Sweet Memories:   part 25
by Kayla



"So, when did he say he was going to be back in town?" Mellie passed a tray of cookies to Sophia before taking a sip from her tea.

"Thank you, dear." Sophia nibbled at a cookie before replying, "Daniel told me he'd drop by the day after tomorrow. He didn't mention how long he'd be around this time, but I'm hoping I'll be able to convince him to stay for a while." She sighed wistfully. "I do miss that boy something dreadful. He's just so...refreshing!"

Mellie nodded. "But he does have that streak of flightiness, haring off all over creation in search of the elusive 'answers'. Still, it's understandable, I suppose. He's not exactly had the easiest life, you know."

"Oh yes. The poor dear. He just needs to come back home where he belongs. I'd take proper care of him."

"Mmm, yes, I imagine you would." Mellie's eyes twinkled merrily.

Sophia grinned back and opened her mouth to retort. A frantic pounding on the door interrupted her, though, and she held her tongue as Mellie got up.

"My, who in the world could that be?" Mellie shot Sophia an apologetic glance as she made her way to the door. She opened it, then stepped back in surprise as a barely dressed Alex stumbled inside. "Alex? Whatever is the matter?"

Alex clutched at Mellie despairingly. "Wil. Is he here? Have you seen him? I can't...I have to find him!"

Mellie frowned. "Why, no. He hasn't been by here. Why, what's happened?"

Alex shook his head, backing away from her. "No, I have to find him. It's...it's daytime, he wouldn't have gone outside, would he? Oh god, I don't know where he is, Mellie. It's wrong, something's wrong, I have to find him!"

Concerned, Sophia stood and approached the distraught young man. "What is it, Alex?" she asked in a gentle tone. "What's wrong?"

"I don't...� Trembling, Alex collapsed to the floor. He leaned into Mellie's arms as they wrapped around him, rocking. In a tiny, almost childlike voice, he said, "I don't know. Mellie, he ran! Everything was so nice, and we were...and then he just changed. He was all vampy, and the he just ran. I have to find him. What if he's hurt? God, what if he ran outside, and he's all burned, and hurting, and, and, and..." He gasped for air, his eyes wild with terror.

"Hush, now." Sophia knelt next to him, stroking his back to calm him down. "You'll be no good to him in this condition. Take a deep breath. That's it. Everything will be fine."

"But--"

Mellie's head jerked as her phone started to ring. She made no move to answer it, and after a few more rings, the answering machine picked up.

"Mellie? Are you there? Um, ok. It's, um, Jenna. I just...well, Wil's here, and he's really upset, and I was going to call Alex but he won't let me, so I called you instead. I don't know--"

Swiftly, Mellie picked herself up off the floor and grabbed the receiver. "Jenna? You said Wil's there?" With her other hand, she fended off Alex's determined scrabbling for the phone.

"Uh-huh. I see. Oh, wait a second, dear. I'm going to put you on the speaker, all right?" She pressed the button, then hung up the receiver.

From over Mellie's shoulder, Alex shouted toward the phone, "Wil? Are you there? Talk to me! Is he there, Jenna?"

"Yeah, he's, um...hold on a sec." There was a muffled noise and a few clicks as Jenna switched over to her speakerphone.

Very faintly, Wil's voice could be heard. "No. I can't...tell him to stay away. I won't hurt him!"

"Wil! Wil, talk to me. Damn it, I'm coming up there." He turned with every intention of going to Jenna's apartment and retrieving his boyfriend, even if he had to carry the stubborn vampire out to do so. He was stopped only by Wil's sad, miserable voice.

"Alex? Please...don't. I'll hurt you. I don't want to hurt you. I couldn't...I couldn't bear it if I..."

Alex's face crumpled. He allowed Sophia to lead him to the couch, where he sat as close to the phone as he could get. "Wil," he whispered brokenly, "you wouldn't hurt me, I know you wouldn't. Please, just...come back home, ok? I...I need you there."

Wil growled in frustration. "I would hurt you! You don't know what was happening, what I was going to do! I wanted--" He broke off with a strangled cry.

Confused, Jenna asked, "Why do you think that, Wil? I can't imagine you ever hurting Alex. Everyone in the whole building knows how much you two love each other."

Wil let out a bitter laugh. "I'd think you of all people would understand. You know what we are! We...we're freaks! Bloodsucking, murderous freaks! How can we even be capable of love?"

The sound of a hand striking flesh seemed loud in the silence that followed that impassioned statement.

"How dare you?" Jenna hissed. "How dare you?" Her voice was thick with unshed tears. "I loved Alicia with all my heart, dead or alive. She was...she was my everything. And you tell me I'm not capable of love? That what we had wasn't real?"

"Jenna, I--"

"No. No. I won't stand here and listen to you say things like that. I am not a monster, Wil. You are not a monster. We may not be human any more, but damn it, we can still feel! We can be happy, and sad, and hurt, and-and in love. Being a vampire doesn't take that away. Everyone...everything is capable of love! And don't you ever say otherwise!" Jenna was so upset by this time that she was panting harshly, on the verge of bursting into tears. In almost a whisper, she finished, "I would give anything to be with Alicia again. Wil, don't screw this up. Don't throw away what you and Alex have just because you're afraid he might get hurt. That's a chance we all take when we fall in love."

There was a moment of heavy quiet, then Wil said, "You don't get it. I'm not afraid he'll get hurt. I'm afraid I'll hurt him. Me! I can't do that!"

Alex let out a groan of frustration. "Why do you keep saying that? You won't hurt me, I know it!"

"Sweetie, let me talk to him, ok?" Sophia nudged Alex away from the phone. "Wil? It's Sophia, you remember me, don't you?"

"Yeah," Wil grumbled. His voice hardened. "Keep your bloody claws off my Alex, you hear?"

Sophia chuckled softly. "If you insist. Wil, can I ask you a question?"

There was a pause, then, "S'pose so."

"What happened that made you think you'd hurt Alex here? From what I've seen of you two, I find it very difficult to imagine you causing him any pain."

A distant thumping sound came over the line, as if someone was rhythmically kicking a piece of furniture. Finally, Wil responded, "We were...I was kissing him, y'know? An'...I started sucking on his neck, nibbling just a bit."

Alex flushed and reached up to cover the faint mark on his neck.

"Um, I just...my teeth were there, and I could hear his pulse, an' I wanted...I wanted to bite. And I could feel something happening to me, and then I had fangs, an'...an' I knew if I didn't get away, I'd...bite him. Hurt him." Wil almost choked on the words, but forced them out, "Kill him."

Alex turned pale from shock. "No," he breathed. In a firmer voice, "No. You wouldn't do that. Never. I don't believe it!"

Wil snarled. "You daft git! How the bloody hell can you--"

"Oh...my...god." Jenna snorted softly, then started to giggle.

"What is so funny?" Alex demanded angrily.

"I'm...I'm sorry, it's just...I think I understand now."

"Understand what?"

Jenna calmed herself. "Wil," she asked patiently, "how did you feel? When you wanted to bite Alex, tell me what you felt."

Wil didn't see how that mattered, but humored her request. Thinking back, he struggled to put into words the emotions that were running through him at the time. "I felt..." He sighed loudly. "I dunno...possessive? Protective? Um...completed?" Another sigh. "That doesn't make sense. If I felt like that, why'd I try an' hurt him?"

"You didn't try and hurt me, Wil! Jenna, he didn't--"

"Alex, would you stop--"

"Both of you, shut up!"

Stunned, they obeyed, waiting to see what she had to say.

"Wil, Alex is right, you didn't try to hurt him." She held up a hand to forestall any further protests. "Trust me on this one, Wil, I've been there. What you felt wasn't a desire to...well, to kill prey, it was a desire to claim your mate. To mark him as yours. To...to marry him."

Alex gasped. "M-marry?"

"Mmm. That's basically what it amounts to. If Wil had bitten you then, while you were...um...you know...well, it would have left sort of an imprint, a-a signature. You would have had a visible sign that a vampire had claimed you as his mate, his...consort. And very few people have the guts to will mess with a vampire's consort."

"Of course." Mellie smacked her forehead. "How silly of me. We should have known something like this would happen and prepared the two of you. It's not like we haven't all seen bonded vampire/human couples before."

"Y-you have?" Alex stared at her and Sophia.

"Well, it's not exactly common, but it's certainly not unheard of," Sophia told him.

"I wouldn't have killed him?" Wil's voice was pleading, begging for affirmation.

"No, dummy," Jenna said affectionately. "You would have wed him. And he would have been yours. Forever."

"Oh."

Sophia heaved an aggravated sigh. "Well, what are you waiting for, you silly vampire. Get down here and make an honest man of Alex. Or I might just snatch him up while you're not looking."

There were rustling noises, then a door slammed. "Oh, thank you," Jenna breathed. "You boys have fun making up. I'm going back to bed. It's not even noon yet!"

"Sleep well. And thank you." Mellie smiled and hung up the phone.

Alex stood hastily. "Um, I have to..." he waved his hand toward the door.

"Of course you do. Shoo!"

With a grateful smile, Alex opened the door and backed out. When the door closed, he turned and leaned against it, staring intently down the hall. A moment later, the door to the stairwell opened, and Wil timidly poked his head out.

"Hi." Alex folded his arms over his bare chest, watching the vampire nervously.

Wil crept a little closer. "Hi." He shuffled his feet as he walked slowly, coming to a halt inches away from Alex.

Alex held out a hand, sighing in relief when Wil took it. He squeezed it, then leaned forward. "I love you, y'know. Even if you are a dummy," he whispered, then kissed him.

The tension drained from Wil, and he kissed back eagerly. "Love you," he mumbled when their lips parted. "An' I'm not a dummy!"

"Oh yeah?" Alex let go of his hand and started walking backwards toward their apartment. "I'm still not an 'honest man'. Maybe I should go back and talk with Sophia. I think she has a few openings..." He trailed off at the look on Wil's face. Grinning, he turned and darted back into their apartment.

With a matching smile, Wil raced after him, growling playfully.