Home is where the <3 is
Miya stretched in bed, smiling to see that Scott was still there. He hadn't run away. He had come back. Edging out of the bed carefully so she wouldn't wake him she wandered into the bathroom and turned on the shower. There was something ritualistic about her and showers, washing the soreness of underused muscles away. She yawned again and lathered up her hair with strawberry scented soap. The hot water was perfect for helping her wake up, followed by coffee. She loved coffee. Real cream and cane sugar... She was a girl of expensive habits. That might be why she always had money problems. She liked her luxuries a little too much. Rinsing her hair, she picked up the tube of strawberry scented body wash and begin to wash all over. She was a little surprised at how much she ached actually.
"The only cure for it is more of the same, Miya. More sex. Scott'll be thrilled." She turned off the shower and then made a gasp of surprise when she saw Scott lounging in the door, watching her in amusement.
"Drinking my blood usually comes into play when you want to be turned. And that," he said, "Is something we will talk about for a long time before it's even a consideration..."
He chuckled at her next question.
"No, I don't carry around dirt from my home or anything with me. I DO have some, back at my place in DC, but I don' t 'need' to keep it with me or anything like that, and I keep it for sentimental reasons and nothing else. And no, I do not have a coffin. The closest thing I have to a coffin is the trunk of the beast here, which I would only ever use in emergencies."
Scott smiled at her enthusiasm. For some reason, sharing this information was far easier than what he had envisioned so many times before. It was even a little fun.
"I can be awake as much as I want, whenever I want. There is no internal alarm that shuts me down and forces me to sleep. It just makes sense to sleep during the day because the sun is deadly to my kind. Even reflected sunlight from glass or mirrors can cause enormous damage to us. If I was very well-protected, I could journey outside for a short time, I suppose, but that would mean I would look like a mummy!" he laughed.
He pulled off the highway onto the exit ramp, following the GPS's directions.
"Love, I will tell you anything... anything you want to know. Any question you can come up with," he smiled at her, his hand on her thigh gripping tightly for a moment, reassuring her. The look she gave him made him want to melt, or at the very least, smother her lips and eyelids with soft kisses.
Coming to a stop in front of a quaint little house, all the lights on, rose vines framing the arch above the five steps up. There was a woman there, unlocking the door. And Miya froze, almost terrified to go and look at the house.
"I don't like this one at all Scott. Can we skip it? Please?" A shake in her voice and a tremor match the fear coming from her. Something about the house or the agent reminded her of her past and she really did not want to explore it.
"Yes... there needs to normally be severe draining, and then feeding of the subject on its master. I've heard... stories... that the amount of blood drained doesn't have to be much, and as weird as it sounds... 'accidental' turnings have been rumored." He paused for a moment, looking both ways before proceeding through a stop sign. "But, that could just be an urban myth for all I know."
"I... suppose I could offer you just the smallest taste...," he said, her look melting his resolve. "But JUST a small one," he said, more sternly.
"Destination, ahead," his GPS quipped, the feminine voice sounding almost smarmy.
"Ah, here we are... stop number one on our list," he smiled.
Then - he saw something in Miya he did not like - terror. The look in her eye, the tremor in her voice - his own body tensed, eyes narrowing. Was there some unseen threat he was missing?
He stepped on the gas, the rear tires losing their grip for a moment as the Mustang peeled away from the curb, launching down the street.
"It's ok, Miya... we're past it... " he said soothingly as he drove, eyes on the road and then on her. "Are you ok, love?" he asked, his words laced with concern. "What was it?"
"When I looked at the house I remembered the fire. I remembered the smoke and the terror and the woman who slapped me because it was my fault. She told me I was too much trouble for anyone and no one would ever want to keep me." Her voice was still shaking. She had tried to go back to that particular foster family, and apologize for the accident that had burned down their kitchen and a good part of their house. She hadn't meant to then, she had fallen asleep while boiling something and it had gotten out of control. "They didn't have fire alarms, at least working ones. They were supposed to and they got fined by the child services." She finished explaining. Scott had heard a lot of the traumatic experiences of her childhood and had held her more than once through the nightmares. His hand moved over her cheek, his nails trailing along her jaw line as he reached her lips and offered her his fingers. It was odd, but it was calming and she quickly took the fingers into her mouth, licking and nibbling, sucking as if his fingers were a cock she was making love to. This was one of several ways to calm her, to distract her. Her eyes closed and she concentrated on his fingers, in pleasing him.
"Miya... it's ok.. you're safe, love," he tried to reassure her. She hid her face behind the silky veil of her hair, but he gently moved it out of the way. She was quite upset, and it... worried him.
He caressed her cheek, like she used to enjoy... and apparently still did, as she turned into the touch, then turned her mouth even more to take his fingers inside her lips and began sucking.
Scott fought the urge to let it arouse him. Her demeanor was too upset, too agitated, and as such, he was as well.
They drove for quite sometime, as Scott just used some road-time to let her relax and compose herself.
"Would you like to go home, dear? We can always try this some other time," he asked, willing to do whatever he could to ensure her happiness.
"So. Where is the next address love?" She said that casually, calling him her love. And truly he was. He lit her world, illuminated it. She wanted to draw again, something she hadn't done since she had left him. He had been her muse. And she never intended to again be apart from him.
"No. I didn't like the looks of that place from the start, either. Consider it marked off the list," he smiled at her, reassuringly.
"The next place is a few miles to the north, completely different neighborhood. We hit up that last place first, because it was the closest to your current place, honey. The only 'order' these places are in, is just based on the efficient driving route," he smiled, loving the feel of her hand under his, curved over the the smooth gearshift of his car.
She called him her love. He secretly hoped that it was true. Her leaving him the first time had been for her benefit, though he had quietly tried to accept the blame for it. No sense in letting her live with the guilt, he had thought, as he had still loved her, and could not envision her in any sort of pain or discomfort.
And here he was now - just a few days removed from his normal life in DC... moving to Nachton.
"The next address, 2112 Gary Lane... could you pop that into the nav for me, lover?" he asked, a big smile on his face as they drove along, his hand on hers, their eyes on each other (and occasionally even the road).
She squirmed in the seat. "I wish tomorrow was here already. I want to be yours, completely." They were slowing as they approached the house. This one was larger, a two story brick affair it looked like with large windows. There was one of those three pane windows on the top floor, facing the large back yard. Not at all overly landscaped. There was some sort of overgrown wilderness that made her smile. Window boxes with what looked like herbs.
"Is that a tree swing on that oak tree in the back?" She was enchanted with the idea of Scott pushing her on a swing. "I don't see the Realtor yet, would you maybe..well uhmm... please push me on that swing?"
"Indeed... I am... "old"... as you put it, but by Vampire standards, I am still fairly young."
"And..." he paused, his eyes back on the road and seemingly distant, "Yes, I have loved others before. But I've never had a Familiar before now - you would be my first."
He smiled as he heard the eagerness in her voice. "Tomorrow will be here soon enough, my dear. And if at that time you still want... this... I will give it to you, completing the cycle, and you'll be mine in an even deeper way than you already are now."
They slowed to a stop at the curb in front of the next house. He could see Miya's eyes upon it, judging... appraising. At least she didn't react like she had with the previous location. He had hoped to avoid that, had hoped to keep her happy this time.
At her next question, he chuckled once. "Yeah. Let's go have a closer look, shall we?" he said, as he quickly escaped the car, and moved around to her side to get her door for her.
She looked back over her shoulder at him, bright eyes twinkling in a moment of childlike wonder. "Well? Are you going to push me or not?" She pushed off with her feet to start the swinging and laughed happily, the perfect antidote to her terrible memories. "Whee!!"
He smiled as they neared the swing, as Miya nearly ran to it and took a seat upon it. At her urging, he began to push her, building up momentum slowly, as she swung progressively higher and higher, his hands grabbing her upper buttocks with each push. Every few pushes, he gave her a gentle, playful slap on her ass, surprising her with a gasp the first time, followed by chuckles from them both.
They were out there for a short while before a well-dressed man approached them from around the side of the house. The realtor, Scott assumed. He was several inches short of six feet, medium build, with dark hair parted on the side.
"So, I see you two have found one of the prized amenities of this property," he said cheerfully as he approached, a smile on his face. Scott nodded as his eyes went from the realtor to Miya and back again.
"I think I might have to pull out the checkbook already," Scott replied, smiling, as his eyes followed his lover's ascent in the sky once more.
"It looks like the property is vacant. Could we take a look inside?" She peeked up at Scott for his approval, then smiled.
"Charles Winters," he said, then moved his hand to Scott. Scott shook the man's offered hand, responding, "Scott Kinney," shaking firmly before relaxing.
"Yep, that's a garden over there, and its deceptive in its size. The previous owners grew things there that would last them all through the winter - and they had children. Do you two have any young ones, or any on the way?"
It was a harmless enough question, but Scott's smile faded. "No. Just the two of us. I am more than enough 'child' for her," he said, turning his eyes to Miya's for a moment. "She's got her hands full already."
Charles nodded. "Well, you'll find this place spacious, then. And yes, indeed lady, the house is empty, but I just so happen to have a key." The man smiled, producing a key.
"Shall we?"
The Realtor rambled on as he showed them the kitchen with it's stainless steel appliances, dishwasher and garbage disposal, ample cabinet and cupboard spaces, large island. Hard wood floors, two barstools left to show the eat in cereal bar. The ample dining room, again with hardwood floors, another of those chandeliers that matched the one in the foyer above where the table would presumably go. Beyond the dining area was a line of windows, and a deck door leading out to the garden and tree swing. The windows might be a problem and she glances back at Scott inquisitively as the Realtor continues to babble about the view and nature, things she cared only a little about. She took a deep breath and asked, "Lets go see the basement. Is it finished? Was there a playroom down there?" Considering how the former owners spoiled their children she imagined that there would be one somewhere in the house.
He could sense Miya's excitement, and that made him smile. When she looked at him, he continued to smile - to her, he was just enjoying her presence, and her child-like curiosity and appreciation for the unknown, or undiscovered.
There were plenty of windows, and he didn't miss Miya's concerned glance, but he merely smiled, his eyes looking out into the surrounding darkness outside all of those windows, and he imagined what it would look like at dawn. Scott knew that he could acquire the devices here that would block out the sun's harmful energies, while still allowing Miya to enjoy warm days basking in its light.
When Miya asks to see the basement (all of the houses on his list included basements), the realtor nodded.
"It is indeed finished, and quite nicely. It even has its own environmental controls - heat, air... it's all there. I believe it was used as a guest area, for visiting family and whatnot. There's a bathroom down here as well," he said as he hit the lights that lead into the downstairs area.
It is indeed as spacious as the realtor suggested, and finished, as promised. The sheet-rock was new, as was the carpeting. Separate storage areas weren't quite as finished - but that could be handled by himself and Miya, if necessary. He would need a place to store his books.
Scott nodded, not saying much, more taking everything in, observing and listening. Occasionally as he passed by Miya, he'd give her an affectionate squeeze, even a gentle goosing in her rump when the realtor wasn't looking. He had to help keep her on her toes somehow.
The Realtor returned before she could get her answer, and took them both back upstaires to the luxurious family room with a fireplace. Miya's eyes lit up, remembering when they made love before his fireplace in the past. She glances up at him with a happy grin. The wooden staircase up leads to three bedrooms, one of them with that window that caught Miya's eye. This room also had hardwood floors and a high ceiling. "Studio!" She exclaimed.
The master bedroom and bath were large and spacious. The guest bedroom also. She glanced at her Scott again and again as they toured the house. It was perfect, and she had never dreamed that she could ever afford a house like this. She then realized she would need to get a vehicle. She had a bike she often rode, but her little car was in the shop and not likely to make it much longer. The drive to the Arch would be too hard on her bike in inclement weather. Scott had strictly forbidden her from ever driving his car. Not because she couldn't drive it - she could, but because she was a terrible driver and it was too much machine for her to handle.
"How much and how soon can we.." She blushed and looked up at Scott realizing that was a question for him and that she was overstepping her bounds in her excitement.
They marched upstairs, following the realtor's descriptions, explanations, and Scott chuckled at Miya's enthusiasm and excitement. She already laid claim to the room with the best window view as her studio, and Scott merely nodded gently as he walked up to the window, looking outward, already imagining her working in this room, creating and forming, doing all the things she loved to do.
He could sense Miya's excitement growing, mixed in with some worry over something... probably money, or something similar. He leaned his hands on the window sill as he looked out, thinking to himself. ~No, dear Miya, money would not be a problem...~.
Scott could also sense the realtor's rising anticipation. The realtor was obviously becoming more and more convinced, based on their actions, that he was going to make a sale. Scott did not begrudge the man his livelihood or his desire to sell them on the place, and since he had not detected any deception or other ill emotions, he didn't feel the need to needlessly torture the salesman.
"How about the foundation? Has it been inspected and certified? Any drainage problems in the yard? Any fire damage in the past? Plumbing, HVAC all ok?" Scott asked, his back still to the others as he looked out the window.
Charles responded quickly and concisely, answering all of his questions to their satisfaction. The man was obviously not new at this, and from how he spoke, it seemed that this was a quality property.
Miya let both of the men know how she felt by asking price and move-in dates already. Both men chuckled, but it wasn't a mean laugh.
"We'll have to get our own appraisal done, honey... then we'll make an offer. At least, that's how it used to work," Scott said, finally turning around to face them.
Charles nodded. "If you need the names of any appraisers, I can give you several," he said, pulling out a business card and pen.
"Thank you, that would be great," Scott replied. He turned to Miya and gave her a playful wink as Charles wrote down some names and phone numbers. He then handed the card to Scott.
"Unless you have further questions, I am going to head downstairs, leave you two alone for a little bit. If anything comes up, please feel free to holler, or come find me," he said with a smile.
Scott nodded, and the two men shook hands. Charles then offered his hand to Miya, shaking it as well.
"Hopefully we'll be able to get you in here quickly enough," the realtor said with a genuine smile, and Scott smiled back, nodding.
After he left out the door to the room that might one day be Miya's studio, Scott suddenly reached down, took her in his arms, and pressed his lips to hers. One hand moved to her lower back, the other rose to the back of her head, supporting her as his lips made love to hers. The kiss was long... needful... and said so much to her that words simply couldn't convey.
After the kiss ended, he looked down into her beautiful bright eyes, looking every bit the exotic lover he had first taken in his arms those years ago.
"So, I take it you like the place? Did you have any other thoughts or questions? Concerns?" he asked in a whisper.
She squealed and hopped up and down when he released her, grinning like a schoolgirl as she did. She was so happy. But then the thought occurred to her and indeed it was about money. "Mhmm Scott. How can we afford this? I don't make a lot at the Museum. I really don't. And I have a lot of debt. I'm not an equal here, Scott. I can't submit to you as an equal. I want to, I really want to. What can I give you that equals what you are giving me? Is love really enough?"
Confused, talking herself in circles. She was letting her self-doubt and fear begin to overwhelm her. Why would he want her? She didn't really have anything to give him. All she had was her body. And he hadn't recollared her yet. Why would he want her? Why would anyone want her? Oh how she loved him, loved everything about him. What she really wanted was for it to be tomorrow and be his already. She was still scared that he would leave her. She tucked her head under his chin, the place that she felt the safest and prayed that he would keep her, and whispered a few small words that meant so much to her, "You are my beloved."
"I can certain keep it, sure, if you want us to," he said, looking down into her eyes. "If you want to go back sometime, we could certainly stay there - like you used to before," he smiled slightly, fresh memories assaulting his mind.
"Oh, I assume making love in every room of our new house will be like it usually is - fantastic, mind-blowing, and... perfect," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her.
Scott waved a hand when she brought up the money issue. "We can afford it, don't you worry. And," he paused, "If you are my Familiar, I have to take care of you - I *want* to take care of you. I'll take care of your debt, and we'll work together in the future... to make sure you keep that plastic under control," he grinned at her slyly, already formulating ideas to keep her from increasing the national debt, while still having some freedom to get things she liked.
"As for what you can give me," he approached her, his hands snaking to her hips, "Love is all that I ask... and... " he kissed her hotly, lasting a long time. "The benefits that come with it."
Her waves of self-doubt washed over him like an ocean tide. He let her speak, let her get them out and then he shook his head.
"You need to let go of all that self-doubt, Miya. What do I need to do to give you some confidence... in us? I am going to move here, to be with *you*. I want you to be happy, comfortable... and if you'll have me - I want you to be my Familiar. Will you... have me?" he asked, wondering if she truly was sure about it.
He had other ideas, of course... she had mentioned Turning, and though he was against it - he would be lying if he claimed to not think about it. THEN she would truly be his, and with him - always. And... then there was Marriage. He quickly pushed that thought away, not sure that even now, over six centuries later, he was ready for such a thing again.
"We-elll...." She laughed a little bit. "Do you want a list? I can think of a few things. Like oh maybe...marrying me...completing this ritual to become yours.. my collar.... oh mhmmm. A trip to the moon?" She threw the last bit in just to be a brat. "How about naming a star after me?" A soft giggle. "Can it be tomorrow yet please? Can we go home and... and practice for tomorrow? Please?" Suddenly the house seemed confining to her. She wanted to be with him, so that they could talk openly. "And uhmm. Can I see the place your clan is? Since they know about me already? And I want to know more about them. If there is one Clan are there others?" Yes she was his curious little kitten,