The homecoming. (Elliot and Candice)

[Candice (DELETED 3982)]

Starting over was never easy. Starting over in the same place twice? Absurd. Candice had only just been returned to Harper Rock after a long few months away where she spent time alone trying to come to grips with her new life as a Vampire. She had thought to go to the beach, but the thought of the beloved sunlight only depressed her. Sure the beach was lovely at night, but that was nothing compared to the beach during the day. She then tossed around the idea of hiding away in a cabin in the woods somewhere, and ultimately, that was what she settled on.

After packing a bag or twelve and a bunch of coolers stocked with blood packs, Candice headed to upstate New York… an area her family had visited often when she was young. It was a beautiful, scenic cabin. She had managed to procure the same cabin from her childhood and settled in for the summer. She had many nights to think about what her life had become. She was lonely beyond repair… all of her family was gone and even though the “Family” she now found herself in was friendly enough and seemed to genuinely care about her, it just wasn't the same. She had met a man, Carrick, and soon discovered he was just as much a dog as the coyotes that howled at the moon outside the cabin door. He had just bailed on her… like the few men she had dated before him. She figured she shouldn't be surprised, but that didn't stop the pain she felt at having been used yet again.

Another problem that plagued her mind was what she had become. Being a literary professor, she had read multiple fantasy books about vampires. Some of them depicted that Vampires were highly passionate creatures that held onto human like qualities, while others showed them for the monsters that children have nightmares about. Candice knew she felt like the woman she used to be, but the struggle to figure out who you are after such a life change can be a hard one.

About mid-October, Candice had decided that she had rested long enough and the university wasn't going to hold her job forever, so she headed back to Harper Rock, still just as confused as she was when she had left, but now, instead of feeling like she had a place to come home to, she felt more alone than ever before.
Candice had finished with her first day of classes and decided that she needed to let someone know she was back. Whether they cared or not was up to them, but at least they would have that choice. She found herself knocking on the door of Lancaster’s… her Sires business, and when he didn't answer, she made her way to the bar and took a seat. She ordered a glass of wine just to look at and got lost in thought once again.

Her mind roamed to the night she was turned. Elliot was her savior… her knight in her eyes. He saved her life, so to speak, and for that, she would be eternally grateful. She only wished that when she had been turned, she would have been given a little clarity about life and what would become of her.
“Have you seen the owner?” She asked the barkeep and waited for an answer.

[Lancaster]

The nights blended one into the other. Elliot wasn’t complaining. It had been a long time since time was allowed to pass in such a fashion—that there wasn’t some member of the family pissed off or upset, that there wasn’t another member being kidnapped, and unable to find. It wasn’t often that Elliot could claim to be calm and collected. For the first time in a long time his emotions had been allowed to settle in a silent and dreamless slumber, resting until the next big upheaval. He was often subject, victim to his emotions. They dictated his every moment, his every action. Sure, they still bothered him at night just before slipping into that undead sleep from which he could not stir. Sure, when he was by himself and alone in surrounded by silence, they came rushing at him from all angles, a white noise that he could not escape. There was always guilt. Always some kind of shame. Always, and he doubted, now, that they would ever go away. But at least he’d learned to embrace them. They were a part of who he was, and for that, at least, he could not be ashamed. Never would he think that guilt was a flaw.

It was a Thursday night. For some reason, Thursday seemed to be the night that the students came out to play—more of them than usual, anyway. In a bid to make the crowd swell a little more, Elliot had introduced a students’ night on Thursdays. All they had to do was flash their student card and they would be allowed five dollar pots—very large jugs of beer. It was only a recent introduction, and word hadn’t spread just yet. But Elliot expected that, over the next couple of weeks, Thursday might become one of the busiest nights of the week.

Elliot was in the office, working on the figures and counting the money so that he could go to the bank. Lancaster’s made less money than Curlew or Fisty Cuff’s made, but it was only because here, at the bar, he was far more generous than he should have been. He paid the staff more, and made sure they had the best of the best. He gave things away to the customers. But he was still making a profit, and that was all that mattered.

At the bar, Sarah, the newest waitress, paused in her bid to clean the counter for the hundredth time that night. A pretty blonde had approached and asked if she’d seen the owner. Sarah stumbled with her reply.

“Lancaster? Yeah. Sure. Uhm. I’ll go get him…” she said, unsure whether that’s what the blonde wanted. She tossed the cloth over her shoulder and went to the office, knocking on the door. Elliot told her to come in, though she only peeked her head around the door.

“There’s someone outside to see you, boss.”

”Did you get their name?” Elliot asked, glancing sideways at the computer and four little screens he had for security. From one camera he could see everyone gathered at the bar. He recognised Candice. He grinned.

”Never mind,” he said. He dropped what he was doing and headed out of the office. Sarah scurried off back to work, and Elliot approached Candice.

”Long time no see, Miss Daniels. Where you been?” he asked, curious rather than accusatory.

[Attire]

[Candice (DELETED 3982)]

The wait was a long one, or so it seemed, but the moment she heard that baritone voice behind her, she smiled and turned on the stool to face the man responsible for both saving her life and making it impossible for her to actually enjoy a drink… which she so desperately needed. Her heart was undoubtedly heavy and her mind weary but most of all, confusion was her middle name these days.

“Elliot!” She exclaimed none the less and hopped down, giving him a strong hug. It truly had been a long time since she had seen that particular friendly face. She looked up at him and bit her lip, a little embarrassed at her outburst, but considering how she was feeling, she didn’t think he would mind if she stole a hug.

Taking a step back, she folded her hands in front of her and smiled politely, trying to hide her embarrassment as he asked her where she had been. “I’ve been… well um…. We can talk about that later. How are you? You look great!” She said, taking the heat off of her. She was genuinely concerned about the man that wasn’t ever far from her thoughts. Her feelings for him were like that of a big brother… or of someone she could confide in and who would keep her safe in this crazy city. She wasn’t sure if he really could, and had never given him a reason to do so, but that was just how she saw him. Before she had left the city, she had only a little over a month or so to get to know him, and that was all it took for her to feel like if anyone in this crazy place was to turn her into a damn vampire… she was glad it was him.

Candice moved slowly to take back her seat and patted the one next to her. She was certain this was about to turn into a long night of explanations, but hopefully, most of all, a happy reunion.

[Lancaster]

The hug wasn’t something that Elliot minded. He’d never been overly protective of his personal space. He could be awkward in social situations, but it was never a shy kind of awkward. Never had he been subject to bouts of uncomfortable silences. If he was ever silent, it was of his own volition—because small talk failed to keep him interested. Generally, though, he got his energy from being around other people. He threw himself into crowds on purpose, preferring to kick back on one of the couches in the corner here at the bar rather than to hang around at home by himself, if those were the two options that he had to choose from.

Candice’s greeting was enthusiastic and happy, and Elliot was at least relieved that she was okay. A low, surprised chuckle bubbled from his throat as her arms wrapped around him, and he returned the hug with all genuine gentle strength of care that he possessed. He couldn’t blame Candice for going away, and of course he was anxious for her safety. But in the end, he decided—and like it was with the rest of them, too—they were all grown-ups. They could take care of themselves, with the basics he had given them, and if they needed his help otherwise, they all knew that he was there for them, whatever the day, whatever the time, whatever the cost.

Candice took a seat and indicated that Elliot should take one beside her. He did as he was bid, pushing fingers through his wayward hair as he did so.

”Nice way to be evasive,” he said with a laugh, and something resembling a wink though it might have been misconstrued as a twitch of the eyelash. Although he was still smiling, the expression subsided from his eyes, which narrowed infinitesimally in concern. He didn’t like that Candice didn’t want to tell him where she’d been. Not because he wanted to pry into her business, but because he hoped it wasn’t something bad. She seemed happy enough now, however—maybe a façade? But it didn’t feel like a façade. And Elliot was good at this feeling thing.

”I’m perfectly fine. Thank you,” he said, with perfect honesty. ”And you? How are you?” he asked and, before she could answer, slipped in with ”Really?” Elliot detested small talk, hated half-truths and answers that weren’t really answers, but rehearsed lines practiced over a lifetime. He really wanted to know how Candice was getting along—because he knew just how tumultuous the beginning of this life could be, and how hectic it would stay.

[Candice (DELETED 3982)]

Damn. He was onto her. Of course she was evasive! She had left like a thief in the night without a word to anyone. Furthermore, Elliot didn’t seem like he wanted some ridiculous excuse and he definitely looked concerned. Candice was worried too… there was a lot going on in her head and her emotions were out of control. One minute she would be happy and excited, but the next moment, she would be in tears wondering where her life was headed. How in the world could she make him understand that she didn’t leave out of spite?

“Well, hun… I know it sounds cliché, but I went away for a while. I needed some… space.” Candice started, her hands neatly folded in her lap. “And I’ve had better days, to be perfectly honest. This… change has been rough on me and I needed some clarity. I went to upstate New York to a cabin my family used to go to when I was a girl. I took coolers full of blood from the shop with me and just left.” She said, now dipping her head a little in shame. She should have told someone that she was leaving, but that thought never crossed her mind as she was heading out.

“I’m sorry if I worried you, Elliot… I just don’t know how to be what I am now. I thought some time away would give me some perspective, but it didn’t. Besides, I knew I had to get back if I wanted to keep my job, which by the way only consists of night classes now, but that’s okay. Unfortunately, I’m no closer to figuring things out now than I was when I left.”

After a few minutes of rambling, she finally took a breath even if she didn't need to, her fingers fidgeting with each other. “I really am sorry I didn’t tell you I was leaving.”

[Lancaster]

Elliot didn’t need any apologies. He didn’t require them. He wasn’t the kind of person to dictate where another person should or shouldn’t be, or whether they can take some time for themselves or not. He could understand Candice’s reasons, could see why she might think that taking time away might help her come to terms with her new self. But there was so much to become accustomed to, so much to learn and one couldn’t do that when by themselves. Elliot shook his head.

”No need to apologise. I get it, it’s okay. I worried because well… as far as I can understand it, if you die outside of Harper Rock, you die. Dead dead. You can’t come back, like we seem to be able to here. It’s some… weird, hoodoo magic thing that only exists in Harper Rock,” he explained. He couldn’t remember whether he’d explained this to Candice before she’d left, in those few days after her turning. Those few days are always a whirlwind—an avalanche of information that may or may not be retained by the receiver due to the sheer amount of it. There was no accusation in Elliot’s voice, though. No judgment. Just a low hum of concern. But Candice was here now, unharmed and seemingly healthy. So Elliot smiled.

”Though I don’t see why you’d be on anyone’s hit list, and I suppose outside of Harper Rock your chance of death is about as big as anyone else’s in this big wide world,” he said. And though there were thousands, millions of things out there that could kill a person, the majority of those in first world countries lived to a ripe old age. He shouldn’t have worried, not really.

”I get needing to be alone. Pretty sure I hid away in my hovel a lot in the beginning. But I think I realised, in the end, that in order to get used to… everything, you need to just…live it,” his tone was hushed, his head bent forward so that only Candice would be able to hear him. ”It’s like your students. Do you think they learn better by themselves, or when they’re gathered together in a lecture, or a study group? They can bounce concerns and ideas off each other. Can learn as much from each other, than from themselves. You know?” he asked, crossing one arm over the other as he leaned against the bar, though he was still turned, leaning in Candice’s direction.