162. We Have Eternity

Warning: coarse language

Bridgeport, present day...

Michaela was a hot mess the whole morning as they waited for Carla and Gabe. The trackers had called last night and informed them they'd found Joshua, or rather he had found them. They didn't want to get into specifics over the phone hence their early morning visit.

"Nothing will happen to you. I'm here and so are your parents," Cameron squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Michaela gave him a weak smile and tried to put up a brave front, but she couldn’t pull it off, and she found herself unable to hold down the contents of her stomach.

She scrambled to her bathroom and retched over the toilet.

 A second later she heard the door swing open. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when she heard Krimsyn's heels move closer to her. She was glad it wasn’t Cameron; she never wanted him to see her that way.

"Hey, it's okay, there's no need for you to worry," Krimsyn told her over and over as she brushed her hair back while she continued to spew her guts out.

When she was done Michaela wobbled over to the basin and brushed her teeth.

As she placed her toothbrush back in its holder she caught her reflection in the mirror and she broke down.

Krimsyn held her close and rode out the wave of guilt with her.

"I thought I’d forgiven myself, and for a while I thought things were okay, but they'll never be okay. They found him mom, and he's coming here. What am I supposed to say to him, how will I look at him, how can I ever explain to him how sorry I am for my actions?" She turned to Krimsyn with such expectation in her eyes it broke her heart.

Krimsyn wanted to say something to comfort her, but she had no idea how to help her, no idea how to fix this. She had to try though, "remember when we went to the Clarkes and you spoke to them and asked for their forgiveness? Your father and I were so proud of you then, you owned up to your actions and you took responsibility and the Clarkes forgave you. You have to do the same with Joshua."

"I know," Michaela agreed, but it was easier said than done. In a few minutes she'd come face to face with the boy whose life she'd ruined.

Krimsyn helped her wipe her tears away and they left the bathroom together with their arms wrapped around each other.

They were both surprised when they walked into the living room and found Joshua sitting in one of the armchairs, staring blankly at the TV.

Cameron and J.D. were talking with Carla and Gabe at the dining table; their voices were low and their tones harsh.

Michaela couldn't hear what the conversation was about, but she could read the mistrust in her boyfriend’s eyes.

Joshua suddenly looked up from the screen and caught sight of her. The huge smile on his face as he rose from the couch filled Michaela and everyone in the room with the dread.

It was strange and creepy and disturbing, but they all wanted so much to believe they were reading too much into it so they pushed it to the back of their minds, like one does with a bad dream.

"Hi, Joshua!" Michaela returned his smile with one of her own; hers though was a little tight and strained.

Without warning Joshua scooped her up in his arms and planted a wet kiss on her lips, much to Krimsyn’s shock.

At lightning speed Cameron jumped at him and pushed him away from her.

For an intense minute the two vampires stood eyeballing and barking at each other. Lucky and Lilo, did the same from Cameron's side.

"It’s okay, he didn't mean anything by it," Michaela fumbled with an uncertain smile, making excuses for her fledgling.

Cameron barked something inaudible, but it sounded very much like a harsh string of expletives. Joshua let out his own curse words. J.D. and Gabe came between them before they could rip each other from limb to limb.

Krimsyn and Carla took Michaela and Joshua upstairs to the patio where they could talk, but they hovered at the bar and kept an eye on them.

Downstairs J.D. did his best to calm Cameron down.

"She’s his sire. It's natural for him to feel close to her," he explained.

But Cameron wasn't buying his explanations, "that's not a normal blood bond. That punk is in love with her. He kissed her. I don't want him near her.”

"I'm sure Joshua didn't mean anything by the kiss," Gabe added from the fireplace, but that seemed to drive Cameron deeper in his rage.

"It fucking meant something if he kissed her. Let them talk, but I’m driving him straight to Hollow Creek after this. Did you see the way he looked at her, the way he smiled at her? That wasn't normal! I don't care how you all choose to explain it, but something isn't right with that boy! Where has he been all this time? Who's been keeping him? For weeks we've been looking for him, and suddenly he shows up at your doorstep," he glared at Gabe when he said this. "Doesn’t it sound too fucking good to be true?"

J.D. and Gabe couldn't argue with him. The same thoughts had crossed their minds. Though they were grateful they'd finally found Joshua, it did seem too easy. And having lived as long as they had they knew nothing was ever that easy.

Krimsyn had the same concerns as she watched her daughter and Joshua near the pool.

"Did he say where he's been?" She asked Carla for the hundredth time.

For the hundredth time Carla shook her head and explained Joshua hadn't said much since he announced himself at their residence. They'd tried to read him to get an indication of his whereabouts these last few weeks, but his mind was oddly blank, the last memory he had was of Hidden Springs, and they couldn't tell how long ago that was. If they didn't know better they would have thought someone, perhaps an ancient vampire, the same one they all believed had been harboring him all along, had glamoured him or sealed off his memories somehow.

"I don't like this, it's too easy. Too good to be true," Krimsyn mumbled as she paced the length of the bar. As much as she wanted to rush Joshua off to Hollow Creek, she couldn't, he was now their responsibility.

"I know," Carla agreed.

On the far end of the patio, Michaela was having an unusually easy time with Joshua. She explained, like she had done to his parents over three months ago, that she never meant to hurt him, or turn him, and it had been instinct on her part, driven by her blood lust. She also apologized and pleaded for forgiveness.

Nothing could have prepared her for his reaction, "I'm not angry with you. I don't hate you, but since you sound so hell-bent on getting forgiveness, I forgive you. I must admit though you did me a favor by turning me. My life is so much better now, it has more meaning, and things are crystal clear. You've given me the gift of immortality, and for that I will always be grateful. So don't be sad, I'm not. We have eternity together to look forward to.  I love you!" he confessed.

Michaela didn't know what to say to him. As she watched the perpetual smile on his face refuse to fade, she found herself wondering which would have been easier to handle, his wrath and grief, or his confession.

 "Say something," Joshua murmured as he moved closer to her.

Instinctively she stepped back, recoiling from his touch. She saw something dark flash in his eyes, but as quickly as it had shone through, it was gone.

"I’m sorry I turned you Joshua, if I could, I'd take it back, and I’d undo it all. But I don't love you, not the way you think you love me at least. I love Cameron. You and I will always have a special bond but Cameron is the one I want, I choose him as my mate!” Michaela explained. She didn't understand half the things she'd said to him, especially about their bond, but everything else about Cameron was true. He was the one she wanted.

"You don't belong with him. You belong with me," Joshua carried on smiling at her.

“No,” Michaela shook her head. “I don’t love you Joshua.”

"That’s okay. You'll learn to love me. We have eternity," he assured her as he turned towards Krimsyn and Carla at the bar.


As she watched him walk away, Michaela wished she could wake up from her nightmare. On the outside Joshua looked like the guy she'd picked out from the crowd in Hollow Creek, but underneath lurked someone dark and scary, someone she wasn't sure she wanted to be around.