An Unconventional Pair (for Dante and Lovesick)

[Dante Rosaire]

It amazed him to see the dramatic change in October's appearance and demeanor once she had fed. Her skin looked less like stone, her eyes seemed to shine a bit more, it was like watching someone recover from having the flu. It made him smile a bit to see her perk up like that, but his eyes were inadvertently drawn to her fangs once they were exposed. They weren't as pronounced as others that he had seen, but it was just another question that was burning in his mind. He didn't exactly object when she lead him over to the the tree and made him sit down. When he sat down on the ground all of the muscles in his body seemed to relax, and he exhaled the breath that he didn't even realize that he was holding in.

For all of the reluctancy that October had shown, things seemed to be different now. He no longer smelled fear on her, she was calm and even smiling. But when he saw her face turn red, he realized that they had probably been thinking the same thing. It showed when Nikolai began to speak again.

"Yeah...it was...but no problem, I saw that you were suffering and didn't give it a second thought."

If back in Russia, someone had told Nikolai that he would end up defending a half human, half vampire girl, he would have told you something distasteful in reply. His hatred for the vampires ran deep, but with her it was different, she was different. He still couldn't put his finger on why he did these things, maybe it was because he did see himself in her, or maybe he saw some of Alisa in her, another question wracking his brain. But for now he just leaned back against the tree with a weary smile on his face and enjoyed the moment.  

[xXLeahLoveSickXx]

Seeing that Nikolai was relaxed allowed October to relax as well. Had he remained tense she would have been decidedly worried about how greatly he had been hurt. The girl knew that Nikolai was strong, but even someone that strong could still be greatly affected by a fight with a vampire, especially one who had fed recently. Her eyes took him in from head to toe, more out of curosity than anything else. He seemed different than he did at the bar, and it wasn't a bad different, just different.

"Well, thank you, again," she finally said somewhat lamely.

October could still feel his blood pulsing within her and it was the strangest sensation. Usually victims died, but he was sitting there across from her. The girl's heart felt as if it was trying to beat in time with his, to match with the blood it had, but it simply couldn't.

"Vampires aren't all bad ya know. They can actaully be really caring, if they can get over their god complexes. I mean that the mated pairs usually do pretty well. My father, he's always hated humans, but there's a certain tenderness in his eyes any time he talks about my mom. I like to think that Father isn't all bad, I mean, he's kept me around for the last several years. Most of the time they're pretty good to me, it's just sometimes they're bad," October rambled. "I'm sorry that they did that to you," she finally blurted out, her hand darting out to gently squeez Nikolai's.

October snatched her hand back with a flush on her face. What am I doing?! She thought to herself. I can't be doing this! He's the enemy! Father will have my head when he finds out! What if he already knows?

A concerned look fell upon the girl's face as her brows drew together. October shook her jead. For mow, she wouldn't worry about that. For now she would juat enjoy this slightly strange time with Nikolai.  

[Dante Rosaire]

"Well you would be the first good one i've ever met." he replied.

He had a hard time believing what October said. He had seen just how cold and ruthless vampires could be. If they weren't evil, he wouldn't have dedicated his life to wiping them off the face of the earth. He wouldn't have pleasant dreams of hunting them down and ripping them to shreds, and he certainly wouldn't have lost his fiancee or his pack. Nikolai very much wanted to meet October's father, although whether he would try to kill him or not remained to be seen.

"Well...werewolves are an odd group. Most of us don't last very long after receiving the curse. They either shoot themselves with a silver bullet, or get chased down by hunters and killed. The wolf pack concept is a myth, most of us that do survive keep to ourselves in order to stay hidden, but deep down we all seek companionship. The older a werewolf is, the more control they have over themselves, and chances are, the more powerful they are. We have no social order except for dominance, the strong lead and the weak trail behind. Most werewolves regard humans as lesser beings, sometimes as prey, but I see them as allies. Contrary to popular belief, we don't all go thirsting for human blood every full moon. And if you do manage to gain a werewolf's trust, you have a loyal ally for life. We also have mated pairs, but I don't think it happens as much as with their kind."

When October grabbed his hand, his instinct was to pull back immediately, but he let her anyway. Her skin felt cold compared to his, but with the heat of battle still fading, her cold touch was soothing. But then something occurred to him, if October didn't send them, her father probably did,and it would be bad for her if she was caught with his scent again. But he had a solution waiting back in his car. So eh stood up, took October's hand and began to lead her through the woods and back to his car.

"I just realized that you need to get my scent off of you, but I have something back in my car that is a tried and true solution." he said reassuringly.  

[xXLeahLoveSickXx]

"It's funny for me to hear you describe your social infrastructure. It really is animalistic. I'm not saying it's not functional, just basic. Vampires seem to have maintained a love of the overtly complex, or too much politician blood in their viens," October said with a smile. "Vampires are huge on control so even the mated pairs are typically more of a power play than anything else," she finished whille tucking her hair behind her ear.

The girl sighed and stood. She looked at Nikolai who did seem to be better now, still exhausted, but not as bad. She coughed into her hand a little bit of blood present. She exameded it, then wiped her hand on her pants.

"It seems that your blood doesn't entirely agree with me. As far as getting your smell off there's also the fact that I've had your blood."  

[Dante Rosaire]

He frowned a little when he saw October cough up his blood. He had figured in the back of his mind that it wouldn't be exactly right for her, but it made him feel guilty nonetheless. But she had a point, she had Nikolai's blood in her now, he didn't see exactly how that would give anything away, but apparently it was an issue. As they slowly walked back towards the town, he was deep in thought in regards to how to fix this problem. But when they were about halfway to their destination, a voice called out to him.

"If I ever need to find you Captain Petrov, it seems that all I have to do is follow the blood."

There was no scent in the air, but the voice was very familiar. Out from the woods stepped his long time friend and mentor Rasputin, holding his clothing and a box in one hand and his pistols in the other. Rasputin had a knack for impeccable timing, at times showing up when Nikolai needed him. He gratefully took his coat, pants and hat and quickly threw them on, and then stuck the pistols in is pockets.

"How the hell does he do that?" Nikolai asked himself.  

[xXLeahLoveSickXx]

October noticed the frown on Nikolai's face when she coughed up some blood, but didn't say anything. She wasn't entirely sure that her body was rejecting all of his blood, just a little bit. She had coughed up blood before even after full human meals. All her life she had simply contributed it to her half human nature. She knew that she could eat some foods, but some of them would make her violently ill.

It was nice for October to be walking alongside Nikolai. It was completly different for her to feel so comfortable with someone besides her father, or at least her father was usually as close as she got compareatively. She considered explaining to Nikolai that blood told a story and that if her father tasted her blood she would know what her last meal had been, possible even the smell alone could alert him he was so old. Instead she decided to tell him the easy part.

"You saw the difference your blood had upon my apperance. My father would notice that immediatly. It'll take at least a few more hours before the effect wears off,"she commented sticking her hands in her pockets.

October had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she did not hear the approach of another until it was too late. Just as Nikolai turned around October did the same, instinctivly taking an extra step backwards and away from the man. She looked at him, curious as to how Nikolai and the man knew each other, as well as how this man had found him and knew to bring him clothes. Are they related? She wondered to herself. All the same she watched the man with a cautious air, unsure of how to react to him. Nikolai obviously considered him a friend, but did that mean that he was a werewolf too? Would he kill her?

The girl could not smell anymore wolves, but part of that she figured was her close proximation with Nikolai and her lack of intense ability to smell. Her gaze remained fixed on the man while she waited for some kind of explanation and tried to stay somewhat relaxed at the least.  

[Dante Rosaire]

Of all of the places for him to pop up, it just had to be in the woods when he got to spend some time with another person for the first time in who knows when. It was also strange that had not seen Rasputin in ten years, and now he appears twice in the same night? This couldn't be good, his instincts told him that this was another bad omen, like the appearance of the Tvar. But he couldn't be too ungrateful, after all, the man had brought him his clothes.

Nikolai noticed that October had taken a few steps back in a defensive manner when she saw him appear. It was to be expected, because of his "demonic affiliate", he left no scent to track or to pick up on. Rasputin had always found him when he something came up, Nikolai could never track him down, no matter how he tried. But he wasn't exactly sure how he would interact with October, so he stood in front of her just in case.

"Relax Captain Petrov, you don't need to worry about your friend here. You must have saved her from those vampires, we do not want another mortal being turned now do we?" he said with his usual tone, unlike Nikolai, Rasputin's Russian accent was a bit thicker.

At times, his mentor had seemed to be a man of great knowledge, just earlier today, he had given him the picture of October's mother, he still had had no clue as to where or how he had acquired it, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"...You always seem to appear from thin air comrade, not to sound ungrateful...but you have very odd timing."'

But then it occurred to him that it must have been very awkward for October to have no idea who this mysterious person was to have shown up from nowhere.

"October, this is an old friend of mine. He's actually the one who helped me find that picture of your mother." he figured that that piece of information would make her a little less apprehensive.  

[xXLeahLoveSickXx]

October watched the men with caution. She may have trusted Nikolai, but this man, there was something off about him that she couldn't quite explain. in her mind this Rasputin simply wasn't right. She could catch no faint scent from him and she was having a very hard time explaining him. She was the type of girl who liked to have an understanding of things, even if it was as minimalistic as, 'werewovles exist'. The girl wanted some explanation as to what Rasputin was, but she wasn't about to ask for it, it wasn't her place.

When Nikolai told her that it had been Rasputin who had given him the picture of her mother many thoughts went through her head. Part of her was exceptionally grateful to him, so little existed of her mother in her world and so she clung to any piece of her mother she could obtain. At the same time though this made her even more weary of the man. How had he managed to get his hands on a picture of her mother? Did he know her? If he knew her mother than shouldn't he know what October was? That she was only half human?

October felt that the man knew more than he was letting on, much more. Enough that even Nikolai treated him with a certain amount of respect. Rasputin must be as old as Nikolai at least she concluded upon seeing their interactions with each other. Nikolai's size as a Were made it obvious enough that he was old and to treat someone with respect he would have to be someone important.

"Thank you, for giving me that piece of my mother back. It truly means the world to me."

Despite the warmth and sincerity in her words October remained behind Nikolai at a somewhat decent distance away.  

[Dante Rosaire]

"It is no problem child." Rasputin replied to her.

Rasputin, aka Koschei's story was shrouded in mystery, even Nikolai did not know everything about him. What he did know was that before even Nikolai's time, he had been an advisor to the Czars, a person they trusted greatly when they were in need of guidance, he was a very wise man having lived longer than people were expected to back then. But then for some reason, Rasputin made a deal with a demon, the terms also being unknown to Nikolai. Now he was walks the earth as an immortal, his motives a mystery. He had never really explained it to Nikolai as to why he had taken him under his wing. He had just assumed that he had seen the discipline and willpower inside of him to control the curse, but with Rasputin there was always something else going on, like he was always working another angle. But Nikolai trusted him with his life because he had earned that trust more times than he could count.

"I don't see you for ten years and then you appear twice in the same night...what's going on? I assume you didn't track me all the way out here just to keep me decent."

Rasputin leaned in closer so only Nikolai could hear him.

"If that is the one whose mother is in the picture...then that must be her, the half human."

"Yes, this is her October. I've never encountered one before, but she's a good person, she's nothing like the other vampires i've seen."

"But does that not concern you? A being like her should not even exist. How do you know that her father is not using her to set you up?"

"I'm more than capable of handling him on my own, you said it yourself, he is not as old as I am."

"But he is dangerous, he has multiple silver weapons in his possession, he has killed several werewolves."

"Believe me, he would be dead by now, but my hands are tied."

"Why? Because she said so? If you do not dispose of him...bad things will happen, very bad things. Or do you want to relive the loss of Anastasia?"

That last comment had cut Nikolai deep, he had failed to protect the Czar and his family from the communists, that was when he Left Russia in self exile. Since then it had been a very touchy subject. He lowered his hat in irritation, not knowing what to do next. He saw Rasputin look at her again, his facial expressions unreadable.

"Hm, then I must be going." he said out loud, and then as quickly as he appeared, he was gone again.  

[xXLeahLoveSickXx]

October watched as Nikolai and Rasputin spoke. They were speaking just softly enough that she could only catch a few words here and there, she felt at such a disadvantage. Any of her family would easily be able to hear them, to smell their general emotions, to see the expressions in their eyes, but she could do none of that. Those abilities were diluted in her by her human blood. She was much more adpt than a regular human, but less than even the weak vampires. She shifted uncomfortably. All of these thoughts about her nature were leading her to another thought she had been trying to avoid and keep shut away.

Why should Nikolai care for her, listen to her, protect her? She was half of the thing he hated, half of the thing he set out to protect, and not a Were at all. She was a halfling, a creature that shouldn't exist. She looked at the expanse of Nikolai's back contemplatively, as if it would hold the answers she was looking for. I'll never fit in anywhere will I? She thought sadly. Half human, half vampire, all killer. She sighed and shook her head. October waited for Nikolai, she knew that she should leave, but she wasn't ready to, not yet.

Thankfully, Rasputin disappeared before October reached that level of uncomfortableness where she would have left regardless of what she did or didn't want. Her eyes settled on Nikolai and she felt a little more comfortable now that it was just the two of them again.

"Who, or rather what, is that man?" She asked softly.  

[Dante Rosaire]

Nikolai knew that he was going to have to answer that question at some point. But he didn't know what he should or should not tell her. Rasputin had always valued discretion and the less people who knew of his existence, the happier he was. Every part of his brain told him to just tell her the bare minimum and forget about it, but he didn't want to lie to October or mislead her, it just felt wrong. Being honest with her had worked so far, so why deviate?

"That was my mentor, Rasputin, as in THE Rasputin. Shortly after I received the curse, he came across me and offered to help me control it if I kept his identity safe from enemies. I still don't know why he made those terms, he could have asked for a lot more from me. But there were a lot of people back then who wanted him dead, for fear of his power. He's even older than I am."

He hesitated a bit before going further.

"He came here just now to ask what I was going to do with you. When I told him the truth, he couldn't believe it. In his mind, someone like you shouldn't even exist, let alone befriend a werewolf. But I don't care what he says, as long as you have an ounce of humanity in you, then you are worth saving."

Nikolai had chosen to leave out the part about bad things happening if October's father was not killed, he would have to cross that bridge when he got to it. But he could see the look of doubt and reluctance on October's face. He couldn't blame her though, how could someone who is half vampire trust a werewolf? He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, flicked his zippo lighter open and lit it. He took a drag off of it before saying what he had to say.

"But I suppose you still doubt me, that you still don't understand why I want to save you, but to understand that, I guess you need to understand some things about me. I'm from a small village in Russia, just outside of what is now Stalingrad. My human life was normal enough, I joined the military when I was old enough, it was what my father had done and his father before him. Back then we had a lot of enemies, and I fought in battle after battle to keep my home safe. Eventually I worked my way up to the rank of captain, I lead my men proudly. But when I was stationed in Moscow, that was when I met a woman named Alisa. She was everything one could want in a woman, intelligence, compassion, beauty. After a year of seeing her, we were engaged to be married.
Alisa even moved to be closer to me, I told her I could be relocated but he insisted. But a few months later...I was just coming back from patrol. I wanted nothing more than to be done with the day and spend time with her. But when I entered the house...I found her dead. She was face down on the floor in a pool of her own blood. And standing over her was a vampire, though not many people knew what they were back then. It was then that I dedicated my life to wiping those parasites off the face of the earth, so that tragedy would not befall anyone else. As a Captain, I was given some degree of freedom, so I learned as much about them as i could, what they were and how to kill them. It was on one of my hunting journeys that I met another creature I wasn't prepared for, the werewolf. I was completely unprepared, I was mauled down and barely alive. But only when the full moon came did I realize how much trouble I was in. That first time, i awoke in a small hut, the eviscerated corpses of a small family around me. The guilt haunts me to this day. But when two more full moons had passed, that was when I met Rasputin. He took me back to my hometown and received a leave of absence. In that time, almost an entire year, he instructed and looked after me, taught me to harness the curse and use it for a constructive purpose. I even had a pack once, but they were captured, tortured and killed by vampires who had somehow attained the status of nobility. Upon my return to service, it didn't take long for the commanding officers to find out that something was amiss. I don't know how, but my true nature was uncovered. But rather than be executed like I expected, Prince Ivan the Great offered me a way out. Be their secret weapon, to fulfill my duty to Russia, or be hunted down and killed. From then on I was the hellhound of the Czars who came after him. At times I was the defender from evil, and at other times I was the face of evil. I've fought in countless wars over the centuries, some of my own volition, against the vampire menace. But I failed to protect the Romanov family during the revolution. My comrades and I fought to the last man trying to keep the royal family safe. But I failed, the communists numbers were just too great, I nearly died in that conflict, but Rasputin saved me at the last minute. After the communists took over, the two of us went to America. But I had to once again earn my freedom. So I fought in World War 1, World War 2 and Vietnam, once again a secret weapon. Only then was I given exemption from being hunted. So ever since I came here, i've resumed my mission of hunting all the evil beings in this world...so now...so now you know."  

[xXLeahLoveSickXx]

October stared at Nikolai. She had no idea what to say to him and so many things were running through her mind. He didn't have to tell her his history, as far as she was concerned it was none of her buisness. the same could be said for what he had told her about Rasputin. She would have been glad to have just a simple answere, but Nikolai had gone above and beyond that with his explanation. The girl was greatful to him for being so open with her, but it also made her more attatched to him and what it could mean for him if they continued to stick around each other for such elongated periods of time.

She swallowed. There was also the fact about Alissa. He lost his love... She thought to herself sadly. How could anyone ever overcome that. Beyond her feelings of sadness for him there was also a touch of bitterness. For him to have loved a woman meant, in her mind, that she would never compare, that she had no chance with him. Not that he even thinks of me that way. The girl quickly reminded herself scoldingly.

October studied Nikolai's face quietly. It was obvious that it had taken a lot for him to tell her his story, and now she felt as if she must share something with him. Much of her childhood she had supressed those memories, for no child should ever have to remeber the things she had done out of both need, and unfortunatly, want. She bit her lower lip softly before speaking.

"I'm sorry, for all the hell you've been through, for obviously you've been through hell. I'm also sorry that my kind destroyed your love, nothing can ever rectify that. I want to thank you for sharing your past with me, I can understand how hard that must be for you. But now, I want to share with you what I can remeber of my own past, but only a few pieces will truly be sad.

I was born in the castle, or so the story goes. My mother died when I was a child, but I cannot remeber when. For some reason my father chose to keep me, most in his case would have tossed me aside. I had a nanny of sorts who kept track of me when I was younger and she was the one who held a bottle of blood to my mouth and fed me.

My first real memory is of blood shed. I believe I was around five years old. Father had decided that I could not keep drinking from a bottle like a babe. He took me down into the depths of our home. In one of the dungeouns sat a young boy. He looked at me not with fear, but with a resigned sadness. My father took the boy's wrist and bit gently, just enough to draw blood, showing me how to feed. I went to the boy and took his wrist, using the already opened wounds to drink. I had no control, I drank and drank. At some point the boy began to beg and cry, begging me to stop, telling me that he was dizzy. I heard his voice and his cries, I could even hear his heart rate slowing, but I couldn't stop. Blood spilled into my mouth and down my front. I let go of his wrist and bit into his again in a new spot. I bit him, over and over, searching for something that I could not describe. It was only when I bit into his neck that I finally felt satisfied. I drained the child dry.

It took years for me to gain any form of control. The benefit in my father's eyes was that I could drain a human and then not need to feed again for months after, an advantageous trait when humans were scarce. By the time I was ten they realized that humans intially had no fear of me and that I could be used to bring humans to our home as meals. My sense of right and wrong was poorly developed, and still is in my mind. I know that what I'm doing is wrong, but I can't stop.

Over the years my family has trained me to fight with the mentality of kill or be killed. I have killed my family during their training sessions with me. I have done everything that they have and I am still less than human to them. When times are bad they feed on me, since my blood is human enough for them to not reject it.

When you asked me to leave and to trust you I couldn't. I don't know how to trust, not really anyways. You have self control and I, well, it's much more minamalistic than you may think. I'm not a good person. I may have a few shreds of humanity, but I am not a good person."

October looked at Nikolai sadly, a single tear sliding down her face. She stared at her hands. Nikolai had been through so much more than she had and she felt weak and dispicable for pittying herself.

"I'm sorry, I just felt like you deserved an explanation. And as far as my father, I couldn't tell you why he kept me or why I exist. I just, do."  

[Dante Rosaire]

Nikolai stood there and listened intently to what October had to say. He was surprised that she had opened up to him at all, considering how reluctant she seemed to be to interact with him. Her story was tragic, but not for the reason that most would assume. It turned out that Nikolai was right when he referred to it as "being trapped in a cage." She had never known freedom, she had never known the power to make your own decisions and choose your own destiny. Right fromt he beginning, her father had been working an angle when it came to her, like he always had some ulterior motive for even the "kind" things that he did. He was the worst kind of individual, just like the nobles who had captures his pack back in Russia, he despised them, and despised manipulators. But he could relate to the idea of not being in control or losing control. Even for a werewolf as old as Nikolai, there were a few things that could still push him over the edge. But the part that really got to him was when she talked about being treated as a lesser being, and saying that she wasn't a good person. But she was much more than a lesser being, and she was good despite what she thought. If she wasn't, than he would have never bothered with her in the first place. But he was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw a tear drop down her eyes, it clearly hurt her to bring up those memories.

Nikolai stepped over and wiped the tear drop off of her face. He had always hated to see a girl cry, especially when it was partly his fault.

"It's ok October," he said as he gave her a small hug and lightly stroked her hair.

"You are a good person, the fact that you've done those things and feel badly about them is good. It means that you have a conscience, it means that you're human. If you didn't have any good in you, then I wouldn't have bothered with you in the first place. Thank you for sharing that with me, I haven't been able to connect with another person in a long time."  

[xXLeahLoveSickXx]

When Nikolai reached out to wipe the tear from her face she felt her eyes go wide and her mind snap back into reality. She stared at Nikolai, a blush on her pale cheeks. October cocked her head to the side slightly in a contemplative manner.

"Why don't you hate me?" She finally asked. "We are different, we've both acknowledged that we've done bad things and that because of them we can't trust people, yet here we are spilling our guts to each other. What is this between us. I'm sorry to be so forward, but obviously we are unable to just give each other up even though I'm pretty sure we both know we should," she finished staying close to him.

October looked up at Nikolai. There was no denying that she felt something for him, but she also couldn't rid herself of her personal fears; especially the ones involving her father and the havoc he could reek upon her and Nikolai.  

[Dante Rosaire]

He was momentarily taken aback by her being so forward. Being blunt and direct was usually a trait reserved for werewolves. With vampires, he had always found cryptic meanings to what they say, convoluted schemes and ulterior motives. But he supposed that that was part of her human side, a side that Nikolai had to cling to. He had to think a bit before he answered, like he had to plan out what he was going to say.But he had to turn away slightly because his face was a bit red too.

"I don't hate you because you haven't given me a reason to. I was at that bar working a case...though I know now how those people went missing. But you stood out the second you walked in. When I talked to you, you were nice to me, a different kind than when you were trying to lure those people out. Most people just ignore me, let alone women. Even then, those who stick around long enough to learn who I really am, they run screaming or try to kill me. But you, you know who I really am, and you're still here. That doesn't happen to me...ever. I know we're different, it doesn't take a genius to figure out a werewolf and half vampire shouldn't mix, but I I really could care less, you aren't one of them. And like I said, us werewolves, we don't really associate with people, but when we do, that person has great significance to us. I haven't even cared enough to really interact with someone in a long time, but seeing you makes me think that I can again.

But now he was really hesitant, because he had a vague idea of what it was between them.

"Between us...maybe it's wishful thinking to say there is something there. Despite the fact...despite the fact that you're important to me, and that I would do anything to make you happy...you probably don't feel like I do. And I understand that, you could do a lot better than an old dog like me."

It was the harsh truth, she had been raised to hate his kind, and with her beauty and allure, she could easily land someone rich or famous.