FicWad

This was not the first time he had woken in a strange bed. He squinted his eyes open, trying to avoid the pain from the obnoxiously bright sunlight that filtered in through the window. It was such a strange relief to feel pain again, even when he had a sharp headache and a raw throat. He smacked his dry lips and squinted his eyes closed. A moan escaped his mouth at the thought of water.

Something wet pressed against his forehead and a soft voice whispered to his sensitive ears, "It's alright now, take it easy, Brennan." He opened his eyes at the sound and looked in surprise at the blonde woman before him. She smiled down at him and moved to the pitcher on the nightstand.

She turned back to him with a cup in one hand as the other slid behind his head to help him drink. "Good to have you back with the living," her smile widened at his eagerness to drink. Ah drinking, so many times he thought he wouldn't experience that pleasure again. He smirked against the cup at her words and gently pulled his head back when his thirst was somewhat sated. If it weren't for the pain and the somewhat disturbing fact that he could barely move, he would have thought this was all a beautiful dream.

She eased his head back onto the pillow and leaned away from him as she regarded the man before her. A slight flush had returned to his cheeks upon his waking, and it only made him appear all the more handsome. She warmed at the sight of the small smile that graced his now pink lips and she marveled at how similar yet different he was from when she saw him as only a spirit. He was getting his health back and he finally looked to be at peace, but he still had some healing to do yet. His smiled widened to reveal the slightest elongation of his canines and she forced herself to return the smile. The slight fangs, although not nearly as long as a full vampire's, were an uncomfortable reminder that he was still not the man he was before his murder. He would never be that man again.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a raspy voice as he saw her smile falter for a moment. She smiled wider at him in reassurance, "Nothing's wrong, just rest now." He weakly nodded at her and closed his eyes, it did not take him long to sleep again. She smoothed his hair away from his clammy forehead before she leaned down and gently kissed his brow, "Sleep well."

-

It had been five days since the funeral and two since he had woken up. To say he made a miraculous recovery would not be an exaggeration. He sat now on the porch of his uncle's house and sipped his tea while he watched the sun set. The colors were far more vibrant for his eyes now and the tea richer in flavor. This was not just because he was finally back in his body. No, there were other changes that manifested in his physique.

His body healed far faster than could have been expected, and when he accidently broke the door knob off as he left his room they knew that the vampire's venom did more than just preserve his corpse.

He had partially transformed into the very creature that had killed him. Mary had drunk his blood too slowly to just kill him but too fast to keep him alive and change him. He was the fulfillment of Van Helsing's theory and the culmination of yet another: that in the case of this paradox if the vampire was killed the soul would return to the body; a life for a life.

But not all the changes to his body were for the better. The light didn't kill him, but it still caused him pain whenever he came in contact with it. He had no desire for blood, but the intensity of the smells he could sense were constantly overwhelming him. The sensitive hearing he was gradually getting used to but he would never get used to the nightmares that visited him every night, he had not told anyone that during the three days he was unconscious his entire awareness was filled with one constant nightmare. His heightened senses made it impossible for him to focus on anything and he found even the simplest task of writing a telegram to be painstaking and difficult. And then there were the violent urges that came even when there was nothing wrong with his mood... sudden desires to break, bite, kick, and otherwise destroy random objects around him. It was this change that scared him the most.

But all his fears were forgotten as he saw the one thing that could get him through this time walk up the path to the house. She smiled from underneath her straw hat and took it off her golden curls as she climbed the porch steps. She looked happy in spite of what she had gone through recently, shortly after Mary's death the bodies of Phil Krat and her fiance were found stuffed inside the wardrobe of Mary's hotel room. He gave Blanche a close-lipped smile when she sat next to him, he was still self-conscious about his fangs. She returned his smile with her own toothy version and together they watched the sunset in silence.

An hour later they were still seated on the porch talking to each other when Crackitus exited the house. He held a telegram in his hand and he looked at the two love birds with a knowing smile. "Enjoying the fresh air?" The two looked up at him and he waved the paper in their direction. "Brennan, I just got a telegram from Clarence Shipman in Chicago, remember him and his bar?" Brennan nodded as he recalled the well-known cabaret and it's burly owner. "He asked if I'd like to come visit and check out some mysterious beast sitings and murders that have been happening in his neck of the wood," he continued, "You want to come?"

Brennan considered it for a moment, he did miss Chicago but it was no longer home for him, not since his death at least... and especially not since he met Blanche. But it would be good to be out and about, and it would also be good to see Clarence again, he used to work for him as a piano player in the club.

"Yes," he replied. "I'd like that very much!" He looked in excitement at Blanche but his smile fell when he saw the frown on her face. "Oh no you don't!" She said with great energy, "I'll not have you going off and getting yourself killed again!" Her face softened, however, and she planted a soft kiss on his cheek, "At least not without me, you aren't."



A/N: Hey all! thank you so much for reading this story, and even more thanks to those who reviewed! You guys were such a blessing and it made me feel so appreciated with every view and review I got. You all rock.

There is a sequel in the makings! Chapters are already written and waiting to be posted. Here's the summary for the sequel "But it's Better If You Do": "Summary: Sequel to Ballad of Mona Lisa. Brennan (Brendon) and the League of Steam visit and old friend in victorian Chicago to investigate the mysterious, beast-like killings that have been occurring in the vicinity of a well known cabaret. Featuring: Brendon Urie, The League of STEAM, and a surprise guest that we all know and love (beard may or may not be included)."