ꜱᴀᴠɪᴏʀ//ᴛᴠᴅᴜ

I.III

Lucien and Nik stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Neither being able to tell if seeing the other was truly happening, or if their minds were playing cruel tricks on them. The sound of the baby in Nik's arms broke them out of their staring contest.

"Who does this little thing belong to? Did you finally go off the rails and steal a baby Nik?" Nik wanted nothing more than to wipe the stupid smirk off of Lucien's face. Just like in Ryden's vision, Lucien looked from Nik to the little girl who was smiling at him. His return of a smile got a giggle in return. The sound never failed to make Nik smile.

"Do you have time for lunch Lucien? Your question would best be answered somewhere more private." The words came out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying. Lucien looked surprised at Nik's proposal, but nonetheless agreed. " I suppose I could spare some time." He glanced down at the little girl in his sire's arms who had her arms held out to him, signaling that she wanted to be held by him. "I don't think your father would fancy me holding you blue."

Nik started walking in the direction of a small cafe he liked. He knew the owner, and knew that they would get him a table right away. Lucien followed close behind, making silly faces at Ryden every once and awhile, making the girl giggle as she watched him from over Nik's shoulder. After a small walk, the trio had arrived at the cafe.

"Nik! It's been a while since you've been in." A green-eyed brunette woman in her early thirties approached the tall blonde man with open arms, embracing him in a hug when she reached him. "And look at this adorable little one! She's looking more and more like you each day, love." The woman's voice was full of adoration. Lucien picked up on this and a small frown made its way onto his lips, his brows furrowing slightly.

"It's good to see you Wendy." Nik reciprocated her hug for a few seconds before pulling back. "Wendy, I'd like you to meet my good friend Lucien. Lucien, this is Wendy, she watches Ryden for me when I have errands to run." Wendy looked towards Lucien and raised a brow at him. She looked in between the two men before a small smirk grew on her lips. The woman extended a hand toward Lucien. "It's lovely to meet you, Lucien, I'm glad that Nik has at least one friend other than me."

Nik scowled at the comment made by the cafe owner. Lucien on the other hand chuckled at her comment. "It's a pleasure to meet someone other than me who can put up with Nik's attitude." The smirk on Lucien's face as he talked to Wendy caused Nik's scowl to deepen. He was not enjoying being teased like this.

"Nik, may I speak with you? I'll be super quick, I promise." Wendy looked over toward the man she addressed and grabbed the little girl from Nik's arms. She then turned toward Lucien. "Lucien, would you be a darling and hold Ryden?" Before Lucien could respond, Ryden was in his arms and the short brunette woman was dragging the girl's father away by his arm.

Looking down at the small child in his arms, he took a deep breath and spoke. "Well blue, I guess we should choose a table, what do you think?" The girl nodded frantically in response. Choosing a corner booth, Lucien sat down and placed Ryden down on the table facing him. "What do you think they're talking about little love?" Lucien had no idea where the fondness for the girl was coming from, but he didn't hate it. The feeling of caring for someone was nice after almost a thousand years of being alone. Responding to his question, Ryden put a finger on his nose. "You think they're talking about me?" A nod was the response he received from the girl this time.

"Nik, please tell me that you are on a date with the super hot guy you introduced as your friend. If you don't I might actually smack you." Nik's eyes became wider and wider the more Wendy spoke. "Wendy, no. Lucien and I are most definitely not on a date." This earned him a smack on the back of the head. "Ouch! What was that for?" Feigning a hurt expression, Nik stared at her as he held the back of his head in his hand.