Old Friends {James & Christian}

[vintage]

The sun was high and the day was young. Christian had been sitting over by the fountain for an hour now. Everyone was crowded around. One of the things she loved about New York was the people. So many different kinds, you never knew who you were going to meet.

She had only came here not but a few years ago. After her change of course, if only to get away. But she was still the same old Christian. She wore her black skirt, it had the ripped look about it's self on one side, her gray thigh highs slipped on with a short white spaghetti strap shirt. She let her hair hang loose as it blew in the up draft of the wind. Her fingers constantly sliding her hair back behind her ears.

Sitting on the stone with the trickling water flowing behind her, she lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke toward the direction of the wind. She might be a smoker, but the smell did bother her. Her legs crossed, those sandals popping out as she bounced her leg. She was hoping that today would bring something out of it. Her eyes averting the sun, she reached in her little bag and pulled out her shades and slipped them on.

[*James Silvius]

James breathed in the scent of Central Park. Everything about it was still the same. So much had happened here. After escaping the drama back in Paris, he had to come back to the States to just get away. Damn war, was his current thought. He moved past a bench, his denimed leg grazing the side of it.

Looking down at this historical landmark... for him anyway... he lips tugged up into a smile and then pulled down to a frown. This was the very bench he slept on before the night he was changed. The very bush behind it was where he swore he saw a pair of great lupine eyes, staring... watching. He was fourteen then. It was a tragic night, indeed.

But four years later, he sat on this bench, thick fog clouded in puffs around him, so thick he could touch it. He caught a scent. It was a vampire. She turned out to be the only person in the world who could make him smile. Not the only person, he reminded himself. There was another girl before he was turned. She made him smile.

The wind drifted toward him and he breathed it in. The smell of cigarette smoke came first. Then a most peculiar scent... He knew this scent, but it was altered. He didn't puzzle over this for long. He followed the trail to a girl. She wasn't just a girl, James knew this girl very well... or he did. She lived next door to him. After he was turned, he'd forgotten about her until it was too late, he was too engrossed in his new family. Amazing how he met here here and now. That bench has got to be some sort of beacon.

James approached her from behind. She smells like a wolf... impossible. I don't believe it, he thought half-heartedly. "I thought you kicked that habit a while ago. Haven't you heard? Smoking's bad for you," he commented slyly.

[vintage]

When Christian looked up from checking her watch, she happened to notice a guy who began walking up to her. She took in some of her cigarette, she partly smiled when he spoke. Exhaling as she smirked. Inside she was giddy and excited. She always was when it came to old faces. And she was most happy to see him.

"Oh, well....didn't you read the paper?"

She began before flicking the cigarette off in the grass.

"Say's it's all a conspiracy. The government wants the peoples money, not the tobacco company."

She stood up rather joyfully.

"Besides, I get mine for free, so either way i'm safe."

She said with a cocky tone. She was smirking behind that mouth and before she could contain it any more, she jumped up and hugged him with such love. Out of all the people in her life, James was the one person she cared about. She thought he was dead. Killed that night she heard it all. Terrified, unable to move. The next day she split was the day her mother announced her engagement to that asshole.

"Oh my god. I'm so glad to see you."

She said with concern and great heart ache.

"I thought you were dead. I...."

But then she paused taking in his scent. She was amazed by what she smelled. He was different, much different, and as she was. She pushed away, looking at him, her fingers lifting the shades off her face so she could see him better then just a shaded image.

"I can't believe this."

She giggled. Leaning in to a whisper.

"Your a freakin werewolf."

A screech rose in her throat as she became aware through the excitement, taking hold of his arm and leading him away from the others.

"Is that what that was about? That night at your place?"

Her voice was low, very curious.

"I had no idea what was going on. I went to call the police but my mo....."

She paused and smiled gently.

"Well, you know how that bitch is."

[*James Silvius]

He smirked when she played along. Typical Christian. James caught her into his own hug, squeezing her close to his chest. He missed her so much, he never thought he'd see her again. He nodded glumly at her accusation. He figured she'd think the worst of him. He had no idea what she must have heard the night he was turned.

She knew he was a wolf. Then that would mean... "I don't believe this," he whispered. His face was blank. But his nose was never wrong before in matters like this. He desperately wished it was. He began shaking his head. "What...? How...? WHEN...?" he choked out. He drew in a sharp breath. "Who?" he hissed.

He zombie walked where Christian led him. He managed to push past the denial and now he was just numb. He faintly heard her speaking to him. He shrugged away his silence and answered. "Yeah... you were not the only one with bitches in your family, but you knew that already. Remember that vile woman who married my dad after he'd known her for, like, a day? She was a vampire. She had him under mind control which is why he beat me, Claudius, and Artemis," she would remember. Her house was the one he ran to after these said beatings. She cared for him like a little brother. His closest and only friend.

"One night after a severely bad whipping, I came here, to Central Park. I slept on that bench over there. The next morning I went home. The door was open, I found my dad first, dead. Artemis was writhing on the floor in pain. The vamp bitch was hovering over Claudius, blood dripping from her mouth," he shuddered as he remembered this vividly. He still had nightmares about it, one of the reasons why he couldn't sleep well anymore.

"When the vamp noticed me, she pinned me against the wall and began drinking my blood. A werewolf saved me. He followed me home from the park. My little brother was already dead. The bitch got some of her blood in Artemis's mouth. She was being sired. The wolf left her in the sunlight. He said it was the best thing for my sister. I had to live with that bloodsucker for five years, not knowing what she was," he explained, scowling the entire time. If only he could have gotten just one swing at that bitch...

James turned his curious chocolate browns on Christian. "Enough about me. What happened to you?"

[vintage]

Christian strolled along with him, laughing at his comments. her arm locked in his. She never imagined she would run into James again. It was like the world was tipping in her favor. "It was really fast. I went out, had some fun, and I met this guy I never saw before, and stupid me followed him back into an alley." She chuckled hiding her stupidity. "I know it was stupid, but, what's done is done. A guy came and rescued me, but by the time he did, it was too late. The full moon didn't come for a week after the eclipse. So I was on my own with it all. I don't know who he was. But I will never forget his face. I think it was very common last name. Smith....Jones....I don't know.

Christian couldn't help but remember that night when he spoke about his dad and that bitch. She snickered to his words. "I never liked her. There always seemed like she was hiding something. Now I guess I know what it was."

When he talked about the beatings, she remembered. She remembered his bruises, and the many bags of ice she produced to bring down the swelling. "I still can't believe what happened. Her face dropped as she was in awe and shock to his words. She never imagined anything like that could happen. Not as a mortal anyway.

"Well I hope you have gone to find her. Make her pay for her actions." She scoffed. "I hate vampires. All they do is kill, feed, sleep, and then start it all over again day by day."

She had missed what was going on at his place. She wished her mother had listened to her request to take James away from that household. She couldn't stand seeing her best friend being beated. But her thoughts faded, and she heard his question, popping back into reality.

"Nothing much. Traveling. Since my senses have been heightened, I find the world to be a very fascinating place." She leaned her head on his shoulder playfully and nudged him. "Have you explored yet? It's very relaxing. I actually just got back from Barbados." She lifted her head and took his hands in hers playfully. She was such a loose person that she began dancing freeling like a spaced out hippie. (lol) "You should come next time. Beautiful beaches, great accomidations."

She paused, smiling softly. "What have you been doing?" She asked with anticipation. She had always thought of James when she was sad. He was always around when she was sad, and the same in return. He was the only person who could cheer her up. She had never told him about what happened behind closed doors. How could she? She never told anyone.

[*James Silvius]

He was only slightly aware of her arm looped in his. He listened intently to her story. She knew it when she made bad mistakes, she was smart. They were both rescued by guys. Thank God some people in the world answered cries for help. James tried to be one of those guys. Usually they led him to vampires and he was more than happy to fry them.

He still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of her being a wolf. If she didn't smell it, he would never have guessed or dreamed of it in a million years. She just didn't seem like she should be a wolf. She was always sweet and caring, it would disturb him if he watched her claw up a bear or something. "The vampire is dead. Tossed into the sunlight that dreadful morning," he answered.

She was lucky she could go wherever she wanted, "explore" was the term. James was way too young to do any of that when he was turned, so he stayed with the pack. "The man who saved me, Gavin, brought me to his pack. They raised me until I turned eighteen. We did travel, but his pack focused mostly on trading and striking deals with other packs. We were in Paris for business when a coven of vampires killed the entire pack. Another leader found me, Patrick," he shuddered. He'd been a son to Patrick. He knew he saw himself when he looked at James. Patrick hated him now.

"I screwed everything up. I came here to get away for a little bit. We're in the middle of a war with The Black Nail Coven. Don't know if you heard of them. I broke an alliance by dating a vampire, and then fighting a couple of vampires from the coven. Patrick is so mad at me, he wants me to leave but everyone else wants me to stay. You have no idea how confusing it is," he moved stiffly when she began dancing. She was quite the flower child.

[vintage]

"Well good. He deserved it. Messing with my James."

She said with a pout to his afflictions. To her surprise he had mentioned the pack. The pack that she did not want to get involved with. And to the mention of him loving a vampire? Well that was more than she could swallow.

"Oh James. Why a vampire? And why that pack? Aren't they bad?"

She didn't know for sure, but she heard the stories.

"I can't understand why you would fall for a vampire. Aren't we suppose to hate thier kind?"

She sent him a questionable look, still confused about everything.

"I guess there has been alot of things I haven't cought up on. I have heared of the BNC. Terrible crowd. A friend of mine and me were in London. She said that this house creeped her out. She said it was like watching a blood sky over the gates."

She felt a chill. "I'm not one for fighting. I'm a lover."

She began to twirl around in front of James twice before stopping and giggling.

"Do you remember when we used to climb through the vent shafts and listen to people in the building? Oh, that was so much fun."

She smiled while looking at him.

"Hearing them talk about everything in their lives without them ever knowing. "

She sighed remembering the good ole days.

"I'll never forget getting my foot cought and old man Peterman heard us. Chasing us through the building."

She laughed more as she thought of it.

"And he never figured out that it was us."

She laugehd again. Her main purpose was to stop talking about those filthy beasts. She hated vampires, but she understood their exhistence.

"So your going to fight in the war? I hadn't known there was one. See, that's how much out of the loop I am."

[*James Silvius]

James looked away from Christian. He came back here to get away from the chaos and now he had to explain it. He mentally shrugged. She had a right to know anyway. "I didn't mean to," he said this like how a little kid would when he was caught doing something naughty. "I hate vampires. HATE them. But I made her an animal drinker and it got me thinking... I don't have to waste my time murdering those types of vampires. I could give the human drinkers my full undivided attention. I just... fell for her. I don't know how to explain it," he tried. Talking about Litte sent his heart fluttering but at the same time falling.

James loved her fiercely. He'd give his life to be with her. But this was just it. If he gave her his life, then when he died eventually she would be alone. How could he do this to her? If he really cared about her, would he honestly continue this? He shook his head about her assessment for the pack. "No, they aren't bad wolves. They just hate vampires, what's so bad about that? They would never hurt humans," he said firmly.

He grinned as the memory was resurrected. Oh course! Why would he forget that? He gave a laugh. "Yeah, we knew how to be sneaky. It always seemed like they had better lives than ours. Peterman got close, though. I was about to chew your ankle off before I was caught," it used to be fun having brushes with danger. Now it was fatal. But when he was still a kid and just living the right way with Christian, his life just vanished on him.

"Well nothing tops the time we brought that cat home back to your place, the one we found in the alley half dead. Oh man, when he got one lick of milk he went wild! Took us all day to catch him. The whole building was hysterical," he could faintly still hear the cries of surprise when the fur ball darted into a room. The door was carelessly left open. He should have taken a picture of Mrs. Ackerman's face (a look of complete terror with a dash of surprise and a touch of shock with a hint of anger) when he and Christian went bolting past her to reclaim the furry fiend.

His expression hardened at the mention of the war. "Yeah. It was either fight or turn myself in to the coven. The pack chose to fight," he explained.

[vintage]

"Well I hope things work out for you guys. Even if she's a vampire." Christian laughed coyly. She wanted James to be happy, but not at the cost of his life. "It's just...the rumors you hear ya know?" She asked after hearing him reply to the pack remark. She didn't know anyone from the pack, which was her choice completely. She liked it alone, or with those she cared about. She was never one for family, especially when it came to her own, Christian had no choice but to stay away. "There's nothing wrong with hating vampires. God knows I do....but....hey.....what can ya say right? Everyone has their preference.

Christian laughed when James commented an chewing her ankle. Thankful he hadn't been a wolf then. She laughed wildly at the mention of the cat happenings. Both of them sprinting through the apartment, the door opening and getting worse by the second. "And when it ran right between Mrs. Ackerman's legs, her dress wailed up and she screamed like it was a giant rat?" She laughed heartily again. Trying to control her amusement. "I'll never forget that look. Not ever." She started giggling now, taking the hysteria down as much as possible. She sighed and placed her hand on James' back. "I wouldn't worry so much. I think that your strong enough to handle anything. If you can survive that bitch, then you have a shot."

She finished with a graceful smile.

[*James Silvius]

He didn't meet her eye when she spoke about his girlfriend. He hoped so too, but he wasn't counting on it. Second thoughts, cold feet, he was feeling it all. He wanted to stay with her forever, but he wasn't immortal like her. "Yeah... rumors," he mumbled gruffly. His mood changed fast to a brighter one. He should be happy if he was going to catch up with Christian again. It just seemed he could never escape Paris wherever he went. He chuckled when she finished the story with the cat. If there was any reason he would go back in time to his childhood, it would be for Christian.

Paris came back again. "I guess, but I didn't really fight that bitch. But trust me, there are plenty other bitches and bastards. Two names. Sevanni and Aubrey. Xavier is no better," he sighed. He never had an encounter with the coven master. He knew he would eventually, from what he heard about him, he was dreading it.

[vintage]

Christian giggled. "I don't know any of them." And she didn't. She had been turned not too many years ago, but this whole were thing was new to her. She didn't make any friends easily because she was pretty much a loner, and when she did, she had them for life. "So, wanna grab a dog with me?" Her hand pressed against her stomach. "I'm starved. Munchies N' all." She laughed. "My treat." She loved New York hot dogs. Of course it was from a vendor, the only vendor in the state that had clean hands anyway, and they were the best anyone could ever have. "I get my food free from Carlo." She began before whispering the last part. "He's got the cleanest hands, and he's a wolf too." She grinned. Only meeting Carlo last year was one of the best things of her life. She didn't work, and sometimes her roommate didn't always leave her money to spend and have fun with. Always out on his business trips.

Christian jumped excitedly, she was just too damn happy for her own good. "So tell me all about what's been going on. I've missed you incredibly." Locking his arm in hers once more as they began to walk more.

[*James Silvius]

James' brows furrowed. Mostly every vampire has heard the name Xavier at some point in their lives. He also strikes fear in many wolves. It was for the better. The less she knew about this, the less she would involve herself. It would kill him to see Sevanni's athame stuck up her gut. At the sound of food James' ears perked up. Last time he ate was yesterday morning.

"Yeah, I'd like a dog," he laughed. "Something about that sentence sounds strange to me. I guess you'd have to be a wolf to understand," he commented. Her arm was back in his and she led him to the Carlos fella. Wolves were everywhere. Why would it be strange to see one as a street vendor? "Paris is not a good place to be right now if you're a wolf. Patrick the leader is fuming. He won't fight for me, obviously, but he will do the best thing for the pack. In this case it's war. He won't talk to me, look at me, and he will refer to me as him. He wants me gone but everyone else wants me to stay. I don't know what to do," he sighed and shook his head.

"There's another pack. They don't have problems with vampire werewolf relationships. The leader has taken an interest in me. He says that how Patrick is behaving is wrong. I think he might ask me to join his pack," this was just his own assumption. From what he heard Vagus say, he could only guess this would be what he wanted to talk to James about.

[vintage]

Christian listened to James after crossing the street and heading to get some food. "I think you might be better off with those who will accept you no matter what. I mean, it's not like they are your real family. Even I know better, but I understand how you feel." She stepped onto the sidewalk and headed right towards the vendor. "I mean, think about it. They want you to stay, but this Patrick guy wan't you to leave. On the other side of the fence you have people who may understand better and support you. She shrugged. "I dunno. I think you know by now that my advice is kinda sucky. " She laughed slightly. "But it's at times like these when I really wish I could help you."

She held up two fingers when she reached the vendor. "Hey Carlos. This is an old friend of mine, James. James this is Carlos." She introduced the two, taking her hot dog in hand after James. "He makes the best in the city, so if you ever crave one, this is the man to see." She said before he had a few more customers. After they said hi to each other, they walked on.

"I think you should try and see what the other pack has to offer. If it's better, and they take to you, then you have nothing to worry about." She finished with a crinkled face. She wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, but she didn't want to see James unhappy. Not for anything.

[*James Silvius]

He already knew her opinion before she said it. She was a happy girl, she would want James to be happy too. He would be overjoyed if he joined Vagus's pack. He would stay with Litte even if it was wrong of him. He couldn't do that, though. He can't leave Patrick's pack. Even though Pat wanted him gone, Ella wanted him to stay. This was the problem.

"Your advice is good. I would love to take it but I can't," he nodded to Carlos and then accepted the hot dog. He took a bite and found that Christian was right; this was the best hot dog he ever tasted. He continued to elaborate. "If I leave, the Ella, Patrick's Second will leave. The entire back will crumble without her. Patrick would be devastated, this all depends on my decision. I have no right to break the pack up, it's a home for the other wolves and it's all they got," he said firmly.

He bit off another chunk of hot dog and swallowed without chewing. Once it was down, he said, "It's going to be so tempting, though. I could have the choice to be happy the rest of my life if I go with Adam. I say I won't join him now but..." James was also human, he did unwittingly give into temptation sometimes. This was different, it would be incredibly selfish... but on who's part? Is Ella selfish to keep him or is he?

[vintage]

Christian smirked before taking a bite of her hot dog. It was incredibly delicious, and beginning to hit the spot. After chewing, dying to get her words out, she slowed her pace to match his. "I think you need to do what feels right. I don't know these people, and if they care about you the way they say they do, don't you think it's worth a shot to really talk everything over with this Patrick guy?" She was curious to his response, yet she knew that eventually the decision would be all his in the end.

"So, how's the dog?" She giggled. She didn't mean it the way it sounded. "No pun intended." She giggled before taking another bite. Two more and she'd be through, not to mention full. She had no idea where they were headed, but she was always like that. Roaming about the city, or wherever she was. She sure as hell didn't want to go home, not even for some air conditioning.

"So that's where you've been? In a pack, biding your time?" She seemed a little sad just then as she decided to play around. "And you never came to see lil ol me." Pouting now in a playful way. "No seriously, I wish you had. It would have been alot better if you had came soon after leaving. It's been a nightmare. Besides, if you were around, maybe I wouldn't have been attacked, and turned into.....into this."

She didn't mean to sound offensive, but it wasn't the best life she had led, but it wasn't the worst either. "I don't mean it to sound so gross. It just happened all wrong. And at a bad time too." She finished her hot dog, throwing the paper away into a nearby trash can as they walked. "I guess it wasn't as bad as yours though. God, the screaming. I remember it all."