Salvation

Vampires In The Basement

Two days passed since he had set out to hunt the vampire queen. Sleep had proven to be futile for her, as she waited anxiously each day for some type of word to surface, but there was neither whisper nor sign of any of the priests. Her mind was elsewhere while she was at work. It took everything in her to hide her anxiety and sleep deprivation from patients and fellow staff as she carried out her faily tasks. It wasn't until the third night that she heard a knock on her door. She nearly tripped over herself in her haste, and her heart nearly stopped when she opened it to see a cloaked figure standing in her doorway - but then she paused.

It wasn't Julian. He was too tall. She watched as a hand appeared from the thick robes, a beaded rosary identical to Julian's coiled around long, pale fingers. He reached up and pulled back his hood, and she realized she was looking into the face of the blue-eyed priest. His eyes were solemn as ever as he stared down at her, but something was a bit different about his stare this time. Something else lingered in those ice blue orbs. She stared back at him, confused, and his eyes averted hers. Before she could stop it, she felt her heart sinking as she realized what his presence must have meant. He felt guilty. She could see it in his eyes. That hidden emotion was the guilt he felt at delivering this news to her. Her heart felt as if it were being processed through a meat grinder, and her hand shot to clutch her chest, breathing having quickened to an almost erratic gasping. His brow creased a faint but, appearing vaguely concerned at her reaction, when she suddenly stumbled as her knees gave out. He stepped forward swiftly and caught her before she fell, and her arms wrapped around his waist by impulse to keep from falling. He was stiff, but he allowed her time to regain himself, arms wrapped securely around her form both to comfort her and to keep her from sinking to the floor.

"I'm sorry." He said.

Tessa forced herself to calm down, willing back the tears that fought to their freedom, and he lead her over to the bed so she could sit down, grabbing the chair off to the side in the process. He sat before her, his eyes hard to read, and she wiped what little moisture had collected in her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm sorry." She sniffed. "He was a good friend of mine..."

"It's my fault."

She looked at him, frowning.

"I wasn't strong enough." He glanced down, before back to her. "I couldn't save him...I'm sorry."

Tessa eyed him intently with shining eyes, which reflected the sorrow she knew he was restraining. She could see the shame clear as crystal in his blue orbs, despite his impassive stare. For a long moment, neither of them spoke, and her attention moved down to his hands. After a second's hesitation, she took one of his hands in hers. The compassionate actions appeared to confuse him, but she just curled her fingers over his, holding it gently. Despite their glossy shine, her eyes were soft-spoken and thoughtful.

"You're just one man, Priest." She said quietly. "You can't be expected to save everyone."

He stared at her hand, as she brought her hand up to caress his cheek. His eyes were drilling into hers.

"You can't blame yourself. God knows you've done enough of that." She said.

His stare faltered briefly, before they shifted back up to flicker around the room as if he were looking for something. Curious, she followed his gaze when his eyes stopped on a spot, and she saw he was looking at the painting she had created of him.

"He told you." She said knowingly.

He nodded. "He mentioned you wanted to meet me and the others. I figured it would be appropriate for me to tell you what happened..."

"Thank you." He looked at her, and she smiled softly. "It'll be okay." She then took a moment to look him over. After just a quick onceover, she could tell he had come straight to her. There was evidence of struggle about him: dirt on his clothes, hands, and face, multiple scratches, and also a bit of blood. "May I take care of your injuries? It would make me feel better knowing I was of some help."