FicWad

I know it's been a while but I'm back with this story now. I hope you like it. xx

I barrel into him at 100mph. Running straight into his arms, it's like I've walked into a brick wall. He doesn't respond. I look up into his face, his beautiful face-a face I have missed so much it hurts, to see his hazel eyes are closed. Also he is humming under his breath.

"Gerard?" I say, stroking his cheek. His skin is cool and soft, it's an effort not to kiss him madly like I want to. "Gerard?"

He opens his eyes slightly to look right into mine. "Stella?" His gaze is unfocused, as if he is not seeing me properly. He lowers his lips onto my neck and kisses me. "I didn't know it would happen so quickly."

I have no idea what he is talking about. I'm just grateful he never stepped into the sunlight. We are dangerously close to the edge though so I push him gently backwards into the safety of the dark.

"Gerard. It's me, Stella," I say in a clear vice. If they've drugged him I'm going to kick some serious vampire ass!

"You are so beautiful, Stella. All I wanted was to see you again," he murmurs.

"Then open your eyes, Gerard, and look at me," I urge. "I'm standing right in front of you."

"Shh," he whispers, placing a slender finger on my lips. "Don't speak."

As much as I'm enjoying him touching me I need to sort this out. "Gerard," I say loudly. "Seriously, dude. This is not a dream. I am really here." I pinch his shoulder to prove my point but only end up hurting my fingers.

"Son of a bitch," I mutter.

I notice happily that his gaze has become more sharper, like the Gerard I know. He touches my cheek and I shiver. He frowns and grabs my shoulders.

"Stella?" he says and grips me tightly. "You're really here?"

"Yeah," I reply. "And, erm, ow."

He releases me immediately, then pulls me into his arms. "I can't believe it," he whispers into my hair, which is totally damp and horrible after all that running-not that he cares. "I thought I would never see you again."

I wrap my arms around him and inhale his scent, which even after all these months seems warm and familiar. I'm surprised when tears form in my eyes and fall down my face. I'd been in denial about how much I missed him.

"I thought I'd never see you again either," I say, as he runs his hand over my back. I close my eyes and enjoy the sensation of his touch. "Especially after I found out you were going to be executed!"

I pull back, suddenly angry with him. "What the hell where you thinking, Gerard? Getting into fight and getting a hit put out on yourself! Did you even stop to think what would happen to me? I mean, how the hell am I supposed to live without you?"

"You have been," he replies quietly.

"Not very well," I retort hotly. "I've been attacked in a cubicle, nearly drowned in the sea, and been thrown off a motorbike, to name but a few incidents."

Gerard doesn't say anything. He simply strokes my face gently. "Oh, yeah. Did you know Jacob is a werewolf?" I add.

Gerard sighs but remains silent. He presses his lips to my forehead. "We have a lot to talk about, but not now," he finally says, taking my hand.

"Why not now?" I say, confused. I mean, I've just rescued him and everything is alright now.

"Because we have company," says someone from behind me.

I turn and see Mikey standing there. He removes the hoodie, scarf and gloves he was wearing and drops them to the ground.

He closes the distance between himself and Gerard in an instant and envelops his older brother in a warm hug. "It's good to have you back, Gerard," he says quietly.

Gerard pats him on the shoulder. "You shouldn't have brought her, Mikey."

"You left me with no choice," he replies. "She was my last hope."

I watch them with interest. This is the first time I've seen them in an act of brotherly love. It's weird. But touching. It's nice to see Mikey has a loving side to him.

"How many are there?" asks Gerard suddenly, while I wonder what they are talking about.

"Two," replies Mikey in a hard voice. "They will take us into the chamber to see him."

As if on cue, two hooded figures materialize out of thin air and come to stand in front of us. "He would like to see you now," says one in a raspy voice.

Gerard nods stiffly and takes my hand in his. "Stella, you are not to leave my side, or speak. Do you understand?" he says in a serious tone.

I stare at the creepy hooded guys in amazement, wondering who the heck they are. "Um, okay," I say.

Mikey walks over to my side so I have a vampire on either side of me. "Follow me," orders the hooded man.

We walk in silence through the chamber. It is so dark I can barely see where I am going. Lucky for me Gerard is holding my hand and guiding me otherwise I definitely would have walked into a wall by now. It doesn't help matters that there is hardly any light, only a few flaming torches are hanging off the walls casting eerie shadows on the floor.

No-one speaks but I'm convinced Gerard is reading the minds of the guys in front of us. He just pulls the most adorable face when he is doing it, and he is doing it right now. I squeeze his hand and he glances at me quickly, giving me a small reassuring smile in the process. I smile back.

"Where are we going?" I ask him.

Mikey chooses to answer for him. "To see the head of the family."

"Oh, you mean The Godfather," I whisper.

Gerard raises his eyebrows and looks at Mikey who shrugs in a she's-your-crazy-girlfriend sort of way.

"Is he dangerous?" I aim the question at Gerard.

He nods. "Very."

"So stay quiet," adds Mikey. "It would be very unwise to upset him."

"What is he going to do to us?" I say, as we turn a corner.

"I don't know," replies Gerard softly. "But I won't let anything happen to you."

"And I won't let anything happen to you," I say, squeezing his hand again.

Mikey sighs. "That's what I'm here for, Stella."

"Yeah, but, you should know I've got your back in case they start something," I say to them both. Neither of them reply. I could swear I see Mikey smile.

"We are here." The hooded men stop and point with pale fingers towards something in front of us.

I look up and see that we are standing in front of two huge black doors. There is an arch above us with strange writing inscribed on it in silver paint.

"What does that say?" I say, pointing to the arch.

"It says: 'The Gods use mortals as their playthings'," replies Mikey.

I gulp. Gerard senses my anxiety and turns around. "Everything will be okay, Stella. I promise," he says soothingly.

"Shall we?" drawls the man. "He does not like being kept waiting."

Gerard and Mikey exchange unreadable glances as the doors are opened for us. I look on with my heart thumping loudly in my chest. I can see nothing but darkness ahead of me. Suddenly I don't want to go any further as an alarming feeling of forboding settles on my heart. It's only when Gerard tugs my hand gently that I move my feet forward reluctantly.

*

We enter a huge oval shaped room. To my relief it is well lit. The floor is made of ancient looking tiles with cracks so deep it's a wonder no-one falls flat on their face when they walk across it. Massive paintings with expensive looking gold frames hang on the wall. I try to get a better glimpse of the pictures. To my horror I see they all depict some sort of violent act taking place. Upon closer inspection I see they have all been painted with a thick red paint. Either that or some sick freak used real blood. The thought makes me feel a little sick inside.

I tear my eyes away and focus my gaze elsewhere. There are three unoccupied chairs sitting on a raised platform. One of them is gold and looks more like a throne, and the two on either side are smaller and brown.

"Where is everyone?" I ask Gerard. He doesn't reply.

"Greetings," says a soft female voice from the shadows.

I don't know where the voice has come from but Gerard turns to his right and I follow suit.

A slim girl, who looks no older the me walks towards us. She is also wearing robes but hers are a deep crimson. As she gets closer I see her eyes are the same color as her robes. It takes all my will power not to pass out. Even with Gerard beside me there is something evil about her.

"We have been waiting for you." She looks at me and smiles coldly. "I see you have brought a friend."

"We are here to see him," says Gerard harshly.

"He will join us soon," she says. "In the meantime, why don't we get better acquainted?"

"It's a delightful offer, but we'll pass," replies Mikey sarcastically.

The girl narrows her eyes into slits. "As charming as ever, I see," she hisses.

I totally get the vibe there is some history between Mikey and demented-chick, as I have decided to name her. Especially since they seem to be having a glaring contest. I think she is winning-Mikey's soft, golden orbs are no match for her demonic red ones.

"So the famous Sullen clan have finally arrived." I whip my head around as another voice fills the air.

A tall man with dark hair has materialized out of nowhere. Like demented-chick he is wearing crimson colored robes. He glides towards us with his hands clasped across his stomach. He stands beside demented-chick and places a pale hand on her shoulder.

"Relax, Ulsa. They are our guests," he says. His red eyes flicker towards me and he smiles. "A human? How interesting."

Gerard stiffens suddenly and pulls me closer towards him. The man notices. His smile turns into an amused smirk. "Your friend is in no danger here, Gerard," he says mockingly.

Both Mikey and Gerard glare at him. "Don't you trust us?" he says innocently.

Mikey laughs coldly. "Of course we trust you." His voice drips with sarcasm as he says each word.

"Where is he?" asks Gerard impatiently.

Ulsa turns to him. "He'll join us when he is ready."

A tense silence falls between us. I can sense Gerard's agitation from the way he keeps fidgeting-something he rarely does, and the way Mikey's eyes keep darting towards the door we came in from.

"So, human," says the man, "tell me. What brings you here?"

I look at him. He stares back with interest, and is that hunger I see in his eyes? "Um," I begin nervously.

"She is of no interest to you," interrupts Gerard harshly, silencing me.

"I beg to differ, my friend," sneers the man. "She has entered our coven, seen things no human has ever seen. Been exposed to us, I should say." He narrows his eyes dangerously. "You have broken every rule we placed for our protection."

"She is no threat to you," says Mikey. "If she is a danger to anyone, it is to herself."

I find his comments totally offensive, but am currently too freaked out to protest. "The rules have been made for a reason," says Ulsa with a snarl.

I can see this crowd is getting hostile and it scares the crap out of me. My legs begin to shake. I mean, if these guys are so mean then what is their leader going to be like?

"It doesn't matter." says the man airily. "He will make the final judgement on what we are to do with you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" demands Gerard angrily.

"Calm down," chuckles the man, clearly enjoying the effect he was having on his fellow vampires. "Anyway, you brought this on yourself when you attacked my brother." His tone becomes dangerous. "It is a wonder he is still with us."

Ulsa turns hard eyes on Gerard. "You may have evaded punishment somehow," she says icily. "But not for long. You will pay for our suffering."

"He started it!" I yell, even though I don't know it's true. Mikey shakes his head.

"And the human finally speaks," says the man softly. He takes a step closer to us.

"Keep your distance, Ulrik," warns Gerard.

"I see she brings out your protective instincts," murmurs Ulrik. "She must be very important to you."

"She is the reason our brother was attacked!" thunders Ulsa. "For this creature my brother was nearly murdered!"

"Technically he was already dead," I remind her. "He just got his ass handed to him."

Ulsa's face goes paler is possible and she hisses. "You might want to put a leash on your pet, Gerard," advises Ulrik.

"Oh, hell no! He didn't just go there." I mutter in disbelief.

If there's one thing I hate, it's being referred to as a 'pet'. It brings out the animal in me.

"Alright, listen here, you freaks," I growl. Mikey sighs beside me. "The next one to call me a pet gets his ass kicked."

"I can see your attraction to her," says Ulrik to Gerard, ignoring me. "She is very feisty. She must be quite a handful to deal with."

"You'll have to deal with me shoving my foot up your ass in a minute," I threaten.

"Stella," says Gerard calmly. "Stop it."

That's another thing I hate, being told what to do. Now that really pisses me off.

"I've had enough of this crap," I yell. "Bring out the dude we came to see so we can go home. What is he doing back there, anyway? Painting his nails?"

Ulsa gasps. So does Ulrik. So does Mikey. Gerard just sighs.

"As a matter of fact, young lady," says a man from behind us. "I was."

We all turn around to face him.