Euronymous watched as the storm clouds rolled in, thunder rumbling off in the distance. It wouldn't be long before the rain came, but he hoped they would at least be someplace dry when it did. Taking a glance out of the corner of his eye, he saw the worried expression on Vanessa's face as she stood beside him as they waited for the cab to arrive. He would have been lying if he said he wasn't slightly worried as well. Knowing what he knew about Dead, there was little room to predict how he would handle things once they got there. If by some chance he heard them out without causing much of a fuss and seeing things as they were, they would be on their way back home before tomorrow. If not, well, they would just have to cross that bridge when they got to it.
Reaching into his pocket, Euronymous pulled a pack of cigarettes out from his jacket pocket. He watched the tip glow bright orange as he lit the end, the smoke slowly rising into the sky. The nicotine did little to calm his nerves, the feeling in the pit of his stomach only growing in intensity. Reaching beside him he took hold of Vanessa's hand, to his surprise she didn't try to pull it away.
"This won't end well, wil it?" she questioned.
Euronymous took a long drag of his cigarette, feeling her head on his shoulder. "Nope."
Vanessa felt her eyes sting with fresh tears threatening to spill once more onto Euronymous's shoulder. If Dead had seen them, it would have only sent him further over the edge thinking his assumption was right, but she couldn't help the fact that she was now desperate for a friendly touch. Even if that touch was from the man who had tried so hard before to split the two of them up. He had changed, that much she saw. If he hadn't he wouldn't have helped her get here to find Dead, wouldn't have been so willing to help her plan her surprise.
A low sob escaped as she pictured, what was supposed to be, the happy look on Dead's face when they arrived in Transylvania. Euronymous had planned on having Hellhammer and Necro distract him for the day while he and Vanessa set up the small area before dark. Once the three of them came back at dark, the small ceremony would be set and she would be waiting for him at the top of the infamous Castle Dracula.
"This isn't at all what I had hoped for," she muttered too low for Euronymous to hear.
The cab pulled up to the station, the driver motioning for them to climb in. As they walked, things started to move in slow motion, her legs suddenly feeling as though cinder blocks had been tied to her ankles. Euronymous did his best to push her along, but even he seemed to be moving slower than usual. As the four climbed into the car, Vanessa clung tightly to Euronymous, hoping that she was just worrying about nothing and that Dead would be reasonable, but things so far with him had never been as easy as she hoped.
~
There was no calm before the storm. The rain fell as if someone had cut a hole into the sky, releasing it all at once. The once gray clouds had turned almost black as they covered the remaining sunlight above; nighttime had come early. The flashes of lightning illuminated the sky before the harsh clap of thunder broke the uneasy silence that filled the car. Jumping slightly from his seat, Euronymous broke out of his mind and glanced over at Vanessa. Her eyes mirrored the world outside, a storm of her own brewing deep within her eyes as tears ran down her face. He could feel her body tense up each time she came close to breaking down, the jolts that went through her causing her to shake as she swallowed her cries in an attempt to appear strong. Trying to keep herself thinking only of the positives. But there were no positives to be found anymore.
Life seemed to have a way of making things seem bleak, meaningless. Empty. Euronymous couldn't begin to count how many times he had cried since Vera's death. What reason was there for a so called "loving" God to torture his creations? Why have someone die before they even had a real chance to live? Maybe stories of Satan were just people's attempt at denying God's cruelty. Maybe there really was no Devil. Just a God who wanted his people to suffer needlessly.
Looking back out the window, Euronymous watched as the harsh winds bent the trees to a breaking point, pushing the snow through them until it seemed they were going to fall to the ground at any moment. There was no way they would be getting back home until this storm passed. It would be a miracle if they were able to even get a room in Sweden for the night if they weren't able to stay with Dead.
We don't have the fucking money for a hotel room. Dead better get his shit together by the time we get there.
Giving Vanessa's hand a small squeeze, Euronymous tried his best to silently comfort her for the remaining drive. He wanted to talk to her, tell her it would be alright in the end, but even he knew there was no point wasting his breath. There was no way to know what was going to happen and he knew better than anyone that saying things would be alright was just the human default when you couldn't come up with a better bullshit thing to say.
Her pain was all too familiar to him. There hadn't been anything that could have made Vera's death any easier on him except for time. Words of comfort only fueled the anger and hurt he had been feeling at the time. He wasn't sure why people tried to comfort someone simply by saying that they understood. No, they didn't. Maybe they had a similar experience, but they could never understand how either of them felt.
There was no part of him that wanted to understand how Vanessa felt. He didn't want to know what flooded her mind at this moment. There was not one scrap of his being that wanted to experience the pain of a misunderstanding so great that it cost him the one he loved. And if everything Vanessa had told them was true about being from another time period, it only made all the more unbearable in his mind. Giving up everything you've ever known, leaving any family and friends behind all for the sake of one person?
Maybe if it meant saving Vera I wouldn't be so closed minded about it.
It made sense to a certain degree. But the difference between Vera and Dead is that everyone in Vanessa's time knew who Dead was. Vera was just a random person in the eyes of the world. Had Mayhem been famous when she died then maybe it would have made more sense for him to come back for her. But she wasn't. Vanessa had come back specifically for Dead. What was so amazing about the annoying Swede that was worth going through all that trouble? The questions had his head hurting.
Fuck if I know. He resolved. Guess I'll never really know.
He didn't have time to question anything else by the time the cab pulled up next to the gray house that Dead often talked about. Turning to face her, Euronymous squeezed Vanessa's hand once more.
"Ready?" he questioned.
Vanessa shook her head, tears still falling. "No."
As she stepped out of the cab, Vanessa watched as the front door opened and the man she adored so much stepped out onto the worn porch, his eyes almost as red as her own.
"Get out of here," he snapped, his voice hoarse.
Vanessa shook her head. "Not until you know the truth!"
"I know everything!"
Euronymous stepped between them. "You don't know shit, Dead! Just shut up and listen to her for fuck sake!"
Storming over to where they stood, Vanessa could see more clearly the pain written on Dead's face.
"Why? Why the fuck did you bring him here?" he yelled. "It's not enough to make plans behind my back to marry this fucker but to bring him here is fucked!"
Pushing past Euronymous Vanessa made her way over to Dead, clinging to his arm. "If you just hear me out you'll know it was nothing more than a misunderstanding. I never made plans behind your back!"
"Bullshit! I fucking heard the two of you talking when I came downstairs!"
"Pelle, please it's not like that! I don't know what you heard but..."
Grabbing her wrist, Dead continued to scream. "I heard e-fucking-nough! I'm tired of being the one that always gets hurt! I'm sick of being the damn punching bag! I thought you were the one, I thought we would be together forever like we talked about! I know I'm a fucked up mess but I would never hurt you like that! I'm done!"
His finger pressed against the button on her watch. Vanessa's eyes widened as she watched him turn back towards the house completely soaked from the rain. Her heart felt as though it were literally breaking, sinking into the deepest depths of her stomach as she ran to catch up with him before he got inside the house. Dead continued to walk inside, looking back once to see her coming across the yard to the stairs.
"Pelle, please!" she cried as she got onto the porch. "It was supposed to be a surprise for you! It was meant to be our wedding!"
Stopping in his tracks Dead went to question her further, but the moment she crossed the threshold of the house, she had vanished. His heart sank as the realization hit him full force. He could faintly hear Euronymous and the other's cried out in disbelief.
"You idiot!" screamed Euronymous as he shook the vocalist. "She wasn't going to fucking marry me! She was planning a fucking trip to Transylvania for you! She was planning your goddamn wedding! You fucking moron!"
Dead sank to his knees, sobbing into his hands. "What have I done?"