As smoke rose out into the heavens, I disappeared into the gray clouds.

He weighed me down, this vampire I carried in my arms. I searched desperately for a place to set him down.

I wasn't familiar with the city at all. Though I could protest that I was a citizen of this city when Serena had found me, I didn't understand why my surroundings seemed so alien to me. Chris's home had sat on the edge of the city near the freeway which ran through the Tri-City area. So that was what Serena had told me.

I examined the ground below, looking for shelter. I couldn't take him back to Serena's. Not after all of what had happened... the drug, that night, and his uneasiness he shows towards her. Finally, as the smoke cleared, I spotted a small graveyard just south of Chris's manor.

As I set foot on the ground, that same choking feeling rose up into my throat once more.

Had I been here once before?

There was no movement from him. Not even a whisper as I stood staring upon that crypt that lay ahead of me.

Was it delusion now that I could see two shadowy figures huddled up against the wall of the chamber? The words “do you wish to die here” echoing out through the empty spaces. And yet, somehow, those words seemed so repeated to me, as if I'd heard them before.

I walked towards the crypt with him rested upon my shoulder and inspected the insides. No one had been here, the area looked empty. However I knew it was such an open space, we couldn't spend long here in case Sebastian had already been dispatched to find me.

I set him down, laying him upright against the wall. Kneeling down beside him, I studied his features. The drunken smirk he wore was now gone, and his eyes were peacefully closed. He seemed to sleep, although it was nighttime.

Reaching out towards him, I placed my hand on his shoulder.

“Hey,” I said silently, giving a slight push. But no movement. No answer.

Instead, a variety of images trailed into my thoughts as my hand lay on his shoulder. Quiet words “I can help you with your conflict” along with the vision of him. Lips moving as he laid upon a dusty, old bed. His eyes focused wide with interest.

I shook my head to rid myself of those visions. Looking over my shoulder, I immediately noticed the color in the sky. The dark blue starry sky had soon started to show lighter and one by one the stars began to disappear. The heat of the day was coming, and fast.

I stood up and stared down at him. I couldn't just leave him to perish. I quickly thought of an escape... the coffin. Hopefully, it had been raided decades ago, leaving enough room for just us to hide from the day sun.

I turned around, setting my hands around the top of the grave and tried to slide the lid. I found it unbelievably difficult to move, although I should bare the gift of strength. The noise was loud, as the lid slipped from around the top of the tomb. Finally, with a thump upon the ground, the grave was open.

As suspected, the tomb had been raided, leaving just a large enough space for him and I to crowd in and sleep away the day.

I backed up, turned to face him, and leaned down to scoop him up into my arms. As if I was burying him, I laid him face up into the tomb. Carefully, I crouched down beside him, sliding him towards the wall of the tomb to ensure I had enough room to lay beside.

Lastly, I reached up and grabbed hold of the lid. Sliding it back into place required less effort than removing it. Quietly I laid there, with him beside me. I stared up at the top of the tomb feeling the same stabbing feeling in my core rise to my throat.

 

****

 

Living at Serena's home had been less than peaceful. The last thing I recall before being introduced to Sebastian was walking up the steps to her large mansion. She quietly wiped blood from my lips. I had been feeding, but hadn't known upon who.

Immediately stepping into the front door that night, Sebastian protested against me being within her company and she ordered him to leave.

And then this drug. This unbelievable feeling of lust and ecstasy that she explained was the light. I could see the light with her, unlike any other I'd seen before. Not even the day sun could compare to such illuminated elegance.

Night after night I spent in her arms. Deep inside with this strange animosity I never remembered feeling before. It hadn't been enough for her.

Claiming I needed more, she brought him into the room. Blindfolded and at a loss for words he was. At first, I did as I suspected Serena would want me to. Seducing him into my arms, undressing him as he stood still, he fell straight into my arms.

But as I moved forward, those actions became natural for me. I had, for a brief second, forgotten Serena had even been there. I had a strange comfort in knowing he was there within my arms. Kissing him with that hunger, that longing... and all those nights with her had seemed like it was nothing compared to the passion him and I shared that night.

After he was escorted to the dungeon, I began to experience delusions and that same sharp choking feeling. Images in my head that I couldn't recall yet seemed so familiar somehow.

Laying there staring up at the top of the grave was no different. Images moved like a train through my head, each one of them containing him. Silent words and silhouettes moving quickly. Strangely known to me yet I couldn't remember them.

I shut my eyes to the frequent visions...

 

***

 

I awoke to the dark shadows of the crypt above me. I blinked my eyes a moment, making sure this wasn't more of my delusions. I noticed the top of the tomb had been slid open, and the lid rested upon its side on the ground. I turned my head to look, he was gone.

I sat up immediately and peered out over the tomb to see the day had passed into night once again. Yet, he had woken up before me. Somehow finding the strength to unfasten the tomb's lid from around the base and leave.

“Mikael.” His voice called out.

I twisted around and noticed he laid on the ground; he covered his head with his hands as if to ward off a headache.

“So you do remember me?” he questioned as I got up from the cold bottom of that grave. I stepped out and pulled the lid back upon it's base.

“No,” I simply said as I walked over to him.

I crouched down and spotted his mood change with my answer. He set is head down, his eyes lowered to the ground.

“However...” I hesitated. “There must be something between us, is there not?” His head came up, a smirk on his lips. “For you to go through so much just to reach me. And Serena hasn't said much about my past, maybe you could. That's why I saved you.”

“What happened last night?” he questioned, holding his head with a tighter grip.

“Chris's house was burned to the ground,” I told. “I didn't see him around when I came in. I only suppose he didn't care to go down with his ship.” I chuckled.

“Bastard!” He swore, lowering his eyes to the ground once more.

“What did he do to you?” I questioned, curiosity filled me now as to the reason he slept so long.

He looked up at me with some fascination gleaming from his eyes. It was possible he didn't know exactly what had happened. He seemed drunk, maybe on luce, or on something else.

“I can't remember. I just know that he forced me to choke down that damn drug of his. Then I blacked out.”

“It was luce,” I sighed.

He sat up and I scooted over next to the wall beside him. “No, it wasn't luce... it was something else.”

I looked towards him in shock.

“I couldn't have blacked out like that,” he said.

“So he...” My words hung in the back of my throat. “He... left you to die there?”

He looked out towards the rest of the graveyard. The road ran past, yet it was silent. My eyes joined his out towards the road. It must have been early night, however this was the quietest I'd ever known the night to be.

“I don't know, Mikael. There's much I have yet to learn... about all of what has happened. Since meeting you.”

I turned my eyes back to him. He looked at me with concern, a wink of distress wavering in his eyes.

“Meeting me?” I hesitated.

He situated himself to face me. Leaning in, he reached out to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“Can you tell me now, how does it feel to have me so close to you?” he asked.

I sat silently. I couldn't explain this consciousness now that he drew his lips in closer to mine. As much as I tried to deny, that comfort in his arms came back again alike the night before. His lips found mine, gently caressing them with an affection that seemed familiar to me again.

Everything, so damn familiar. What was all of this that I had already known, in a previous life or more recently?

“Whoa... what the fuck is this shit?” I overheard Sebastian's voice come from outside the crypt.

As quickly as it began, our kiss was interrupted with the oncoming of Sebastian who stood in front of us with a confused glare.

We stared at him. I hadn't the notion of what to say. Yet, Lucious tried to stand to his feet.

“Now wait a minute, man. Just sit your ass back down there.” Sebastian waved. “This is just fucking perfect.”

Lucious hadn't accepted being told what to do and continued to stagger on his shaky legs. I stood up immediately and wrapped his arm around his shoulder to help steady him.

“Get the fuck out of here, Sebastian!” Lucious growled.

“Wait, don't you want to hear this?” Sebastian wondered. “You're gonna love it.”

We looked out at him in wonder.

“Okay, okay. This is perfect. By the way, I had no fucking clue this was your deal. This is way beyond what I could have imagined.” He laughed as he spoke rapidly. “But anyway, leave Central. I'll tell Serena that you two are dead. She'll never come around looking for you, and you two faggots can live your eternity doing whatever the hell it is you do. It's perfect!”

“All just to get Serena and the mansion to yourself, is it?” Lucious asked.

“What's it to you? I can easily rip you to shreds right now if that's your wish. But, I get the sense that you could care less about Serena. Am I right?” Sebastian wondered.

I stood silently listening to everything that was said. I despised Sebastian. I always had. A little punk who thought that everyone was beneath him. But his comments towards us, I just couldn't stand.

Yet, I thought his plan was decent. Knowing Serena would be in search for us would be troublesome no matter where we ran to. I wasn't positive, but I sensed that I wasn't the only one Lucious had a connection to.

“She would know, Sebastian. What of our bond?” Lucious questioned.

“Oh shit, but of course.” He froze for a moment. His eyes lowered to the ground, hand placed delicately upon his chin as if he was deep in thought. “Fuck it, just go. I'll keep Serena off your back, as long as you never return to Central again.”

“How can you make such a promise when she chased me out for near a century before?” Lucious asked, I felt his body dip as he was still weak.

I held tightly onto him, his fingers dug into my shoulder as I held him there. Eventually, he leaned himself against the cold wall of the crypt while I remained on my feet with his arm draped on my shoulder.

Sebastian walked up closer towards us. Into the crypt he walked until he had faced Lucious with an evil smirk.

“Was it the same with Chris, Lucious?” Sebastian asked, peering straight into his eyes.

Lucious looked away. “No.”

“Don't lie to me, you little cock sucker.” Sebastian grabbed hold of the side of Lucious's hair forcing him to look at him.

I immediately unraveled my arm from around Lucious's shoulder and tried to loosen Sebastian's grip from Lucious's hair. Suddenly, Sebastian let go of Lucious causing him to fall to his knees. I felt his fingers then grasp hold of my throat, his long nails inching slowly into my skin. It happened so quickly, I wasn't given a moment to dodge his attack.

“Oh, what are you gonna do?” he questioned, his eyes slowly trailing towards me. “Fucking faggots anyway. You know, I heard you two were the weakest ass vampyre's around and now I know why.”

“Fuck you!” Lucious hollered as he tried stumbling up on his feet only to have Sebastian kick him back down.

Sebastian shoved me as he let go of my throat. I fell over, landing on the ground next to the tomb. I stayed like that, rubbing my neck of the pain from his claws.

“I don't have time to deal with you two dumb asses. Just take my advice and get the fuck out of town. Go to Northern, show this clown where he was from, or whatever Lucious.” Sebastian pointed towards me as he began walking out of the crypt. “Just don't come back!”

Me? From Northern? I examined his words carefully as I sat.

“How could we trust you?” Lucious asked.

Sebastian stopped a moment. “Hey, I've been helping you two since this whole mess started. I assisted in breaking you out of Serena's before, Lucious.” He turned his head and looked at me. “And you, well...” He chuckled “Wasn't he lucky to have me on his side when he found you and Serena all doped up on luce. If it wasn't for me, you two probably wouldn't be together right now.”

He continued to walk out into the night leaving us to ourselves. I crawled upon my knees next to Lucious and set my hand upon his back. He lifted himself up and looked to me.

“We'll leave then,” I agreed with Sebastian's proposal.

“Mikael--”

“No,” I interrupted him. “Maybe he's truthful. We must leave, Lucious.”

Lucious set his head back to the ground. I could tell that he was unsure. However, I only wanted to be with him. I was positive he could teach me all about what I was experiencing lately. These strange visions; voices and silhouettes that ran through my thoughts must have been something from the past. Only he could know what all this was.

“Damn it!” Lucious spouted, hitting the ground with clinched fists.

I could tell he didn't want to take orders from Sebastian. Yet maybe he knew that this was for the best. For me, for him.. we could learn more about each other. He could recover my stolen past. And I... I would be in his company for eternity.