Atlanta - I'm (Not) Fine

[Florian Raniari]

Sastre walked along in silence, and if he was even aware of Brennan's presence beside him he made no sign of it.

He was lost in thoughts, in memories of the past, and in vain desires for the future. It was true what he'd told Brennan: he only wanted out, to be done with hunting altogether, and to somehow be able to live the normal life that'd been stolen from him so long ago. But he was painfully aware of the fact that he could never beat Darian, ever. They had been through the same training together, long decades ago, and even then Darian had been better than him, and they had been near physical equals at the time. Now, though, with his vampiric strength and speed, Darian was miles ahead of Sastre, who had simply grown older, slower, and weaker with time.

He'd lost his chance to stop Darian a long time ago. Now, it was just too late.

That didn't mean he was ready to give up just yet. He had to weather this current storm first. He had to try and protect Madison, and Lily, and everyone else. There would be a final confrontation yet to come, and Sastre would fight as hard as he'd ever fought before, though he had no hope of actually winning. And he prayed that this time, perhaps Darian would finally take pity on him and end this sick game, letting Sastre finally die and be at peace.

"Brennan," Sastre said softly, never once looking at her. "Promise me you'll make sure Lily and Madison are alright after this is over. Just promise me that you'll make sure they're safe before you move on, alright?"

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan froze and squeezed her eyes closed, her hands clenching involuntarily.

There were many things she would do for the aging hunter, up to and including giving her own life, but watching him commit suicide was not one of them. She couldn’t just stand by and let him throw his life away like this, leaving everyone who loved him behind for this stupid vendetta of his. And, Brennan realized, she did love him, as the father she had never had or known. Too late. A deep, helpless anger filled her, and it took several moments for her to regain control of her expression.

“How can you ask me that?” she asked softly around the lump in her throat, not meeting his gaze. “How can you ask me to stand by and do nothing while you go off and kill yourself. That’s what it comes down to, isn’t it?”

Deliberately forcing her tensed muscles to relax, she rubbed her hands tiredly over her face, helplessness washing over her. Sastre had just spent the last half an hour admitting how miserable he was, how tired of it all. She certainly couldn’t blame him. After only a decade of hunting, Brennan would gladly have given it up if the opportunity arose. But a world without creatures that existed to prey on humankind was only a ridiculous dream, and so she fought on. But for how long? How long until she was just a burned out shell with empty, hopeless eyes? Like him.

No. There had to be something more than that. There had to be more to life than battling your demons until you failed or died trying. Wasn’t there?

Of course there was. There were good things in the world, there was happiness. Sometimes even love. Not something that hunters tended to encounter on a regular basis, but it was there, nonetheless. And Sastre had been happy these past few weeks, whether he was afraid to admit it to himself or not. In all the years she had known him, Brennan had never known the old hunter to willingly stay in one place for more than a few days. And yet, here he was. There was potential there. It just needed the chance to take root and flourish. Maybe if she just tried to get him to stay as long as possible, show him what he’d be missing, the happiness would outweigh the misery and he would consider other options. The witch knew that Sastre would still be loath to drag anyone else into the confrontation with Darian, but it would be a start.

Brennan’s expression soured. There was still Darian to consider. No matter how hard she tried to get Sastre to enjoy himself until their inevitable confrontation, she would bet that the heartless vampire would be there, plaguing him, every step of the way. He had already proven himself to be sadistic and utterly cruel where his adversary was concerned. How could she possibly hope to compete against someone who had spent the last four decades perfecting the art of tormenting the old hunter?

With a sigh, Brennan turned her back on Sastre, stepping to the edge of the sidewalk and crossing her arms, her posture stiff.

“I’ll do it,” she said quietly after a moment, her voice flat and emotionless. "I'll look after them, once you're gone."

Brennan's shoulders slumped in defeat, and she lifted her gaze, unseeing, and stared hopelessly out into nothingness.

[Florian Raniari]

Sastre nodded, relieved.

"Thank you, Brennan," he told her, clapping her on the shoulder. "So long as I know that they'll be safe, that's all that really matters. I'll do what I can to take Darian out, but I can't let anyone else get hurt, anyone else get involved."

He pulled the young woman into an embrace made awkward by his cast and sling, closing his eyes as he held her tight for a moment.

"I know you don't like this, and I can't try and make you understand. I can only say that what is between Darian and I is personal, and goes back way further than you could ever imagine." He pulled away from her, holding her out at arms' length. "You've grown into an amazing woman, Abbie. I'm proud of you."

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan jumped a little as Sastre clapped her on the shoulder, refusing to look him in the eye. She was beyond shocked when the older hunter pulled her around and wrapped his arms around her, sling and all. Sastre wasn’t one for excessive physical contact, to say the least. At first, she stiffened out of reflex, still unhappy with him; but then she realized how much this must have really been bothering him for him to reach out like this, in both the literal and the figurative sense. Relenting, she sighed and wrapped her arms tightly around Sastre, resting her forehead on his shoulder. She’d see this through with him, one way or another. She owed him that, at least.

She gave him a resigned smile as he pulled away and worked to keep her emotions in check. Her breath caught involuntarily at Sastre’s final words, however, and her eyes darted up to lock onto his. There were only a handful of people entrusted with her given name, and Sastre hadn’t called her Abbie in years. Unexpectedly moved, she dropped her eyes and looked away, not wanting to lose it in front of the old hunter. After a moment, she felt she could trust her voice again and lifted her eyes to meet his again.

“Thanks, Sastre,” she said with difficulty, managing most of a real smile this time. “That means a lot to me." Her expression broke suddenly, and the young woman turned her head, swiping at her eyes in annoyance. “Just take care of yourself, old man.”

Self conscious, Brennan reached up to squeeze his arms affectionately, then pulled free and turned to finish their walk in silence.

Thread Complete