Forbidden

Perfect

"You little devil," she shrieked, lunging out of her seat.

Xandra stumbled out of the way, her hands rising above her head in exasperation. Nancy covered her mouth to hide a smile, and Luca knew better than to intervene between sibling spats. Not to mention, it was nice to see something so normal.

But normal ended abruptly when Walker shifted into a bird to escape his sister's faster legs. She came to a stuttering halt, pieces of her red hair stuck to sweaty cheeks. Shoulders sagged as she dropped into a chair, turning away from everyone.

"Van."

"Go put him to bed. We have files to go over."

Nancy followed them out of the room. "I'll help you. I've got to call Hailey, anyway."

"Van," Luca began.

"Not right now."

"Please don't shut me out." The distress in his voice shocked him. There were parts of Van he never wanted to change, but if he could make it so she never pushed him away, he would.

"Give me a minute."

The syllables were clipped and icy, striking his ears like a slap. "Fine. I have to make a phone call, but you're not doing this again."

She didn't so much as move when he stepped in the hallway. Her body curved in on itself, and her hair covered her face like a shroud. He meant what he said, but first he needed to respond to the message he'd received.

"Hey Price," he said when his brother-in-law answered the phone. "Everything okay at home?"

A moment of silence on the other end of the line. Then an oddly calm reply. "Sure thing. Mama is making roast tonight."

"Is she using the good china?" Luca asked without hesitation.

"Yes."

"Shit," he shouted, pounding his fist on the wall. The old building rattled from the force, and he pulled his hand back before he accidentally brought the ceiling down on their heads.

"The wedding set? How many guests?"

Price answered, "No. Three."

"How long are they staying?"

"Yeah, it's been good talking, man. I love catching up with you. I'll call you back later."

The call ended. Some of Luca's dread dissipated. Good china meant the Slayers were at the house, but because Price said no to the wedding set, it meant the Supreme wasn't there. That and the fact that he ended the call saying he enjoyed catching up meant the visit was likely the standard check up they received from time to time. Still, he needed to talk to Xandra about making sure his family was safe as soon as possible. Abe wouldn't hesitate to use them to flush Luca out of hiding if he discovered his connection to Tommy.

"Everything okay?" Van asked when he returned.

"For now." She nodded. "Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" she snarled, spinning around. Red rimmed her eyes, but her cheeks were dry. Like she was refusing to shed tears.

"I think you have a right to be pissed."

"I don't care wha- wait, you do?"

If she wouldn't have hit him, he might have laughed at her astonishment. Dragging a chair to just in front of her, he sat and took her hands in his. His thumbs moved in slow circles across her palms. The effect was immediate. The rigid lines in her face softened, and she leaned forward until her forehead pressed against his.

"I was afraid I was a terrible person. All I've wanted for the last few months was a miracle. To somehow have my mother and brother back, and now they're here. Alive. And I'm so mad."

Her fingers curled over his hand, stilling his movement. Nails dug into his flesh as she struggled to pull herself together, and Luca endured the pain with a willing heart. Whatever she needed in this moment to anchor herself, he would give her.

"Van, you have a right to be mad, and you and I both know after a little time and healing, you'll feel all the things you think you're supposed to be feeling right now. Give yourself a minute. You're only human."

A watery snort proceeded her reply. "Apparently not entirely."

He pushed his face closer so that their noses were brushing, and he didn't miss the hitch in her breathing. "Can I just say that may be my new favorite thing about you?"

"L-Luca."

They both lifted their heads nearly colliding, but he pulled back fast enough to save their teeth. Face red, she drew away, but he caught her chin and brought his mouth down on hers.

This was not the time and place for this. It was poor timing, physically and emotionally. Anyone could walk in on them. He could taste the tears on her lips, and the hands she slipped around his neck trembled.

But he was tired of waiting and wanting. He was tired of existing in some weird place with this girl- somewhere between friends and flirting- when his heart had crossed the line a long time ago. From the way she responded to his kiss, he hoped she was willing to follow him.

Stopping was an almost impossible feat and precisely why Luca knew he had to stop. As the space between their lips grew, his mind urged him to close the gap and deepen the kiss. To explore her with his tongue, something he'd never tried with another girl. Never wanted to, really.

Dark lashes lifted over hazed jade eyes as she watched him sit back in his seat. He worried she might think the kiss was too fast or chaste. That his inexperience was obvious, but her response washed away all insecurities.

"Wow. Why did we wait so long to do that?"

It was his turn to go red. "I remember something about you telling me to not get the wrong idea."

"That was weeks ago," she said, poking him between the ribs.

He dodged her hands, holding his up in mock surrender. "When would you have liked me to kiss you? When I was pulling you out of the river? Stalking you outside your house? Or meeting you in cemeteries?"

"Out of all those options, you kissed her in front of her mother?" Xandra said from the doorway.

"Were you there the entire time?" Van shrieked, the anger in her voice akin to normal teenage anger than the betrayed rage from earlier.

"No," Xandra said, unable to hide her delight, "just long enough to hear you two talking about it. Not to ruin the moment, but we're ready to look at the file."

They stood, but Van didn't move with the same purpose as before. She slid her arm around his waist and dropped her head against his shoulder. "Just so you know, it was perfect."