beren_writes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beren_writes) wrote2008-03-26 11:30 am
beren_writes) wrote2008-03-26 11:30 am
Fic: Out With The Old, In With the New, Bill/Tom, NC17/18, Tokio Hotel RPS, 08/20
Sorry this is late, what with Easter and a really nasty cold I'm running way behind. At least I'm finally beginning to feel better :) ... I hope I can shake this bug soon.
P.S. You may have noticed it grew another chapter ... which should be the last extra one, I hope :).
Warning - there is boy kissing in this one.
Title: Out With the Old, In With the New 08/20
Author: Beren
Fandom: Tokio Hotel RPS
Pairing(s): Bill/Tom, Bill/OMC (reported, non-con)
Rating: NC17/18
Warnings: rape (non-graphic), twincest, vampires
Summary: There are things that many people do not see and are never supposed to see, but when one of these takes Bill from his hotel room, by force, everything changes for him and Tom.
Links:
Prologue | Ch 01 | Ch 02 | Ch 03 | Ch 04
| Ch 05 | Ch 06 | Ch 07 | Ch 08 | Ch 09
| Ch 10 | Ch 11 | Ch 12 | Ch 13 | Ch 14
| Ch 15 | Ch 16 | Ch 17 | Ch 18 | Ch 19 | Ch 20
Full Chapter Listing (with chapter descriptions)
Chapter 8 Eccentricities
Strigoi tended to be somewhat old fashioned compared to their human counterparts, according to Syb, so Bill wasn't one hundred percent sure he knew what he was getting into. He still really wasn't quite clear on the details of why the fact that he could move around in sunlight meant that he was automatically quite an important person, but he couldn't exactly argue with it.
So far Syb was the only Strigoi he had met properly and the idea of being introduced to more frightened him more than a little, but he knew she would not have asked him to do it if it was not important. Syb had been in his mind; she knew exactly what had happened to him and she cared, of that much he was completely certain. He had spent hours getting ready and he was as nervous as if this was an opening night, but he was prepared. As long as Tom was there he was sure he could do anything.
Climbing out of the car, he looked up at the very grand house at which they had just arrived. It was big and it was old and definitely suited the occasion. Syb had explained that it belonged to Graham, one of the four elders, and was being used for the gathering since it was the closest to where he and Tom lived.
As they stood looking up at the building, Tom looped an arm around his waist for a moment and gave him a quick half-hug. He was nervous and his hands were shaking slightly, but he wasn't about to give in to his anxiety.
Syb led the way up to the front door and knocked using the very ornate knocker on the big oak structure. Bill was so busy trying to ignore the fact that he was so nervous he felt sick that it took him a moment to notice that the knocker was a gargoyle, a vampire gargoyle to be precise. He almost let out a small hysterical laugh, but managed to keep it inside; at least Graham seemed to have a bit of a sense of humour.
A young woman in black and white opened the door.
"Please come in," she invited with a polite smile, "your host will be with you in a moment."
Bill had no idea if Graham had staff or if Strigoi hired staff for functions just like everyone else, but he was almost positive the woman was human. It was only as he stepped past her that he felt anything out of the ordinary. He looked along what was a wood panelled hallway as his attention was caught by a presence, a presence that reminded him of Syb, but somehow more so. He had a vague inkling that he knew why age brought power and respect in the Strigoi community, because he knew he was looking at an elder without being told. However, what he was seeing wasn't quite what he expected.
The image in his head was so entirely not what he was looking at that for a moment his brain kind of stalled. The word elders conjured images of people with grey hair and spectacles, but of course he was dealing with vampires; people who didn't age.
"Sybil, how wonderful to see you again," said the young looking man walking down the hallway.
Syb smiled brightly and stepped forward to accept a kiss on each cheek from the male Strigoi.
"Graham," Syb greeted in return, "I missed you at the last meeting."
Bill was so surprised by the way Graham looked and was then mentally kicking himself for being such an idiot that he totally forgot to be afraid. Graham was tall, blonde, broad shouldered and had bright blue eyes and Bill was reminded of younger version of Brad Pitt in Mr and Mrs Smith more than anything else.
"And since I know your reprobate other half, I must assume that these two young gentlemen are the ones I have heard so much about," Graham didn't fit any characteristic of 'elder' that Bill had in his head at all. "Good evening, welcome to my home."
Bill had been clutching Tom's hand most of the way to the gathering, but he actually let go and took Graham's hand as the other Strigoi held it out in greeting. He didn't even think about it until he'd done it and by the time his brain caught up with his actions it was far too late. He couldn't help breathing in a little in shock as he was overcome by a feeling of welcome and cheerfulness and concern; he almost took a step back.
"Bill, are you okay?" Tom asked, sounding concerned.
"Fine," he said, looking Graham straight in the eye and feeling strangely at ease. "Hello," he added, so as not to be rude.
"You have caused great excitement within our community, Bill," Graham said with a smile, "I do hope it is not too overwhelming for you, either of you. So little happens around here that when it does we can be a little over enthusiastic."
"It's nice to meet you," Bill said and he was surprised to find that he actually meant it.
He had reacted so badly to several people and yet he really did mean it and it was a strangely liberating experience. A glimmer of hope fired up in the back of his mind that maybe the evening wasn't going to be as terrible as he had imagined. He slipped his hand back into Tom's the moment Tom had shaken Graham's hand as well, but he found to his pleasure the nervous tremors he had been trying to hide had subsided.
"Graham, darling, don't monopolise the guests of honour."
Bill looked up as an unfamiliar female voice joined the conversation and he was just in time to see a stunning woman walking down the corridor. She was almost as tall as Graham, blonde as well and wearing the most incredibly beautiful gown that made her look as if she had just stepped off a catwalk somewhere. Graham smiled and turned.
"Bill, Tom, this is my bond mate Karin," Graham introduced, but Bill didn't really need the extra information, because, looking at Karin, he knew exactly who she was bonded to without any doubt what so ever.
He wasn't sure how he knew, as with everything Strigoi, actually knowing and knowing why he knew were two entirely different things, but he was getting used to that.
"Good evening," Karin greeted brightly, first shaking Tom's hand and then his, "it is so nice to finally meet you both. We have been hearing wonderful things from Sybil."
"Not too wonderful I hope," Tom said, filling in nicely when Bill had no idea what to say, "we don't want to have too much to live up to."
If Karin's huge smile was anything to go by, the blonde woman thought this answer was delightful.
"With you, Tom, it couldn't be too wonderful," Syb said with a mischievous grin.
Tom made to look offended and did a beautiful job, which made Bill laugh just a little. He knew that Syb and Tom were doing their best to make sure he was distracted and he appreciated it. He hoped fervently that it would last.
"Never end up on the wrong side of dear Syb," Karin said with a laugh, "for her tongue can be sharper than her fangs."
"As we have all found out from time to time," Graham agreed, laughing as well. "Still, we have a party to enjoy. If you would all come this way, Phillip will be glad to take your coats, and every one else is in the lounge. There are two more to arrive yet, but most people are already here."
Philip turned out to be a teenager who couldn't have been more than seventeen and Bill was a little surprised to find that Philip was human. The young man took Tom's, Syb's and Marcus' coats without saying a word. Bill's jacket was part of his outfit and he kept it; he was still feeling the cold anyway. He was also nervous again, but he did his best not to show it and Tom was glued to his side, which helped.
"When you're offered drinks," Syb said quietly as they followed their hosts up the hallway, "Bill, take a glass with a gold stem, Tom, go for silver."
Bill found that instruction most odd.
"Why?" he asked, not really understanding.
"Some things are only palatable to Strigoi," Syb said and patted his arm; "it's nothing sinister."
Before Bill could ask anymore, they reached the other room and his voice vanished in nerves as he saw how many people were inside. Syb had briefed them on how many people would be there, but Bill still hadn't been quite prepared. Their whole gathering was to be the four Strigoi elders and their companions as well as a select few other members of the local Strigoi community. Bill couldn't help feeling very unsettled as he followed Graham and Karin into the room.
"Let me introduce you around," Graham offered and Bill nodded after taking a deep breath.
"I can do this," he muttered under his breath; it was quickly becoming his motto and he felt Tom squeeze his hand in support.
"Drinks first I think," Karin interrupted with a smile and took two glasses off a tray a waitress was carrying.
Bill noticed the gold decoration on the stem of the glass Karin passed him and the silver on the one Karin gave to Tom and it was the same with Syb and Markus. There was only one thing he could think of that Strigoi consumed that humans didn't, but the liquid in the glass just looked like red wine. Cautiously he sipped it as Graham led them over to one of the groups in the room and when it hit his tongue he couldn't help it, he stopped dead. His taste buds lit up like a Christmas tree and he stared at the glass.
"That's not just red wine," he said, utterly flabbergasted by the effect it had on him.
For a second the whole room seemed to sparkle.
"I'm so sorry," Graham said, "I totally didn't think. Red wine with a small amount of blood is a traditional cocktail to start off an evening like this. Alcohol has less affect on our systems so we spice it up a little; if you would rather I can get you a normal glass."
"No, that's okay," Bill replied, settling himself down again, "it was just a bit of a shock. Thank you."
The evening was becoming more and more bizarre, but then a whole lot of his life was a little bizarre these days, so he tried to just accept it.
"I'd kill for a beer," Tom whispered in his ear as they continued on their way and it made him smile.
Champagne was as close as Tom usually liked to get to wine of any sort. It was just after that when Bill realised Syb, Markus and Karin had pealed off to elsewhere in the room.
"Lorrie," Graham drew his attention back to what they were supposed to be doing and he realised he'd been effectively distracted again, "I'd like to introduce Bill and Tom. Bill, Tom, this is Lorrie, the oldest of the old around here, Bianca Hislop, her personal assistant and Xavier Balldock head of our police force."
"Thank you so much for the wonderful introduction, Graham," the newly introduced Lorrie said with a roll of her eyes, "once a barbarian, always a barbarian. Very pleased to meet you."
Lorrie was short, brunette and plump and had a smile a bit like the one Georg used on all the girls; it said 'I know something you don't know'. About the only similarity between Graham and Lorrie was the fact that neither of them looked remotely like an elder of any sort. Bill shook Lorrie's offered hand and felt gentle amusement flow over him and he knew it wasn't aimed at him, but at the world in general. He had the overall impression of age and he was surprised by the seemingly total absence of seriousness.
"Hello," he said and managed to do so at exactly the same time as Tom.
It wasn't as if it didn't happen a lot to them, but it made the others in the group smile. He shook hands with Bianca and Xavier as well and discovered that they were both Strigoi as well, but no where near as old as Lorrie. The fact that he could tell they meant him absolutely no harm was comforting and he found himself beginning to relax again.
"My niece is a very big fan of your band," Bianca said conversationally, "or rather I should say my grand-niece. If it was not so rude I would ask for an autograph."
"We'll have to see what we can do by the end of the evening," Tom said, with Tom's usual flair.
Bill just smiled, since his brain was still processing everything about the room. Once upon a time he could have worked the room with no problem at all, but he needed a bit of breathing space now.
In the end it took him about five minutes to warm up to the conversation, about the same time it took for a beer to mysteriously appear for Tom. If Tom had had any shame at all Bill was sure his twin should have been mortified that someone had overheard his comment, but this was Tom. It was when Lorrie mentioned something about the Dior collection (it seemed she was a bit of a connoisseur) that Bill finally decided to jump into the conversation; fashion was one thing he could talk about without any negative connotations what so ever. By the time Graham dragged him and Tom away to the next group, he was feeling quite at home, so much so that when Karin asked to borrow Tom for a while, he actually said yes. He didn't feel as comfortable without Tom glued to his side, but it was clear that Karin and Markus wanted to talk to Tom about something and hoped he could manage.
The new group consisted of Peter, the third elder and his two bond mates, Fiona and Yan; that introduction had been an eye opener, and James Farhl who was a publicist of some sort. Bill hadn't been able to resist and had had to ask about the double bond mate situation. It turned out a Strigoi could have as many bond mates as they wanted, but if you had more than one, you had to have a very good reason, because the free will of those involved would be questioned and investigated. Bill was fascinated and hoped he wasn't being rude by making all sorts of enquiries. Peter, Fiona and Yan seemed fine with talking about it and Graham and James were equally at ease, so he hoped he wasn't stomping over any niceties.
He found himself chatting amiably for quite some time. He even noticed Karin exiting the room and then coming back with some more people, but the whole atmosphere was setting him at ease and he found himself altering his position a little so he could see them out of the corner of his eye, but nothing else. With Tom away from his side he was not relaxed, but he knew how to play a part, at least for a while.
Over time, however, he began noticing Tom's absence more and more and it began making him more and more uncomfortable. Eventually he looked over to where Tom was talking to an attractive female vampire, one of the party who had just come in, and his eyes zeroed in on the hand the woman had on Tom's arm. She was leaning in close and speaking quietly, making Tom lean in too and Bill saw red. Everything flew out of his head and rage bubbled through him like a fire, consuming all rationality as it went. His brain screamed "mine" and "protect" and the only thing that stopped him leaping at the woman was a sudden very strong grip on his arm. It didn't stop him growling though.
"Delphine," Graham's voice carried across the room, "I would suggest you release the young man and step back."
The woman in question looked up and straight at him and then shock registered on her face. Almost straight away she removed her hand from Tom's arm and took a step away from where Tom appeared somewhat confused.
"If you would be so kind, Tom," Graham said, sounding perfectly calm, "I believe that remaining closer to Bill would be sensible just at the moment."
Bill still wanted to tear Delphine limb from limb, but he did feel a little less homicidal when Tom quickly walked across the room. When Tom took his hand he felt even better, but it didn't stop him glaring at the woman across the room.
"Tom is quite safe, Bill," Graham spoke to him and something about the older Strigoi's voice demanded his attention, "you do not need to be on guard."
For a moment Bill stared at Graham, trying to work out what the man was telling him. It took him long seconds to take it in rather than just hear it and then he realised what he was doing. His rage vanished in a moment leaving him confused and anxious.
"Bill, are you okay?" Tom asked, sounding worried.
"I..." Bill tried to explain, but he was at a loss himself.
"A simple reaction," Graham said with a smile as if it was nothing; "it has happened to us all at one time or another. Delphine should have known better than to flirt with the bond mate of one so new. Now your glass is low, let me find someone to refill it for you."
And that was it; the incident was closed, but Bill couldn't help looking at Tom and wondering what on earth he would have done if Graham hadn't been right there.
====
Bill padded back from the bathroom having removed all his makeup, brushed all the spray out of his hair and pulled on an old t-shirt and a loose pair of boxers. The meal after the gathering had been food that was rather fancier than he was used to, but it had been very nice. He and Tom had met Arabella, the last of the elders and it did seem that everyone had really just wanted to meet and talk to them. After all the frantic anticipation, it had been a nice evening all told; nerve wracking, but no where near as bad as Bill had thought it would be, and he had learnt a lot about interaction among Strigoi. It was all rather informal really, apart from the affectations around the whole affair. He had almost enjoyed himself.
There was just one thing that would not let his mind rest and he had been considering it ever since it had occurred. His reaction to Delphine at the party had been an eye opening experience and he couldn't stop thinking about it. As it turned out, when he had tried to apologise to Delphine she had apologised in return and explained that she hadn't meant anything by it, it was just the way she was. That, however, did not take away from the revelation that the incident had been.
If he had just felt protective it would have been different, but he hadn't; he had felt territorial as well. He had seen Delphine touching what was his and wanted to stake his claim as well as protect Tom from any possible danger. It had been there, right at the front of his mind, so strong that he couldn't ignore it and it drove home everything Tom had been telling him. Feeling such things for Tom made him nervous, but he couldn't ignore them anymore and deep down they felt so right he wasn't sure ignoring them was what he really wanted.
Tom was already changed for bed and had used the bathroom first, so his twin was sitting on the bed with his nose in a magazine waiting for him. Walking over, he sat down on his side of the bed, still trying to work out what he was thinking. The idea of sex, any sort of sex made his stomach drop away and be replaced by a knot of dread, but part of him craved it as well. He had woken three times since the first incident with exactly that same problem and Tom had not pushed him, but the last time he had had to run to the bathroom to deal with it before his erection would go away. It was awkward and uncomfortable for both of them that his subconscious seemed to want this and his conscious mind didn't and he didn't like it.
"You okay?" Tom asked quietly and he realised he'd been sitting there staring at the floor for quite a long time.
He looked up and round into Tom's concerned face and with his heart in his throat he made his decision.
"Will you kiss me?" he asked in little more than a whisper, "please," he added as an afterthought.
Tom appeared surprised and then he smiled just a little.
"Of course I will," Tom said and reached out the take his hand, "I would love to."
Bill felt like an inexperienced ten year old as Tom moved closer to him and slowly leant in and he couldn't help feeling just a little afraid. He was stiff and tense as Tom's lips touched his, but he was shocked when his mind did not fill with the terrible images of his ordeal, in fact his mind didn't fill with anything; logical thought seemed to be frozen and instinct took over.
There was no other way to describe it; he melted into the kiss, reaching out and wrapping his arms around Tom. Even when Tom's strong limbs wound around him, pulling him closer, it did not fire his fear response. Something in Tom's touch made it impossible for him to be afraid and the kiss was deep, heady and full of passion. Only when he started getting hard did anything in his head fire that he didn't want and he had to draw back. He was breathless and part of him wanted more, but not all of him was ready yet.
"Okay?" Tom asked, watching his face very carefully.
Bill nodded, biting his lip.
"Thank you," he said, feeling vulnerable, but warm and happy as well.
Tom smiled at him, stroking the side of his face very gently. He was tempted to lean back in for more, but he didn't want to ruin it all by freaking out.
"I..." he said, wanting to explain.
"Need to get some sleep," Tom said as if reading his mind; "we have visitors tomorrow and I don't think we can get away with the excuse that you're on sleeping pills anymore if you start snoring on my shoulder."
A small grin crept onto his face at that; Tom always knew how to make him feel better. When they climbed into bed, he snuggled close to his twin and settled down to sleep, more relaxed than he remembered being in a very long time.
====
"Morning," Tom said brightly as he walked into the kitchen for breakfast, "it is still morning isn't it?"
"Just," his mother replied with a laugh. "I will assume from the good mood that last night went well?"
Tom gave his mother a bright smile.
"Very well I think," he said, but his mind was more on what had happened after the Strigoi party than during it.
The fact that Bill had asked him to kiss him was amazing, wonderful, astounding even. He had been so worried that Bill might never be ready and yet the kiss had been fantastic. It was going to take a while, he knew that and he had seen the conflict in Bill afterwards, but it was a brilliant start. Of course he couldn't exactly just blurt out all that to his mother, at least not at breakfast.
"The Strigoi elders are," he looked for the best word as he tried to distract his brain from its current obsession with Bill, "I think eccentric is the best way to describe them, but they were very friendly. Bill fitted in perfectly; I think he may have found his niche."
The way his mother smiled at that told him they were on the same page; it wasn't as if anyone had ever tried to make Bill out to be your average teenager. Tom could admit that he wasn't either, but Bill was definitely the more out there of them both.
"Any nightmares last night?" his mother asked.
That was basically code for was Bill completely stressed out by the whole event and would they need to do some damage control over the day. Sooner or later their mother was going to have to go back to her normal schedule, but at the moment everything was being fitted in around Bill. No one could ever say that Simone was not devoted to her children.
"Only one," Tom replied, pouring himself some cereal into a bowl, "and that wasn't bad; he didn't even really wake up. Markus and Karin, she's one of the elder's bond mate, took me aside and explained what was going on in case Bill needed any reassurance during the evening. All the Strigoi there were keeping themselves open to reassure Bill, so he could feel their general intentions. On a psychic scale Bill's at the top of the curve, something else to do with the day dweller stuff, so they didn't have to work too hard, but they were being very careful with him and it seemed to work. Of course the blood in the wine might have helped to mellow him out too."
The look on Bill's face when he'd first tried the wine had been priceless.
"Blood in the wine?" his mother asked, clearly not knowing what to make of that.
"It's a vampire thing," he assured her with a grin; "something about it making the alcohol act on them in sort of the same way it does on us. Seemed to work on Bill anyway."
Their mother didn't appear to know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, however, Tom was saved from having to convince her at the sound of quiet singing coming down the hall. They both stared at each other and Tom knew they were having the same revelation. As Bill walked into the room half humming and half singing to himself, Tom couldn't help the huge smile that burst onto his face. Bill had always sung or hummed or whistled really badly; it was something that was expected, but since the abduction there had been a pained silence. Once upon a time Tom would have said he had tried every way to shut his twin up, but when it had been missing he had missed it and now it was back it made his heart swell.
"What?" Bill asked and Tom realised he was probably staring, along with his mother.
"Nothing, Sweetheart," his mother said, covering for them both, "Tom was just telling me about last night. It's nice to see you so cheerful this morning, I was a little worried it would be too much for you."
Bill smiled then, a genuine, shadow free, honest to god, happy smile and Tom was overjoyed.
"Everyone was really nice," Bill said, grabbing a bowl and cereal as he spoke. "The elders didn't look like elders at all; I think I had white robes and beards in my head, but it was more like action hero, den mother, philanthropist and fashion designer. What was really weird though is that elders don't seem to have last names. Well I'm sure they do, but everyone else was introduced as so-and-so last name, but with the elders it was just Lorrie or Graham, like Cher or Madonna."
Tom sat back and listened to Bill babble. The milk almost missed Bill's bowl because Bill was trying to gesture with his hands at the same time, but when Tom glanced over, his mother didn't seem to care any more than he did. Seeing Bill so animated was wonderful, almost as wonderful as that kiss and Tom didn't really think anything else mattered about then.
====
Bill looked at his phone and it almost seemed to glare back at him. He was in a bit of a quandary and he wasn't sure how to deal with it.
"It won't bite," Tom said, sitting down next to him on the bed.
His twin handed him a cup of tea and he took it with a mumbled thank you, but didn't look up.
"I went to call Andi," he said eventually and finally put the phone on the bed beside him, "I was going to tell him all about last night and I only realised I couldn't when I was about to dial."
Tom gave him a sad little smile and took his free hand.
"You could explain everything to him if you wanted to," Tom said in a careful tone.
He appreciated the delicacy Tom was using, but he didn't actually need it at that moment.
"I know I could," he said after a few moments, "but I'm not feeling that brave. I don't think he'll freak out, but there's that voice at the back of my mind that keeps suggesting he might and it's too loud for me to ignore it yet."
"I have a voice like that too," Tom said, clearly knowing that trying to talk him round wouldn't do any good, "mostly it sounds like you. Sometimes it stops me doing stupid things, but at others it's a pain in the arse."
Bill smiled at his twin for that.
"Yeah, I think mine sounds like you too," he said and it did at times; he had occasionally mused on the idea that the little voice really was Tom, but that was too Twilight Zone even for his crazy life at the moment.
"Andi will probably think you're even cooler than he already does when you tell him," Tom said and nudged him gently in the side.
"Andi does not think I'm cool," he said and rolled his eyes, "he thinks I'm a dork just like you do."
Tom grinned at that.
"Only sometimes," Tom replied, a humorous sparkle in his eyes, "but I beg to differ; Andi may be our best friend, but he does get the hero worship glaze in his eyes every now and then and has done ever since we first met him."
Bill just took a sip of his tea; sometimes Tom thought the oddest things.
End of Chapter 8
On to Next Part
P.S. You may have noticed it grew another chapter ... which should be the last extra one, I hope :).
Warning - there is boy kissing in this one.
Title: Out With the Old, In With the New 08/20
Author: Beren
Fandom: Tokio Hotel RPS
Pairing(s): Bill/Tom, Bill/OMC (reported, non-con)
Rating: NC17/18
Warnings: rape (non-graphic), twincest, vampires
Summary: There are things that many people do not see and are never supposed to see, but when one of these takes Bill from his hotel room, by force, everything changes for him and Tom.
Links:
Prologue | Ch 01 | Ch 02 | Ch 03 | Ch 04
| Ch 05 | Ch 06 | Ch 07 | Ch 08 | Ch 09
| Ch 10 | Ch 11 | Ch 12 | Ch 13 | Ch 14
| Ch 15 | Ch 16 | Ch 17 | Ch 18 | Ch 19 | Ch 20
Full Chapter Listing (with chapter descriptions)
Chapter 8 Eccentricities
Strigoi tended to be somewhat old fashioned compared to their human counterparts, according to Syb, so Bill wasn't one hundred percent sure he knew what he was getting into. He still really wasn't quite clear on the details of why the fact that he could move around in sunlight meant that he was automatically quite an important person, but he couldn't exactly argue with it.
So far Syb was the only Strigoi he had met properly and the idea of being introduced to more frightened him more than a little, but he knew she would not have asked him to do it if it was not important. Syb had been in his mind; she knew exactly what had happened to him and she cared, of that much he was completely certain. He had spent hours getting ready and he was as nervous as if this was an opening night, but he was prepared. As long as Tom was there he was sure he could do anything.
Climbing out of the car, he looked up at the very grand house at which they had just arrived. It was big and it was old and definitely suited the occasion. Syb had explained that it belonged to Graham, one of the four elders, and was being used for the gathering since it was the closest to where he and Tom lived.
As they stood looking up at the building, Tom looped an arm around his waist for a moment and gave him a quick half-hug. He was nervous and his hands were shaking slightly, but he wasn't about to give in to his anxiety.
Syb led the way up to the front door and knocked using the very ornate knocker on the big oak structure. Bill was so busy trying to ignore the fact that he was so nervous he felt sick that it took him a moment to notice that the knocker was a gargoyle, a vampire gargoyle to be precise. He almost let out a small hysterical laugh, but managed to keep it inside; at least Graham seemed to have a bit of a sense of humour.
A young woman in black and white opened the door.
"Please come in," she invited with a polite smile, "your host will be with you in a moment."
Bill had no idea if Graham had staff or if Strigoi hired staff for functions just like everyone else, but he was almost positive the woman was human. It was only as he stepped past her that he felt anything out of the ordinary. He looked along what was a wood panelled hallway as his attention was caught by a presence, a presence that reminded him of Syb, but somehow more so. He had a vague inkling that he knew why age brought power and respect in the Strigoi community, because he knew he was looking at an elder without being told. However, what he was seeing wasn't quite what he expected.
The image in his head was so entirely not what he was looking at that for a moment his brain kind of stalled. The word elders conjured images of people with grey hair and spectacles, but of course he was dealing with vampires; people who didn't age.
"Sybil, how wonderful to see you again," said the young looking man walking down the hallway.
Syb smiled brightly and stepped forward to accept a kiss on each cheek from the male Strigoi.
"Graham," Syb greeted in return, "I missed you at the last meeting."
Bill was so surprised by the way Graham looked and was then mentally kicking himself for being such an idiot that he totally forgot to be afraid. Graham was tall, blonde, broad shouldered and had bright blue eyes and Bill was reminded of younger version of Brad Pitt in Mr and Mrs Smith more than anything else.
"And since I know your reprobate other half, I must assume that these two young gentlemen are the ones I have heard so much about," Graham didn't fit any characteristic of 'elder' that Bill had in his head at all. "Good evening, welcome to my home."
Bill had been clutching Tom's hand most of the way to the gathering, but he actually let go and took Graham's hand as the other Strigoi held it out in greeting. He didn't even think about it until he'd done it and by the time his brain caught up with his actions it was far too late. He couldn't help breathing in a little in shock as he was overcome by a feeling of welcome and cheerfulness and concern; he almost took a step back.
"Bill, are you okay?" Tom asked, sounding concerned.
"Fine," he said, looking Graham straight in the eye and feeling strangely at ease. "Hello," he added, so as not to be rude.
"You have caused great excitement within our community, Bill," Graham said with a smile, "I do hope it is not too overwhelming for you, either of you. So little happens around here that when it does we can be a little over enthusiastic."
"It's nice to meet you," Bill said and he was surprised to find that he actually meant it.
He had reacted so badly to several people and yet he really did mean it and it was a strangely liberating experience. A glimmer of hope fired up in the back of his mind that maybe the evening wasn't going to be as terrible as he had imagined. He slipped his hand back into Tom's the moment Tom had shaken Graham's hand as well, but he found to his pleasure the nervous tremors he had been trying to hide had subsided.
"Graham, darling, don't monopolise the guests of honour."
Bill looked up as an unfamiliar female voice joined the conversation and he was just in time to see a stunning woman walking down the corridor. She was almost as tall as Graham, blonde as well and wearing the most incredibly beautiful gown that made her look as if she had just stepped off a catwalk somewhere. Graham smiled and turned.
"Bill, Tom, this is my bond mate Karin," Graham introduced, but Bill didn't really need the extra information, because, looking at Karin, he knew exactly who she was bonded to without any doubt what so ever.
He wasn't sure how he knew, as with everything Strigoi, actually knowing and knowing why he knew were two entirely different things, but he was getting used to that.
"Good evening," Karin greeted brightly, first shaking Tom's hand and then his, "it is so nice to finally meet you both. We have been hearing wonderful things from Sybil."
"Not too wonderful I hope," Tom said, filling in nicely when Bill had no idea what to say, "we don't want to have too much to live up to."
If Karin's huge smile was anything to go by, the blonde woman thought this answer was delightful.
"With you, Tom, it couldn't be too wonderful," Syb said with a mischievous grin.
Tom made to look offended and did a beautiful job, which made Bill laugh just a little. He knew that Syb and Tom were doing their best to make sure he was distracted and he appreciated it. He hoped fervently that it would last.
"Never end up on the wrong side of dear Syb," Karin said with a laugh, "for her tongue can be sharper than her fangs."
"As we have all found out from time to time," Graham agreed, laughing as well. "Still, we have a party to enjoy. If you would all come this way, Phillip will be glad to take your coats, and every one else is in the lounge. There are two more to arrive yet, but most people are already here."
Philip turned out to be a teenager who couldn't have been more than seventeen and Bill was a little surprised to find that Philip was human. The young man took Tom's, Syb's and Marcus' coats without saying a word. Bill's jacket was part of his outfit and he kept it; he was still feeling the cold anyway. He was also nervous again, but he did his best not to show it and Tom was glued to his side, which helped.
"When you're offered drinks," Syb said quietly as they followed their hosts up the hallway, "Bill, take a glass with a gold stem, Tom, go for silver."
Bill found that instruction most odd.
"Why?" he asked, not really understanding.
"Some things are only palatable to Strigoi," Syb said and patted his arm; "it's nothing sinister."
Before Bill could ask anymore, they reached the other room and his voice vanished in nerves as he saw how many people were inside. Syb had briefed them on how many people would be there, but Bill still hadn't been quite prepared. Their whole gathering was to be the four Strigoi elders and their companions as well as a select few other members of the local Strigoi community. Bill couldn't help feeling very unsettled as he followed Graham and Karin into the room.
"Let me introduce you around," Graham offered and Bill nodded after taking a deep breath.
"I can do this," he muttered under his breath; it was quickly becoming his motto and he felt Tom squeeze his hand in support.
"Drinks first I think," Karin interrupted with a smile and took two glasses off a tray a waitress was carrying.
Bill noticed the gold decoration on the stem of the glass Karin passed him and the silver on the one Karin gave to Tom and it was the same with Syb and Markus. There was only one thing he could think of that Strigoi consumed that humans didn't, but the liquid in the glass just looked like red wine. Cautiously he sipped it as Graham led them over to one of the groups in the room and when it hit his tongue he couldn't help it, he stopped dead. His taste buds lit up like a Christmas tree and he stared at the glass.
"That's not just red wine," he said, utterly flabbergasted by the effect it had on him.
For a second the whole room seemed to sparkle.
"I'm so sorry," Graham said, "I totally didn't think. Red wine with a small amount of blood is a traditional cocktail to start off an evening like this. Alcohol has less affect on our systems so we spice it up a little; if you would rather I can get you a normal glass."
"No, that's okay," Bill replied, settling himself down again, "it was just a bit of a shock. Thank you."
The evening was becoming more and more bizarre, but then a whole lot of his life was a little bizarre these days, so he tried to just accept it.
"I'd kill for a beer," Tom whispered in his ear as they continued on their way and it made him smile.
Champagne was as close as Tom usually liked to get to wine of any sort. It was just after that when Bill realised Syb, Markus and Karin had pealed off to elsewhere in the room.
"Lorrie," Graham drew his attention back to what they were supposed to be doing and he realised he'd been effectively distracted again, "I'd like to introduce Bill and Tom. Bill, Tom, this is Lorrie, the oldest of the old around here, Bianca Hislop, her personal assistant and Xavier Balldock head of our police force."
"Thank you so much for the wonderful introduction, Graham," the newly introduced Lorrie said with a roll of her eyes, "once a barbarian, always a barbarian. Very pleased to meet you."
Lorrie was short, brunette and plump and had a smile a bit like the one Georg used on all the girls; it said 'I know something you don't know'. About the only similarity between Graham and Lorrie was the fact that neither of them looked remotely like an elder of any sort. Bill shook Lorrie's offered hand and felt gentle amusement flow over him and he knew it wasn't aimed at him, but at the world in general. He had the overall impression of age and he was surprised by the seemingly total absence of seriousness.
"Hello," he said and managed to do so at exactly the same time as Tom.
It wasn't as if it didn't happen a lot to them, but it made the others in the group smile. He shook hands with Bianca and Xavier as well and discovered that they were both Strigoi as well, but no where near as old as Lorrie. The fact that he could tell they meant him absolutely no harm was comforting and he found himself beginning to relax again.
"My niece is a very big fan of your band," Bianca said conversationally, "or rather I should say my grand-niece. If it was not so rude I would ask for an autograph."
"We'll have to see what we can do by the end of the evening," Tom said, with Tom's usual flair.
Bill just smiled, since his brain was still processing everything about the room. Once upon a time he could have worked the room with no problem at all, but he needed a bit of breathing space now.
In the end it took him about five minutes to warm up to the conversation, about the same time it took for a beer to mysteriously appear for Tom. If Tom had had any shame at all Bill was sure his twin should have been mortified that someone had overheard his comment, but this was Tom. It was when Lorrie mentioned something about the Dior collection (it seemed she was a bit of a connoisseur) that Bill finally decided to jump into the conversation; fashion was one thing he could talk about without any negative connotations what so ever. By the time Graham dragged him and Tom away to the next group, he was feeling quite at home, so much so that when Karin asked to borrow Tom for a while, he actually said yes. He didn't feel as comfortable without Tom glued to his side, but it was clear that Karin and Markus wanted to talk to Tom about something and hoped he could manage.
The new group consisted of Peter, the third elder and his two bond mates, Fiona and Yan; that introduction had been an eye opener, and James Farhl who was a publicist of some sort. Bill hadn't been able to resist and had had to ask about the double bond mate situation. It turned out a Strigoi could have as many bond mates as they wanted, but if you had more than one, you had to have a very good reason, because the free will of those involved would be questioned and investigated. Bill was fascinated and hoped he wasn't being rude by making all sorts of enquiries. Peter, Fiona and Yan seemed fine with talking about it and Graham and James were equally at ease, so he hoped he wasn't stomping over any niceties.
He found himself chatting amiably for quite some time. He even noticed Karin exiting the room and then coming back with some more people, but the whole atmosphere was setting him at ease and he found himself altering his position a little so he could see them out of the corner of his eye, but nothing else. With Tom away from his side he was not relaxed, but he knew how to play a part, at least for a while.
Over time, however, he began noticing Tom's absence more and more and it began making him more and more uncomfortable. Eventually he looked over to where Tom was talking to an attractive female vampire, one of the party who had just come in, and his eyes zeroed in on the hand the woman had on Tom's arm. She was leaning in close and speaking quietly, making Tom lean in too and Bill saw red. Everything flew out of his head and rage bubbled through him like a fire, consuming all rationality as it went. His brain screamed "mine" and "protect" and the only thing that stopped him leaping at the woman was a sudden very strong grip on his arm. It didn't stop him growling though.
"Delphine," Graham's voice carried across the room, "I would suggest you release the young man and step back."
The woman in question looked up and straight at him and then shock registered on her face. Almost straight away she removed her hand from Tom's arm and took a step away from where Tom appeared somewhat confused.
"If you would be so kind, Tom," Graham said, sounding perfectly calm, "I believe that remaining closer to Bill would be sensible just at the moment."
Bill still wanted to tear Delphine limb from limb, but he did feel a little less homicidal when Tom quickly walked across the room. When Tom took his hand he felt even better, but it didn't stop him glaring at the woman across the room.
"Tom is quite safe, Bill," Graham spoke to him and something about the older Strigoi's voice demanded his attention, "you do not need to be on guard."
For a moment Bill stared at Graham, trying to work out what the man was telling him. It took him long seconds to take it in rather than just hear it and then he realised what he was doing. His rage vanished in a moment leaving him confused and anxious.
"Bill, are you okay?" Tom asked, sounding worried.
"I..." Bill tried to explain, but he was at a loss himself.
"A simple reaction," Graham said with a smile as if it was nothing; "it has happened to us all at one time or another. Delphine should have known better than to flirt with the bond mate of one so new. Now your glass is low, let me find someone to refill it for you."
And that was it; the incident was closed, but Bill couldn't help looking at Tom and wondering what on earth he would have done if Graham hadn't been right there.
====
Bill padded back from the bathroom having removed all his makeup, brushed all the spray out of his hair and pulled on an old t-shirt and a loose pair of boxers. The meal after the gathering had been food that was rather fancier than he was used to, but it had been very nice. He and Tom had met Arabella, the last of the elders and it did seem that everyone had really just wanted to meet and talk to them. After all the frantic anticipation, it had been a nice evening all told; nerve wracking, but no where near as bad as Bill had thought it would be, and he had learnt a lot about interaction among Strigoi. It was all rather informal really, apart from the affectations around the whole affair. He had almost enjoyed himself.
There was just one thing that would not let his mind rest and he had been considering it ever since it had occurred. His reaction to Delphine at the party had been an eye opening experience and he couldn't stop thinking about it. As it turned out, when he had tried to apologise to Delphine she had apologised in return and explained that she hadn't meant anything by it, it was just the way she was. That, however, did not take away from the revelation that the incident had been.
If he had just felt protective it would have been different, but he hadn't; he had felt territorial as well. He had seen Delphine touching what was his and wanted to stake his claim as well as protect Tom from any possible danger. It had been there, right at the front of his mind, so strong that he couldn't ignore it and it drove home everything Tom had been telling him. Feeling such things for Tom made him nervous, but he couldn't ignore them anymore and deep down they felt so right he wasn't sure ignoring them was what he really wanted.
Tom was already changed for bed and had used the bathroom first, so his twin was sitting on the bed with his nose in a magazine waiting for him. Walking over, he sat down on his side of the bed, still trying to work out what he was thinking. The idea of sex, any sort of sex made his stomach drop away and be replaced by a knot of dread, but part of him craved it as well. He had woken three times since the first incident with exactly that same problem and Tom had not pushed him, but the last time he had had to run to the bathroom to deal with it before his erection would go away. It was awkward and uncomfortable for both of them that his subconscious seemed to want this and his conscious mind didn't and he didn't like it.
"You okay?" Tom asked quietly and he realised he'd been sitting there staring at the floor for quite a long time.
He looked up and round into Tom's concerned face and with his heart in his throat he made his decision.
"Will you kiss me?" he asked in little more than a whisper, "please," he added as an afterthought.
Tom appeared surprised and then he smiled just a little.
"Of course I will," Tom said and reached out the take his hand, "I would love to."
Bill felt like an inexperienced ten year old as Tom moved closer to him and slowly leant in and he couldn't help feeling just a little afraid. He was stiff and tense as Tom's lips touched his, but he was shocked when his mind did not fill with the terrible images of his ordeal, in fact his mind didn't fill with anything; logical thought seemed to be frozen and instinct took over.
There was no other way to describe it; he melted into the kiss, reaching out and wrapping his arms around Tom. Even when Tom's strong limbs wound around him, pulling him closer, it did not fire his fear response. Something in Tom's touch made it impossible for him to be afraid and the kiss was deep, heady and full of passion. Only when he started getting hard did anything in his head fire that he didn't want and he had to draw back. He was breathless and part of him wanted more, but not all of him was ready yet.
"Okay?" Tom asked, watching his face very carefully.
Bill nodded, biting his lip.
"Thank you," he said, feeling vulnerable, but warm and happy as well.
Tom smiled at him, stroking the side of his face very gently. He was tempted to lean back in for more, but he didn't want to ruin it all by freaking out.
"I..." he said, wanting to explain.
"Need to get some sleep," Tom said as if reading his mind; "we have visitors tomorrow and I don't think we can get away with the excuse that you're on sleeping pills anymore if you start snoring on my shoulder."
A small grin crept onto his face at that; Tom always knew how to make him feel better. When they climbed into bed, he snuggled close to his twin and settled down to sleep, more relaxed than he remembered being in a very long time.
====
"Morning," Tom said brightly as he walked into the kitchen for breakfast, "it is still morning isn't it?"
"Just," his mother replied with a laugh. "I will assume from the good mood that last night went well?"
Tom gave his mother a bright smile.
"Very well I think," he said, but his mind was more on what had happened after the Strigoi party than during it.
The fact that Bill had asked him to kiss him was amazing, wonderful, astounding even. He had been so worried that Bill might never be ready and yet the kiss had been fantastic. It was going to take a while, he knew that and he had seen the conflict in Bill afterwards, but it was a brilliant start. Of course he couldn't exactly just blurt out all that to his mother, at least not at breakfast.
"The Strigoi elders are," he looked for the best word as he tried to distract his brain from its current obsession with Bill, "I think eccentric is the best way to describe them, but they were very friendly. Bill fitted in perfectly; I think he may have found his niche."
The way his mother smiled at that told him they were on the same page; it wasn't as if anyone had ever tried to make Bill out to be your average teenager. Tom could admit that he wasn't either, but Bill was definitely the more out there of them both.
"Any nightmares last night?" his mother asked.
That was basically code for was Bill completely stressed out by the whole event and would they need to do some damage control over the day. Sooner or later their mother was going to have to go back to her normal schedule, but at the moment everything was being fitted in around Bill. No one could ever say that Simone was not devoted to her children.
"Only one," Tom replied, pouring himself some cereal into a bowl, "and that wasn't bad; he didn't even really wake up. Markus and Karin, she's one of the elder's bond mate, took me aside and explained what was going on in case Bill needed any reassurance during the evening. All the Strigoi there were keeping themselves open to reassure Bill, so he could feel their general intentions. On a psychic scale Bill's at the top of the curve, something else to do with the day dweller stuff, so they didn't have to work too hard, but they were being very careful with him and it seemed to work. Of course the blood in the wine might have helped to mellow him out too."
The look on Bill's face when he'd first tried the wine had been priceless.
"Blood in the wine?" his mother asked, clearly not knowing what to make of that.
"It's a vampire thing," he assured her with a grin; "something about it making the alcohol act on them in sort of the same way it does on us. Seemed to work on Bill anyway."
Their mother didn't appear to know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, however, Tom was saved from having to convince her at the sound of quiet singing coming down the hall. They both stared at each other and Tom knew they were having the same revelation. As Bill walked into the room half humming and half singing to himself, Tom couldn't help the huge smile that burst onto his face. Bill had always sung or hummed or whistled really badly; it was something that was expected, but since the abduction there had been a pained silence. Once upon a time Tom would have said he had tried every way to shut his twin up, but when it had been missing he had missed it and now it was back it made his heart swell.
"What?" Bill asked and Tom realised he was probably staring, along with his mother.
"Nothing, Sweetheart," his mother said, covering for them both, "Tom was just telling me about last night. It's nice to see you so cheerful this morning, I was a little worried it would be too much for you."
Bill smiled then, a genuine, shadow free, honest to god, happy smile and Tom was overjoyed.
"Everyone was really nice," Bill said, grabbing a bowl and cereal as he spoke. "The elders didn't look like elders at all; I think I had white robes and beards in my head, but it was more like action hero, den mother, philanthropist and fashion designer. What was really weird though is that elders don't seem to have last names. Well I'm sure they do, but everyone else was introduced as so-and-so last name, but with the elders it was just Lorrie or Graham, like Cher or Madonna."
Tom sat back and listened to Bill babble. The milk almost missed Bill's bowl because Bill was trying to gesture with his hands at the same time, but when Tom glanced over, his mother didn't seem to care any more than he did. Seeing Bill so animated was wonderful, almost as wonderful as that kiss and Tom didn't really think anything else mattered about then.
====
Bill looked at his phone and it almost seemed to glare back at him. He was in a bit of a quandary and he wasn't sure how to deal with it.
"It won't bite," Tom said, sitting down next to him on the bed.
His twin handed him a cup of tea and he took it with a mumbled thank you, but didn't look up.
"I went to call Andi," he said eventually and finally put the phone on the bed beside him, "I was going to tell him all about last night and I only realised I couldn't when I was about to dial."
Tom gave him a sad little smile and took his free hand.
"You could explain everything to him if you wanted to," Tom said in a careful tone.
He appreciated the delicacy Tom was using, but he didn't actually need it at that moment.
"I know I could," he said after a few moments, "but I'm not feeling that brave. I don't think he'll freak out, but there's that voice at the back of my mind that keeps suggesting he might and it's too loud for me to ignore it yet."
"I have a voice like that too," Tom said, clearly knowing that trying to talk him round wouldn't do any good, "mostly it sounds like you. Sometimes it stops me doing stupid things, but at others it's a pain in the arse."
Bill smiled at his twin for that.
"Yeah, I think mine sounds like you too," he said and it did at times; he had occasionally mused on the idea that the little voice really was Tom, but that was too Twilight Zone even for his crazy life at the moment.
"Andi will probably think you're even cooler than he already does when you tell him," Tom said and nudged him gently in the side.
"Andi does not think I'm cool," he said and rolled his eyes, "he thinks I'm a dork just like you do."
Tom grinned at that.
"Only sometimes," Tom replied, a humorous sparkle in his eyes, "but I beg to differ; Andi may be our best friend, but he does get the hero worship glaze in his eyes every now and then and has done ever since we first met him."
Bill just took a sip of his tea; sometimes Tom thought the oddest things.
End of Chapter 8
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