossed his mind, but he hadn't voiced it. "Are you okay with that idea, Bryn?" "Yes, if you are." He didn't answer her right away. "If Mulder thinks it can be done, and it's not a risk to you, I would like to try." She smiled at him. "I'll ask him. I don't see why he would say no. If all else fails, we could try to contact Zenobia again." "But not this morning," Anton said as he wrapped his arms tighter around Bryn. "Thank you for being patient with me, Bryn. This isn't easy for me to talk about. Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him tightly. "Thank you for being patient with me. I know I'm asking a lot out of you and I really don't want to push you. I know it will come out sooner or later." "Hopefully more of it will be sooner than later." Good humor finally returning, he let out a soft laugh. "What is it about me confessing my deep, dark secrets in the bathtub?" She smiled. "Would you rather do it at the dinner table...or maybe in bed? I think the bath is just fine." "I have to admit it is comfortable," Anton said. "But then anywhere that you drape yourself over me without clothing I would call comfortable, my dear." "I'll have to remember that next time I visit you at work." Kissing him softly, she turned a bit more to face him. "What about you? Any requests from me?" "Um... that you visit me at work really soon?" Bryn laughed. "Other than that." "Well, how about we start with you giving me a kiss?" She gave him a soft, lingering kiss, but finally pulled back to whisper against his lips, "That's not exactly what I meant." Anton lightly pressed his lips to her skin. "What exactly did you mean, my dear?" "I mean, are there things you want me to work on? Something you want me to open up more about, maybe?" Maybe she was right that he had a one track mind. Because he hadn't been thinking along those lines at all. "I want you," he said thinking for a moment, "to remember to be strong when around your mother. Because no matter what she says, you are a wonderful, beautiful, intelligent woman." She stared at him for a moment, before dryly saying, "You really had to think to come up with that, didn't you?" "Only because I was thinking of something else I wanted you to work on. And I hate to admit it, my dear. It was on a purely carnal level." She laughed softly. "Okay, we don't have to talk about that stuff anymore. What would you like me to do, on a purely carnal level?" Anton stroked his fingers through her hair. "How about we start with kissing, my dear." He leaned closer to brush his lips over hers lightly. He certainly had a thing for kissing, she thought to herself. Sliding her fingers in to his hair, she nipped at his lips and sucked each in to her mouth in turn. She swirled her legs against his in the warm water, she pressed her breasts tight against his chest. One hand remaining tangled in her hair, the other slid up and down her back, trailing droplets of water over her shoulders. His tongue gently teased its way into her mouth and caressed her lips. Squirming lightly, she moved higher against him to settle more firmly against his groin. His erection was firming between their bellies and she couldn't resist rubbing herself against it. Kneading his shoulders, she smiled against his mouth and teased his tongue with her own. Anton let out a moan, his hips lifting her slightly higher in the water. Anton held her firmly against his body, as his mouth moved lower to nip at her jaw. Fangs extending, he pricked at the tender skin, just barely penetrating before soothing the love bite with a kiss. She let out a soft whimper as the tip of his fang tore a shallow gash through her lower lip. He began sucking the blood flow in earnest, keeping the wound from closing just yet, before finally releasing her with a lick. Gripping his shoulders even tighter, she lifted herself against him, trying by the shift of her hips alone to get him inside her. Anton teased by shifting his hips also, but keeping away from her. Or at least for a few minutes. The rubbing and sliding of flesh against flesh only made him harder. Sitting up a bit, he took a firm grip of her hips and positioned himself. He let out a soft grunt as he pushed into her. Squeaking, she dug her fingernails in to his flesh as she sank down the length of him. She shivered lightly, staring in to his eyes from beneath dark lashes. "I love it when you let your wild side out. Did you know that? I think you're so sexy. And I'd love to see more of it." He started a slow, steady pace thrusting into her. "What would you like to see me do, Bryn?" he asked as he leaned over her, lowering himself. He let out another moan as her breasts rubbed against his chest. She hugged him even tighter, whispering in his ear. "I love it when you're rough with me, when you make me scream. I love it when you fuck me so hard I see stars. And I love it when you remind me of just how much of a big, bad vampire you are." His arms tightened around her. "And do you want me to show you how much of a big, bad vampire I am, Bryn?" he whispered in her ear. He then nipped it. threatening to pierce it with his fang. "Yes!" Grinding herself on his cock, she slid her arms down and scratched at his back on her way to grab his ass. The extra little jump his hips gave made her grin. Tightly squeezing him inside her, she began swiveling her hips to drag her clit across his pubic hair. Anton let out a soft growl at how tightly she was holding onto him. His fangs nipped lightly at her neck and jaw as his thrusts came faster. "And will you show me," he whispered against her ear as a hand reached between their bodies. "What a big, bad vampiress you can be?" Each word was emphasized with a firm press against her clit. She was nearly vibrating by the time he reached the end of the sentence. Nodding enthusiastically, she let him see her fangs descend as she smiled at him. Leaning even further against his tantalizing fingers, she zeroed in on his pulse as she licked a long stripe up his neck. None-too-gently, she bit deep in to his neck and drank greedily. Anton let out a loud hiss, throwing his head back. And then he was burying his fangs in her throat, drinking deeply. His fingers continued to rub against her, pressing in time with the pull of her mouth on his neck. His thrusts, however, matched his drinking. Whining softly as she drank from him, she continued to move with him, pressed so tightly to him that it was a wonder he was able to move his hand at all. Squeezing him mercilessly, she started to shudder and had to release her bite to let loose her scream. His yell of pleasure was drowned out by the blood in his mouth. He convulsed above her at the feel of her milking him so tightly. And he did let go of his bite to look at her for a moment. Then he dove for her again, sealing their mouths together in a blood tinted kiss. She surged up to meet him, hungrily sucking at his lips and tongue. Her own tongue scrubbed over his teeth, taking every bit of the sweet taste she could. Kneading his ass with both hands, she continued to squeeze him gently as he softened inside her. He showed no inclination to pull away from her. Anton caressed the side of her face as he laid more heavily on her. He smiled through hooded eyes, satiated for the moment. He ran his nose along her jaw, letting kisses trail behind. "Does that prove how big and bad your vampire is, my dear?" She kissed him loudly and nodded. "Yeah, but I'd like it if you did that every day. And I don't mean just literally...I mean showing more of your wild side. It's exciting to see that part of you." Anton's head tilted to one side as he considered her words. "I know it won't be easy for me, that it's going to be my habit to hide." He gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "But I want you to remind me that I don't have to do that around you." "Okay. It's a deal. As long as you remind me to tell my mother to go screw herself if she starts getting on my nerves." She grinned at him. Anton grinned. "My dear, I think we have a deal." End Chapter One Hundred Fifty-one <- Previous Chapter | Home | Next Chapter ->