A James Family Reunion {Bastian}

[tristianjames]

The night air was cool and crisp, biting against the exposed skin of his neck and cheeks as he walked down the dimly lit street. The neighborhood was quiet; a balm to the normally noisy confines of the cities he’d been keeping himself in. This newest impulse to visit a home he hadn’t been in, in more than a few years was probably one of the dumbest he’d had in a very long while. There would be no welcoming faces greeting him, as he snuck into the house; no warm embraces or happy smiles turned in his direction. If he were caught by those he loved the most, they would turn on him. He had no doubts about that.

And yet, he could do nothing but continue on this remarkably stupid task he’d assigned himself to. Sneaking into his wife’s home to make sure that she was still alive…preposterous. Presumptuous. Ill planned and ill thought through.

Standing in front of the large, homely building that was his family’s home, Tristian couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head. As if anything he’d done in the past eight years had been planned and thought through. While he prided himself on being able to be objective in every aspect of his life…he was such a douchebag.

For the past eight years, he had been watching his family from afar. They thought him dead, after a vampire attack had ripped him from his humanity, throwing him face first into the life of a monster. He hadn’t wanted to harm his loved ones, his wife included, so he had fled. Poor Lexi had gone through hell at the hands of a vampire; how in God’s name could she survive if she were married to one? He’d known that he’d done the right thing, and he’d kept tabs on them while he spent time building up his business in Europe. Only recently had he returned to the States, after hearing about his daughter’s attack.

He’d learned first hand what kind of monster he could become, when word that someone had touched his daughter had reached his ears. He could still remember the looks on the faces of the investigators he’d hired, as he’d punched a hole through the concrete wall of his office. He’d come back to his homeland and immediately began to hunt the bastard down, but no matter how hard he looked, the little shit was one step ahead of him. He’d stayed close; watching them, protecting them as well as he could. He’d even done some research on the suitors in his children’s lives, making sure that the ‘Chey Winchester’ that his son had been seeing recently was a woman of worth, and the ‘Ryder’ fellow that Simi had met some months ago was worth seeing again. The information he’d gathered had left him content for the moment, and he’d continued his search for the bastard who’d hurt his daughter. He’d come up short…

And then he’d heard that the same monster had killed his daughter. He’d gone into a rage, making contacts with people that he wouldn’t normally associate himself with, if only to wreak revenge on those who had hurt the ones he’d loved. As quickly as said contacts were made, however, some eavesdropping outside of Bastian’s door had brought relief to his turmoil. Simi was alive and well…thank God.

Now, all he had to do was make sure his wife knew, and all would be well. He could go back to watching them from another continent.

Silent as a ghost, Tristian crept inside of the house, pausing to look lovingly on the pictures that lined various walls and countertops. He’d missed so much, being away…but it was for their own good. And, perhaps, for his own good as well.

He moved through the house with a practiced ease; used to sneaking in and out in the dark, after having come home late from a Hunt. He was filled with bitter longing, and it took most of his self control to stop himself from running to his bedroom and falling to his knees before his beloved. Clenching his teeth, he moved through the house, checking windows and locks, making sure that the place were secure. Once that was done, he silently went to the stairs, intending on making his way up to the master bedroom, where he was sure his wife was resting—

But never got the chance. The sounds of a door opening had him freezing with one foot on the first step, his head whipping around in surprise.

[/blockquote]

[bastian]

After Bastian hung up with his sister, his entire demeanor had changed. Simi was alive. Anything was possible again. That dreadful feeling he had weighing in the pit of his stomach was gone. He could only imagine how disappointed his father would be in Bastian if he was still alive.

Bastian had failed to keep Simi safe, on more than one occasion. He hadn't lived up to the promise of taking care of his family. Bastian was a damn fine hunter, he knew that, but apparently when it came down to protecting his own family, well he was a piss poor excuse for a brother.

After hanging up with Simi, Bastian hauled as to the estate, waiting for Simi and Ryder to show up. They would lure Gregg here and then Bastian would take that sorry son of a bitch out. In the most torturous, painful way possible. After that, well then Bastian would do everything in his power to make sure his sister was never hurt again. He'd spend the rest of his life making up for the fact that he hadn't been there...twice.

Bastian walked in the front door, immediately drawing his gun when he saw the figure on the stairs. He stood their blinking, brain trying to process what he was seeing. What he was seeing wasn't possible, and he honestly did not need this shit. Not here, not now.

"I don't know what the hell you are," Bastian said to the thing pretending to be his father. "Or who sent you, but you picked the wrong fucking day to piss me off!" Bastian pulled the trigger of the gun, aiming for the heart. Probably wouldn't kill anything, but it would make Bastian feel better.

[tristianjames]

Well, wasn’t this the best damn reunion on the planet? Forget going to one’s high school get together, or meeting up with every single ex-girlfriend he’d ever had a messy breakup with; this one just topped the cake.

Over the years, he’d imagined how his family would react if he ever returned to them. He knew for a fact that Lexi would go a little crazy and he’d be ducking flying objects for a good few hours, and that Simi would probably just be happy to see him. Bastian, however, would be the challenge, if he was anything like his father. Tristian imagined a cross between a bear hug and a holy water-splash in the face. But he never really expected to see them all again…just as he’d never expected to be caught red handed, like some kind of psychotic thief, on the stairs of his once happy home.

The vampire froze, his hand clenching a bit on the banister as he focused on the familiar face before him. Damn, but his boy had gotten older…and definitely filled out. That was the James genes for him; all brought shoulders and skinny waists. What he didn’t like, however, were the lines of pain around his son’s eyes, and the look of an old soul shining through them.

”No one sent me, Bastian,” He said slowly, mind whirling. Damn…should he lie? Pretend that he was a shapeshifter, or just run the fuck out of there as fast as his vampire legs could carry him?

Not that he got a goddamn chance to do much of anything but suck in a lung full of bloody air, as a shot rang through the house. Bloody hell, had Bastian just SHOT him? Really? And in the heart? OW, GODDAMMIT, OW!

Tristian staggered back into the wall with a grunt, clutching at his chest. He fell to the side, hopping a bit so he wouldn’t roll down the stairs, and ended up on his knees in the foyer. Damn, but that hurt! Was he finally dying? Was this some kind of kismet; his son finally finishing off what he was too damn weak to do himself? But no…after a few seconds of gasping and trying his best not to grimace, lest he show off that row of sharp teeth, he could feel muscle and tissue knitting itself back together. Damn.

”Bastian, it’s really me,” He growled, slowly pushing himself to his feet. ”It’s…God, not to sound Star Wars, but Bas, it’s really me. I’m your dad.”

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[bastian]

Bastian still had the gun pointed at the thing that was pretending to be his father. Fucking Christ he was not in the mood for this. Hadn't his family suffered enough? His dad dies, his sister is raped, and then kidnapped by a demon. His mom, god his mom was going to lose it when she came home. Seriously she might take out a city block. There was no way they could keep what happened to Simi a secret from her."Don't say that," He pointed the gun at the imposter again. "You are not my father!" He rubbed a hand through his hair, seriously walking towards the brink. It wouldn't take much more and Bastian was going to lose it. Forcing down the scream that threatened to tear from his lungs, Bastian looked back at the thing that was wearing his father's meat suit.

Fury washed through Bastian's veins as everything seemingly caught up with him. He had thought he'd dealt with his father's death a long time ago, but this doppleganger made him realize otherwise. He hadn't been able to save his father or his sister. Hell his sister hadn't even wanted him to know.

More and more anger washed over him until Bastian started shaking. Random knickknacks started skewing across the room. Bastian had no control over this power that seemingly only came when he was extremely pissed off. Though if he did, he'd be aiming right for the bastards head.

"Christo," He muttered. When he got no reaction he continued staring at the bastard. "You have thirty seconds to tell me who you are and what it is your planning." He raised his gun, aiming at the man's head. "Bullet's don't kill you, but they obviously hurt, and really right now, I'm not above torture."

[tristianjames]

Damn, this really was turning out to be a really bad rendition of a Star Wars flick. What was he supposed to do now? ‘Kee-koo’ some really bad breathing noises and pull a light saber out of his ass? Shit, he should have never come here; should have never left his little hidey-hole, even if the urge to make sure the love of his life was still breathing was too much to bear. From the looks of things, his son was about to have an aneurysm right there in front of him…and who the hell blamed him? If their roles were reversed, he’d have emptied the clip into himself by now.

Which was something that he was REALLY hoping Bas wasn’t about to do. All the power lines around here would make lead in his chest feel annoyingly tingly…

Every muscle in Tristian’s body tensed as things around the house started moving. Oh joy; he’d made his son so crazy, that he was tapping into that rarely used power of his. Great…this was DEFINITELY turning out to be just how he’d pictured their reunion. Well, at least Bas hadn’t gone for a stake or a hatchet just yet. That was progress, right?

Carefully, he took a step to the side, so he could face the younger hunter completely. He kept his hands at his sides, palms forward, to show that he wasn’t a threat. He just hoped like hell that his teeth weren’t showing, because he had a feeling that the whole ‘SHIT, DAD’S A VAMPIRE!’ wouldn’t have the house stop shaking anytime soon. He kept his face expressionless and his voice neutral, though anyone could see the rampant emotion in his eyes.

Hell, if he had the ability to make things vibrate with his mind, the entire house would have fallen down by now. God, he wanted to hold his son and take that pained look away…

”I already told you who I am, Bastian.” He said calmly. He started to take another step toward him, but stopped himself. Yeah, so maybe having the scary Daddy-look-alike run up to him probably wouldn’t make the situation any easier.

With a deep breath, the eldest James racked his mind for what he could use as evidence for his identity. ”Alright…what about this? Would any random shapeshifter know about the woman you were going to marry?”

His voice became gentler, as he chose to bring up the painful memory he’d dug up last year. He’d made sure to keep tabs on his family, even from the ‘grave.’ ”Her name was Kara Gibbons, and she was a hunter, like you. But after a run in with a pack of werewolves, she was turned, and you…you were forced to put her down.”

[/blockquote]

[bastian]

When the man pretending to be his father took a step towards him, Bastian cocked the gun. He stopped in his tracks, which was a smart move. Not that Bastian wasn't going to kill him. Oh he was going to kill him. Slowly, painfully. He wanted to hear this fucking thing scream and beg for mercy. More things began flying around the house as the anger rode Bastian to new heights. The walls began shaking with it and he felt warm blood begin dripping down his nose as could sometimes happen when the ability ran rampant. If Bastian didn't calm himself he knew that he was going to give himself a massive migraine and potentially pass out from the pain. It had happened before and leaving himself vulnerable at the moment wasn't an option.

Taking a deep breath Bastian forced the anger down, forced himself to stop making things shake. This was just horrible fucking timing. He did not need this. Not now, not on top of everything else. Couldn't his family ever get a break or were they just eternally cursed.

When the man claiming to be his father talked about Kara, Bastian visibly paled, the blood dripping from his nose standing out starkly red against his now pasty skin. Bastian hadn't told anyone. Not one person. Ever. His mom didn't know, his sister didn't know, Chey didn't know. There was no reason to burden them with his problems. Not with everything else that was going on.

Bastian's mind reeled and the world lurched as he lost the grip on his gun. "How did you...How could you know that?" His voice was hoarse, eyes wide in disbelief. How could this man be his father? His father had disappeared years ago, thought to be dead from the vampire attack. No body was ever found though, so...Had he just run off? Had Tristian abandoned his family? Left them all to suffer in his absence?

Blinking, Bastian stalked over to the man and before he could contain himself, his fist was swinging, slamming into the man's jaw. "You son of a bitch!" Bastian's breath came ragged and quick and he stumbled back, dropping the gun as the anger washed over him again.

The walls shook once more and he felt a searing pain shoot through his brain as things began to violently fly across the room with much more ferocity than before. It felt like someone was slashing into his mind with dull knives and he fell to his knees with a blood curling scream as more blood poured from his nose.

[tristianjames]

Okay, so this was definitely giving him some Wizard of Oz vibes, Tristian thought absently, as he ducked various picture frames and other odds and ends flying around the room. If a house dropped on him, would he survive? Or would his feet curl up as he shriveled into dust?
The sight of blood on his son’s face made him go tense all over. He’d been doing his best to look as relaxed as possible, to give the younger man something to emulate…but damn, if his gums didn’t start to ache when he smelled that sweet rush of red, and he instantly hated himself for it. THIS was why he had stayed away for so long; the monstrous need to taste. And, right on its heels, concern flashed into his chest as he took an instinctive step toward him.
”Bastian, I know because I’ve been keeping tabs on you all, over the years. I’m so sorry for your loss, son…but please, you have to calm down before you hurt yourself, alright? I’m not here to hurt you.” Though, that was exactly what he was doing, he thought with an inner curse. This was such a damn stupid idea…if only he could erase Bastian’s mind and make him forget about Daddy’s lapse in judgement…
The vampire watched as surprise quickly turned to anger, and before he could move, he found a pair of knuckles smashing into his jaw. He barked a curse as he stumbled back, catching himself on the railing to keep from falling. Damn, but the kid had a mean right hook, didn’t he? Was it wrong to feel a burst of pride? Yeah, it was definitely wrong.
”Alright, I deserved that,” He managed to say, licking at the blood on his lips. He could feel his gums start to ache, and he clenched his jaw to keep his monster-teeth sheathed. ”Hit me again, if you have to, but I need you to calm down, Bastian. Let me explain—SHIT!”
When Bas went down, Tris followed him. He fell onto his knees, reaching for his son with another barked curse as a scream tore through the house. Though he knew that the close proximity was likely to set him off again, the elder James couldn’t help the urge to put his arms around his son. He kept his voice level, though he had to duck once or twice, in order to dodge a few choice missiles.
”Calm down, Bastian. Just take a few deep breaths and clear your mind. Control that gift, son, before you bring the house down on the both of us. Then you can kick my ass, okay? Just calm down for me…”

[/blockquote]

[bastian]

Bastian leaned forward on his hands and knees, blood from his nose dripping down on the carpet. Closing his he forced himself to calm down again. He had almost been there before but damn if this man claiming to be his father hadn't pushed the right buttons. How the hell had he known about that? Was he spying on Bastian's family.

Squashing that thought before the anger rose again, Bastian forced himself to breathe. Slowly, he felt the power subsiding. The flying objects fell where they were, hitting the ground with soft little thuds. Bastian rocked back onto his heels, wiping the blood from his face he turned to look at the other man.

For the love of God his head was pounding. He wasn't sure if it was just from his ability or from the fact that in every direction Bastian looked bombs were falling. It was one punch in the face after the other and Bastian felt like he was cracking. Not that he'd say as much.

He pulled away from the man and stood up, stumbling back a bit, but holding up a hand to keep him away. "I'm fine." He rubbed his face tiredly, before looking at Tristian. "You look the same." Walking over he reclaimed his gun and leaned against the banister of the stairs.

Crossing his arms over his chest he eyed the man who claimed to be his father. Was it really him? Could it be? God Bastian wanted to believe it, especially now with everything that was going on. It would be better if his father was here. Bastian had failed miserably. his father wouldn't have even let it go this far.

Yet he looked the same. Like he hadn't aged a day since he'd gone missing. Every hunter instinct Bastian had said that something was not right. Even if this man was his father, there was no way in hell he was human. Bastian didn't know what he was, but he knew for damn sure something was wrong this picture. Wiping the rest of the blood from his nose, Bastian eyed Tristian with a stern, angry gaze. "Explain."

[tristianjames]

God, he was a horrible, horrible father, to be thinking that he enjoyed holding his son in his hands, despite the fact that he was bleeding. He was supposed to be consumed by fear and concern, not…GAH, not happiness! he was NOT supposed to be thinking about the last time he’d embraced Bastian, when the kid was all spindly arms and lanky legs. He was NOT supposed to be remembering teaching him out to ride a bike, or showing him his first engine. He was supposed to be afraid for the younger man’s life, or that his powers would give him an aneurysm before he could truly live.

But, there he was, being a masochistic asshole, as usual. It really wasn’t any surprise that the world liked to shit on him on a daily basis. What was next? Bastian would lob a grenade at his ass? Bring it on!

Though his fingers twitched to keep him down, Tristian allowed his son to pull away. No, he wasn’t going to become the clingy daddy, after eight years of separation…even though it had all been done for their safety. Those two annoying sides of himself, guilt and the stalwart belief that his actions were for the best, started its usual boxing match, and the hunter bit back a growl. Damn, this wasn’t the time to become all dark and brooding. With his damn luck, Bas really WOULD lob a grenade at his head, if that unholy sound came out of his throat…

He watched the show of surprise turn to disbelief, then to outright anger. He felt his heart clench as the muscles in his jaw began to tick, and for a minute, he met his son’s intense glare. How the hell was he going to do that? Did he want to see the look of disgust on that familiar face; have the last memory before he went back to hunting the demon be of a knife coming for his throat?

Well, he’d been expecting those reactions, either way. Like a bandaid, it was best to get it over with, right? And anyway, Bastian deserved the truth…

“Obviously, I didn’t die during the vampire attack,” He said, voice a bit rough. “Though I wanted to. To make an…example out of me, the leader of the nest took me to some abandoned factory across the state and kept me there for weeks. He tortured me, and his fledglings used me a Happy Meal every night. After that…they turned me.”

He lifted up his top lip slowly, allowing those pirhana teeth to descend. He waited for the impending attack; readied himself for it by bracing his legs and stiffening his shoulders. But his voice was calm, as he continued. “Then, they let me loose. I…I left, because I thought it would be easier on all of you if you thought I was dead. And…well, I guess I am. Tristian James is dead.”

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[bastian]

It seemed like an eternity that Bastian just stood there staring. His father had been turned into vampire? The world suddenly seamed surreal. How much was one person supposed to be able to take? Was there an end to the chaos and the tragedies that seemed to inflict themselves on his family in every direction? Or were they cursed and determined to have one catastrophic event happen after another.

He stared at the carnivorous teeth that Tristian displayed. Could he even call this man his father anymore? Was this man his father? Or had he been replaced by some cruel heartless vampire? Bastian was leaning towards the ladder. He couldn't fathom how his father would just leave the family, even if he had been turned into a vamp. Didn't he realize how much they had suffered? How much Bastian had suffered since he'd been gone? Okay maybe that wasn't fair. His mother and his sister had suffered way more than he had. Besides, Bastian was supposed to be the strong one and take care of them.

Hence why no one knew about Kara. It was a trivial thing compared to everything else. Bastian had to keep it together. His sister and his mother needed him. They would need him now too. When they found out their father was alive his mom was going to freak out, and Simi. Jesus she was on her way here. Hadn't she been through enough? Bastian could take it, but what about his Simi and their mom?

"So you just decided that because you became a vampire the best thing to do was to up and leave? Let us think you were dead?" The venom in his voice was acidic. He spat them and they left a bad taste in his mouth. "Do you have any idea what's happened since you left? If you'd been here it might not have happened!"

Bastian pushed off the wall and started pacing, his hands clenching and unclenching as he rolled his shoulders attempting to loosen some of the tension there. Then a thought came to mind as he turned and looked at Tristian. "You came back because of Simi, didn't you?"

It was the only thing Bastian could think of as to why his father showed himself now. Except, he had been utterly shocked at Bastian's arrival to the house. "Oh, right. You didn't expect anyone to see you." Before Bastian could stop his fist flew through the wall.