Good Times - Elderbrook
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Epilogue
I stared at the arrivals gate, my excitement growing with every new hoard that exited. There were families, couples, groups of friends; such a different array of people exiting the terminal. It was warm this early evening, the last of the sun shone through the sliding doors and window behind me.
"How do you think they travelled?"
I turned to a glowing Evie with a smirk and replied, "I'm sure the girls travelled fine. It's Christian's ears after a 21-hour flight that I'm worried for."
Her dimples winked at me as she frowned. "How much do we bet they'll be arguing out of the terminal."
"Thirty."
"Deal."
Another wave of people rounded the corner of the departures exit, I held my breath but exhaled when I couldn't spot Christian. This was probably one of so few times I'd actually agreed to meet Chris at the airport instead of him turning up as a surprise. I smiled fondly at the memory of what it was like before. I could finally smile at the memory instead of flinch or turn away from them. If it wasn't for Cairo and the Steinsson's, who knew how long it would have taken for Chris and I to be together.
He was my adventure, my true love. And the years hadn't changed how much I loved him.
"There's Christian."
I shook my thoughts away and caught eyes with the mischievous man I called my partner and lover. Had we thought about marriage? Yes, I certainly had and so had Christian, he was old fashioned after all. But at no point had it been a dire need for us, especially when we had forever. We could get married next year or in the next twenty, it could be extravagant or small, on the beach of Thailand, in a church in Canada but it wouldn't matter to either of us.
I mean, he proposed. That had been in such a Christian way I quite obviously couldn't say no.
We'd been hand in hand sneaking in the rain forest of Peru – I was there for work for over a year – away from a couple of vampire's when he'd yanked me away from view, whipped a ring out of his shorts pocket and said, "Say yes to marrying me just in case they ruin the moment?"
"This shouldn't have even been a moment!" I'd stressed, nervous sweat running down the back of my neck as my heart beat a tattoo against my ribcage.
He leaned his head forward. "But...?"
"But yes, yes of course I'll marry you now shh before they hear us!"
I twisted the ring on my finger as the man approached me with a tired smile. "Hello,"
"You look exhausted," I pecked his cheek. "The girls that much trouble?"
"Well, we all know Mia doesn't travel well." He replied giving me a warm embrace then hugging Evie. "They're behind me with the luggage. I can't believe I've missed a week of Bali with everyone."
"You volunteered to get those herbs for Kate and Micah. I've missed you."
I could never get enough of the love that shone so brightly in Christian's eyes. It didn't matter how much time passed it hadn't changed from the day we shared our first I love you's. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. "I've missed you too."
Out of the corner of my eye, Evie's loving smile turned down as she looked ahead. I followed her gaze at the bickering girls – or should I say young women – hoarding along way more suitcases than they need for a two week vacation.
Anna's bright red hair sat atop her head in a messy bun but with every word she uttered, and every shake of the head, a lock or two escaped. Mia on the other hand looked absolutely exhausted, her brunette hair flicking back and forth in her ponytail. She had her fiery hazel eyes on her best friend as she snapped whatever answer Anna clearly didn't want to hear.
I looked to Christian with a smile and thought through the last twelve years. It was always crazy to me to think that the girls were two year's shy of the age their mother's and I turned. Twenty years old and already finished their second year of college and absolutely stunning. Both resembled their mother's so much but both had their father's quirks. Mia may be the peace maker as Amy was but Mia was the brains while Anna was the perfect executor.
And after years of research, Katherine finally figured out that their bodies stopped aging when their bodies biologically stop maturing which should be around now or in the next couple of years. They'd started eating less and feeding more, embracing their vampirism more than their human side, it was remarkable really.
"No, Mia I didn't forget to bring your damn bikini, stop yelling at me." Anna huffed a few feet away. "Next time, don't order it to my house and assume I'd bring it."
Amelia's nose wrinkled with frustration. "I had to, I wasn't going to be home."
"Then you should have nominated a day."
Evie met her daughter halfway and grabbed one of her bags. "What now?"
"Nothing." Anna smiled, her left dimple denting into her cheek. "Nothing at all. Missed you mom."
"Missed you too. You too Mia."
Mia hugged Christian and I before hugging Evie. "And you. Are mom and dad here?"
"Everyone's at the villa, dinners at eight so we better go and if I hear any of you arguing in the car you're walking. Chels, I want that thirty when we get back to the villa."
I rolled my eyes as we followed them out to the cars. There was never not an exciting day in Christian and my life and that was probably one of the most attractive things about the way we lived. I still had my job, although after a while I had to switch company's – you know, due to me not aging past twenty-two.
Chris joined me occasionally, but after with what happened with the Steinsson's, things in the supernatural world were only somewhat normal, or however you class normal in a supernatural community.
He pretty much kept order in order but, of course, Christian being Christian, he would round a corner and tell me he may have pissed off a group of rogue vampires or 'borrowed' a witches grimoire for Kate or traded a vile of fake blood for a contract with a werepanther. And just because I was Christian's first protégé after his siblings I was target number one, blah, blah – the same old song, just a different dance.
I lived for it, nothing would ever be as dangerous as the Steinsson's and I could gladly state that on record.
Christian laced his fingers through mine as I drove and skimmed his lips against the back of my palm. One thing I knew this man wanted in a woman was a partner in crime, I discovered that pretty early on. And if he lived this long without a life partner, there clearly wasn't a woman on this earth that would do these things with him or love him the way he wanted to be loved.
He was all mine and I was his.
We made it to the line of villas at the edge of the island. All the villas were booked by us so we had our privacy. Pam and her partner Nick. Celia and her partner Ethan plus their strapping son Jonas. John, Amy and Mia were next to ours and Callum was on the other side. Jackie and Nate were landing just before dinner so we'd see them later.
Katherine, Micah and their ten-year-old daughter were in main house with Sam and his wife, Lea – who was also a witch and introduced through Micah – and their son. Because they picked this year's destination they got the main house, then Evie, Michael and Anna were next door to them.
I'd barely put the key in the door before Christian was feathering light kisses to my neck. "Guess what day it is tomorrow?"
"Hmm, international pet day, ooo international burger day...?"
He spun me around with a light laugh. "No. It will be thirteen years to the day when I came to Cairo and you spotted me in that club, remember?"
"How could I forget? You used to stalk me."
"I still kind of do but you're getting better at knowing when I'm around." He said skimming his fingertips along the edge of my vest. "Take a shower with me."
"Is that a demand or question?" I murmured unbuckling the belt of his jeans. "Either way I'll comply."
"A demand." He dragged me closer to him and started to undress. "How much have you really missed me?"
"Too much to put into words." I exhaled softly palming a handful of his hair.
My clothes were off in seconds as he grabbed the back of my neck to connect our lips. After what felt like an eternity in the shower together, the water finally ran cold before we moved our teasing to the king-sized bed.
There was a light knock on the door an hour later. I winked at Christian and shrugged on a light summer dress before running out of our bedroom to the door. I swung the door open with a grin and came face to face with Anna dressed in a silky nude summer dress.
"Hey, Aunt Chels lets go for a walk before dinner."
I flicked an eyebrow and pursed my lips to hide my smile. "Of course." I slid into my flip flops, shutting the door behind me with a quiet click. We turned down the long walkway and made it to the dark sandy beach behind our villas. "Everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah everything's swell, I just wanted to catch up with you. I'm sorry I missed your birthday."
"Stop it, we'll be around for so many more." I cringed at the reminder of my age. "Is Stanford okay? Is Mia doing fine?"
Anna smiled at the mention of her sister. The two may argue like they're related but they'd protect each other through thick and thin. "College is fine and she's great. Her and Nina are moving into their apartment in September."
At the mention of Amelia's girlfriend, I grinned. Nina was a vampire turned a few years ago, Mia had found her struggling in Palo Alto and the two naturally fell in love. "That's wonderful, they've been together a year, right?"
"Yep, and she's happy." She replied with a heavy sigh. "Quick shot in the dark, is everybody here this time around?"
I wanted to ask more about that heavy sigh, but for now I played along. "I think so. Pam's here, I even think Constance and Erinna are coming for dinner..."
"What about Vlad?"
Ah. The million-dollar question and the reason for the jealous sigh.
I stopped walking to really look at Anna Marie Reeves. From the day she'd met Vlad at seven years old she'd had a childlike curiosity about him. She'd been young and unaware of what her crush meant or what to do with it. And now, at twenty years old, a young beautiful red headed woman completely oblivious in how to deal with her beauty, she was still head over heels infatuated with Vlad the Impaler.
I gave her a quick once over, musing how she went from an awkward gangly teenager to the slim however curvy woman in front of me. We hadn't seen Vlad in six years now. He kept in contact with me every once in a while, but he hadn't seen everyone in so long.
So, to Anna, the man hadn't seen her since she was the pubescent fourteen-year-old and if he turned up now I could imagine in her head she'd be showing him a brand new person. Vlad loved the girls to pieces, so I can only picture what the man will think when he sees her now. If he'll even think anything.
He was still the strong silent type, being a part of this family didn't change that in him. We invited him every year but all we received was his greatest apologies for not turning up.
"Still have a crush on him?" I tried to tease.
Her green eyes flashed with humour as she waved it away. "What? No, we just haven't seen him in so long. It'd be great to have him around again."
"Mmhm. And what does your father think about having him around again?"
"He'd love to see him again." The corner of her mouth twitched upward ever so quickly. Her little tell. "Misses him in fact."
"Now you're just flat out lying." I laughed looping my arm through hers. "I invited Vlad as I do every year, so it's up to him if he comes. I haven't heard from him since last month. You by any chance told your mom?"
"Told mom what? We should get to dinner before we're late, wouldn't want Jackie or Celia to yell at us. Mom said they cooked." She deflected pulling me toward the direction of the main house. I laughed quietly to myself as we joined the family by the dinner table.
Anna disappeared to help Jackie set the table while I went into the house to help Celia. I caught sight of Katherine through the den with her daughter, Sofia. Ten years ago, after giving birth to Sofia, Kate had mastered her grandmother's anti-aging spell. Both her and Micah still looked youthful and still acted like they were in their early twenties.
Constance and Erinna sauntered in, in their overt summer like clothing with a crate of wine. Those two were as much a part of the family as everyone else now, and from the way they acted they needed family in their long lives.
By eight, everyone had arrived, the table was set and the conversation was flowing easily. Most of us lived in or around Vancouver so we were never fully apart for too long. It came time for the three of us to slowly stop seeing our families.
It was hardest on Evie saying goodbye to her brother and Amy with her sister and father. But after a few years, we couldn't see them anymore without them growing suspicious. It was like mourning them before they'd died. We took turns over three years saying goodbye to our families and we were with each other through every painful step.
It was expected, but we worked through it together.
I looked around the dinner table at our dysfunctional new family and at the second generation: Jonas and Amelia laughing in the corner, Anna cutting up the steak for Sofia, and Sam and Lea's twelve-year-old, Paul, pushing his vegetables to the edge of his plate. We were lucky to have a second generation to the family and as I caught eyes with Evie and Amy, I knew they were thinking the same.
We shared a smile only we would understand. We'd all been through so much together and it was a miracle every single one of us were here at this table over twenty years later.
My gaze moved to the man I adored, his smile as he listened to his sister tell a story warming the bottom of heart.
I pressed my lips to his cheek and whispered, "I love you."
"I worship you." He replied with a wink.
And just as we all finished dinner and started on the dessert wine, I caught sight of someone walking toward us. I pursed my lips to hide my smile as Vlad came into view. My attention went to Anna as she spotted him, her cheeks warming from the neck upward.
"Sorry I'm late." Vlad shared one of his rare smiles with the group. He still resembled the day I met him, dark, ruggedly handsome with a million and one secrets behind his eyes. Everyone stood to embrace him, Mia being one of the first. I could see the surprise in his eyes at how much she'd grown; he even commented on it. Wait until he gets a load of Anna.
Anna was the last to greet him. The blush she had when he'd come over had passed; she was the perfect picture of cool, calm and collected. I hugged and pecked him on the cheek before passing him onto her.
He gave nothing away as he shone another rare smile at Anna before giving her a hug. "How're you?"
"Fantastic." She mumbled wrapping one arm over his shoulders and the other around his waist. He did the same, his hand placement calculated, lingering on the small of her back.
When he released her, and sat a few seats away, I had to hide yet another smile when Anna turned away to talk to Jonas and Vlad's eyes wandered very quickly over to her. As I said, he knew how to hide his emotions, never a crack in his persona. But I caught the curiosity knit his eyebrows and flash very quickly over his eyes.
Beside me, I noticed Evie look at her daughter and then Vlad, then me with a defeated roll of the eyes. "Hell." She said.
I couldn't hold my laugh in now. Hell, was right.
Now that would be an interesting story.
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**THE END.... OR IS IT?
I may have taken several years to finish this story but I'm still sad to see it go. This series has been my babbyyyyyyyyy and I fell in love with every single character. Say your goodbyes gang. This is the end of the first generation....
But maybe not the second generation?
Hope you enjoyed this!! Pop your comment down the bottom.
Love you all!
***ANNA & VLADS STORY - DARK ATTRACTION - Currently on HOLD 2023