Blood Moon [a Twilight Saga FanFiction]

Burning Blood

THE DAY AFTER IGOR'S PROPOSAL, he showed me off to London more than he ever had before. He'd pull aside men and women he knew from London and introduce me as his bride-to-be, and for the most part, I was flattered. The other part of the time, I felt judged or shunned or accused, especially by the men who'd shoot those looks at me after Igor's announcement, all I assumed were men who had used me or bought me for their own desires.
     And the last place to show me off was the Church. Father Cullen was off to do some healing thing for someone in the city, but Carlisle and Elling were home and they were all that I cared about.
     After the news was announced, Elling immediately started screaming, and crying, and pulled me away from the men to start discussing the planning aspect of things.
     I kept looking over my shoulder to the boys, Carlisle looked very concerned and a little annoyed, and that worried me, so I stopped Elling in the middle of discussing some sort of floral arrangement, and approached the men.
     "Carlisle, I have told you," Igor whispered. "I remember your horror stories. I will not harm Elizabeth in any way."
     "Woman can be very persuasive," Carlisle whispered. I had heard him say this before.
     "As you keep reminding me," Igor snarled before looking up to me with a friendly smile.
     "Are you two discussing me again?" I asked looking between the men.
     "It is nothing to worry about, Miss Elizabeth," Igor said putting an arm around my waist.
     "I'm going to make the best tea in celebration of this news!" Elling gushed before she left.
     "Your brother is just very protective of you," Igor finished.
     "He doesn't have to be," I added, looking to Carlisle.
     "Our age worries me, that is all," Carlisle whispered.
     "Our age, Carlisle?" I asked with a chuckle. "I assure you that-"
     "Father dies this year," Carlisle announced suddenly. Wait... that's this seasonal rotation? "He's taken by a vampire and you find his body," he added with a nod to me. "You try to get help but when you return, no body was found. The year after, it is us."
     "At least we know the vampire this time," I stated.
     "And the vampire population has more than halved since Alfred agreed that the lapse of control is what will cause the Volturi mistrust in larger covens," Igor added. "So there may not be a London fire this time around."
     "Oh don't get him started, Igor, he'll start talking about killing butterflies leading to the end of the world," I laughed and began walking away.
     "I thought you didn't believe in the butterfly effect, Carlisle?" Igor asked.
     "He doesn't."
     Carlisle sighed and joined us in seating. We stayed with Elling and Carlisle for food before we continued on with Igor's prideful journey. I wasn't sure if he was just excited to show me off, or he was...
     Actually, yes, he was very prideful. It was starting to give him a big head.
     We went to the home of another church, one not as popular or as big as my Fathers, but it was still the same religion, so it was suitable. Father Azelf greeted us with such gentle welcome that it was hard to believe he was the same profession as my father...
     And probably the only man in London in his age group that hadn't touched me in any way shape or form.
     Father Azelf agreed to marry us with minimal guests, and we returned to our cottage as the walk through London was a relatively long one.
     The next morning, London had a dark air to it... a very dark air. It wasn't just the dark, threatening clouds hovering above the city, the city itself seemed to have its own, black, invisible field around it that just radiated darkness, fear, and all sorts of negative emotions.
     Igor took me into London but only so I was actually in town, he had a job to do with humans so I got to wander alone through the eery London.
     I, at one point, found myself in front of the saloon, with Igor's gold heavy in my pockets, part of me wanted to go in for a drink, or at least some saloon food, but I didn't want to be abused again so I kept walking.
     I wasn't sure why my feet stopped in front of my alley, my home for the first eighteen full rotations of the seasons. The alley itself, looked cold, like the darkness that had shrowded London, its centre was this alley.
     I looked down into the alley, only with the clouds it was too dark, lanterns were still lit in the streets just so people could see properly.
     Part of me wondered what the alley looked like now, it had been so long since it was my home, so ignoring all the warning signs, the cold shivers from the alley, the hairs standing up on the back of my neck, my gut screaming at me to walk away and not look back... I walked in.
     At first, I saw the feet, well, shoes just laying there, as if someone had collapsed behind the saloon. I thought the man must have been dead, but the feet were moving.
     Too afraid to call out as the realisation of exactly where I was and what had happened to me here in my past was sinking in, I continued to creep forward silently.
     Before I could fully come around the corner and see what had happened or who I had found, suddenly there was a man in front of me. Alfred stood in front of me, I refused to scream as he so suddenly appeared out of air. His white beard was stained with was almost looked like fresh blood, his eyes were black.
     "Run," he hissed. "Child, run."
     "Who have you killed?" I asked.
...
     Hadn't Carlisle said the day before that I would find Father's body?
     Regrettably, I looked at the body behind the bin.
     Father laid in the filth and the dirt, a huge, bloody bite over his neck, clothes were torn.
     His grey eyes staring crazed at me.
     "Kill me!" Father screamed reaching out for me. "Kill me!"
     "Shut up," Alfred hissed and kicked Father in the jaw and throat, silencing him. Alfred looked back at me. "Run," he growled violently.
     I did.
     I knew from Carlise's warning the night before that there would be no point asking people for help, by the time we got back, Alfred would have taken Father's body away, probably into the sewers or into the trees where no one could hear him scream for death.
     He asked me to kill him...
     He asked me to kill him...
     My knees caved under me in the park and I cried heavily.
     It was then that the skies opened, crying with me.
     "Elizabeth?"
     The familiar voice didn't quite resonate with me as I cried for my father.
     Someone started pulling me to my feet, strong, sturdy, heavy hands.
     "Let's get her to the church," another voice, a closer one, male, said. "Come on, Elizabeth, come with us."
     I shook my head and my knees gave away again.
     "Come on, Elizabeth, please," the male voice said again. "You'll catch your death in this rain."
     "He's dead, he's... he..."
     "What?"
     I shook my head again and cried in the rain.
     Then I heard the only voice that could puncture my fear, pain, anger, and grief.
     "Elizabeth!" Igor called out. "Elizabeth!"
     I felt his cold hands, burning colder than ice in the rain, around my shoulders and my legs as he scooped me up.
     "The church is near," the man from before said. I recognised it now Igor was here, it was  Johnathon... the man who was raising my baby boy. Did that mean Laurel was there, too? Was the baby?
     Igor began running through the rain, I held onto him, as he ran.
     "It happened," I muttered into his shirt, knowing Johnathon and Laurel wouldn't hear me over the rain, but Igor would. "What Carlisle said, it happened."
     Johnathon pushed open the door and Igor must have let Laurel and the baby run in before he did carrying me.
     "Goodness me!" Elling gasped.
     "Elling, help me get the fire going!" Carlisle ordered and both he and Elling rushed.
     Carlisle first checked on Laurel and the baby.
     "Keep him near the fire," I heard Carlisle recommend, Laurel nodded and scooted closer to the flames. Johnathon stayed with them.
     Elling grabbed all sorts of blankets and sheets while Carlisle approached Igor and me.
     "Igor, you'll need to let her go for her to warm up," Carlisle instructed.
     "It happened," I whispered, looking up at Carlisle, from Igor's arms. "I saw him."
     "Saw who?" Johnathon asked.
     "Already?" Carlisle whispered.
     "They got him," I whimpered. "The vampires got Father."
     I heard the shattering of glass, we all looked over and saw Elling with shattered glass at her feet, she had gone a few shades lighter.
     "Look after the women, Carlisle," Igor said, practically handing me over to Carlisle. "I'm goin-"
     "I'm going with you," Johnathon stood and took a step towards Igor.
     "It's not safe-"
     "I was supposed to be on Father Cullen's hunting party last night but our baby, Igor, was fussing so I had to stay. I'm coming."
     Igor sighed.
     "Very well, we need to hurry. If the theories of vampires are true, it will be very dangerous on the streets of London right now," Igor emphasised. "There's no sun in the sky to protect us, it will be very dangerous."
     "I'm coming," Johnathon snarled. "Do not talk me out of it."
     "Be safe," Laurel whimpered.
     Johnathon kissed Laurel as Igor looked down to me. I could tell immediately he was hoping he wouldn't have to pretend today, but it looked as if it would be inevitable. Though, I knew Igor would be able to find a way to lose him.
     "Where did you find your father?"
     "In my old alley," I whimpered.
     "Where-"
     "I know where. Come on," Johnathon ushered.
     "Of course, you do," Igor muttered
     "Do not talk like that. You're the one who proposed wedlock to a former whore," Johnathon was heard saying before they were out of hearing range.
     "Come closer to the fire, Elizabeth, warm yourself," Carlisle said softly. "I'll put some water on. Elling?"
     I turned and saw that Elling hadn't moved since she dropped the glasses.
     "Put the water on, Carlisle. Elizabeth? Can you hold Igor?"

     I'll hold my Igor when he gets back. I thought but took the squirming, crying small child anyway.
     "I'll clean up the glass, Carlisle," Laurel stood and walked away.
     I watched the baby fuss and squirm in my lap, I didn't really have the energy or strength to do anything other than keeping the baby away from the warm flames, which he didn't like at all. I suppose, getting a little burn would teach him the dangers of fire...
     But I had already witnessed one Igor burn, I couldn't let another. Wouldn't, let another.
     Laurel cleaned up the broken glass around Elling, and when Laurel was finished, Elling finally moved, rather stiffly, down to her basement. Carlisle joined Laurel and I with tea and we began drinking the warm drink beside the fire.
     "Are you alright, Elizabeth?" Carlisle asked.
     "He was still alive," I muttered. "Still alive enough, to ask me to kill him. To look me directly in the eye, and plead for death."
     "Did you?" Laurel asked.
     "I... I couldn't. I... um... I think there was one still there, a vampire I mean," I sort of white lied. Didn't give the whole truth away. "I only looked up from Father a little bit but I swore I saw the vivid, bright, red eyes just staring at me. So I ran. I... I just ran."
     Carlisle pulled me into his arms as Igor had and started to rock me slowly, his head on mine.
     "I would have run, also," Laurel admitted. "It sounds as if you are very lucky to have survived."
     "Very," Carlisle whispered.
     I'd have to tell Carlisle another time that Alfred had had no intention of hurting me in the alley, he had in fact, instructed me to run, and I had.
     So like that, drinking tea, we all waited patiently for Igor and Johnathon's return. There was also worry, for the vampires really did have nothing holding them back from roaming the streets of London without the sun...
     I just hoped Igor and Alfred had warned them enough.