A few drinks, a few kisses, a few secrets shared, some Chinese to fill their stomachs and a lot of laughter. All things considered, the date had gone well thus far. Jon hadn't scared Vicki away yet and was slowly but surely opening up to her more, getting more comfortable with her. Already fond of her, she was growing on him, and he found that she was always somehow able to make him laugh and forget about his problems for a while. They watched some random movie on TV and settled in for the night, him literally giving her the shirt off his back. Nothing went on in the bed, other than some snuggling and smooching. Neither of them seemed quite ready to take the next step yet, but neither did they want to spend the night alone.
As for himself, he'd watched her for a little while before finally drifting off, eyelids too heavy to stay open any longer. He felt peaceful and content there beside her, all his worries far away. At least, for a while, but it didn't last.
Somewhere around four a.m. was when the bubble burst. He started feeling restless, still dark outside, with dawn still a few hours away. He'd been taking precautions to keep the vampires away, doing everything everyone had advised him to do, but nothing was foolproof. He heard Josephine calling him, summoning him even while he slept, taunting him, tempting him. After a while, he'd awoken with a start, heart pounding, t-shirt soaked in sweat. He'd somehow managed to slip out of the bed without waking Vicki, and gone to the living room to try and wait it out. It was almost enough to drive him mad, but he knew if he could hold out 'til dawn, the vampire would eventually leave him in peace. At least, while it was daylight. Afraid to look outside, afraid to see her there waiting for him, he perched himself in a chair, hands gripping the arms so hard his knuckles turned white.
The absence of Jon beside her was enough to bring Vicki stirring from sleep, blue eyes blinking open in vague confusion as she rolled onto her back, looking around the darkened room in search of him. Rubbing her eyes clear, she slid from the bed, ridiculously small in his shirt, and padded softly to the door, peering into the living room in concern. "Jon?"
This was madness. He couldn't live like this much longer. If he did, he'd either end up giving in to Josephine's will, killing himself, or going mad, and none of those were viable options. His shape could just be made out, a quiet silhouette in the moonlight, seated in a chair as still as a statue, the only visible movement the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. "Jon, are you okay?" Vicki's voice was a little rough with sleep, but her uncertain worry was clear as day as she moved into the living room, approaching his still form to crouch down. Shaking the sleeve of his shirt back from her hand, she let her fingers wrap over his. "Jon?"
It was hard to see in the dark, but his face looked strained, an almost haunted look in his eyes, like he'd awoken from a nightmare or was still in the midst of one. Hands gripping the chair tightly, damp curls stuck to his forehead. Though he was sweating, his skin felt cold and clammy, his breathing a little shallow. In a word, he looked terrified.
"Oh God, Jon, what is it' Are you ill?" Leaning up, Vicki touched her hand to his forehead, gently brushing the curls from his sweat-slicked skin to feel the coolness of his temple. She didn't know what was wrong, or what she could do to help, but she couldn't leave him here all alone in the dark. Moving to rise, she turned to flick the light switch, illuminating the room with stark, bright light.
He winced at the sudden onslaught of bright light, almost flinching from it, blinking. Now that the room was illuminated, his face looked pale, but not sickly. The expression on his face was more of one who was lost in the clutches of some nightmare they couldn't find their way out of.
Vicki didn't know what was she was looking at, what had disturbed him so much to bring him out here to sit in silence and distress. She returned to his side, again stroking her fingers over his hand and cheek, pleading with him to at least acknowledge her. "Jon, please. Whatever it is, it's okay. You're safe ....I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."
Haunted blue eyes slid to her face at the sound of her voice, drawing him away from the call of the vampire and the hold she had on his mind. It was taking all his strength to fight that call and focus his attention on the woman there with him, like a light in the darkness. With great effort, he forced his lips to move, to form words, his voice hoarse, strained with the effort. "What ....what time is it?"
"Oh, thank God." She breathed a deep sigh of relief when his eyes finally focused on hers, alarmed by the ghosts that seemed to be haunting him still but reassured that whatever it was hadn't won. "About four," she told him quietly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Four ..." he repeated, closing his eyes and taking a slow breath. Another hour or so until the first rays of sunlight chased away the darkness. "God ..." He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to banish that other voice from his head. His fingers found hers and held on tightly, like he might drown without that touch. "Stay." It was only a word, but it seemed to speak volumes. The one thing he needed right now more than anything else was not to be left alone.
"I'm staying." She couldn't quite hide the wince that came when he gripped her hand that tightly, making a mental note not to let Jon see her fingers in the morning in case they bruised under his grasp. Stretching a little, she snagged the forgotten blanket from the couch and carefully slid herself onto the arm of his chair, keeping her hand in his even as she draped the blanket over them both. Her other arm wrapped about his shoulders, her cheek resting against his curls. "I'm here."
He leaned into her embrace, and she would feel the tension in his body, his shoulders hard, muscles tense, taut as a wire ready to snap. There wasn't any pain, but Josephine's call was strong and it was taking all his strength and will power to fight it. "Talk to me," he told Vicki, needing to hear her voice drowning out the voice of the other.
For a moment, Vicki was speechless in the way all people get when asked to speak. But she cleared her throat, dredging up something random and innocuous to fill the silence as her fingers stroked his hair gently. "Did I tell you about my home back on Earth' Cornwall's a beautiful county ....all hills and mountains and rugged cliffs falling away to the sea. You'd like it there, I think ....there are so many places to explore ..."
He closed his eyes, trying to visualize it in his mind and banish the dark thoughts from his head. "Sounds ....beautiful," he said, voice strained, fighting for every word, clinging to her, the sound of her voice, forcing himself to focus on her presence.
As for himself, he'd watched her for a little while before finally drifting off, eyelids too heavy to stay open any longer. He felt peaceful and content there beside her, all his worries far away. At least, for a while, but it didn't last.
Somewhere around four a.m. was when the bubble burst. He started feeling restless, still dark outside, with dawn still a few hours away. He'd been taking precautions to keep the vampires away, doing everything everyone had advised him to do, but nothing was foolproof. He heard Josephine calling him, summoning him even while he slept, taunting him, tempting him. After a while, he'd awoken with a start, heart pounding, t-shirt soaked in sweat. He'd somehow managed to slip out of the bed without waking Vicki, and gone to the living room to try and wait it out. It was almost enough to drive him mad, but he knew if he could hold out 'til dawn, the vampire would eventually leave him in peace. At least, while it was daylight. Afraid to look outside, afraid to see her there waiting for him, he perched himself in a chair, hands gripping the arms so hard his knuckles turned white.
The absence of Jon beside her was enough to bring Vicki stirring from sleep, blue eyes blinking open in vague confusion as she rolled onto her back, looking around the darkened room in search of him. Rubbing her eyes clear, she slid from the bed, ridiculously small in his shirt, and padded softly to the door, peering into the living room in concern. "Jon?"
This was madness. He couldn't live like this much longer. If he did, he'd either end up giving in to Josephine's will, killing himself, or going mad, and none of those were viable options. His shape could just be made out, a quiet silhouette in the moonlight, seated in a chair as still as a statue, the only visible movement the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. "Jon, are you okay?" Vicki's voice was a little rough with sleep, but her uncertain worry was clear as day as she moved into the living room, approaching his still form to crouch down. Shaking the sleeve of his shirt back from her hand, she let her fingers wrap over his. "Jon?"
It was hard to see in the dark, but his face looked strained, an almost haunted look in his eyes, like he'd awoken from a nightmare or was still in the midst of one. Hands gripping the chair tightly, damp curls stuck to his forehead. Though he was sweating, his skin felt cold and clammy, his breathing a little shallow. In a word, he looked terrified.
"Oh God, Jon, what is it' Are you ill?" Leaning up, Vicki touched her hand to his forehead, gently brushing the curls from his sweat-slicked skin to feel the coolness of his temple. She didn't know what was wrong, or what she could do to help, but she couldn't leave him here all alone in the dark. Moving to rise, she turned to flick the light switch, illuminating the room with stark, bright light.
He winced at the sudden onslaught of bright light, almost flinching from it, blinking. Now that the room was illuminated, his face looked pale, but not sickly. The expression on his face was more of one who was lost in the clutches of some nightmare they couldn't find their way out of.
Vicki didn't know what was she was looking at, what had disturbed him so much to bring him out here to sit in silence and distress. She returned to his side, again stroking her fingers over his hand and cheek, pleading with him to at least acknowledge her. "Jon, please. Whatever it is, it's okay. You're safe ....I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."
Haunted blue eyes slid to her face at the sound of her voice, drawing him away from the call of the vampire and the hold she had on his mind. It was taking all his strength to fight that call and focus his attention on the woman there with him, like a light in the darkness. With great effort, he forced his lips to move, to form words, his voice hoarse, strained with the effort. "What ....what time is it?"
"Oh, thank God." She breathed a deep sigh of relief when his eyes finally focused on hers, alarmed by the ghosts that seemed to be haunting him still but reassured that whatever it was hadn't won. "About four," she told him quietly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Four ..." he repeated, closing his eyes and taking a slow breath. Another hour or so until the first rays of sunlight chased away the darkness. "God ..." He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to banish that other voice from his head. His fingers found hers and held on tightly, like he might drown without that touch. "Stay." It was only a word, but it seemed to speak volumes. The one thing he needed right now more than anything else was not to be left alone.
"I'm staying." She couldn't quite hide the wince that came when he gripped her hand that tightly, making a mental note not to let Jon see her fingers in the morning in case they bruised under his grasp. Stretching a little, she snagged the forgotten blanket from the couch and carefully slid herself onto the arm of his chair, keeping her hand in his even as she draped the blanket over them both. Her other arm wrapped about his shoulders, her cheek resting against his curls. "I'm here."
He leaned into her embrace, and she would feel the tension in his body, his shoulders hard, muscles tense, taut as a wire ready to snap. There wasn't any pain, but Josephine's call was strong and it was taking all his strength and will power to fight it. "Talk to me," he told Vicki, needing to hear her voice drowning out the voice of the other.
For a moment, Vicki was speechless in the way all people get when asked to speak. But she cleared her throat, dredging up something random and innocuous to fill the silence as her fingers stroked his hair gently. "Did I tell you about my home back on Earth' Cornwall's a beautiful county ....all hills and mountains and rugged cliffs falling away to the sea. You'd like it there, I think ....there are so many places to explore ..."
He closed his eyes, trying to visualize it in his mind and banish the dark thoughts from his head. "Sounds ....beautiful," he said, voice strained, fighting for every word, clinging to her, the sound of her voice, forcing himself to focus on her presence.