Erasure and Affirmation (Hypernaturals 11)

Come ON Angel!

I pulled a beer out of the kegerator and watched people over on the shore cavorting. DeWayne and Carol were getting into the spirit of things by openly necking. Morgan and Jessica came down the single path to the Cove from somewhere up higher on the ridge, holding hands. I guess they were more than necking. It is odd not to be able to know via scent but read from body language at a distance. I have become so reliant on my new abilities. I would not have been happy to have the Siren's be able to erase them.

I had a moment of clarity about that. A flashback to when the guards that raped Ginger were executed. I had a lot of buried anger over them trying to take away my Vampireness from me. I never celebrate killing, but there is this way in which I was glad to see them die that had nothing to do with what they did to Ginger. That was there too. That was at the front and why I agreed with the sentence.

Huh. I was so worried about Denise I never noticed that about me.

I am like Denise: I will only accept killing when I have agreed to it now. I killed drug dealers upon orders from people I trusted, but I had not bought into those deaths. I have killed when utterly believing in the need. The difference now is knowing I, like Denise, would refuse an order to kill if I was not on board with the necessity.

Denise's self-punishment in that area clarified that for me. She is always talking about how I have changed her life. It's a two-way street.

I guess weddings are for reflection. I realized that Jessica and I pulled in Helen. The three of us pulled in Morgan. Denise declared from the outside that she wanted in, and that has made her a different emotional journey for me in some really subtle ways.

I looked around the Nightwing and remembered all the things that have happened here over the years. Nightwing is as much a part of my family's house as Casa de Gato. So much love here. I smiled, remembering the time Rachel, and I came here and talked about the future. Babies. Helen. Our rapes and how revenge for them had this trajectory that fizzled out long before she killed everyone that raped her. There is a lot of rape in the world. I loved that Rachel did not kill everyone, because it showed early on she had developed Vampire perspective. Easier to live with not killing and outliving instead.

Jessica did that. After she turned she could have taken revenge upon her shitheel husband for killing the unborn baby. She chose to outlive him instead.

Vera and Angel emerged from the cabin. Their scents said 'sated'.

"Why aren't you over there?" Angel asked me. She must be distracted.

"Some Astral you are, lover. Waiting for you two." I said.

"Why?" Vera said.

I swirled my cup. "A quiet beer after an emotional ceremony. Watching all the love over there from over here? Not a hardship. I talked to Molly and Tala a little. They swam over. I thought I'd wait and see if you two want to talk before I go join them."

"Talk about the new thing? Helen saying we can be together?" Vera asked.

"Among other things." I said.

"I'll get us some drinks." Angel said and went back inside the cabin.

Vera sat down next to me. "My life is so weird." She said.

"The first Sirovamp? I would think so, although it did not take long for there to be more."

"That too. I was thinking that in order to finally get you back into my life, and into my body, I had to fall in love with Angel."

"As paths go: pretty good one." I commented with a 'what can you do?' gesture.

"I am not complaining." Vera agreed.

Angel returned with two large glasses filled with margaritas. Beer and Scotch are most of my family's main vice. Margaritas and Tequila are theirs.

"Thank you, my love." Vera said and sipped. "Wow. You are trying to get me drunk."

"I am. So I can take you back to bed." Angel agreed.

"I do not need to be drunk for that." Vera pointed out. She wiggled her ring finger.

"Just because we are married does not mean I can take you whenever I want." Angel said.

"In her case, it probably does." I told Angel. "Remember: Her problem with me was that I wouldn't do things like that."

"True. Excellent point. Fine. I am taking you whenever I want, Vera."

"OK. As long as he is not taking me at the time." Vera said.

"No. If he is taking you, I am joining and also taking you." Angel said.

"Oh. OK. Even better. Damn. I just got horny again." Vera said.

"Get used to it." Angel said. I love her new self-confidence.

"What did you want to talk about?" Vera asked.

"Nothing. I was not sure if you wanted to talk or not." I replied. "Brave new world started today."

"I want to fuck. Does that count?" Vera asked.

"Well. Sort of. It is worth pointing out that I am still me, and the problems you and I had are probably still there. Also: my rules are unchanged as far as children. If we have them, you are committing to stay with me while they grow up."

"Adrian: I know I am still at least part Siren, but I am not stupid. I am not blowing it with Angel, and I am not blowing it with you again. I got far more than a second chance here. I restarted my entire existence, and I know what I fucked up the first time around. I am going to make all new mistakes now. No repeats. That means that our children" Vera paused to indicate Angel and me in case 'our' was not clear to me. "... are going to be in the pile with all the other kids, and we are going to kiss their faces every night, right along with you." Vera said.

"OK. Fair enough. Just wanted to clear any air about this. I did not know Helen was going to do that. I'm married to them. You are married to her. You two are now my girlfriends, but not my wives. It will be a weird balancing act, and it's going to take a long time to figure it all out. Eventually, I think your polycule joins ours, but we have gender imbalance issues already, so not right away. What cannot happen to us, under any circumstances, is what happened in Ninovan. Not any of it. Part of what I was talking about with Tala and Molly. You are family. Not community."

"I have no idea what the exact way forward is. I know this. I trust and love you. I trust and love Vera. We need to let that guide us." Angel said. "In the meantime, the brides would like to have their wedding present. You were supposed to pop out of a cake, you know."

"That was a joke." I said.

"Really? Because I bought a tassel to put on the end of your lovely and delicious dick and wanted to have you spin it in in my face. Right before I took it off and ate you up." Angel said.

"Morgan got me hooked on that. I love eating him up." Angel told Vera. "So addictive!"

"Sorry." I said to Angel. I picked Vera up and headed to the cabin. "Going to be busy taking what I want. The Vampire pounding way she wants. Also, some fangs and hickeys all across her as I explore how I want to."

"Fucking finally!" Vera said. "Come ON Angel! He is going to pound me senseless! Woo-hoo!!! And fang my boobs!!!"

Angel tossed back her drink and followed. "Not only you, my dear. My boyfriend has never done that with me either. Who knows? Maybe I like it when Vampire slammed into a mattress? If nothing else, Mama wants fangs! You know where."

"I can fang you, too!" Vera enthused.

"I know, my love. You fang my boobs while he is fanging between my legs. Then switch. OK?" Angel requested.

"God, this is going to be great!" Vera said as I tossed her on the bed.

I rubbed my chin in thought. "Hmm" I considered my naked long-time lover who is going to be my lover again. "Ok. Fangs first, then pounding. Ankles please, Vera? Angel? You go up there for now. Sit on her face. Maybe hold her ankles for me."

"I'm in heaven." Vera said and dropped her fangs. "Come here, babe."