Margot and Aiden: Mother of Cats, Death of a Bachelor

Karaoke, Christmas, Liquor, and donuts at five am. It was the perfect end to a perfect night. The living, or rather undead piece of history that was Aiden Aberdene curled into the comfort of a plush new bed with the willoy seer ensnared into his arms. This, was what home was supposed to feel like. Being able to crawl into bed and find true peace and contentedness within the arms of another. He owed Eva and epic apology for all those years of turning his nose up at her for her own relationships, and so the Vampire and his Mortal fell into a deep sleep. His as always unhindered by visions of the future, but rather those of the not so distant past, infact, they were memories of just a few hours before when Snow White and Prince Not so Charming, and the Phantom and Christine had gone into the city streets from their reverie and extended libations to walk their buzz away in the snow trodden streets of Portree. Aiden with Margot's help excused himself to make a phone call. (Code for vomiting) While Margot distracted the pair, he well he actually did make a phone call! Mind you the conversation was entirely secretive and not even Margot was given any inclination to what his unholy plan was. Of course it was possible she might have already known, but she was far too into her wonderful rendition of I saw Mommy kissing, Nohr's balls to really pay that much attention. Thus as the sun left the sky, and Aiden came too. A text message was awaiting him, one that had a number, and a lot of zeros tailing it. Slipping as gracefully from the bed as one might expect to go about the daily routine of cleaning himself, with pine scented soap from the Christmas Box they'd received from one of those box subscription services that Margot insisted they get (Aiden, would never admit how delightfully domestic it made everything feel that they'd purchased a sub under their names) Then a few more phone calls, while he listened for the eventual stirring of the mortal woman from her drunken (Not so drunken) stupor for the evening. " Yes I'd like a reservation for two, and yes I am aware that the room seats twenty. " a digital beep of the keys and Aiden, in a perfectly Mirthful mood, made way toward their bed, and seated himself beside Margot, his hand stroking softly across her cheek, before he leaned in and whispered gently into her ear. " How does coffee sound?" likely it smelled better then it sounded, and Aiden, who had learned well at this point. Knew that Margot was no one to be trifled with without her blackbrew. His lips found her cheek and his arm draped over her shoulder, and his form sank in behind her own. Drawing her warmth to his corpse. " It's time to get up Margot " He whispered softly " I've got a surprise for you "

••• Margot had not slept so soundly. Fleeting images of a macabre dreamscape plagued her during the daylight hours-- while the pair slept. The night had been full of light and mirth, cantankerous lyrical mastery, donuts…and yes, a little vomiting. Whilst her friends cajoled one another and sang, Margot’s mind swam with the occasional flicker of others’ futures. One in particular tugged her with unprecedented magnetic force, a full-on, vivid swan-song of the ill-fated Nancy at the will of who she called ‘Zach’. She’d shoved the vision to her mental periphery, just as she had time and time again throughout her life. As a child, her hooded eyes expressed a precocious acquaintance with adversity. In her teens, she’d coped with focusing on her singular dream-- becoming a ballet dancer. Every time she saw anything horrific, she honed in on the visions of herself dancing at Julliard-- childishly ignoring the fate of that career in the hopes that she could outfox the Norns. She’d learned about blind spots in her early adult years, after suffering an accidental leg break that would crush her hopes whilst dancing with a partner-- her first blind spot. (A person whose future she could not see.) After that, her only remaining solace was Aiden. Though he’d always been there to begin with,his presence became more prolific in her dreams as she grew into her mid-twenties. And even now, she couldn’t stop the world’s ache. For the first time, she felt the horror of what Aiden was-- though only vicariously through Nancy’s last moments. It wasn’t her paramour that she feared, but the visceral reality that they were in a town surrounded by Kindred. Perhaps it was that moment in the bar that gave way to the bloody, horrific nightmares that held her somnolent mind captive. Somehow striking a chord in her mind, gently tugging on a web of well-concealed fears. Aiden had asked her not to tell him what was coming, and so far, she’d done well concealing the things she’d seen. The withy seer had spent her entire life doing it-- and was practiced at that, if nothing else. Her mind was a place of dark, aching secrets. She’d slept like the dead-- quiet and unmoving, with only her heart pace to indicate any distress. Her lissome frame fit comfortably into the nooks of Aiden’s, skin warm under the downy duvet the pair slumbered under. As if weighed down by cement blocks, she felt herself begin to wake mentally-- but her body remained unresponsive. Aiden was curled around her, lips at her cheek as he gently coaxed her awake. The thin clairvoyant groaned, “Not yet…” she murmured, tipping her chin so that she could bury her face into his neck. She sighed, frame visibly releasing tension as she felt her fingertips and toes slowly start to register waking feeling. She breathed him in, face hidden between his neck and the mountain of curly hair she’d insisted on washing the previous night, *before* sleeping. She was certain she’d thrown up in it. Presently, she was soft, warm, and smelled of cedar, fir and the subtle sweet scent of vetiver. She was also wearing one of his t-shirts, and no pants. “Coffee…” she replied in a muffled tenor, head pulling back as she opened her eyes. They were wet with tears-- or rheumy morning sand, it could be hard to tell, and more vibrantly green when she first woke each day. “Is coffee the surprise?” she asked, grinning groggily. “’Cause if it is, you suck at surprises.” she reached up to touch his face, fingertips curling around his jaw as her palm grazed his cheek. “Mornin’” she added, with a bit gentler voice.•••

In their comfortable queen sized bed, adorned with this and that here and there. He enjoyed the moment, the closeness, the scent of her, the sound of her heart beat. the gentleness in her voice even when groggy and snippy. " No the coffee is a bribe " He said with a soft smile upon his features. " After all I don't wish to be staked in my sleep because I woke you up to early " He let his lips press to the corner of her mouth as she tilted her head upward to look at him. " Which won't actually kill me mind you, but be incredibly inconvenient if you left it there for a few years." " Good Morning Margot " he replied in kind to her early evening salutation before he brought his hand upward to gently gather her own. " Bad Dreams? " he asked noting the state of her eyes, his other hand moving toward the collected moisture so that he could tenderly wipe it away with the pad of his thumb. " Tell me about em? " If she told him of his death, he'd welcome it as long as time was spent up until the last moment in the comfort of her radiant warmth. If she said she dreamt of him leaving her. He'd kiss her cheeks and tell her it was little more than a bad dream and remind her that she was his Mortal, and the holder of his heart (Which if he wanted could actually be done with knife, cedar box and packing peanuts) despite that his hand moved into the pocket of his jeans and produced his phone holding it so she could see the article he'd pulled up. The title likely saying all she'd need to know ~Eccentric New York Art Dealer, has passed away at the age of 31~ " I'm dead " he whispered softly " ~Having no family, his assets to be passed to Margot Bixby~ " he'd let it sink in. Before he shifted to tenderly stroke her cheek " Life is strange, sometimes. " He said casually " you know the whole reason I opened my Art Business was to erase myself from history... " he leaned back " buying paintings that had me in them, changing the features, or erasing myself entirely In all that time, I spent removing myself from the lives of others. I never thought I'd find myself in this moment " He lay his head on the pillow " Sofia will clear up any red tape. As far as the media goes. They won't come looking for you or me " He closed his eyes and brought his cheek to her own " I know you know what the future holds, but I'm excited about experiencing the unknown with you, and I think it's high time I let myself come home...since I have someone to come home too.." He leaned back looking at her " you already live with me so I think you know what I'm asking..." His fingers stroked along her cheek slowly " Will you.. " he paused for a long time then continued " consider picking out a cat with me? "

•••Margot stifled a laugh sleepily and shook her head with slow-motion, groggy movements. “Bribe away.” she croaked, legs stretching out under the blanket as she arched her back and yawned. “I don’t plan on pulling a Buffy on you.” she joked with a gentle prod to his stomach, once she rolled over so that she was facing him. He kissed the corner of her mouth (so close!) and she closed her eyes briefly and hummed in approval against his lips. As the cool pad of his thumb chased the outline of her lower lashes, the seer briefly considered his question. It wasn’t his death, it was -hers-. Breathing in a wispy morning breath between slightly parted lips, she shook her head. “Maybe later.” she said, leaving it at that. Why waste any of the time she had left in mourning, when he was clearly so content? Maybe she would tell him later, in the early hours of morning, as the sun rose and they collapsed together again to sleep. But not now, with a full day of plans ahead of them, compliments of the dashing vampire in her…er, -their-…bed. As Aiden pulled out his phone, she wrinkled her nose in brief confusion, eyes taking a moment to focus as he held it up. Her lips moved as she read the words, eyes scanning the bright screen, brows knitting over her eyes. “Age 31…” she said, a bit louder than the rest of the words, laughing for a moment before Aiden clarified what she hadn’t exactly pieced together yet. There was a long pause as she processed what he’d said and what she’d been reading. Thoughts of the previous night’s dreams scattering to the wind as she sat up in the bed beside him, snatching the phone from his hand to scroll the screen for a moment. “Aiden. What the hell?” she breathed, hand and phone plopping on the duvet between her parted knees. She turned to look at him where he lay. She listened as he explained the history of his business, and its relevance. Her features were a mix of empathy and weighted confusion. He continued, explaining that nobody would come looking after them, as Sophia was tying up any loose ends on their behalf. The seer shook her head in disbelief. “You have got to be fucking…kidding me.” she murmured, rubbing her face with her free hand in between his sentences. “You’re telling me you’re dead and I haven’t even had coffee or put on pants yet.” she added flatly. About to toss the phone back at him, Margot paused mid-motion as he continued, determined to finish what he’d started. ‘…I think it's high time I let myself come home...since I have someone to come home to’ he raised a hand to stroke her cheek, which was quickly flushing deep red. Her eyes prickled with heat and moisture, heart swelling in her chest. It was a lot to process, and he was going to end it with a prop--oh. She blinked a couple of times. “A…cat?” she asked, chin dropping as one brow piqued. “A cat.” she said out loud, considering it again. It wasn’t a question the second time. She threw his phone at him. “You’re…something else.” she said, wavering between ‘insane’ and ‘off your rocker.’ The half-dressed, sleepy seer then rolled onto him and wrapped her arms around his neck, grinning “Yes. I’d love to be the mother of your cats.” the plural was no slip-- she knew they’d end up with more than one…and not because of -her- love of the furry, clawed mini-satans. Leaning in, Margot nearly kissed him, but bit his earlobe instead. “Let me get dressed~” she concluded, promptly rolling off of him and standing in all of her tartan-plaid Christmas undies glory. After some digging through boxes, she peeked up at him. “Are we on a timeline?” she asked, “I might make us a little late…” she continued as she turned her attention back to the haphazardly-packed box city. Retrieving jeans, she slipped them on right there, wiggling her butt into them before zipping and buttoning the high-waisted light-wash denim around a willowy figure. She tossed his shirt, once removed, onto the foot of the bed and slipped on a cream-colored knit pullover with a cowl-neck collar. “Ha!” she announced, pulling her purse from the box with a victorious pose. “Found it.” she said, then tossing it over by the door. Once she found a suitable pair of brown Frye Chelsea boots, she walked to the 1920’s vanity, complete with ornate--enormous-- mirror, and spritzed a bit of Commodity’s ‘Book’ perfume on. The room filled with its woodsy, warm scent, and revealed what it was that mingled so nicely with the smell of her skin. •••


" Well of course I am 'something else' " He replied with a smirk his eyes resting upon her own, his arms encircling her for the moment that she leaned into him and proclaimed herself to be the mother of their fur army. Which he didn't doubt they'd have many, If he got one cat for every discarded bowl she had laying around the apartment. He'd have at least ten kittens and a tabby. His form stretched out in the bed, as he adjusted the white dress shirt he'd been wearing. You know nothing fancy, but it seemed as if he was getting ready for a day in the office. Not seeking out a cat. But Aiden was no slouch and her reaction had been just about everything he'd wanted. She was expectant of something, and got something entirely different. Or did she? Celerity was a useful gift for a vampire, enabling them to move from point a to point be in the blink of an Eye and watching Margot, with both hungry (Because damn that ass) and loving eyes. He shifted from the bed and popped a supernatural upper and found himself raising from the bed to stand behind her, in all of a single instant his arm wrapped around her hips and his other hand moved to collect one of the expensive lipsticks on the vanity. Where he with a thumb popped it open and twisted into the stick of crimson peeked out. He found her cheek with his lips and upon that mirror he slowly wrote out the beginnings of a word. He did it painfully slow, and ensured that as he worked each letter it was obvious that Aiden was..well he was being his bratty fucking-self. ~Yes, I am something else~ The first part of his cryptik lipstick message was worded, before he shifted around tossing the lipstick to his other hand, his fingers intentionally moving over her backside, depositing something into her back pocket. ~Check your back pocket~ He smeared the rest of the lipstick onto the mirror. Knowing full well she was going to make him clean it up and with a cheerful voice he walked from their room his voice lifting in the hallway. " Do I look Lonely? I see the shadows on my face... " of course this could just be teasing, because she had been 'singing' those very words the night before. none the less he continued on " People have told me I don't look the same. " Then the sound of clinking glass, as he collected a coffee cup, filled it and even placed one of those lovely beignets she'd begged him for onto a plate, eventually lighting one of his 'cheap ass' Marbs and waiting patiently for her reaction, because he was fairly certain she wouldn't see THAT one coming.

••• Aiden was almost always dressed nicely though, wasn’t he? The little clue had gone unnoticed by the seer, who was always disproportionately casual by comparison. Despite all of her clothing being designer, most of it was comprised of things somewhat below business-casual. But it all suited her and fit the way it was supposed to--showcasing the svelte breadth of her chest, or the dancerly curve of her hip. Aiden, on the other hand, was always riding the line between business casual and ‘I-just-walked-out-of-an-Armani-shoot’, topped off with charismatic charm, unkempt hair, and those god-damn dimples that occasionally showed up when he smiled in just the right way. Nevermind everything under the crisp, white collar. Distracted with digging through the vanity drawer for something else-- her cigarettes, which could not be found-- she spooked once he arrived behind her, gasping briefly as her shoulders jumped and her heart leapt. “Damn it Aiden!” she chided, though only half-heartedly. Where the fuck had he come from? His arm was around her, chin resting on her shoulder as he snatched one of the lipsticks from inside the vanity drawer and popped it open. She was still processing that he was even there in the first place--he’d been like a god damn teleporting ninja. He was kissing her cheek as he slowly scrawled something on the mirror with a very expensive Saint-Laurent shade of red. Her brow furrowed as she started to read it, lips moving in the reflection until it dawned on her what he was writing. “Of course you are.” she laughed, pushing an elbow back into his ribs. Without missing a beat, he tossed the lipstick to his opposite hand and continued his work, distracting her as he slipped his hand into her back pocket. Well, those supernatural talents did have their pros, didn’t they? Of course she hadn’t seen any of it coming-- she wasn’t drunk. And the only dreams regarding their future mostly involved brief glimpses of their current lives together. She was glad that he hadn’t asked her to tell him all of it-- at least one of them should enjoy the benefit of the unknown. As he finished writing, Aiden disappeared. Leaving her side empty, Margot shivered, turning to watch the back of him with brief confusion as he waltzed out of the room, singing. Laughing behind him, the clairvoyant stuck her hand in her back pocket. Nope. Nothin’. And then the other. For a moment, she thought it was a joke, because nothing was there. And then she slid her hand across the bottom of the pocket, and a small weight fell into her fingertips. Cool metal, from what she could discern. Margot pulled the small object out of her pocket, feeling the tip of her index finger scoop through its center before she held her breath. Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit, -shit-. She very suddenly felt the urge to run, legs filled with adrenaline. As she held it up in front of herself, she blinked warily at it, head feeling a bit light. Holding the small, silver diamond ring between her thumb and forefinger, the seer felt an awful curling in her stomach. It was the ring from her dream, held in her own bloody, open palm along with his. She wavered in place for a moment, steadying herself with a free hand on the vanity as she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. It was fine. This was fine. Maybe they could find another way? --a flashback to her leg broken on an open stage, ‘I thought I could find another way…’-- “Aiden?” she asked, voice wavering with uncertainty down the hall from him. And then she passed out. •••

If there was one thing that Aiden called a flaw, it was that even though he'd lived over seven hundred years, and could in wait for days, months, and even years for something to happen. (If that something was business related or entirely detached from him emotionally) There were times where he was impetuous, anxious, and entirely impatient. Margot found a ring in her pocket, plain and simple Aiden had asked her to marry him without asking her to marry him, just like he'd told her he loved her, without actually telling her. It was a bit of a game in his mind, to find ways to surprise her with his actions. So that he could in his mind at least act like she didn't see it coming. So it was coffee, and one of those gourmet beignets on a trey, and an Impatient Vampire making his way down the hall from the kitchen of their comfortable historic apartment in uptown Portree, and it seemed that he was not only impatient but favored by lady luck this evening. Over the years, Aiden learned how to read the human condition. It came with the territory, as knowing when someone was going to pass out when you fed from them by the sound of their heart, The Color of their skin, or various other bodily hints. The wavering motions, the willowy hints in her voice. The way her knees seemed to shake. Everything pointed to a sudden and complete collapse. But lucky for Margot, there was not going to be a concussion in the future. (Foreseeable future that was) Celerity, granted an undead the ability to move at speeds no mortal could move. For every year he practiced it, and let it become a part of him Aiden's reaction time increased to a point that it sometimes felt time had stopped. AT least for an instant without the need of a Stand at that. The trey hung in midair, for just a moment. orbs of coffee in a perfect line, and a cloud of powdered sugar ready to pulse and expand, and Aiden, moving to collect the clairvoyant as she began to make her descent to the ground. " I got you " he cooed softly his arms wrapping around her form. Then there was the clatter, the shatter, and the splatter of Gourmet coffee as it hit the ground (Margot was going to be so upset he chose her over the coffee!) A hand moving from her hip to brush her hair back away from her face. Why she'd fallen? well Aiden wasn't a doctor, but he assumed it was likely because he was a dick and decided to propose marriage before providing her with her lifesblood. (Does coffee consumption make one a Coffepire?) Or because there was something genuinely wrong with her. Someone was taking a trip to the hospital tonight, and Aiden could care less if she struggled " Don't go dying on me Margot " he whispered gently.

••• Margot laid in his arms, having collapsed into them, and thereby missing several opportunities to crack her head open on the way down. Her features were serene, a dreamless state of unconsciousness-- but pale. The blood had drained from her face. Her heart was still racing, but growing slower with each passing moment. In her palm, curled beneath limp fingers, was the ring she’d taken from her pocket. It glittered in the light from its concealed spot, diamonds a beacon in the spaces between digits. Her frame hung limply in his grasp, head lolled over to one side whilst her knees collapsed toward one another in a last-ditch effort to recover herself before the world went black. The length of her withy arms were in opposing states-- one curled up over her stomach against Aiden’s chest while the other dangled outward. As Aiden collected her cheek, her head rolled into his shoulder, eyes fluttering as he spoke. “Nnngh..” she breathed lightly in response to the tail end of his words. ‘…dying on me, Margot.’ was all she heard. “N..no.” she replied, voice a gentle groan as consciousness slowly flooded back. It was all she said for a minute before she blinked a couple more times. When her eyes focused, she stared at him for a moment and gasped. The last minutes rushed back to her before her senses. The hand that rest on her stomach, holding the ring, flung itself up and hit him in the chest. “Aiden!” she exclaimed with wary countenance. She’d meant to hit harder, but her strength was still comically lacking. Margot’s thoughts flooded, temporarily disabling her from communicating. He had proposed. She let the thought sink in, trying to focus on that as the mental image of her bloody hand holding the ring flickered behind her eyelids. She opened her eyes, deciding to hone in on his expression. It was that face which had so long provided her with comfort in the midst of horrific visions. He was here, now. In the flesh. And he’d asked her to marry him. Her pale verdant hues brimmed with tears, “No.” she said more firmly, thoughts a jumble as her words started registering late. “No,” she repeated again, suddenly feeling like she was desperately behind as the mental image of Aiden insisting on taking her to the hospital replayed. “No, I’m not going to the ER.” she finally managed, features beginning to flush with color as she realized how epically she’d fucked up this proposal. The ring! Where had it gone? Her expression shifted to concern, eyes glancing to her hands. The one over her stomach clutched at the petite glittering band. Oh, thank Odin. Fumbling with her numb fingertips, she managed to hold it up. “Does this mean…what I think it does?” she asked weakly, trying to salvage the moment by shifting her entire focus away from every other thing tugging at her mind. Text Aralie back! Horrific gruesome imagery! Cats! Are we late? Did I just ruin this? Where is the coffee?•••

His concern, fell away from the proposal but to her health, she'd just collapsed, and that could mean so many things. Margot was healthy, he knew this, but she'd also been clean for some time before their Christmas Shenanigans. When she began to stir and attempt to piece together her surroundings, he found himself exhaling a sigh of relief before bringing his hand to her cheek to tenderly stroke it. " Thank god " he whispered knowing she'd somewhat come too. The punch to his chest, well it stung? Maybe? It definitely brought him from snuggle Margot till she couldn't breath to the present where her first words after uttering his name seemed to be a response to the unspoken question that he'd posed in the evening. It was not favorable and Aiden felt a bit of his heart shrink back into the black abyss that was the vampires emotionlessness. Not entirely, he would recover from being rejected, and maybe He'd just chosen the wrong moment, the wrong time? He worked a myriad of things in his mind, attempting to soothe over the burn of rejection. But it was hard to soothe a knife wound when it was made more fatal by repeated utterances of the word ~No~ and with more vehemence! Was she disgusted by the idea of being married to a vampire? That had to be it, it made sense. She was Mortal and he was undead, and while their relationship had blossomed beautifully. Maybe she didn't want to grow old and die while he stayed young. A bit deflated found himself unable to process the statement about the Er. (Which at this point he wanted to do simply to give him an excuse to be alone for a bit) After a few moments, his hand moved toward the ring she held and fingers wrapped gently around it in an attempt to pluck it from her clutches. " It's just a ring.." he said softly, and made to soothe over the moment. " It looked beautiful, and I thought you'd like it. You took it the wrong way that's all " He forced a smile onto his features and set her gently upon the chair aside the vanity, moving to gently brush her hair back from her face " You really should go to the hospital, it's not normal for people to feint like that. " He moved toward the shattered glass and coffee conflagration upon the floor and knelt to pluck the pieces off the floor " Anyway I've got some business in town, want me to drop you off at Snow Whites? " He didn't glance over his shoulder. " I'd rather you not be alone for a now " tossing the broken pieces of what had once been a coffee mug made to look like an ugly ass lucky cat, purchased simply because it reminded him of the first time he had met Margot. " Pity, I liked this cup." he mused as he lifted the silver tray. " I'll get you more coffee " He exited the room, to collect a rag and another cup of coffee for Margot.

•••She was finally starting to see it. The crisp, (new? It looked new) white collar of his shirt, its taper and cut suggesting more than a casual date night. Opting for dress pants instead of jeans, and smelling of crisp pine and woody cedar (he’d used the sub!). His hair looked cleanly cut, freshly washed and styled. Oh. -Oh-. This was really happening. So unused to him being serious in any capacity, Margot hadn’t even picked up on the subtle cues coded by his toggery and composure. To her end, he hadn’t exactly been straight-forward with the proposal, either. Still. Her heart felt swollen and light in her chest, fluttering in rapid palpitations. In fact, her entire body felt light when he held her like this-- as if she were nothing more than a breakable glass woman. His eyes searched her features, concern heavy on his brow. He was so gentle with her, starkly contrast by his race as Kindred, that she considered him a sanctuary. Being so close to him in a moment with such gravity made her head spin-- beyond all of the things tied to that ring (and almost to spite them,) she wanted nothing more than that forever promise. Fuck everything else. It was going to be hard, but nothing worth having was ever easy. Especially not for Margot. She would sprint alongside fate as it catapulted every attempt at her life, with Aiden as her light-house. Somehow, she -would- live through this. How had she been so fatalist? So Nihilist until now? What good was seeing the future if she couldn’t bend it to her own will? (In the back of her mind, under the explosive sound of her personal revolt, a small voice reminded her ‘no you can’t.’) But in that---oh. Oh, no. ‘It’s just a ring.’ Aiden explained as he tried to pluck it from her hand. Where she’d been semi-blind earlier in the morning, and through the not-so-gentle transition of fainting and re-waking, her senses were piqued with the sudden fire in her stomach at the idea of his proposal. In almost agonizing slow motion, he set her down on the vanity seat. His usually playful demeanor had switched, regressing into the cold guard of a stranger. She -knew- what it meant. Oh, god. She’d fucked this up. He walked out of the room and she felt the full flush of heat prickle her cheeks. The seer’s vision blurred, emotions inflated by the tumult of emotion she’d experienced from the very moment she woke. Had she really misinterpreted him? Or were her intuitions correct? How was it so hard to see this correctly? Why was his absence from the room making her feel so desperately isolated? Margot leaned forward onto one of the drawer sets of the vanity and let her face fall into her hands as she staved off choking sobs and tried to wade through her thoughts to find some of poise and rationality. Working her way back to the beginning of the morning, and through the present moment did nothing. She was just as confused as she had been when he set her down and left the room. His sudden distance had absorbed her thoughts and made her anxious with stomach-churning regret. It was destroying her ability to think clearly. With one hand, she opened the drawer of the vanity and retrieved the bottle of bourbon therein. This would help-- though not in any ‘traditional’ sense of the word. She wasn’t trying to numb her feelings. The clairvoyant was trying to enhance her senses. It would help, she confidently told herself in the wake of his absence. It would help. Without hesitating, she pulled the cork out of the bottle and drank straight from it, like it was water. It burned down her throat and warmed her stomach with the firy brine of oak. After three big swigs, she set the bottle down and waited in silence. Recorking the bottle, Margot drew in a wavering breath as she started watching the vague reel of futures roll in. She honed in on the details as the alcohol hit her system, visions gaining clarity as her toes began to tingle. The withy seer sat in the room, mind flicking through decisions rapidly and discarding each path that didn’t work as soon as it played out in her head. Continue the night as he’d suggested? No. Ultimately, that wouldn’t work. Call Jolene and cut off plans? Possibly. Argue with him? Insist she knew she’d messed it up? That she knew it was a real proposal? No. No. No. And then one singular path lit up and the tension in her shoulders melted away. Margot settled on what to do and say to make things right: because as her alcoholic visions gathered-- they had misread one another. Each possible scenario included -some- kind of realization on one or both parts, and this was the best shot she had at fixing it. With resolution, fire in her stomach, and a few butterflies of anxiety still swimming in her head, the seer stood from her seat as he entered the room with her coffee. With shaking hands, she collected it from his grasp and set it aside with one hand. The other caught him by the arm, as she knew he would just turn around to walk out of the room. His features were gaunt with intentional emotionless pale. Her expression was full of empathy and pain. Her heart ached in her chest. As she set the coffee (made just as she liked it, of course.) down, Margot took a brief moment to look away and compose herself. She felt so utterly vulnerable in that moment, unable to conceal her emotions that when she turned around, she just went for it. Her small body drew into his, arms slipping up and around his neck as alarm bells fired off in her entire body. She was shaking, a breakable glass woman, as her weight shifted onto her toes to help her connect. Her lips pressed gently to his at first, as if she were unsure about what she was doing. (God, why wouldn’t her knees just -work-?) Oh, god, his lips were so soft. A bit more pressure from the withy seer as she felt a driving -need- to kiss him fully. Her lips parted hungrily against his lower lip, and she tightened the loose circle of her arms around his neck. A groan made its way out of her without permission, a momentary slip of focus as her lithe frame held fast to his mid-kiss.•••

There were emotional advantages, and disadvantages to being alive, and undead for such a length of time. The ability to shut down any kind of feeling was amid them. Which Aiden had done, not entirely because you did not stop loving someone, you did not stop caring about them. But you learned to choke on the bitter pill that reality provided. No, No a thousand times no and every time he heard it it shattered his heart just a little more. Fragments of his emotional bliss scattering and falling into the waves of realization that were slowly striking him. Aiden was an optimist, and while he and Margot would not have that relationship mortals could. White picket fencing, kids running around the yard. What he could have with her had been everything that he'd let go in his desperate desire to be 'eternal'. To spend her life with her. To hold her and help guide her from her youthful now to the future. Because he loved her, he would watch her wither and see to it she never needed anything. Because he loved her, he was not going to leave her side no matter how much it hurt to know that she DID see the tragic fate that would happen eventually. But right now, well he ached and while the mind told the heart it was just bad timing. Aiden couldn't help but find a bit of hopeless pessimism finding its way between them. Her coffee, was served just like she liked it. Aiden didn't falter when it came to small details. It was full, but not too full, because he knew she liked to warm her hands upon the mug before she drank it. The cup was one of her favorites. Simple, white with the words Fuck off written on the bottom in big bold black letters, and yes Aiden had gone through great lengths for the evening. The Shirt, was new, and had been one of the ones she'd selected for him. The slacks pleated, pressed, perfectly cut and straight. the shoes shined and polished to perfection. His hair combed, playfully tamed with a curl here and there. But Margot never failed to notice those subtle things either. She knew him, as he knew her, they were yin and yang. She was his perfect imperfection, and everything that made him feel like he could breath, like his heart beat. Like he was living music and poetry. Every moment lost in time with her was like living. Margot was home, the undulating waves of emerald working its way up the hill in the midday sun, the scent of flowers blooming in the meadows, the crispe and clear cool waters of home. She was the laughter of his family after a hard days work. She was what it meant to him to be alive. She let him for the first time in seven centuries live in the moment, despite her ability to see the future, and if she thought he was ignorant of the horrid revelations she had. He wasn't he may not have known them, but he knew when she tightened her dainty hands into fists at night, and clutched to him tighter, he knew when she wept silently unable to control herself because slumber made it impossible. But despite this he pressed on, A Vampire, was outside of fate's reach, and he truly believed he could hold her until death came. He even believed that he had found his final reason for living, or unliving. That when she breathed her last breath, he would hold her until morning lite and let the sun bring them to whatever heaven awaited them. So yes, even in death, where Margot went, Aiden would follow. Now as he entered their room. It pained him to smell the liquor upon her breath, to note the hue of color on her skin. Pained him because if he'd known he'd force her back into her old ways. He'd never of tried. Time went slowly as Margot approached him, his heart, the thing that felt not beat, seized into a stone, and he prepared to hear words he dreaded. Knowing full well if he'd just let things be as they were. If he'd no grand plans of holding Mrs Margot Aberdene in his arms. " Margot I'm So.." It came, that moment they'd both desperately wanted to happen and yet so many times had found ruined, and as their lips met Aiden tasted heaven, and felt the warmth of the sun creeping into him. Like a devout heathen to his crazed goddess he was reverent of that moment, idolized it, held it, let it linger in his mind. Then when surprize had worked its way from his mind, he reacted. His arms circled around her lithe form, his eyes closed, there was a tilt of the head and hunger seized him, and the parting of the lips was met with eager return. His hand curled into the tangled tendrils and he clutched to her, and he kissed her. He kissed her like he was going to die right then and there, like it was the first and last kiss he would ever experience, for he was to burn away into ash at the warmth that was Margot Bixby, his Goddess of the Sun. Instinct, pushed him, and thus he pushed her until her form found itself sealed between him and the vanity, he lifted her up eagerly upon it, so she sat upon the edge and he deepened the kiss pressing himself between her thighs, aching for more closeness, he tasted her mouth, her lips and he wanted more and more. How in this world could he ever get enough of her? But she needed to breath, and he needed to tell her something. So the kiss broke and his eyes rested upon her own. His hand untangled from her curls and came to brush across her cheek. " I love you " he whispered " I love you, and I'm not taking No for an answer Margot..." his hand moved along her neck and he leaned in whispering. " If seven hundred and sixty years has taught me anything, It is that life is measured not in the expanse of time, but in moments where time stands still. " He drew back looking deeply into her eyes. " So, putting my hurt pride aside...yes it meant what you thought it meant. " His softened his voice " Because I have seven hundred and sixty years of nothing behind me, because every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year spent with you....has more meaning than I have done in my life. " He drew his fingers gently into her hair " I want to live....and die as your husband. "

••• Nothing outside of the two of them existed. The rest of the world fell away from where they stood, and her entire reality became the full shape of his lips against hers, his icy skin against her flushed and firy flesh, and the four hands that held their world together. Her body and mouth sang a silent song-- begging him without any need to vocalize it. ‘Please don’t go, I love you so.’ She was firmly cemented where she stood, unable to leave if she’d wanted to. The seer’s body couldn’t be compelled to move if she tried-- her last stand was here. He’d stiffened out of surprise-- she knew to anticipate that, but it still stung. Hanging only briefly in the agonizing space between realization and pursuit. A soothing balm was soon to follow, as he collected her between steady arms and held her fast. More than that, his mouth responded hungrily. With a fervent, ravenous mouth, Aiden tilted his head and his lips parted beneath hers. An overwhelming calm seeped into her just then. The clouds broke, and a cleansing rain washed over both of them. They clung to one another with desperation, threatening to consume each other by ice or fire, respectively. She ached for him everywhere. Her heart, stomach, mind, skin, hands, thighs and lips---all of her. It was consuming. Aiden’s lips moved with mercifully practiced expertise, and hers receded from lead to follow. His mouth was sweet and clean, tongue carrying the lingering ferric tang of blood that felt like some kind of a trap she’d happily leap into. She felt the urgency in his kiss and between closed lashes, she cried for it. Nothing had ever been so perfectly bittersweet. No other moment on earth, in all of time, had ever hurt so deeply and felt so good at the same time. (And if it had, she knew nothing of it.) With trembling hands, her fingertips moved to the nape of his neck and slid into his hair, gripping with renewed spirit as he leaned into her and urged her back into the vanity. Her coffee tumbled off of the side of the vanity as her weight sank onto it. Knowing what would happen next, the withy seer moved in near-choreographed time with him. Yielding just when he’d want, and adding resistance to coax his hunger. Her knees parted around the sides of his thighs as he leaned down onto her, tongue gentle and timid against Aiden’s . Her arms slid down around his neck and caught his shirt as he considered pulling away, briefly pulling herself closer to extend the kiss just a moment longer before he finally broke the kiss. Her hair was always a mess-- but presently, it was a bit lopsided. Her features were radiant with the glow of ardor, knees tight around his legs as her shoes fell off. Watching him with wet, vivid green eyes, she blinked expectantly and softened as he spoke. One of her hands fell over the back of his to hold it to her face. She turned her cheek to press her lips into it and offered a firm kiss in the middle of his palm, attention shifting back to him as he continued. Margot’s mind was spinning on one track, swimming in place. She listened intently. Even though she knew the words he’d say, she wanted to hear them and burn them into her memory for the time she had left. Glittering tears ran streams down her cheeks, unable to contain the flood of mixed emotions-- relief, sorrow, love, guilt. “I love you, Aiden.” she said after he concluded, words fleeing her suddenly as she struggled to keep it together. “I want nothing more than this,” she squeezed his hand, “I didn’t mean to--” she paused, not wanting to ruin anything any further. Just stop, Margot! “Yes.” she finally managed. “Yes, as many times as you want to hear it.” she felt the overwhelming deluge of emotion recede. Watching the vampire’s features closely, she smiled with genuine warmth. Jesus, she was confusing. •••

There was, a hundred things going on all at once in his mind, the feeling of elation from the moment of intimacy, ok so if he was being honest Aiden's mind was in the usual places a man's mind would go during this kind of interaction. He wanted her, he wanted her in all the ways he could want her. From the carnal pleasures brought forth by bodies mingling together nude and entangled, from the pleasure of tasting her flesh, and her blood. The symphony of sounds playing in his mind from the memory of the hot tub. But then he came down, forced his libedo to take a back seat to what was actually happening in this moment. She spoke, and it was words he could never hear enough. That she loved him too, that she was entirely his. The magic however was in the moment she finally shifted to look seriously at him, his hand moving upward to tenderly stroke across her cheek. " I'll hear it a thousand more times tonight, but not to answer my question " he provided teasingly as his lips found themselves a tender perch upon her temple. But he did draw back, and took her hand, his fingers curling about her own. " Jokes aside. " he pulled himself together finally. He took a much needed, but not vital breath and brought himself down to one knee. Margot deserves to have this done right, and so he brought her hand toward him and looked up at her, keeping his eyes rested upon her own as he gently slipped the ring upon the ring finger of her left hand. He stayed there for a moment admiring how it looked upon her, and rose to speak seriously about exactly how he felt. " Marriage to a vampire comes with choices Margot, you're giving up your attachment to the mortal world, and everything along with it. " He brought his hand over her own " I know you've said a hundred if not more times that you've nothing to lose. But I want you to know that if there is anything in this world you wish to bring with you to the otherside. I will make it so " he expanded realizing that she might consider this a prolog to being embraced into the undead way of life. " You're my mortal, and other undead will see you as a tool to use against me if they desired. Or younger undead will see you as a chip to gain what they want..." He was thoughtful " It's dangerous, but you'll be protected. " He bit his lip " Also I do have a bad habit of rambling when I get nervous, I've never been married, or even engaged before " He admitted " Almost did get engaged once...but you know death happened. " He cleared his throat again bringing his hand upward to brush through the length of his hair as he finally pulled himself together in a more together fashion. " What I should be saying is...Thank you, you've no idea how happy you've made me....and how much this means to me " He drew his hand to her cheek.

 ••• When he brushed her cheek and spoke, she was already reacting to his words before he said them-- her cheeks flushed, her pulse skipped, and somewhere deep inside of her, more primal feelings were waking. She shifted in her seat as he actually spoke the words aloud, eyes beginning to dry as he sprang the humor on her. Unfortunately, mind and body had received separate messages. While she consciously understood it was a joke, the warm, tingly feeling of anticipation settled in her stomach. Soon enough, it was easy to dismiss as he knelt to one knee in the same way she’d seen him in her visions for years. The seer breathed in sharply as he did, reality (as it always did) weighing more heavily on her than any vision could have. Her fingertips extended in his hand, ring slipping on with distinct ease under his guide. Her free hand rose to her lips as she watched him hold her hand with admiration, eyeing the ring on her finger with unrelenting pride. For fuck’s sake, when had she become such a weeping willow? Margot didn’t even calculate the ups and downs of the day, knowing they were great enough to sum at least a thousand more tears. Her hand caught his as he rose to stand in front of her, fingers lacing between his and offering a gentle squeeze. Aiden was considerate to a fault-- her needs were an ever present part of his daily thoughts. He went out of his way to ensure her safety and well-being, punctuating with all of the small things in between. Ever reminding her to reflect on the life she was choosing, he braced her with sobering considerations, and she could only nod quietly in between sentences. Like a knee-jerk reaction, she grinned when he used the phrase ‘my mortal’, eyes briefly cast down meekly before they flitted back up at him, again. He was charismatic as hell, every last word and motion drawing her in like a moth to flame. The worst of it was-- she was certain he didn’t even know he was doing it. Using the grasp of their hands to pull herself to a stand, she leaned her head to one side to fill his palm and bore straight into his eyes. “Every day of my life has been a march to this very moment, Aiden.” she started, drawing a shaking breath between. “I have done everything in my power to make sure I’d be here, right now with you. The future will be confusing. It will hurt us both.” she exhaled, feeling the heavy, wet thuds of her heart in her chest as her throat tightened with emotion, “Knowing pain before it comes is the most agonizing experience in human history. I relive every bleak moment thousands of times before it happens.” The seer’s throat was thick, but her eyes were dry. “I have chosen that, chosen you beyond that, every single day.” Her voice had softened after growing emotionally charged. “I would do it for the rest of my life if it meant just one day in your arms. I love you, come what may.” she hooked the finger of a free hand between the buttons of his shirt and brought herself closer to him. “I am yours, and you are mine.” her voice affirmed, verdant hues searching his as she said so. “As long as we both shall live.” •••

The beauty that was Margot was not in her gift of the future. But rather the woman she was in the moment, the woman he loved there and now. It hardly mattered to him what the future held, good or bad, Aiden was content in knowing that they would enter into a world of their own making and leave it as they saw fit. His hand moved gently about her own and his eyes rested upon her own for several long moments. " Margot " he whispered tenderly bringing his hand gently to her neck and cradling her jaw. " I am going to give you something, that is...likely within my power to give " he said softly " A freedom, you've not experienced, and hope " He leaned forward whispering now against her lips as the undead gift of presence was invoked, not once, but twice in succession. The first was awe, he didn't need it, he knew that but he needed to have her absolute, unconditional trust in this moment, thus to make her awestruck by him, meant she would listen emphatically, it meant that as he spoke these words against her lips she would not miss them. " From today on, ignore the visions of us, ignore them all, live in this moment, live here in time with me " Now it was time to impart the gift entirely, and for that he pressed his presence into a form of Entrancement that would wash over Margot like a tender wave of cold darkness. Opening her heart and granting him what could have been a selfish tool to coax her into wanting to do nothing more then please him. Which he hoped would linger. " We will write our future, we will live our life unfettered by anything that could happen. As long as I have you I will fight against fate, and as long as you have me, I will shield you from fates tormented gaze " It was then that he kissed her, sealing the words against her lips. In truth, he had no way of knowing that this would work, that he could compel her to now and forever ignore the visions of their future. She had seen this moment, and it was here, and whatever lay beyond mattered now in the grand scheme of things. He could plan a thousand safe futures for them, but nothing would change that the here and now was the most fickle of times. That even the best laid traps could fail. As he broke from the kiss he let his eyes rest upon her own. No doubt she would still feel the effects of the undead ability to influence emotions, and no doubt she'd feel the lingering euphoria that came with it. " I had plans, but fuck em, I'd rather spend the evening with you, confined to our bed, making love, kissing, holding, and whatever else pleases us. " he drew his knuckles tenderly over her jawline. " And tomorrow, we'll go and celebrate with our friends, and I'll drag you to meet my sister, and we'll plan a wedding, our wedding, and we'll give no fucks to anything that could happen " he looked into her eyes " Because I mean it, when I say...your last breath on this earth, is mine..." he brushed his knuckle over her jaw " I love you, and I can't live without you, and as selfish as that is. I know you've got it fifteen thousand times worse " he rested his cool forehead against her own.

••• Aiden’s attention did not waver. His eyes held her as she spoke, mind reeling through several thoughts and decisions in rapid succession. So quickly- it was difficult to discern what the next few minutes held for her before suddenly, their future disappeared altogether. A mix of shock and fear played at her features briefly before she felt the passive warmth of awe embrace her. Ultimately, it wouldn’t have mattered if she had time to object, the sudden disappearance of her visions regarding she and Aiden meant that she would accept. He would never force anything on her. Her thoughts scattered to the various cardinal winds, and the only thing she could think about was Aiden and what he was saying. Consuming calm filled her with warmth, pararosexic focus honing in on the urbane vampire with no resistance. Feeling both entirely loved and safe, she was certain she couldn’t recall having seen anyone so beautiful in her life as Aiden was, right now. And suddenly, she slipped from the elation of awe into an absolute still entrancement. She couldn’t see, smell, taste, feel anything but a heavy, lulling wave of cold and tenebrous water wash over her. His voice was the singular thing she heard-- she had never known anything to sound sweeter, never felt so compelled to believe anything in her entire life. He could have told her to kill herself then and there-- and she would have, happily. The words, and his voice sank into her and coursed her veins with absolute power, flooding every available space in her mind and replacing her orphic rendering of their combined fates with a sudden exoneration. And then he kissed her, and all reality washed back over her. Everything in the world around them fell back into place with the same sturdy reality that his very voice held just moments earlier. Everything zoomed out, and the two of them became part of the world surrounding them, once again. But she felt like she was filled with light burning lust. The weight of those fifteen-thousand lives had been lifted, and Margot felt like she was floating. Her senses were all piqued and hazy with the remnants of his presence. Her lips felt cold where his had left them. The seer half-expected to feel different, but instead it simply felt as if she had never feared anything in the first place. She was confused-- but it had worked, wholly more effective than Aiden could have anticipated. There were, of course, a few side effects that would play out. But she had no way of knowing, for she could no longer see them. Her vulpine paramour continued talking as if nothing had happened, but she could have sworn that something with unimaginable gravity had just happened. It was hard to focus on that, though, because even just the sound of his voice made her want exactly what he was proposing-- a night in. Had they planned anything else before? Oh, he had. She couldn’t really recall. When he mentioned celebrating with their friends, she could distantly recall that they were supposed to have gone to see them that night. The clairvoyant held up her hand and glanced at the ring on her finger, renewing her light-hearted admiration for him and the future it promised-- one she couldn’t wait for. Drawing her attention back in with a gentle brush along her jawline, she felt a frisson of pleasure trail the length of her back. His skin was like a drug. Aiden told her that he loved her, and nothing had ever been so grounding in her life. She knew that he’d been talking about something else prior, but her thoughts were a near-drunk haze of near-pleasure that distracted her entirely. “Kiss me?” she asked with weighted confidence, heart thrumming with anticipation. •••