The moon sat high in the sky, sheltered by clouds. Vivian sat in her home, body curled up with a book in her lap. It was Friday night, and that would usually mean her and her friends would go out to the bar and get some drinks after a long work week, but Vivian wasn't feeling up for it. She decided to stay back while Ophelia and Elias went out. It took some convincing, but she managed to send her friends out and stay behind.

Only, she hadn't been reading much of her book and instead took to watching the clouds move slowly over the moon, a crescent in the sky. Her mind kept going back to one thing, one person. Kit. How quickly the man came into her life and changed everything she once thought she knew. He had brought so much to the light that Vivian would have never known about on her own. And were there others? Other creatures besides just vampires? Vivian wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer to that.

She shook the thoughts from her head and tried to refocus on her book, but the more she read, the more the words melted together and nothing made sense. She found herself reading the same paragraph over and over, and finally gave up on reading entirely. With no distraction her mind swiftly flowed back to Kit.

He was an interesting person to say the least, reliable as far as she could tell, and very kind. Not to mention he was also very attractive. And he was a vampire, a vampire. Kit was a vampire, and that one thought rattled her every time she thought about it. A vampire. Living in Lake Ashton. And there were more of them? She wondered how long he had been a vampire, if he was born a vampire or if he was turned like in all those movies and books. How accurate even were the movies and books? Could she find out?

Grabbing a blanket, Vivian wrapped herself up and headed for the back door. Sliding it open, she stood on their back patio and looked up into the sky. "Kit?" She called out into the darkness, feeling a little ridiculous. How could he possibly hear her? Kit was probably on the other side of town fighting rabids. He would be way too busy to come pay her a visit. "Kit?" She called a little louder, but only the silence of the night greeted her.

Feeling defeated, Vivian pulled the blanket tighter around her and began making her way inside.

"Everything okay?"

Vivian whipped around, almost slipping as she came face to face with Kit. "You came." She whispered, not fully aware that her mouth was moving. He looked just as beautiful as he always did, black hair piled into a bun atop his head. Gods, Vivian could not be attracted to a vampire.

"Of course I did." He stated, matter of fact. Kit even looked a little confused. "You called for me."

Vivian was stunned silent. Never in her life had she ever experienced something like this. It wasn't like Vivian really relied on anyone, she had learned from a young age that the only person she could rely on was herself. She had never called out for anyone's help, and she never expected anyone to respond. Yet here Kit was, standing in front of her, hands in pockets as his crimson eyes watched her. All because she called his name.

"Is everything okay?" He asked again, standing still.

Vivian nodded, still unsure of what to say. Why did she bring him here? Why did she ask for this? "I'm sorry, I wasn't actually expecting you to show up."

"Why would I not?" His head tilted to the side with the question. Gods, could he not look so cute?

The woman couldn't come up with an answer. So she shook her head, mouth parted slightly. "I thought you would be too busy."

"If you need me Vivian, I am here." Kit said, his tone so soft. "I cannot promise I will always be, but I will try."

Vivian nodded, feeling breathless. She could feel the way red crawled up her neck and over her face, hoping that the darkness of the night would hide her embarrassment. A hand moved to her necklace, playing with it. "I... I just wanted to talk. If you're too busy-."

"Would you want to go inside? I know it is cold out here." Kit cut her off, his voice still soft. "Or do you prefer being outside?"

"No, no we should go inside." Vivian said quickly, turning toward the sliding door and leading Kit to it. "Come on."

Back inside the house, it was much warmer, Vivian discarding the blanket and sitting down on the couch. Kit looked lost as he stood in her living room, eyes wandering between all the different seats. Vivian patted the couch next to her. "Take a seat."

Kit was hesitant, but eventually took the seat next to her, making himself as small as possible. Which seemed to be a huge feat for him, considering how tall he was. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Are there other creatures besides vampires?" The question came out of her before she could think, leaning closer to Kit in her curiosity.

"Yes." Kit replied, but that was it.

"Like...?"

"Anything you can think of."

Vivian blinked a few times at that, eyebrows knitting together. "Anything?"

Kit only responded with a soft hum and a nod of his head.

"So mermaids and fairies?"

"Real."

"Seriously?" A sense of thrill shot through her system at his answer, feeling like a child. "What- what are they like?"

"Pretty similar to the fairytales." Kit said, leaning back on the couch and actually letting his back touch it. "There is no Atlantis or underwater kingdom, but mermaids do live in groups. There are much more like fish than humans, nothing like how most media depict mermaids."

"And what about fairies?" Vivian asked, feeling giddy.

"They are tiny tricksters. They have a much easier time hiding from humans, and therefore like to mess with humans."

"How so?"

"Have you ever lost a sock to the laundry, or your keys were not where you left them?" Kit asked, and it was like he could see the connection being made by her expression. "Fairies."

"Fairies." Vivian repeated, breathless. "What else?"

"Werewolves are real."

"Like Twilight werewolves?"

Kit looked at her, a little lost. "Twilight werewolves?"

"Have you never seen Twilight before? It's literally about vampires!"

Kit shook his head. "Is it a movie? I have not really kept up with movies in my lifetime. Back when they were first being released I was interested, but I have not seen anything recently."

The words worked in her brain for a moment before it clicked. "Wait, back when they were first released? Like as in the 1800's?"

Kit looked to her, as if assessing how he should respond. "Yes."

Vivian just blinked a few times before leaning closer. "How old are you?"

"What?" Kit visibly flinched, moving away from Vivian.

"Is that rude to ask a vampire?" She said, also moving away from Kit, giving him more space. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude!"

"No, that is not it." Kit waved her words away, messing with his hands as he looked around the room. "It... it just is not something I talk about a lot."

"Why not?" Vivian tilts her head, chest tightening as she felt like they were going into uncharted territory.

"It is strange to know how long I have been alive. It feels... wrong to have lived for this long." Kit replies, looking down to his lap.

"Were you born a vampire?"

Kit shook his head, but did not look up. "No, I was born a human like yourself."

"So you were turned?"

That was when Kit looked up at her, meeting her gaze. "Yes, I was."

"How does that work?" Vivian settled into the couch, curling her legs up onto it and facing Kit. When he gave her a look, she said, "Turning into a vampire. How does that work?"

"It is complicated and long." He said, looking away from her. "Something I would never recommend."

"Why not?"

"One has to die to become a vampire."

"Oh." Vivian breathed out, feeling like she shouldn't have asked in the first place. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"There is no need to apologize." Kit responded, finally looking back over to Vivian. "It happened a long time ago."

"How long ago?" Vivian pressed her luck.

Kit gave her a look, as if annoyed she was asking the question. She was about to apologize, take the words back, but then the vampire spoke. "I was turned during the 1600's, a little after I turned twenty nine."

Vivian just sat there and stared at him. His words played over and over in her head, but she couldn't make sense of them. "C-can you say that again? I think I misheard you."

"Which part? The one where I was turned in the 1600's or the fact I was twenty nine?" Kit asks, looking like he was ashamed of himself.

"Holy shit." Vivian breathed out, looking at the man in front of her that didn't look a day over thirty. "You- you're fucking old!"

"Thanks." Kit said, sarcasm lacing the word. He turned away from her, crossing his arms.

"I-I'm sorry!" Vivian quickly apologized, putting one hand on his knee. "I didn't mean to say that! I'm just... surprised."

Kit looked at her with wide crimson eyes, almost like he was the one that was surprised. Vivian didn't even process the fact she put her hand on his knee. "It was a reaction I was expecting."

The woman just continued to look at him, trying to do the math in her head. "So you're like... what, four hundred or something?" She asked, sitting back, her hand slipping from his knee.

The vampire just nodded, sitting stiff as a board. "Something like that. The years have blended together so I cannot be sure."

Vivian sat there, just staring at the man with her mouth slightly ajar. His words processed in her mind, slowly at first then it hit her all at once. "How the hell have you been alive for that long?"

Shrugged his shoulders, Kit waved a hand over himself. "Vampire."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"So you're immortal?"

Kit tilts his head to one side and then the other, as if thinking. "Kind of? I think of it more as a category of undead."

"But you can be killed, right?" Vivians voice softened at the last word.

Meeting her gaze, the vampire's eyes shifted between her two. "Yes."

Vivian made a humming noise, her mind chewing on all this new information. It made sense, it was all a part of the vampire lore she already knew from the media, but she didn't know what was accurate or not. There were still so many questions she wanted to ask, but none of them fully formed in her mind. They overcrowded one another, making her head buzz. Dropping her head into her hands, she let out a frustrated breath.

"Are you okay?" Kit's voice asked, soft and concerned.

Vivian looked up to him between her fingers. "You're seriously a four hundred year old vampire." She spoke, the words not a question. "Like... you've been around for four hundred years."

The man nodded, but didn't say anything. It was like he was giving her room to process, which she appreciated. Her hand went to her necklace, playing with the pendant. Vivian noticed the way crimson eyes followed the movement, his eyes narrowing.

"What?" Vivian asked, seeing confusion clear on the man's face.

"Your necklace... it looks familiar." Kit says, the tone of his words hesitant. "May I have a closer look at it?"

"My necklace?" Vivian puts a hand over it, feeling protective for a moment. But it passes as she looks at Kit, a patient and soft expression on his face. When did his presence become so comforting? "I... yeah I guess." Dipping her head down, she lets her hair fall around her shoulders, giving her access to the clasp. "I never really take it off." As she undoes the clasp, there's this hollow feeling that erupts in her stomach, making her feel sick for a moment. Vivian pauses, unsure of what caused it. Pulling the necklace off of her, she clasps it back together and holds it out for Kit. "Here."

Only the man doesn't take it, and when Vivian finally looked at his face, she froze. Eyes filled with black and crimson look back at her, wide and terrifying. Fangs grew out from his mouth, pushing the skin aside to make room for the large canines. The woman flinched back, clutching the necklace in her hand. There were only a couple of times she had seen Kit like this, and it always unnerved her.

"Kit?" Vivian breathed out, keeping very still. She felt like prey beneath his gaze, small and helpless.

The vampire moved his mouth to speak, but only a harsh breath escaped from him. Tears wet the vampire's eyes, but didn't fall. She had never seen him like this before, he looked like he was in so much pain. Vivian wanted to help him, to ease his pain, and so she reached out for him.

"Do not." Kit rasped out, it almost sounded like he was suffocating. Vivian instantly froze at his words, the harshness of them making her chest tighten.

"What's going on?" She asked, her hand hovering between them.

"You... aether." The man rasped out again, as if speaking were hard for him.

Vivian only shook her head, not understanding the meaning of the words coming from his mouth.

Before she could question him, the window behind them shattered with a loud sound. Glass rained down over them, forcing Vivian to cover herself, feeling tiny shards of glass cut into her arms. Hands grabbed her, throwing her from the couch. Her body smashed into the coffee table in front of the couch, knocking the thing over from force at the same time as the breath was knocked from her lungs.

Everything spun and her vision went blurry for a moment, Vivian having no time to process anything before a figure was over her. Hands held her body to the ground, and right as her eyes focused, Vivian looked up into the red eyes of a vampire.

Panic surged through her system as her hands flew up and pressed against the descending vampire, stopping them from chomping down on her neck. When she could finally draw in a breath, she screamed. "Kit!" The woman yelled, feeling her arms shake under the force of the vampire. "Kit, help!"

The creature above her grabbed her arms that were locked in place and forced them to the ground. Fear shot through her hot like adrenaline. Before she had time to suck in another breath, the vampire descended and bit into her shoulder. Vivian gasped as pain spun out from the spot, her body screaming at her with the feeling. But then warmth flowed through her system, dulling her senses and making the pain go away. It was almost relaxing.

But then the vampire above her was pulled off of her, the weight from her body gone. She laid there, completely still and mind hazed. Everything began buzzing, as if she were going numb. Tears streamed down from her eyes and fell to the floor, focus going in and out as eyes stared at the ceiling above.

A figure appeared before her, standing tall and looking down at her with piercing crimson eyes. Panic radiated through her, shaking her to the core as she looked up and met the crimson hues. Kit. The realization hit her, and the panic subsided. "Kit." She breathed , trying to reach a hand up towards him, but pain shot from her shoulder and down her arm, causing it to tremble.

The vampire stood completely still, eyes locked on hers as they both breathed. There was something in the way he looked at her, something animalistic that made her stomach turn. When he knelt down beside her, Vivian felt herself try to scoot away, but it was useless. She couldn't move her body.

"Shit." Kit said as his hands went above her, hovering as if she were fragile and he didn't want to break her. "We- we need to get you to Viktor." The man stumbled over his words, looking around the room for something. She watched him get up and move somewhere in her apartment, before returning with a tea towel. "I-I need to stop the bleeding."

"I got... bit." Vivian said, almost confused. That was what happened right? Her memory was going foggy and she couldn't really remember what happened. She was talking to Kit and then her body was on the ground. "W-What... what happened?"

"A rabid broke in. It- it attacked you." Kit spoke in short, panicked sentences as he pressed the tea towel to her shoulder. Was she bleeding? "We need to get you to Viktor." He said again, taking one of her hands and pressing it to the tea towel. "Can you hold this?"

Vivian nodded, pressing the towel to her shoulder. "W-Was I bit?"

A moment passed, Kit moving his arms to pick her up from the ground. "Yes." He finally said as he lifted her. "I need you to stay awake."

Her consciousness felt weak and like it was slipping away from her fingers, like she couldn't hold onto it much longer. But still, she nodded, feeling weightless in Kit's arm. "I will."

✩

"My necklace?" Vivian asks, the pendant held in her hand. Kit couldn't help but look at it, feeling a sort of familiarity with it. "I... yeah I guess." Tilting her head down, all her hair fell from her shoulders and around her face, Kit watching as she unclasped the necklace. "I never really take it off."

A sudden burst of energy hit him like a truck, filling his senses and shaking him to the core. It was like a gong was struck, the sound exploding against his ears, ringing taking its place. It forced him to turn, black bleeding into his eyes, fangs descending and claws extending. A sudden thirst blossomed in his chest and crawled up his throat, a desperate need clinging to him. Kill her. A voice whispered in his head, claws digging into his thighs to stop himself from moving. Drink her.

"Here." Vivian said, holding the necklace out to him. She hadn't even looked up at him, her face still towards the ground. But then she looked up, going stiff as their eyes made contact.

Kill her.

Vivian flinched back, making something tighten in his chest, despite everything raging inside of him. A monster clawing at its cage, rattling the bars and screaming for freedom. He wanted to tell her it was okay, that she was safe, but he couldn't even open his mouth, holding his breath in fear of tasting Vivian in the air.

"Kit?" The woman breathed out, keeping very still. She looked terrified, like she was ready to run at any moment but was scared to move. Kit felt disgusting, causing the woman to look that way. He was a monster, and remembering that broke him, caused him to shatter into a thousand pieces. Kit felt hollow, tears springing into his eyes as he continued to watch Vivian look terrified. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, nothing could come out. He felt trapped under the aether that rolled off of Vivian.

The slightest movement caught his eyes, crimson snapping to watch as her arm raised, as if she was planning on touching him. He took in a sharp breath. "Do not." His voice was rough, forced out through his fangs.

"What's going on?" Vivian asked, her hand hovered between the two of them.

"You... aether." He tried to speak, but with each breath he could taste her on his tongue, her scent moving down his throat and filling his insides.

Kill her. Drink her.

The woman shook her head, clearly not understanding. It wasn't like he could even explain it to her, not with the way his words were trapped and every breath drawn in was like a knife to the chest. A sharp need radiated through him, crimson eyes shifting to her neck. To where blood flowed just beneath the surface.

Kill her. Drink her. Drain her.

Before he could understand the feeling, a shiver ran down his spine and the pit of his stomach hollowed. The window behind them shattered, Kit staying perfectly still as glass rained down on them. He watched as a body crashed inside, hands grabbing Vivian and forcing her off the couch. They rolled to the ground, the scent and feeling of a rabid grabbing his senses. It almost overrode his need for blood, but it wasn't enough. Kit couldn't move, couldn't think past the thirst for blood, blood, blood.

"Kit!" Vivian's voice screamed out for him, making the man's chest tear open with emotion. But still, he couldn't move. Blood seeped out from where his claws dug into his thighs, cold and slick against his palm. "Kit, help!"

It was like the space went quiet for a moment, everything stilling before the scent of Vivian's blood filled the room. It hit him even harder than the aether, a deep, guttural growl escaping from him as claws dug deeper into his thighs. It smelt like heaven, sweet and savory on his tongue. Overwhelming wasn't a word Kit would use to describe the scent of Vivian's blood, it was suffocating.

Kill her, drink her.

He had to get up, he knew he had to. The rabid bit into her, that's the only way the smell of her blood would have gotten so strong. Kit had to do something, but everything in him screamed to attack her, to kill her, to drink her.

No, Kit thought, pulling his claws from his thighs, I have to help her.

You want to kill her, the voice in the back of his mind said, soft and hard all at once, just kill her, drink her blood.

Kit stood abruptly, the world spinning as he did so. He didn't falter though as he walked through the haze in his mind, and towards the rabid that currently held Vivian down. The closer he got, the stronger the smell of blood was, and the more the monster within him raged against its containment.

Kill her! Drink her!

Reaching down with one hand, he grabbed the rabids neck and pulled it off of Vivian, throwing the damned thing across the room. It slammed into a wall, falling to the ground. Kit didn't even spare a glance down at Vivian as he chased after the rabid and pinned it to the floor. With one swift movement, he plunged his hand into the rabids chest and ripped its heart out. The thing glowed a bright red before disintegrating into ashes. Kit stood above the pile and breathed, tasting Vivians blood as he did so.

He turned back towards her, his movements stiff and choppy. When he was finally at her side, he just stood there and looked down at her. Blood seeped from the wound on her shoulder, a pool of crimson forming on the ground. The monster screamed and clawed at him from the inside, begging and pleading with Kit to have a drink, to finish off the job.

But then Vivian's eyes met his, and he saw the way she shivered before recognition must have hit her. "Kit." She breathed out, his name barely audible over the screams in his head. She tried to reach up for him, but the wound on her shoulder stopped the movement, pain clear on her face.

Still, Kit couldn't get himself to move. They looked at each other, both of them with ragged breaths. He tried his hardest not to look at the wound, tried to ignore the way the blood beckoned him. It would be so easy. To kill her. To drink from her. He wondered just how sweet it was, her blood.

Do it! Kill her!

Kit dropped to his knees, landing harshly on them. He noticed the way Vivian tried to scoot away from him but failed. It made something snap within his mind, something clicking into place and the voice within him dulled just enough for him to regain his composure.

"Shit." He hissed out as his hands went to the wound, but stopped as he felt heat crawl up his throat. "We- we need to get you to Viktor." Kit managed out, stumbling over his words. He had to stop the bleeding, and when crimson hues looked around the space, he saw a tea towel hanging from the oven. He went to grab it, and returned to her side. With every ounce of control he had, the man folded the tea towel and pressed it to the wound. "I- I need to stop the bleeding."

"I got... bit." Vivian muttered, sounding confused. The venom must be getting to her, already causing memory loss and mind fog. "W-What happened?"

"A rabid broke in. It- it attacked you." Kit rushed out, watching as her blood painted the tea towel red. He had to get her out of here, he had to get her somewhere safe. "We need to get you to Viktor." Taking her hand, he moved it to the tea towel, pressing her fingers and palm down on the fabric. "Can you hold this?"

The woman below him nodded, using her strength to do as he said. "W-Was I bit?"

Kit hesitated, guilt wracking through his system at the question. "Yes." He finally said, lifting the girl from the ground. He could see the way her eyelids fluttered. "I need you to stay awake."

She didn't respond immediately, Kit moving to the broken window and out of it. "I will." Her voice was weak, but there was a tone of confidence to it, like she had to stay awake for herself and not because he asked.

Kit fled into the night, heading for Viktors penthouse.

It took him no time to get there, electing to use the balcony doors. He didn't want to go through the lobby with a bleeding human in his arms, so this was the better choice. The doors were unlocked and Kit kicked them open.

"Viktor!" He yelled, desperation clinging to the word. Crimson eyes looked around the penthouse but he couldn't see the witch anywhere. "Viktor!"

"You don't need to be so loud!" Viktors voice called out as they emerged from a room. "I can hear you just fine-." They stopped speaking as soon as their eyes landed on Vivian. "What happened? Why is she bleeding? And why is she leaking aether?"

"A rabid." Kit managed out as he walked further into the penthouse, going through a set of doors and setting Vivian down onto the bed. "It broke into her apartment." He laid her down carefully, his fingers running through long locks of black hair as he took his hands away. "It bit her on the shoulder."

"That doesn't explain the aether." Viktor spoke, matter of fact.

"I do not know, Viktor." Kit rushed out, looking to the witch. He knew what he looked like to them, eyes black and fangs out. The monster still raged within him, still begged for her blood, but he was able to push it down. "Just help her, please!"

"Yes, yes." Viktor moved to the side of the bed, grabbing the tea towel and lifting it from Vivians shoulder. He watched as the woman winced, sucking in a breath before whimpering. "My, that does look bad."

"Can you heal her?" Kit asked, fists clenching and unclenching.

"Of course. But you need to go." Viktor pointed at the vampire, and then to the door. "Your bloodlust is apparent."

Kit wanted to argue, but he knew that Viktor was right. He needed to control his bloodlust, and staying around Vivian who still smelled like blood wasn't helping. "Okay." He said, nodding his head and moving towards the door. "Just let me know when she's healed, alright?"

"Of course. Now go."