Family Reunion
Jan. 21st, 2011 05:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spongetasticHe walked out of the hospital, bidding everyone a good night. It was pleasantly cool so he took a longer way home than usual. Peter didn’t need to breathe but he took in the cool air now, loving how it smelled. He wished that Rigby could be there with him, but it was even more satisfying knowing that she was at home waiting for him.
Peter turned a corner, stopping dead in his tracks.
“Hiya, handsome,” the red-haired girl greeted him with a bright smile. Staring at her gave Peter a cold feeling that had nothing to do with the weather.
“Why are you here, Danielle?”
“That’s friendly,” she snorted. “One would think you’re not happy to see me.” Peter said nothing, staring at her patiently. “Raul’s waiting,” she mentioned after a moment.
“Oh, good.” Peter was even less enthusiastic about that, but knew he couldn’t walk out of it. He stuck his hands in his pockets and followed Danielle down the street.
She led him to a street full of mansions. Their destination was the one on the corner. Peter recognized it; the cold feeling inside grew absolutely frigid. But his legs kept moving and soon he was over the threshold and inside the mansion. The place was lit by candles and oil lanterns. It gave the place a cozy atmosphere despite its huge size.
“Peter!” He went stiff but didn’t fight against the hug when it came. “I’m so glad to see you.” Finally he was released, his eyes turning away from the other man.
“Hello, Raul.” He hadn’t seen Raul in a while and noted that the man dyed dark streaks in his blonde hair. He looked younger that way, somehow.
“You smell like a human.” A sudden sharp blow struck Peter across the face. “How dare you walk out on your family to be with humans?” Peter mutely rubbed his cheek. “We were worried about you, Peter.”
“I’m sorry,” he muttered.
“For what?” Raul pressed close to invade the younger man’s personal space. “Why exactly are you apologizing?” Peter met the other man’s gaze levelly. Those dark eyes were so familiar to him even though he hadn’t seen Raul in months.
Raul was Peter’s sire. Already Peter forgot when exactly he was made, although it was only a year ago. But he remembered his first night as a vampire very well. The entire family was there to welcome him. Raul, Danielle, Caleb, and a half-dozen others. Quite a big family.
“I apologize for worrying you,” Peter answered flatly.
“Accepted.” Raul took a step back, giving Peter a fang-filled smile. “Just don’t let it happen again.” All Peter could do was nod mutely. “Oh, by the way, Caleb told me something interesting lately.” Raul’s eyes darted over to Caleb, who of course was listening close by.
There were no real secrets in the family. That was something Peter learned from the very beginning. They made a big ceremony of Peter’s first meal after he woke up. He got first taste but when he didn’t kill the human, Danielle finished the meal herself. And after that… In any case, Peter became a member of the family that night. Everyone had a place in the family. Caleb’s place now was apparently as Raul’s spy.
“He says that you’ve gone back to living just as you did when you were a human,” Raul continued. His voice seemed calm enough but there was no mistaking the menace lurking in his words. “I gave you a new life. Why would you turn away from it? Why would you choose a human over your family?”
“Because he loves her,” Caleb answered quietly. His voice was low, his stormy gray eyes watching Peter and Raul. “I heard him say so. He’s in love with a human.” Raul snorted in laughter but Peter didn’t try to deny it. There was no point, if Caleb knew this much about the situation.
“Is it true, Peter?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Peter tried to avoid their gaze but all three of them were watching him. “She’s not your concern.”
“Of course she is.” Raul’s eyes glowed dangerously. “She should have been dead long before now. Going back to your human life, living with a human… You’re disgusting. You need to kill that human, do you understand? You don’t belong in that life any longer.”
Peter said nothing. He’d been expecting this for a long time. It made him wonder how long Caleb was watching before making a report.
“He never could finish his meals,” Danielle noted. “Maybe I should go in and finish it for him?”
“No!” Peter grabbed her and slammed her body up against the wall, his fangs coming out menacingly. “You go near Rigby and I swear I’ll--”
“Peter. Let her go.” He did as he was told without even thinking about it. Something about Raul’s commanding voice-- or perhaps the fact that he was Peter’s sire-- made it difficult for him to disobey. He backed away to give Danielle some space. “You need to kill that human,” Raul repeated. “You’re not a human any longer, Peter. It’s time for you to accept that.”
“You’ve killed before,” Caleb reminded Peter coldly; that at least answered the question of how long he’d been spying. “The loss of a human life never bothered you when you were with us.”
Peter stayed silent again. It wasn’t like he could argue when what they said was dripping in truth. Still, he stubbornly shook his head. He would never kill Rigby.
“Stubborn,” Raul sighed, though he smiled a bit as he said it. “How about a deal?” He leaned in close, whispering a few words in Peter’s ear. “You are still family, Peter, and we take care of our family. Do you understand?”
Peter gazed at each of them in turn. He thought of Rigby, and he knew he had no choice. “I understand.”
Peter turned a corner, stopping dead in his tracks.
“Hiya, handsome,” the red-haired girl greeted him with a bright smile. Staring at her gave Peter a cold feeling that had nothing to do with the weather.
“Why are you here, Danielle?”
“That’s friendly,” she snorted. “One would think you’re not happy to see me.” Peter said nothing, staring at her patiently. “Raul’s waiting,” she mentioned after a moment.
“Oh, good.” Peter was even less enthusiastic about that, but knew he couldn’t walk out of it. He stuck his hands in his pockets and followed Danielle down the street.
She led him to a street full of mansions. Their destination was the one on the corner. Peter recognized it; the cold feeling inside grew absolutely frigid. But his legs kept moving and soon he was over the threshold and inside the mansion. The place was lit by candles and oil lanterns. It gave the place a cozy atmosphere despite its huge size.
“Peter!” He went stiff but didn’t fight against the hug when it came. “I’m so glad to see you.” Finally he was released, his eyes turning away from the other man.
“Hello, Raul.” He hadn’t seen Raul in a while and noted that the man dyed dark streaks in his blonde hair. He looked younger that way, somehow.
“You smell like a human.” A sudden sharp blow struck Peter across the face. “How dare you walk out on your family to be with humans?” Peter mutely rubbed his cheek. “We were worried about you, Peter.”
“I’m sorry,” he muttered.
“For what?” Raul pressed close to invade the younger man’s personal space. “Why exactly are you apologizing?” Peter met the other man’s gaze levelly. Those dark eyes were so familiar to him even though he hadn’t seen Raul in months.
Raul was Peter’s sire. Already Peter forgot when exactly he was made, although it was only a year ago. But he remembered his first night as a vampire very well. The entire family was there to welcome him. Raul, Danielle, Caleb, and a half-dozen others. Quite a big family.
“I apologize for worrying you,” Peter answered flatly.
“Accepted.” Raul took a step back, giving Peter a fang-filled smile. “Just don’t let it happen again.” All Peter could do was nod mutely. “Oh, by the way, Caleb told me something interesting lately.” Raul’s eyes darted over to Caleb, who of course was listening close by.
There were no real secrets in the family. That was something Peter learned from the very beginning. They made a big ceremony of Peter’s first meal after he woke up. He got first taste but when he didn’t kill the human, Danielle finished the meal herself. And after that… In any case, Peter became a member of the family that night. Everyone had a place in the family. Caleb’s place now was apparently as Raul’s spy.
“He says that you’ve gone back to living just as you did when you were a human,” Raul continued. His voice seemed calm enough but there was no mistaking the menace lurking in his words. “I gave you a new life. Why would you turn away from it? Why would you choose a human over your family?”
“Because he loves her,” Caleb answered quietly. His voice was low, his stormy gray eyes watching Peter and Raul. “I heard him say so. He’s in love with a human.” Raul snorted in laughter but Peter didn’t try to deny it. There was no point, if Caleb knew this much about the situation.
“Is it true, Peter?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Peter tried to avoid their gaze but all three of them were watching him. “She’s not your concern.”
“Of course she is.” Raul’s eyes glowed dangerously. “She should have been dead long before now. Going back to your human life, living with a human… You’re disgusting. You need to kill that human, do you understand? You don’t belong in that life any longer.”
Peter said nothing. He’d been expecting this for a long time. It made him wonder how long Caleb was watching before making a report.
“He never could finish his meals,” Danielle noted. “Maybe I should go in and finish it for him?”
“No!” Peter grabbed her and slammed her body up against the wall, his fangs coming out menacingly. “You go near Rigby and I swear I’ll--”
“Peter. Let her go.” He did as he was told without even thinking about it. Something about Raul’s commanding voice-- or perhaps the fact that he was Peter’s sire-- made it difficult for him to disobey. He backed away to give Danielle some space. “You need to kill that human,” Raul repeated. “You’re not a human any longer, Peter. It’s time for you to accept that.”
“You’ve killed before,” Caleb reminded Peter coldly; that at least answered the question of how long he’d been spying. “The loss of a human life never bothered you when you were with us.”
Peter stayed silent again. It wasn’t like he could argue when what they said was dripping in truth. Still, he stubbornly shook his head. He would never kill Rigby.
“Stubborn,” Raul sighed, though he smiled a bit as he said it. “How about a deal?” He leaned in close, whispering a few words in Peter’s ear. “You are still family, Peter, and we take care of our family. Do you understand?”
Peter gazed at each of them in turn. He thought of Rigby, and he knew he had no choice. “I understand.”