The water was as warm as she shoved her hands into the sink, grabbing a large baking pan and scrubbing it down. It had been a few days since she last saw Kit, and Vivian was beginning to accept that there would be periods of time that she wouldn't see the vampire. Which was a little sad, as she enjoyed seeing him. Vivian didn't completely understand why she felt that way, nor was she going to look too deeply into those emotions. She just accepted that she enjoyed his presence, and when it was gone, she missed him.

Vivian missed him.

The woman felt ridiculous. A blush creeped up to her cheeks, making her skin feel hot. Why had she missed him so much? It had been over a month since she first met the vampire, and she had only seen him a handful of times. Yet, each time something grew between them, something tender and soft. It showed in the way that he looked at her, the fondness clear in those crimson eyes. But again, Vivian wasn't going to think about it. She couldn't.

Pulling the pan from the sink, she wiped it down and set it on the drying rack. That was the last task she had to do, except for taking the trash out. The thought made her skin crawl, mind going to the last time she closed, to the rabid that pounded on the door knowing she was inside. But Kit had stopped it, killed the thing before it found its way inside. Even though he was hurt, he still came to her rescue. Just like always.

Grabbing the trash bag, Vivian flicked off all the lights, and headed to the back door. It creaked open with her weight, the cold air from outside seeping in instantly. But then the door was weightless, pulling open on its own accord. Only it wasn't on its own accord, but rather Kit's, as he stood there with the door open and his fingers on the edge of it.

"Kit." Vivian breathed out, looking up into crimson hues.

"Hey." He said simply, offering her a tentative smile. "You all done for the day?"

Vivian nodded, looking down to the trash bag. "Just gotta throw this out." She said, gesturing to the trash bag in her hands.

Kit leaned forward and grabbed the bag from her. Vivian was about to protest, but simply watched as the vampire moved to the dumpster and tossed the bag in like it weighed nothing, which it most certainly did not.

"Why did you do that?" Vivian asks, watching the man stuff his hands into his pockets.

The vampire just shrugged his shoulders. "I figured I could help you out a little."

Vivian found herself smiling at the other. "Thank you."

"You are welcome."

They stood silently in the alleyway for a moment, Vivian shifting where she stood and looked down at her feet. "Is that the only reason you came by?"

"Of course, not." Kit said in a serious tone, causing Vivian to look back up at him. "I am here to walk you home. Since you insist on working late into the night."

Kit had offered to drive her home before, but Vivian refused. Even though it was technically dangerous, Vivian always enjoyed her walk home. It wasn't like it was that far of a walk anyway. "Oh, a chaperone." Vivian joked, stepping towards Kit. "How gentlemanly of you."

The vampire tried to hide a smile, bending at the waist in a mock bow. "You should expect nothing less." He said, standing and offering his arm.

Vivian thought about it for only a moment, and then wrapped one hand around his arm, feeling the muscle underneath tense. There was a soft smile on his face, and it made her insides flutter. "I guess I shouldn't." She replied, a fondness to her words she didn't mean to place there.

They had walked in silence for the first few minutes, a comfortable one that Vivian didn't mind. But then the vampire took in a breath, as if ready to speak. "Viktor has made the preparations." He said, voice a little tight.

Preparations? It took Vivian a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Oh, are we going tonight?" She asked, a little wary as she was already tired from her closing shift at the cafe.

"No, no not tonight. It will be in these next few days. Viktor needs to find another witch they can trust to do the spell with." The vampire explained, the two of them crossing the street. "It has taken a while but they think they found someone."

"Oh, really?" Vivian asked, feeling nervous. "And this witch is someone we can trust?"

"That is what Viktor said." Kit replied, but Vivian could feel the hesitation in his words. "I do not like that we have to bring another into this secret."

The woman nodded, agreeing with him. If she was an aether reservoir, that meant her life would be in danger, and the more people that knew, the more dangerous it became. "But if Viktor trusts them, doesn't that mean we should too?"

Kit remained silent, his muscle under her hand twitching again. "I suppose."

"But you don't agree." Vivian caught onto his words.

The vampire looked down at her, some unknown pain in his crimson eyes. "I find trusting others... difficult." Kit admitted, looking away from her.

Vivian was silent at first, processing his words. They hurt her in a way, not that she was hurt by them, but she empathized with that pain, with that difficulty trusting others. The woman had known what that was like, the only people she really trusted were Ophelia and Elias. After her mothers death, she didn't really have anyone to rely on, let alone trust. When she met Ophelia, it was like a blessing. The other woman had warmed her, working her way into Vivians heart and breaking down her defenses. She had been Vivian's longest lasting friend, and well, her only friend until they both moved back to Ophelia's hometown and she met Elias. Now they were the most precious people to her.

"I understand." Vivian finally decided on, keeping her voice light. "I do hope you can come to trust me though."

Kit stopped midstep, looking over to her as she halted as well. His eyes just took her in for a moment, the two of them frozen on the sidewalk. The vampire seemed to search for something in her eyes, Vivian feeling her cheeks heat and chest tighten. "I hope so too." He spoke the words so quietly, the woman almost missed them. But she heard them, making her heart flutter. And then he was walking again, pulling Vivian along with him.

I hope so too. What did he mean by that? Did he want to trust her? Did that mean he currently didn't? Of course he wouldn't, it wasn't like she had proven herself in any way to him. It only made sense that he wouldn't trust her. But the thought that he could, that he wanted to, made her heart flutter again.

"There's a festival or something coming up in a few days." Kit suddenly said, appearing to change the subject. "Are you planning on going?"

Vivian had to think for a moment. "Oh, the Night Market?" She said, looking up to him. "Yeah, my friend and I are going to it! Will you be going?"

The man's expression softened a little. "Kind of. I will be on patrol that night, a lot of us will be."

"Really?" She said, looking to the ground in front of her. "Why so many?"

"The size of the gathering will attract more rabids, and they will be more aggressive too. It is better if there are more of us out here to protect those at the market." Kit said, very seriously. He also looked to the ground, before looking up. "I do hope you enjoy it."

Vivian smiled at his comment. "I'm sure I'll have a great time."

✩

"Are you ready?" Ophelia's voice called across the house as Vivian zipped up her dress. It was early December, so it was cold outside. She wore leggings underneath and a nice fuzzy coat on top, adding a beanie to ensure all her warmth would stay on her and not escape.

"Yeah! One second!" Vivian called out, double checking herself in the mirror. She had done her makeup and hair, black curls spilling out over her deep red dress. Grabbing her purse from her bed, the woman slipped shoes on and ran down the stairs to meet Elias and Ophelia in the entryway.

It was the first Saturday of December, which meant it was the Night Market. All the shops closed early today in order to prepare for the market, vendors coming in from out of town and bearing the ice and snow. It was a tradition that was much older than Vivian, and she enjoyed it these past five years that she's been here. Besides the Halloween fair, this was her other favorite event in town.

The large parking lot by the park was cleared out of snow and the Night Market was set up, tents and stalls with various trinkets being sold, food being sold from trailers of those that drove into town or had a food cart somewhere within the town. The whole area had white string lights above, giving a mystical glow to the place, lights wrapped around trees and fed through branches. It was a beautiful sight, and Vivian loved it every time.

They made it to the park around five in the evening, immediately going to the food carts and grabbing some dinner. The group then strolled around the market, each of them finding something specific to them and buying it. Vivian found a floral pin that she could add to her collection of pins, Elias found a small glass blown frog that would fit along with his collection of frog things, and Ophelia bought the most interesting thing out of all of them. She had somehow found a vendor selling crystals and wands and daggers, which for a moment Vivian wondered if any of them could actually channel aether, and bought a beautiful crystal dagger that looked sharp enough to cut.

Inside a large tent, there was live music and a small bar, selling beers and ciders. The three of them got something to drink, found a space to sit down, and relaxed their weary bones. They had been there for a couple hours now, wandering the market and marveling at everything it had to offer. It was time for them to sit back and relax for a while, enjoy the live music and look over their newly bought goodies.

Except, Vivian was beginning to notice a headache blossoming behind her eyes as she finished off her cider. Checking her bag, she found she didn't bring any pain killers with her. "Hey, did either of you two bring some tylenol or something?"

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Both Elias and Ophelia sit up and immediately riffle through their bags, but both come back with a 'no'.

"What's wrong?" Elias asks, concern clear in his voice.

"I'm just starting to get a headache." She says, pressing a finger to her temple as she felt a faint throb begin there. "I might head home."

"I'll walk back with you." Elias offers, fixing the items in his bag. "Do you want to stay or go?" He asked, looking over to Ophelia.

The woman sat there for a moment, contemplating. "Hmm, I think I'll stay here, have another drink or two."

"Should I come back for you?" Elias asked, no tone of joke in his voice.

Again, the woman stayed silent as she thought. "If you don't mind."

"Of course not." He said, standing from the table and grabbing his stuff. "I'll walk Vivian home then come back for you."

Ophelia nodded, taking a sip of her beer. "Sounds good. I'll see you then."

Vivian stood from the table as well. "You sure you'll be okay here by yourself?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about me." The woman said before finishing her drink off and standing. "You two be safe."

"We will." Vivian said, adjusting the strap on her arm and following Elias from the large tent.

Elias and Vivian walked side by side through the town, avoiding the icy spots on the sidewalk as they went. It wasn't a far walk from the fair to their house, but Vivian couldn't help the anxiety she felt in her chest. It radiated through her, made her more sensitive to every little sound and movement she saw from the corner of her eyes. She remembered what Kit said, that there would be more vampires on watch tonight, looking out for rabids, but still the feeling didn't leave her.

"Did you hear me?" Elias' voice suddenly sounded against her ear. She looked over to the man walking besides her, head tilted down as if he was waiting for her.

"No, I'm sorry." She replied. "What did you say?"

"I asked how your head was." His voice matched the worry on his face. "Are you okay? You always get the worst headaches."

"Trust me, I know." Vivian pressed her hands to her head, feeling her skull throbbing beneath. "It hasn't gotten any better."

"That's no good." Elias began, but immediately stopped as soon as a scream rippled through the air. They both froze, eyes going wide as they looked at each other. Something crossed Elias' face as another scream sounded, the word 'help' barely heard through the high pitched tone.

"Elias, don't-." Vivian began to hiss out, knowing her friend to be the heroic type, but before she could finish, the man had taken off towards the sound of the scream. "Elias!" She yelled, chasing after him.

An alleyway swallowed them both as Vivian followed Elias, the night quiet around her as blood rushed through her veins. What if it was a rabid attack? And they were running right for it. "Elias! You have to stop!" Her voice carried through the silence, but it was almost like Elias didn't hear her, taking a sharp left. Vivian almost missed the turn, stopping on her heels and whipping around to follow. But he was gone. "Elias!"

Fear overtook her as silence met her. She stood, alone, in the middle of an alleyway, deep behind the buildings. But then she heard footsteps, sounding like they were running towards her. She looked up, watching as Elias ran back towards her. "You idiot!" She yelled, moving towards him.

"Run!" His voice was pitched high, panic laced in the one word as he grew closer to her. "Vivian, run!"

She saw it before she could move, the pair of red eyes that trailed behind Elias. No. Vivian launched herself in his direction, unsure of what her plan was, unsure of what she was going to do. How did they escape this situation?

A hand grabbed her arm as she neared Elias, and the force of him running pulled her back. "What are you doing? Run!" He yelled at her, throwing her in front of him. Vivian could barely catch herself as she continued to run, Elias by her side. Panic and fear mixed in her stomach, making her nauseous.

But then a hand grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her back, causing her to fly through the air for a moment before slamming back down to the ground. She hit it so hard that the air was knocked out of her, the woman gasping for air as she laid on her back, vision swimming. She could hear a fight happening somewhere near her, but she couldn't focus on the sound. Everything was fuzzy and the nausea from earlier only worsened.

"No!" Elias' voice cut through the air, Vivian breathing in a mouthful of air at the same time. The woman slammed back into herself, suddenly aware of the pain that radiated from the back of her skull. Still, she managed to roll over and push herself up, looking towards where she thought Elias was.

The man laid on the ground, hands pressed firmly into the rabid as it tried to descend on him. Adrenaline shot through Vivian and she felt herself moving before even thinking about it, launching herself towards the pair. She knocked into the vampire, forcing them both to tumble to the ground. Vivian only had a moment to right herself before a claw came swiping at her. She moved just in time for the edge of the nail to only cut her cheek, pain a tiny spark on the spot.

Vivian scrambled to her feet and ran towards Elias. Reaching down to the ground, she snatched his hand and pulled him up. Without a word, they began running again. Only, they didn't make it far before the rabid was upon them. Claws ripped into the back of her coat, just barely touching her skin. The force of it found her back on the ground, trying to escape from the claws that dug into her coat. Pulling her arms from the coat, she untangled herself and fell onto her knees. Vivian pushed herself up and ran before turning around. Where had Elias gone? Her eyes scanned the alleyway, and she found him on the other side of the rabid. The thing stood between them, looking back and forth almost as if deciding who to attack. It pulled Vivian's coat from its claws, and set its eyes on her.

Oh no.

The thing lunged after her, Vivian turning on her heels and running. Kit. Where was he? Or any other vampire for that matter? The thought ran through her head as she desperately tried to escape. Vivian could feel it was close, that its claws would dig into her at any moment. Only it didn't, and when Vivian spared a glance behind her, she saw why.

Elias knocked into the rabid, setting the thing off its course, but then it went after Elias, the man unable to escape. The rabid clung to him, forcing her friend to the ground and opening its jaws wide, exposing long, deadly fangs. "No!" Vivian screamed as she turned and began running towards the pair.

The rabid dug its fangs deep into Elias' neck, and Vivian's world shattered. The man screamed, Vivians stumbling for a moment at the sound. She had never heard Elias scream like that before, so filled with pain and fear. The woman reached the rabid biting into her friend and threw her body at the pair. Only the creature was ready for it this time and swiped its claws out. Vivian barely managed to dodge, the rabids claws ripping into the fabric on her sleeves as she threw her arms up.

"Let him go!" She screamed, falling to her knees as the rabid drank from Elias. She had to do something, anything. She looked around and saw a long pipe on the ground, rushing for it. Fingers wrapped around the cold metal, and she ran back to the rabid. Using all her strength, she swung the pipe at the rabid.

It landed on the creature's back, a crack sounding from where the pipe made contact. Vivian froze as the rabid released Elias and stood, turning towards her. Blood covered the rabids face, Elias' blood, and it made her stomach turn. "I-I won't let you kill him." She stammered out, fear etched into every inch of her skin.

The thing tilted its head to one side, as if it didn't understand her, and then lunged. Vivian stood her ground, about to bat the rabid away like some baseball, but it was gone. In front of her was an empty alleyway. Dropping the pipe, Vivian ran to her friend's side, dropping next to him.

"Elias!" Vivians voice cracked on his name, the woman's hazel eyes looking over the man's body for a moment before lunging into action. She pressed both her hands to the wound on his neck, hot blood instantly covering her hands. He was losing too much of it, and who knows how much the rabid took. "Elias? Can you hear me?"

The man below her blinked rapidly, coughing on his blood as it filled his throat, coating his lips and running down his face. "V-Vivian." The man managed, a bloody hand reaching up for her. She felt slick fingers brush hair from her face. "R-Run."

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Vivian replied, looking around her. There was nothing she could use to stop the bleeding. "I-I can't leave you!" Her eyes scanned the man's body and took note of the claw marks across his chest, cutting through his coat and all the way down to his skin. When did the rabid get him? It must have been while she was down, unable to process what was going on around her. "Fuck, Elias, you- you're so-." But she couldn't finish the sentence.

"G-Go, Vivian... go." Elias muttered out, his words surrounded by blood. He pressed against her chest, almost as if to push her away. "It... It'll come b-back."

Vivian shook her head, taking the hand that was pushing her away. "Absolutely not! I'm staying right here with you! I-I need to call an ambulance or-or-." Or what? Her mind couldn't function. What was she supposed to do? Her friend laid, bleeding out on the ground in some back alley. He was attacked by a rabid, a fucking rabid vampire, how was she supposed to explain that to the police?

There was a sound behind her and she whipped around, expecting the rabid to have returned. Only it wasn't a rabid. "Kit." Vivian breathed out, relief flooding her system.

The concern was clear on his face as he looked down to her. "Vivian, are you hurt?"

The woman thought about the cut on her face and on her arm, but it was nothing compared to Elias, whose blood still spilled through her fingers. "No, no, but please help him!"

Kit moved swiftly, kneeling down besides Vivian. Elias immediately tried to shift away from Kit, but it seemed to pain him and he gave up entirely. The look of fear was clear on his face though. "He lives." Kit spoke, almost a little stunned

"Can you heal him?" Vivian asks, wanting to reach for Kit but unable to pull her hands away from Elias' neck. "Please, tell me you can heal him." There was desperation in her words, and she didn't care. She needed Elias to survive this, she needed him too.

Kit hesitated, looking down to her friend and then back to her. "I can try, but he won't come back as he was."

What? The woman looked at Kit with confusion clear on her face. Another figure appeared then on the other side of Elias, and Vivian's eyes snapped over to them. The red in their eyes told her what they were, another vampire. "Who are you?"

"This is Sebastian." Kit spoke for the other, Vivian looking back to him. "He's going to take Elias to Niccolo to help him."

"What?" Vivian's voice came out sharp. "You're not taking him anywhere, just heal him!"

"Vivian, I cannot." Kit's words were like a slap in the face, her eyes moving to her friend below her. His blood was thick and hot as it pulsed through her fingers still, Elias' eyes growing weary and tired. "It is too late to simply heal him Vivian. If there is any hope for him, it will be as a vampire."

The words rolled around in her head as she looked back up to Kit. As a vampire. "Y-You don't mean..."

Kit looked like he was hesitating, as if the words just wouldn't come up his throat. "I do." He finally said, lifting a hand to rest on her shoulder. "Niccolo is the only one who can turn him. I cannot."

Vivians eyes tore away from Kit and back down to her friend. His blood began to slow as it moved between her fingers, and she knew what that meant. "You have to turn him."

Again, the man hesitated. "Yes."

Vivian slowly lifted her hands from her friends neck, the blood flowing to the ground once again. But the other vampire, Sebastian, knelt down and picked Elias' body from the ground. "I will let you know when he wakes."

"Thank you." Kit said, and then the vampire with her friend in his arms was gone.

Vivian knelt there, holding her hands out and looking at all the blood that covered her hands and arms. How did she get so much on her?

"Vivian." Kit's voice was gentle as he said her name, his hand still on her shoulder. Fingers gently caressed the skin they laid atop. "We should go."

Yet Vivian couldn't move. She couldn't tear herself away from the spot. Hazel eyes were stuck on the blood that painted her hand and arms, the way it dried to a darker red. Vivian felt numb, the feeling cascading through her entire body, a buzzing taking over. Was he going to die? Was Elias going to die?

"Vivian." Kit said again, shaking Vivian slightly. That caused her to look away from her hands and to the vampire kneeling besides her. "He is in good hands, I promise you."

"Kit." Vivian spoke, and deep within her, a well opened up, and emotions came flooding into her system. Guilt was the first thing she felt, the guilt from making Elias walk her home from the market and getting them in this situation, and then a heavy sadness that sat in her gut like concrete. This was her fault, and if he died it would be his blood on her hands. "He can't die. He can't."

Kits hands were slow as he reached for her, hand gentle as it rested against her shoulder. "He will not, Vivian." He said, but there was something in his voice that screamed doubt. "But we need to get out of here. Please. The blood will attract more rabids."

Vivian nodded her head, the numbness taking back over as the emotions she felt were just too overwhelming. She had to push them down, she would process this all later, but Kit was right. For now, they needed to get out of here.

"We're going to my place." Kit said as he helped Vivian stand on her feet. "I can't bring you home looking like this."

Vivian wanted to ask, but she already knew. Blood coated her, and the last thing she needed was for Ophelia to find her like this. Oh god, Ophelia. What the hell was she going to tell her? Again, she pushed the thought back, far back, and would think about all this later. For now, she let herself be swept away by Kit, let his presence overtake her and she was led away from the scene.