Chapter 57. Me by Plumb
Hannah and Malachi brought up the rear of the group as they left the church. They looked like any group of friends out for the night, the camaraderie amongst them growing. Hannah glanced at Malachi with new eyes. She had not expected him to be so interested in helping her and Jean prepare the sanctuary. He had seemed genuinely happy for the new couple. Of all the Guardians, if she had been asked to pick, after Emil, she would have been most frightened of Malachi. Walking side by side down the brightly lit Washington Street toward Evan's home, Hannah studied him more closely. She wouldn't have characterized him right away as handsome. His appeal came with knowing him. He had plain brown hair, a straight nose, nondescript Germanic features and brown eyes. His lips were a little thin for her taste, but when he smiled, it brought out a dimple in his otherwise smooth face. He was average height and build, not overly imposing to look at. Something had changed tonight for her though. Seeing how he had put careful touches into helping arrange the decorations in the sanctuary and how he had whole-heartedly supported Emil and Evan's union as well as their dedication to Nathan, Hannah felt that he now held an allure she had never been drawn to in her entire existence.
"Thank you for helping tonight. I know Jean didn't expect it, and I was surprised, too. You really have a knack for planning," Hannah began.
"It's something I'm good at. Battle strategy, wedding planning...what is the difference?" he retorted with the dimpled grin she had so recently noticed.
Hannah laughed at the rare attempt at a joke and nodded. "No kidding! Except how often does this happen? Have you ever seen a vampire wedding before?"
"No. Never. That's why I wanted to help. I think it is noble and honorable. I respect how Emil continues to try to maintain some morals, despite what most of our kind believe," Malachi answered, not hiding his disdain.
"Yes, he's a rare one," Hannah conceded, glancing to the couple in the midst of the group. Emil was all smiles, one arm around his bride and the other around his 'son'. She continued in silence next to Malachi as the group turned north on Arsenal, headed toward Benton Park.
Hawk and Tourneau led the group down the more dimly lit side streets, past more turn of the century brick row houses and businesses. The area was in a recovery period, but still showed signs of wear and urban decay. Flanking Emil, Evan and Nathan, were Xavier and Aiden. It seemed the group moved as a huddle, but Hannah realized they were moving in formation, protecting the leader and his family.
Tourneau walked ahead in silence, keeping an alert eye out for enemies and troublemakers. Human assailants would be no match for the group, but of all nights, he did not want any trouble tonight. He'd been trying to get Hawk to open up a little more about his past, but respected the distance the other man needed. Hawk had been doing better than Tourneau thought he would after their private encounter. Hawk had still been sending curious and heated looks his way, so Tourneau figured there had been no harm done.
Hawk on the other hand was caught in a whirlwind of emotions, sure he was showing the world his feelings. Hawk was still on the alert, ever professional. Tourneau and he had been spending a great deal of time in conversation, mostly superficial things that strangers would discuss when they were forced to spend a large amount of time together. The thought of the others in the group knowing how he felt about Tourneau had become less frightening as he'd gotten to know them better. His concern about being judged was unfounded; Emil had even been kind. Hawk had gone out on a limb after the wedding, realizing that Tourneau did not have his own apartment, and invited him to stay in his apartment for now. Almost more surprising, Jean had accepted the invitation graciously, with no lewd comments. Hawk was still having trouble sorting through his feelings, frustrated and embarrassed, but also relieved and excited.
Even though Evan knew the friends around her would keep her safe and that Matt Thomas was dead now, she began to feel anxious as they made their way closer to her home. The baby inside her seemed to sense her feelings, and the constant tiny drumbeat in her ears sped its pace. She kept telling herself she was stronger now, that she could not be hurt so easily by those who had hurt her in the past. She thought it was silly to be so concerned with what was now in the past, but the events that occurred the night Matt Thomas attacked her were still fresh in her mind. Her mind still belonged to the fragile human she had been, not to the powerful vampire she now was. No matter that she was now almost invincible, that she had more strength, speed and agility than she could have imagined. These things did not matter to the woman who had been alone most of her life and who was still in a state of denial of the wondrous events she had experienced so suddenly. Everything had progressed so quickly and Evan was at a loss as to what to do or think.
She stood nearer to Emil when they approached the steps leading from the sidewalk to her home. There was still yellow police tape around the front porch, but otherwise all was the same as it had been. The empty planters flanking the front door were still empty. The porch light she always left on was still burning. A nondescript moving van sat in front of her home, she supposed rented by Emil to put her things in, despite his earlier teasing that they would come back later. Mounting the uneven concrete steps, she could now smell an acrid decaying odor that was different than what she expected. Blood. Old blood. Evan heard Emil curse softly under his breath.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"O'Reilly assured me this would be cleaned up before I brought you back here. I didn't want you to see your home like this," he answered, agitated it seemed.
A thought crossed Evan's mind. "They can't clean it up until the investigation is done. They can't finish the investigation until they talk to me. What are they going to think is going on? I can't talk to them now. If they saw me, they would know something is going on. The injuries I had would have a normal human down for several weeks, and the bruising on my face..."
"I know Evan. I talked to O'Reilly. He agreed to do a telephone interview with you. Said he thought that would probably be good enough, since Matt Thomas is dead already," Emil said coldly.
"What are they going to do about that, Emil?" Evan asked, worried for the first time that he might have trouble with human authorities.
"He said he would work it out. There is enough to deal with in this city without having to waste time on a rapist," Emil replied nonchalantly.
Evan raised her eyebrows. She did not think it would be as easy as that, but she too had other things to worry about. She surprised herself by not really feeling sorry that Matt Thomas was dead. Usually she was a very forgiving person, but that had all changed when he attacked her. Steeling herself for the inevitable, she said, "Are we going in or what? I don't need to get much."
"Are you sure? It's going to be a mess, Evan. You have no idea how much blood there is," Emil said to her, remembering the horrid sight he had encountered not so many days ago.
"Let's just get it over with. I think I'll be fine. I need to accept this and move on. I'm tired of being afraid," Evan answered stoically.
She led the way up the porch, not failing to notice the surprised glances some of the others shot to Emil. He hurried past her to the front door, stopping her from going inside.
"Evan, I don't want you to feel like you have to do this. You can just tell us what you need and we can go get it for you," he said softly.
Just as softly, she replied, "This is my home. I have to see if I can do this...if I ever want to come here again."
"Your home is with me," Emil whispered.
"I know that, but this is also your home, too. I've actually been able to imagine being here with our daughter. Can you see how rich a history that would be for her?" Evan asked him. The play of emotions that flitted across Emil's face was priceless to Evan. More than ever, she wanted to get over this hurdle in order to move forward with this man...vampire...who she loved. Who she was married to.
Emil pulled Evan into a tight embrace, which she returned just as fervently. He quickly let her go and called the others to the porch, as they had waited politely on the sidewalk. "We had better get in and out before the neighbors call the police."
Sliding a loose brick out next to the right porch pillar, Evan pulled out a key and opened the door. In response to Emil's surprised look she said, "What? I have to keep a spare around in case I lock myself out. I haven't had anyone to call to come to my rescue if I lose my keys."
He gave a small laugh and asked, "Does that happen often?"
Defensively, Evan replied, "Once or twice."
She pushed open the heavy door, thrilled that it was not hard as it had been last week. She felt Emil hovering close to her right shoulder as she went into the entryway. She was not prepared for the sight that met her. The congealed and dried pool of black blood stood at the bottom of the stairs, and macabre finger painting decorated the stairs, banister and floor. Despite not needing to breathe, Evan's respiratory rate became fast and erratic. She followed the trail of blood into her living room to where it disappeared from sight into her kitchen.
"Quit breathing, Evan," Emil whispered as he came to stand in front of her, blocking the sight from her eyes. "The smell is less that way."
Evan focused on his mesmerizing black eyes. He held her gaze, concern etched on his face. Evan shook her head and tried to push past him. "I can do this."
He pulled her up sharp as she tried to walk past him into the living room. "Evan, sweetheart, let's just go get your things from upstairs. Anything downstairs can wait until this is properly cleaned."
Evan thought to fight him for a moment, but knew he was only trying to keep her from seeing too much. Her breath hitched as she fought back tears. She swore to herself she would not cry. Despite the horrific way she had been attacked, ultimately it had led to where she was now. Drawing up to her full height, she relaxed the best she could and reached for Emil's hand. Looking past him to the others she said, "I will just get what I need. If you could help me, it will make it quicker. Jean, could you get the picture frame and the family Bible from the living room? They are the only things I want to take. Be careful, the frame is silver."
Tourneau stepped inside the door, saying, "That's what we are here for, cherie."
Evan smiled her gratitude. Pulling Emil up with her, she made a conscious effort to ignore the sight visible on the other side of the stair railing. The large group made short work of hauling clothes and the trunks from the attic to the truck. Despite her hopes to bring her daughter to this place, Evan knew that now was not the time. She wanted to go through the trunks, remembering the delicate baby clothes Emil's mother had so lovingly made for grandchildren he never was able to give her.