#camerella

[elmartillosinmetre]

Mi crítica del concierto de La Galanía hoy en la Casa de los Pinelo.

[chrisnaustin]

If only I were she!

[redbank1960]

I don't know why you would want to be she is gorgeous as you are.

[mrawkweird]

So Ted DiBiase is the fairy grandmother to Grimes and LA Knight is the evil stepmother.

Camerella Grimes just wants his prince charming in the form of the Million Dollar Championship.

[canadiankazz]

The Twentieth Time - An L.A. by Night Fanfic

Takes place imminently after the "Dark Hallways" vignette at the end of Season 2. Annabelle meets Chloe. Jasper needs time to sort his unlife out. This is the end... for now.

This fic is part of an AU series where Jasper has been feeding from Annabelle and they now have a Blood Bond and a slow burn romantic relationship. It's worth reading the rest of the "Feeds From" series before this part for proper context and build up of Jasper and Annabelle's relationship.

This is going to be the last fic I write in this series for a while. I may well continue it sometime later, after we see how they handle the whole Chloe situation in Season 3. In the meantime, here is some angst, and some conversations that I hope we get to see some versions of in the show.

I lay no claim to any of the characters involved. The only profit I receive is the occasional kudos and positive comment.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through all 20 of these fics (so far.) Thank you to everyone who has left me comments, kudos and messages. Thank you to everyone who reads, but doesn't leave me anything. This series was not possible without @cravatfiend and @gokaiyellow, my Jaspabelle coterie.

Also posted to the author's Ao3.

First posted May 8 2019.

The Entire ‘Feeds From’ Master List Can be Found Here

The Twentieth Time

A lot was going through Annabelle's mind as she walked along the concrete L.A. riverbed towards Jasper's sanctum. A lot on her mind, and most of it not good. Her hood was up, her hands thrust deep into her pockets. She knew this route well, and had walked it many times since she and Jasper had began their Blood Bond.

She had assumed that if the rest of their coterie found out, she would be happy. Keeping secrets was what had driven Elle and Mark away from her. True, that was also for their own good, or so she had been told. It would keep them in relative safety to not be seen as a target from her Kindred enemies. Annabelle could see the truth in that, now that they had experienced a few encounters with the Camerella. It didn't make the pain in her heart feel any less.

At least she had Jasper.

Their affair had lasted several months. Annabelle chuckled to herself to think of it as an affair, but that's more or less what it was. It had started with her feeding him while he was near starving and it had grown into an extremely intimate relationship. She had taught him Blush of Life and they had used it rather frequently and to great effect. All the while, they had kept it secret. “Nelli and Victor would not approve,” Jasper had said.

But then there was the earthquake, and Jasper had been horrifically injured and Victor and Nelli knew that Annabelle had used her blood to help heal him. From there, all the coterie had to do was ask Annabelle a few pointed questions and the entire secret had given away like a house of cards. To say that they hadn't approved was an understatement, but Annabelle felt that they had an understanding now. They didn't approve of the Blood Bond, but there was nothing they could do about that.

That had all been within the past few nights.

And now...

Jasper had left the meeting earlier this night in a hurry after a brief, but private conversation with Nelli. Annabelle was sad and confused. They had just finished talking to their coterie about their relationship and things had been looking up. Annabelle desperately needed some optimism right now. These past few nights had been bleak indeed. Annabelle rounded on Nelli as soon as Jasper had left the building.

“What did you say to him?” Annabelle demanded.

Nelli hesitated and Annabelle stared her down with a kind of inner fury that she normally saved for the protest march, or for setting fire to senators' offices.

“I told him that...” Nelli sighed and decided to go with the truth. “I told him that I had sources that have informed me that his girlfriend... his old girlfriend... was in trouble. She'd been made into a ghoul and captured by the Inquisition.”

Annabelle gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. “What?”

“I sent in Gregory to get her out,” Nelli continued. “He assembled a team and got the job done, but she's sick or has been drugged or something. She's at a safe house. I gave Jasper that address and he left.”

Annabelle blinked back tears. Part of her thought she should be mad at Jasper, that he was running back into the arms of an ex, but she quickly scolded herself for even letting those thoughts form in her head. If it had been Mark or Elleanore in the same position, she would have done the same thing. Annabelle had no doubt about that.

“Is she okay?” Annabelle asked.

“I don't know,” Nelli said sadly.

“Who... who made her into a ghoul? Do you know?”

“...Yes,” Nelli confessed after a pregnant pause.

“Who was it?”

“Fiona.”

Annabelle's eyes went wide and she looked at Victor. He also looked surprised.

“But... why?” Annabelle wondered out loud.

“Chloe was... had been trying to look into Jasper's death, apparently. She must of thrown his name around and the wrong people heard it.”

“Oh, no... oh... poor Jasper.” Annabelle knew this was going to break Jasper's heart. Hers already felt broken by proxy. She knew that Chloe had been investigating Jasper, but they had hoped that trouble wouldn't find her. Now their worst fears had been realised.

“Annabelle...” Nelli sighed. “I know that you and him... you love each other. This is going to be a difficult thing for him to go through. Keep him strong. We need him. We need the both of you.”

Annabelle bit her lip and nodded, trying not to cry. “I'll do my best,” she promised.

“I'm sorry,” Nelli said.

“Yeah... I'm sorry too.”

That was a few hours ago. Jasper had texted her that he was on his way home and that things had not gone well. Annabelle's stomach churned with anxiety. She had to be strong for him... but that made her wonder who was going to be strong for her?

Just as she came to Jasper's front door hatch, Annabelle noticed a lone figure sitting on the hill on the park side of the river. She paused and squinted at it in the low light, suspicious and worried. There was no one else around. It was late enough at night to be considered to be too early in the morning. It took her a second, but then she recognised the person sitting on the hill. It was Jasper.

Annabelle walked slowly up the hill towards him. He was sitting on the grass with his knees bent up. His right arm was draped over his knees and helping to hide his face, which was bowed and hidden in his hood. His left arm was being held tightly to his torso. He looked miserable. She could faintly smell his Vitae in the air.

“Jasper?”

He had felt her coming. Jasper looked up, wiping his eyes on a sleeve that was already stained with a few blood tears from earlier. He cleared his throat before speaking. “Hi.”

“Hi. How are you doing?”

“Not great, honestly.”

“I got Nelli to tell me what she said to get you to run off so quick. Is... she okay?”

Jasper nodded, then made a 'so-so' gesture with his hand. “She's still a ghoul, just not...” he licked his fangs, hesitating in his answer.

“Is she... yours?” Annabelle asked fearfully.

Jasper shook his head. “No! No. I could never...”

“I thought not.” Annabelle stepped a little closer to him. “But... oh my God!”

She could see now Jasper's left hand and arm. It was black and withered into a painful-looking husk. His hand looked ruined and near useless. The darkness went almost all the way up to his shoulder.

Annabelle put her hands to her mouth again in shock and to stop herself from screaming.

They were trapped in a collapsed building, Jasper just out of reach above her, screaming as his arm fried in the dawn light as Annabelle panicked below, unable to help him...

“Wha-what happened?!”

“I... I was stupid. Annabelle, I'm sorry.”

Annabelle dropped to her knees in front on him, horror all over her face.

Jasper reached out to her with his good hand, and hesitated. “Shh... calm down,” he said.

“What happened?!” she demanded again. “Your arm...”

“I touched a magic ward... twice... and it fried me.”

“What? Why'd you touch it?”

“It was...” Jasper sighed. “I asked Eva to come to try to help Chloe. Eva did some magic to try to break the ghoul bond because that's... it was making Chloe sick. But the magic hurt Eva in the process and I reached out to her, but I didn't know she had put a ward on herself, and...” With a wince, he showed Annabelle his withered hand.

Annabelle whimpered.

“Please... don't cry,” Jasper said softly. “I'm very hungry...”

Annabelle wiped her eyes in a hurry. “Okay. I'm sorry, but... Jesus, Jasper... I hate seeing you hurt like that!”

“I know. I'm sorry.” Jasper hung his head.

“Is Eva okay?”

“She's hurt. She used a lot of blood, but... she'll be okay.”

Annabelle took a shaky breath. “And Chloe? She's still a ghoul?”

Jasper nodded.

“But not yours... Eva's?”

He nodded again and swallowed hard, looking at the grass.

“That's...” Annabelle didn't know what that was. It was shocking. It was saddening. It was intense.

“It was... the best option out of a lot of bad ones.” Jasper swallowed again. “It was either that or... she die.”

“'Die' as in... be turned?”

“Yeah, or... just, you know... be killed. She wanted to become... one of us though.”

Annabelle's chest tightened. She knew that would have devastated Jasper to his very core, but more than that, this conversation was familiar to her. She had one very much like it with Elle some time ago. Elle had wanted to be turned too, so she would be Annabelle's 'forever.' She hadn't told anyone about that, not even Jasper. Keeping her tears back was becoming a struggle. Be strong, be strong, be strong...

Annabelle swallowed hard against the lump of tears in her throat. “But she didn't?”

“No,” Jasper confirmed. “She's... Eva's now.”

“That's... big.”

“Yeah. Eva wasn't happy about it, but... she did it in such a way that Chloe won't be her... slave.”

“Oh... I didn't know that was a thing,” Annabelle said, blinking in surprise.

“I didn't either.”

“Why'd she do it?”

“Because of me. As a favour to me. All this... is my fault. I don't know if...” he swallowed again, fighting tears of his own. “It's going to take something very big to get me back into Eva's good books.”

“Aww...” Annabelle know how important his friendship with Eva was. He would be heartbroken to lose her as an ally. “I'm sure you'll think of something. Eva's one of the good ones, right? She'll forgive you, I'm sure.”

Jasper nodded. He had something in mind already that Eva had asked him to do. It was another stupid and dangerous mission, but those seemed to be his thing lately.

The sound of footsteps swishing across the grass towards them reached Jasper and Annabelle's ears. Annabelle got to her feet and Jasper turned towards the sound. A pretty, pale, red haired woman was coming towards them.

“That's her,” Jasper said softly to Annabelle. “That's...”

“Yeah... I recognise her from her website,” Annabelle replied. It was Chloe.

“Hey,” Chloe said as she approached. There was caution in her steps and in her voice. “Um... am I interrupting?”

“Oh, um... no, not really,” Annabelle responded.

She came a little closer and gave a shy wave to Jasper. “Hi. How's your arm?”

“Still bad,” he mumbled, looking away.

Chloe looked sad. “That sucks. Oh, um...” she took another step towards Annabelle. “I'm Chloe. I'm... I knew Jasper from... before.”

“Hi. I'm Annabelle. I'm Jasper's...”

partner

lover

“...friend.”

Annabelle hoped that Chloe wouldn’t notice her hesitation in trying to define her relationship with Jasper, but she clearly did. Chloe was canny and smart. Annabelle could see why she had gone into journalism. She was also beautiful. Annabelle understood why Jasper liked her because if the circumstances were very different, she would have liked her too. She also noticed Chloe's own hesitation in introducing herself. Chloe wasn't sure of her current relationship status with Jasper either.

“Hi, Annabelle. It's good to meet you.” Chloe held out her hand and Annabelle shook it. “Are you... one of... them?”

Annabelle frowned, but nodded, guessing what she meant by “one of them.” Not a human or a ghoul.

“I think I remember your name from around campus,” Chloe said. “Do you know Juan?”

“Yeah, he was in my protest group and we used to work together.”

Chloe nodded. “He name dropped you a few times. Everyone was wondering why you'd left school. I guess now we know.”

Annabelle chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah, well... it wasn't my idea, but I kind of had to. It's hard for me to attend classes during the day, you know.”

“Yeah... no, I get it,” Chloe said, nodding with an awkward smile.

“I'm hoping to do an online course to finish my degree once things... settle down,” Annabelle said.

Chloe smiled a little more genuinely. “That's a good idea.”

The whole time, Jasper watched them both. He was still quietly amazed that Chloe was in his presence and aware of him. True, she had freaked out at first, but now she was calm. She was talking to Annabelle. He had never thought that this would happen. No... that's not true. He had hoped that this would never happen, but now it was. The shock of it hadn't faded yet. He suspected it wouldn’t for a long time. Her words of horror when she first recognised his face still echoed in his ears. “What did they do to you?!”

“So, how did you meet Jasper?” Chloe asked.

“He uh...” Annabelle looked at him, trying to think about how to phrase her answer. “I... after I was... turned, I was trying to figure things out and I unintentionally caused some problems and... Jasper was one of the ones who found me and, um... the vampire in change of Hollywood got him to help teach me about... everything.”

“What kind of problems?”

That brought up a painful memory of visiting a lacrosse player's apartment only to discover he had been killed, perhaps to help cover up her actions. “Um... stealing blood from the clinic. Things like that.”

“Oh... I remember that story! That was you?”

Annabelle nodded, looking down.

“And so... you two became friends?” Chloe asked.

“Yeah, we... we've been through a lot together. He's saved my life, I've saved his...”

Chloe glanced from Annabelle to Jasper. Annabelle was so nervous that she would be able to figure them out – she seemed intuitive enough to be able to, and then that she would be mad. Their secret had only just come out to the coterie, and now this...

When it rains, it pours.

“You two seem really close... am I right?” Chloe asked.

Jasper licked his lips anxiously. He knew she had worked it out. “Chloe, I-”

“No, no, it's okay. It's okay,” she assured him quickly. “I'm not mad. It's... it's been a long time. Even I was... starting to move on, trying to date again. I get it. I do. It's okay. I mean... who would have ever thought we'd be here now, talking about this, with you... looking like this and... everything. Right?”

Jasper looked down sadly and Chloe knelt down to his level. She put a finger to his chin to lift his face up to look at her. “It's okay,” she repeated softly, earnestly.

“Everything is very... complicated,” Jasper said, his voice thick with emotion. “I'm still trying to... process you being here and... I need time, I think.” He looked from Chloe to Annabelle. Both women nodded.

“Yeah,” Annabelle agreed. She lowered herself back down to the grass as well.

“Of course,” Chloe added. “I... we all need some time, I think. But hey,” her voice brightened. “We have lots of time now, right?”

The two vampires nodded, a little grimly. “Right,” Annabelle said.

“I'm just glad that... now I have answers, and I got to see you again, Jasper,” Chloe said, her voice soft. “I've missed you, so, so much.”

“I've missed you too,” he confessed. His jaw tightened against more tears. He didn't like being this emotional. He had cried after his embrace, when it hit him that he had to say goodbye to his old life and everything he had ever loved or cared about. He had moved on as best he could, but despite what he had told the others, he had kept one eye on his old life. Now his choice to do that had caught up with him again, bringing with it all the old emotions he had fought down a long time ago.

“He really has,” Annabelle said. “We uh... we found out that you were investigating into his disappearance and he got really upset about it. We found the website.”

“Oh, uh...” Chloe's skin coloured in a light blush. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just... trying to make sure there was a record of my findings.”

“You thought the mob was involved?” Annabelle said with a small giggle.

“Well, I don't know! They used to make people disappear all the time! Unless... unless the mob were vampires too?” She sounded excited about that.

Jasper shrugged. “Some, probably.”

“So was it the mob?” she asked him.

“Not in the way you're thinking, no. I'm uh... I'm going to have to ask you to take that website down, please.”

“Sure... okay.” Chloe tilted her head at him studying his face. “Are you okay?”

Jasper shook his head and licked his lips again. “No, not really.”

“Is it your arm? It still looks painful.”

“It hurts, but... that's not what's bothering me.”

“What, then?”

“Chloe, I...” he stopped, re-thinking his words. Something in him wanted to blow up at her, but he restrained himself and spoke as calmly as he could. “You finding out about all of this was one of my worst nightmares. You... becoming like me was, and still is, my worst-case scenario. It would destroy me! My life now... it's a curse. The hunger, my body... It's taken me a long time to simply not hate everything about it. I still hate it, but I can accept it now. But for this to happen to you...” he shook his head. “There are no words for how awful that would be.”

They were all quiet for a long moment.

“Why did you give me that note?” Chloe asked in a soft voice.

“I was hoping that you would move on and forget about me. I didn't realise you'd recognise my handwriting.”

“I didn't want to move on, Jasper. I still love you.”

Jasper's eyes squeezed shut as a blood tear escaped. He wiped it away quickly, looking down and away.

Annabelle bit her lip, still trying to prevent her own tears from falling. She was sad for Jasper and Chloe, but that was also hitting extremely close to home for her. She hadn't spoken to Elle or Mark in a long time, and missed them terribly.

Chloe took a deep breath. “I know that... it's been a long time and that... things are different now, but... hey...” she reached out slowly towards him and stroked Jasper's back, her touch comforting and familiar, “I'm here if you need me, but if you need some time... that's okay too. I've got a lot to learn. There's a lot to figure out.”

Jasper nodded, not trusting himself to speak again yet.

Chloe looked to Annabelle. “You care about him a lot, I can tell.”

Annabelle nodded and swallowed. “Yeah. I, um... I'm sorry, Chloe. Jasper and I... I don't want to keep this from you. We were a... thing, for a while. We have a very close relationship. I don't know if we will still be a thing or not, but...”

Chloe nodded. “It's okay. Like I said, I was... trying to move on too. I can't blame either of you. Five years is a long time.” She gave a little reassuring smile that was tinged with some sadness. She also had tears in her eyes, but hers were clear.

Annabelle was extremely relieved. “I had to give up my old life too and I miss my loved ones so, so much. We... Jasper and I were both lonely... but I... I hope you won't think of it as... cheating?” She was a little afraid to put that word out there, but now that it was, for couldn't take it back.

Chloe sighed, thinking about it. “I don't think so. I think everything is very complicated right now, but... if you two had the type of relationship I think you're talking about... no, I'm not mad. How long ago did you, um... become like this, Annabelle?”

“A few months. It hasn't been that long at all, really.”

“That recent?” Chloe looked surprised.

Annabelle nodded.

“So, are you um... you're not like Jasper, are you like... Eva?”

Annabelle guessed she was referring to the vampire clans. She gave a little laugh and a sniffle. “No, I wish though. Eva is so cool.”

“Yeah... she really is,” Chloe said in a faint, dreamy tone.

“But, um... no. I'm more of a... super strong kind of vampire.”

“How strong?” Chloe asked.

“I can uh,” Annabelle thought of an example. “I can push a really big truck all by myself.”

Chloe's eyes lit up, and Annabelle recognised that excitement. It was the same kind she felt about the more interesting vampire things she had experienced. She had been feeling less and less of that excitement lately. Seeing it in Chloe made Annabelle feel a little strange. Kindred society still felt fairly new to her, but she was quickly gaining experience and losing her naivete. Soon, the same was going to happen to Chloe.

“That's really cool,” Chloe said.

Annabelle shrugged and nodded with a little smile. “Yeah, it, kind of is, but at the same time... if someone offered me a chance to give it up go back to my old life tomorrow, I'd take it.”

Chloe studied Annabelle's face. Annabelle tried to put herself in Chloe's place. What if it had been Elle who had been turned instead of her? Would she, like Elle and like Chloe now, want to be embraced as well to be with her loved one forever? If someone had asked Annabelle that question a year ago, she would have said yes instantly, but now, knowing what she knew about the hunger and the danger and the bullshit politics and the blood... she didn't think she would.

Annabelle looked at Jasper, who was still quiet. He clutched his injured arm to his chest, looking at the ground. He looked guilty and regretful. Annabelle bit her lip, her heart aching for him and everything he had been through and put himself through. She could not bring herself to be mad at him. Not one bit.

“Chloe, if you two... um... if you and Jasper...” Annabelle struggled to voice her thoughts.

“If we... get back together?” Chloe offered.

Jasper looked up at the two of them. He felt like he was being pulled into two different directions. He had never had to choose between two girls before, not like this. For it to be happening now, five years into his existence as a Nosferatu was kind of darkly humorous.

Annabelle nodded. “Yeah. That would... I mean, I would miss him, but that would be okay,” she said sadly. “So long as you both are happy.” Her put her hand over her wrist with Jasper's bracelet around it. She would be devastated, but at the same time, she also wanted Jasper to be happy, and if that meant him being with Chloe instead of with her, then, well... so be it. She always knew that just because she was polyamorous, that didn't mean all of her romantic partners would be okay with multiple partners too. That's always the risk.

“Well... I don't know yet,” Chloe looked to Jasper. “We'll see, I guess.”

Jasper nodded.

Annabelle sighed. “We'll still be friends, at least, right?” she asked.

Jasper nodded again and glanced up at Annabelle. “Of course.”

Regardless of what happened, they still had their Blood Bond. There was no way he could ask Eva, or any of the other Tremere, to help them break it, not after what he had witnessed tonight. If he wanted it gone, it would have to be the old fashioned way of keeping away from Annabelle and not drinking her blood for many months. He didn’t know how long. A year? More?

“But you want some time to... sort things out,” Annabelle said.

“I need some time, yes,” Jasper clarified. “Let me be clear. I... care deeply about both of you, but with everything going on... I don't want to be forced to decide right now. I can't. I...” His voice broke and he snarled, an angry, inhuman sound. He was hungry, tired and in pain. His Beast clawed at his throat and chest, calling for him to rip both of these women apart, love be damned. His body and soul hurt. He was nearing the end of his rope.

Both Chloe and Annabelle looked concerned and both reached out for him. He flinched away. He caught himself flinching and his face crumpled again, ashamed to be afraid of the touch of these two women whom he loved.

“It's okay,” Annabelle said gently.

“Yeah,” Chloe agreed.

“We have time. It's okay,” Annabelle repeated. “You need to rest and heal. Go home. Sleep. Tomorrow night we can...” she glanced at Chloe. “We can talk some more, right? Or, I don't know if...”

“We'll sort something out. I don't know what Eva is planning yet,” Chloe said. She swallowed, upset at Jasper's obvious pain. “I should um... go back up to the Observatory.” She gestured over her shoulder with her thumb and stood up again. “Annabelle... can I trust you to look after him for me?”

Annabelle blinked and bit her lip to stop an uprising of emotion. She nodded. “Of course,” she said with a slight crack in her voice. She also stood up.

“Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid?” Chloe said with a little forced laugh.

Annabelle smiled. “That's hard, but I'll try.”

“Okay, good.” Chloe smiled again bravely at them. Jasper slowly got to his feet, his tired blood working to obey Annabelle's command to go home. “See you tomorrow night,” Chloe said with a little wave.

Jasper and Annabelle waved back and watched Chloe walk over the hill and away. She was wiping her eyes on her sleeve as she went.

Annabelle put her hand slowly on Jasper's good arm. He tensed, like an animal that had been beaten and was expecting another blow to come. “Come on. Let's go,” she said gently.

Jasper walked with Annabelle down to the river and into his sanctum. He didn't say a word. She took him into the bedroom and sat him down on the bed. He sighed, relaxing minutely. He was always a little more at ease in here, despite what was going on in the world around them. Annabelle also sighed. It had been a heavy week.

“So, I guess... this is it?”

Jasper blinked at looked at Annabelle slowly. “How do you mean?”

“Are we...” Annabelle sniffled, “done?”

“I don't know.”

“I don't want to break up,” Annabelle whimpered. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“I don't want to either.” With extreme hesitation, Jasper reached for her hand with his good one, but paused before touching her. She gave him a watery smile.

“I'm not warded. No wards here.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “So... you're going to take some time?”

Jasper nodded. “Yeah. I've made a huge mess of things and... I need to figure them out.”

“Okay. Yeah.” Annabelle nodded. It made sense and though she was afraid of being alone again, she had to respect his wishes.

Jasper brought Annabelle's hand to his chest. He could sense her resolve starting to crumble. “Whatever happens though... I'll cherish our time that we had together... and I'm sure that we'll make more good memories in the future.”

Annabelle smiled again, weakly. “That's such a cheesy line.”

A tiny smile crept onto Jasper's face. “It's true though. You've made my life considerably better these past few months, and I love you and I thank you for that.”

Annabelle leaned in and gave him a little kiss. “Same.”

For a small, lovely moment, they smiled and touched foreheads.

Annabelle pulled back and watched him as he tried to move his bad arm into a more comfortable position. “You should try to heal that.”

Jasper nodded. “I will but...”

“You need blood?”

“Yeah. Yes please.”

Annabelle wiped her eyes, slipped out of her jacket, rolled up her sleeve and presented Jasper with her wrist. The home made bracelet stood out against her skin. “I'm never going to take this friendship bracelet off, by the way,” she said.

“Good.” Jasper held her arm steady with his right hand and sunk his fangs into the flesh of Annabelle's arm. Annabelle winced and willed her Vitae to flow into him. She was getting used to the pain of the bite. It was always worth it for the good feelings that followed. She sighed as the sweet pleasure flowed through her, making her core quiver and her Beast grumble. She rested a hand on his leg, wanting to touch more of him, but reminding herself to hold back. He needed his space. That meant no more sexy dates with him for a while.

A few seconds later, Jasper licked his cold tongue across her skin and pulled back. He reclined back onto the bed with another wince, shifting to get comfortable. “Thank you, Annabelle,” he mumbled.

She rolled down her sleeve and gave him a little smile. “You're welcome.”

Jasper licked his fangs clean, then gritted them as he tried to heal his scorched arm. Annabelle watched, frowning in concern. Slowly, the blackness disappeared from his upper arm and the flesh on his hand filled out a little. Jasper hissed and grunted in discomfort. “That's all,” he panted. “I can't do any more right now.”

“That's okay,” Annabelle reassured him, though it sounded to him like she was also trying to reassure herself. “You'll be alright.”

She wanted to lay down next to him. He wanted that too. He had grown so used to having her body next to his. Normally, she would not have hesitated, but she was still trying to figure out where she stood in their relationship now. Annabelle checked the time on her phone. “Dawn is like an hour away. Um... I can go, if you want me to.”

Jasper shook his head. “I'd like you to stay. Please? Just for now? I don't think... I should be alone.”

Annabelle bit her lip and nodded. She went around and turned on a few of their battery operated candles. She wiped her eyes again as she did so. She had been holding back the tears for so long, that a few had to escape at some point.

“You can cry if you want to now,” Jasper said from the bed. “It's okay.”

Annabelle grabbed a tissue and crawled into bed alongside him, careful of his injury. He held her with his good arm as she let herself cry.

“I'm sorry... I tried to be strong for you,” she said between faint sobs.

“You were. You still are. All you've ever done is give me strength,” Jasper assured her. He stroked her shoulder.

“We'll be okay though, right? You and me and... Chloe and Eva?”

“I hope so,” Jasper sighed. “We'll... find a way to make it work.”

Annabelle clung to him, crying thick blood tears into her tissue.

She calmed eventually. Jasper was laying still and quiet. Annabelle thought he might have fallen asleep, but his icy eyes were looking at her when she glanced up at his face. “I hope this isn’t the end of us... of this,” she whispered.

“I don't think it will be,” he said softly. “Not the end forever. Sleep now. Things will be okay.”

Annabelle nodded and forced herself to relax into the pillows. Jasper kept his good arm wrapped snugly around her and closed his eyes. The light from the battery candles flickered and danced across the dark walls of the sanctum.

The sun came up. The mortals and ghouls living in L.A. went about their lives, with their own jobs, loves, losses and personal dramas. The Kindred of L.A. slept, their futures and relationships as uncertain as anyone's in the city. It was a new day.

[curvycamerella]

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[chrisnaustin]

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