(Side Story: TC) Tempest

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

By the time Hannah got to the church, she was later than Hannah anticipated. Hopefully, Judah was still there; not that Hannah thought he would 'ditch' her by any means. But, the brunette wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to stick around the extra...ten minutes later than Hannah expected to arrive.

The woman stopped outside the church's main doors and zipped open her purse and pulled out the bag of books that got a little bent during her walk, and climb here. The woman tried to fold the bottom corner of the books in the opposite direction they were turned up in as Hannah climbed the stairs and then shrugged and tucked them under her right arm. The door was yanked open after Hannah reached the top stair and she made her way in.

Hannah had never been inside the church before and truth be told when she entered, it almost felt as if she shouldn't be in the building. As if Hannah were breaking a law, or rule of physiques at this very moment, just for stepping inside the threshold of the doorway. Her dark hair was pushed off her shoulders and found a new resting place upon her back as Hannah inched her way into the church step by step.

There were voices.
The woman stopped and listened to the few words that were spoken, attempting to sense the direction in which the voices were coming from. Judah's voice. She knew one of the voices--or who it belonged to at least. Once the brunette was sure Judah was here, her steps picked up a little in their pace, as her confidence grew and the woman no longer felt like an outsider; an intruder.

It didn't take long for her to find the two men; not with them talking. With a big smile on her lips, Hannah approached the two of them and gave Judah a stiff wave of her hand. "Hey. Sorry I'm late. Traffic was crazy." She stated, eyes bouncing between the both of them, as Hannah tried to piece together who the other guy might be? More family? There seemed to be a lot of Von Der Marck's in the city. The guy with Judah wasn't a vampire--that much she knew from the lack of what Judah would refer to as a 'fang boner.' "Who's your friend?" Hannah asked as she enclosed the distance between her and them.

Before either could answer, Hannah tugged the books out from under her arm and offered them to Judah. "Here's the books I found you at the bookstore." Hannah glanced at Jude, ignoring the unknown guy for now, until she was done saying what she needed to say. "The corners got a little bent on the way here. Sorry." Hannah said with a smile, before her eyes shifted to the guy and she stretched the hand that was free of books out in his direction. "I'm Hannah. I hope I'm not interrupting something important." Her blue eyes shifted to Judah after the brunette waited to find out if she was in the way, or if she was welcomed to hang around.

[Sterling Monsivais (DELETED 6002)]

The outburst was unexpected, the violence of it loud in the enclosed space. He tensed for the space of a heartbeat, a subtle tension gripping him. His posture, in those fleeting seconds, was a seamless mixture of wary and a coiled aggression that seemed strangely out of place, given the surroundings. His gaze slid briefly towards the door, which remained slightly ajar, before shifting minutely, offering a cursory glance to the rest of the room. "You know," he drawled, "other men would be offended." He paused in his restless scrutiny of the room in favor of propping himself against the corner of the desk. He offered an apologetic hitch of his shoulders as his name rasped from Jude's lips, his smile vague and noncommittal. The incredulity in the other man's tone, under normal circumstances, would've made him feel guilty. Normally, he'd have accepted the flurry of text message assurances (though not without a degree of skepticism,) and trusted the other man to hold his own. In light of recent circumstances, however, he hadn't been willing to take that risk. "Just after 11, I think. I canceled my appointments for the afternoon."

He didn't elaborate, electing to reach over and take the bottle from Jude's trembling hands. The look he shot them was pointed, but he held his tongue, wordlessly twisting the cap before handing it back to him. "Before you ask, they weren't critical, and besides..." He trailed off, reaching across the desk to retrieve the sandwich he'd brought for Jude. It had been carefully wrapped inside of waxy brown deli paper; halved at an angle. It gave off lingering warmth as he dropped it in front of Jude. "I was more worried about you." They were interrupted a moment later, the lull in their conversation giving way to the sound of approach. Hannah breezed into the room a handful of seconds later, offering an apology that seemed to stall on her lips as her gaze rested on Sterling. I'm going to take an educated guess that you aren't Alaric," he said mildly. "Otherwise I won't only be confused, but jealous, too." He exchanged a glance with Jude. For a split second, his expression hovered between annoyance and mild questioning. "Sorry. Sterling. Nice to meet you...?"

He trailed off, barely managing to get the words out before Hannah began speaking over him. He stared for a moment, mystified, before his gaze settled onto the books with a look of mild interest. He glanced up just as a hand was being thrust out in offer, recovering quickly as he reached to grasp it, giving it a brief, though firm, shake."Hannah," he echoed. "Not particularly. Jude was asleep when I got here,"he said dryly. "Though that'll have to wait." His attention turned to Jude a second later. "You," he began pointedly, "need to eat." Not that he expected Jude to comply - and he lacked the strength to argue, besides. Not that it kept him from setting the bottle of tea down firmly in front of the man in a pointed gesture.

[Judah Marck]

Offended? Jude couldn't hide his confusion, his face contorted with it, though it slipped into gratitude quickly enough as the water bottle was taken out of his hands with a sense of authority that left him unable to argue or feign capability. Everything felt slow and sluggish, a nagging ache in his shoulder from his awkward sleeping position slumped down in the chair. As the bottle was returned he didn't hesitate to put it to his lips, only managing a small sip before Sterling explained his appearance in his office. "You canceled your appointments? Because you were worried about me? Sterling..." It wasn't overly surprising considering the man's nighttime vigilance the past few days, but he still felt taken aback that he had gone out of his way to be here to check on him. He stared at the wrapped sandwich, clearly from one of the nicer deli's in town, mulling over how best to get him to stop worrying, or whether he even should. Sterling was probably right to be worried, Jude really wasn't himself. There was something wrong, but he was too tired to think on it much, too thirsty to manage to voice his thoughts.

It was just as he finally took a large drink from the bottle, getting through almost half the bottle when Hannah burst through the door in a flurry of activity and fast talking.

Jude barely managed to keep from spitting his mouthful across the desk, choking it down, aspirating a few drops so that he found himself coughing and spluttering into his fist.

It wasn't only her arrival that had him choking; it was Sterling's reaction. Alaric, he repeated the name so casually but the look he shot him and the mention of jealousy struck a chord. Of course, he'd told Sterling about the Manor and parts of his family, but he hadn't explained Alaric. How could he? Then again, he'd told Hannah, hadn't he? At a moment when he needed a friend, needed an outside point of view he opened up to her, the woman who had become a fast friend and confidante, he being the same in return. Sterling had been such a calming, outside influence, perhaps he just wasn't ready to bring him into that part of his world. It felt like a big decision when he had time to think about it, not fuelled by panic and fear, by doubt of his own actions.

The two were already introducing themselves, Hannah pulling out books and talking about traffic, Sterling pointedly pushing a bottle of tea and sandwiches at him. He felt simultaneously cared for and henpecked, surrounded and yet embraced. It was overwhelming to his foggy brain, Jude mechanically reaching for the sandwich, initially trying to awkwardly unwrap it with bottle still gripped in one hand, putting it aside as an afterthought. "Books, thank you, Hannah." They were being pushed towards him and he took them, staring down at the titles, his eyes too tired to read much other than the bold lettering. "Sit down? I... Hannah, Sterling, Sterling, Hannah." Jude placed the books aside for now, with every intention of getting a better look soon enough. The dark haired man fumbled for his reading glasses, placing the thick framed spectacles on to help his eyes focus on the world around him, including the sandwich he finally opened, dutifully picking up half and taking a bite, catching Sterling's eye as he did so, brows raising as if to ask "happy now?". Swallowing the mouthful he managed to speak with more clarity, "Yeah I dozed off. Sorry beautiful. Sterling here was worried about me too, he's the friend who I mentioned that has been playing babysitter for my wandering behind." He laughed awkwardly, glancing between them. It was strange having them both in the same room and yet it pleased him, he felt safer somehow, a more genuine smile on his lips as he bit into the sandwich again with more relish. He'd get around to explaining the mention of Alaric eventually, for now he was content enough to let them fuss and to figure each other out.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

There were a variety of emotions and responses on display when Sterling inquired to her being Alaric. Surprise was first, in the form of an 'o' upon her lips, before her lips found a home tucked against the other as her pupils dilated at the name suggestion. Hannah took a deep breath in, closed her eyes and then laughed a little, before shaking her head. Hopefully, that was a good enough response to that question, because she was focusing on just breathing and slowing down the heart that raced at the casual name drop of Alaric by the guy she still knew nothing about; outside the fact that he was known to Judah.

Her partially dry lips were wet with the tip of her tongue as Hannah thought about the rest of what Sterling said. He would be jealous. Of what? Wasn't Alaric Judah's great, great...uncle? No, grandpa. Was he jealous that they spent a lot of time together? In Hannah's mind the Von Der Marck's seemed like a very tight knit group, given the last time she ran into Leonie, Louvel, Judah and Alaric all in the same night. She didn't blame them, but it was still a little off putting. Which was why she preferred to bump into the others in places that were typically full of people, in the daytime. Hannah still wasn't sure if they trusted her with what it was she knew, but she wasn't going to pretend that they did. Judah did, and that was what mattered, but she didn't want to get caught walking around in the middle of the night alone and bump into Alaric.
Or did she? It was deliciously tempting.

It seemed strange to Hannah that anyone would be jealous of her. Not that Hannah didn't think she wasn't pretty; it was just that she didn't really bother with relationships in that capacity. In fact, Hannah usually came across as one of the guys to her female friends back home. She could dress like a woman, and walk like one, sure, but she preferred to do things outside of the house, and could outrun most of her guy friends. Never mind any form of hand to hand combat...Jealousy was not a trait associated with the woman when thinking of her spending time the opposite gender. Still, the woman made no comment in any respect about the possibility of her being Alaric...yet.

Again, her heart pounded in her chest and Hannah felt the back of her neck start to perspire at the prospect of not only tasting vampire blood, but really, really old vampire blood. Hannah looked away when Judah started talking again, suddenly feeling guilty for having those thoughts running in her mind. After all, Alaric was her friend's family member. Not that Hannah planned on hurting Alaric or taking all of his blood. It didn't really work like that. "You're welcome." Hannah said when there was some silence between the three of them. Her hands found their way into her coat pocket now that they were free from books. "Is Alaric around? Or any of the others?" The brunette asked as she ducked back a little bit to look around, the thrumming of her heart perking up once again. It was when her eyes looked at a window that she realized what a stupid question she had just asked. "I mean the others." Hannah clarified, eyes moving back to Judah, then looking at Sterling. "You should eat, he's not wrong." Hannah finally returned her focus on Jude and only Jude in that sentence, her posture straightening out slowly, with a bounce of her head.

[Ripper]

When viewed From outside the church building seemed ordinarily Modern and unassuming. The narrow little building was somehow slicked back into a square setting that stacked on top of each other to rise at least two stories. Nearly covering a fourth of the walkway, a large non-confrontational sign loudly proclaimed in wide sticker letters the Lutheran denomination and included service hours along with a parson's homily to give those churchgoers a week of comfort for them to contemplate.

To his eyes it seemed squat and uninteresting when contrasted with a rotting Gothic architectural that he had grown to love. Still, this is where the old lady had said with her usual rustic assurance that here was the location where something big was happening--or potentially could still depending on how fast he had got there.

Ripper paid the Crone handsomely in cash and suggested she carry a greeting from him back to her benefactor. The old woman ignored him profusely, rocking back and forth on her haunches as if entirely unable to see or even hear the world around her.

Not bothering to mount his bike or even to walk this very short distance nearby to get a ride at the train station; the vampire called upon his stored energy to teleport himself almost instantaneously. Information was a commodity that did not decrease when sold and right now the Oracle might be selling this self-same secret to another interested buyer. Plus, he had learned first hand not to sit on it and dally when fate passes him a nudge.

It being a weekday, he was slightly surprised to find the front doors had been left unlocked. Pushing inside though, he could see that some of the lights had been switched on and heard the murmurer of spoken voices coming from a staircase a little further up more from the inside.

"Hello?!" he vocalized. His tone raised up louder into a modest shout as he yelled up the stairs. He called out again after beginning to climb the steps leading towards the 2nd floor. "Is there anybody that`s in here?"

[Sterling Monsivais (DELETED 6002)]

The contact was brief. The half-smile that curled across his lips - tentative, caught between sheepish and an unguarded earnestness - deadened, replaced by Hannah’s low, incredulous spate of laughter. His smile faltered, wilting slightly. The sound was a small mercy, in that it covered the sharp intake of breath that greeted Hannah’s offered hand. It was a thin, flinching sound, carrying the muted urgency of a diver suddenly out of oxygen, lungs seizing with the shock of it. He released his grip with an air of abruptness that bordered on impolite, forcing a vague, if disinterested, smile as the pair conversed over him. A bitter taste lingered on his tongue; as cloying and rich as grave soil. It was familiar, and certainly one of the less severe reactions he’d suffered in recent years. He studied Hannah as she spoke, his gaze drawn sharply away by Jude’s sudden coughing spell.

His expression softened, shoulders hitching in a helpless shrug. He’d explain himself later. Apologize, if need be, for his aloof behavior. They were overdue for certain truths, however unpleasant. If nothing else, it might present an opportunity to have a frank discussion regarding the fact that Hannah, bizarrely, presented as a supernatural sliding scale; wavering between life and death, imperfectly balanced. “We’ve met,” he remarked absently, attention shifting to the spine of the nearest book, interest briefly piqued. He caught the glance Jude threw in his direction, responding with a playful snap of his teeth. ‘Nerd,’ he mouthed, flashing a grin..

The sandwich in question was a turkey BLT on apple brioche, with arugula substituted for traditional lettuce. The turkey - with a cracked pepper seasoning - was carefully wrapped in provolone, with thin slices of Granny smith to offer a contrasting tartness to the vague sweetness of the bread. He might have said more, but the muted sound of a voice - raised, ringing faintly, caught his attention. He slid from the edge of the desk a moment later. “Stay,” he cautioned, shooting Jude a warning look. “I’m a little out of my depth at the moment, anyway,” he continued, in the interest of cutting off the inevitable protest. He crossed the distance from the desk to the door within a matter of seconds, briefly glancing over his shoulder. He lingered in the threshold for a split second, shooting a wink at Jude, before making his way towards the entrance of the church.

Whether blind luck or coincidence, he didn’t have to go far to locate the newcomer. He slowed as Ripper approached, one hand lifting to rest his index finger against his lips in a silencing gesture. The vampire's voice carried - which, while admittedly was the intent, was disrespectful to the handful of visitors seeking an hour of quiet reflection. Guidance. He was briefly offended on Jude's behalf. “This is often how the opening credit of B list horror films begin,” he advised wryly. “There’s no reason to shout. Can we help you?”

[Judah Marck]

There was a tension to Sterling that hadn’t gone unnoticed, even in his sleepy state Judah was aware of the mood in the room. Something about Hannah had him tense, but he couldn’t begin to see what. Both were worried about him, but there was more going on in the grand scheme of things. Hannah was a flustered flurry of energy, only now just settling into a seat, but she had done nothing other than arriving in a fashion that was fairly abrupt. Was Sterling quietly brooding over something unrelated? Perhaps his own lack of sleep was getting to him, Jude’s grand adventure to the middle of the street was unlikely to have helped his rest. Now both of them were watching him as he ate, Jude growing slowly self-conscious over the situation. As much as he often ended up being in a position of leadership, having to speak up and take charge he didn’t always feel comfortable being the centre of attention, certainly not when the problem was him. The situations that normally had him taking control were somewhat separate from himself, whether they be issues that others were having that he had to assist with or perhaps a family matter that while it affected him wasn’t ABOUT him. That was the very distinct difference that had him feeling awfully vulnerable, impossibly exposed in his own space.

The loud yelling that interrupted his thought patterns was both a welcome distraction and an unpleasant one. The racket meant there was someone seeking assistance, wanting the attention of the church and those within it. Jude wasn’t entirely up to the task, he’d been foolish to think he was really, rather hoping that his colleagues could have handled it. Alas, both his assistant and the junior Pastor appeared to be off at lunch or perhaps at some other appointment, he would have checked but right then he couldn’t quite bring himself to check his diary to verify. He was preparing himself to stand, finishing his mouthful and a swig of the tea he’d thus far neglected, trying to get enough in his system to at least delude himself into the idea that it was helping. It wasn’t.

His reaction time left something to be desired and before he could get to his feet there went Sterling, sliding off the desk with purpose so that he might cross towards the door with a firm warning to stay. Jude didn’t argue, for once in his life, letting the responsibility of attending to a problem slip into the waiting hands of someone else who was willing to take it on. Oh, of course he’d have to go and see what all the fuss was about in a moment, no doubt that if they needed him Sterling would be forced to bring the new arrival to his office. It was a matter of time, but for a few seconds he would have peace. The wink was given a smile, one that was not devoid of fondness or amusement, but weary nonetheless.

Sterling’s departure left him alone with Hannah, Jude rising from the chair so that he might move around to perch atop his desk in front of her, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to her cheek. “Sorry, Han, today has been a bit… I’m just kind of all over the place today. Thank you for bringing the books, I mean, i’ll try anything at this point but…” He lowered his voice, glancing quickly towards the door, a sense of urgency about as his dark gaze slid back to meet hers, wanting her to understand the importance of it. “Alaric. He was in my dream. It felt so real, Hannah, like he was there. He told me I needed to wake up, made me realise it was a dream but… It wasn’t just a dream. Something about it…” He was visibly shaken, his hand trembling as it pushed up to brush strands of hair from his forehead, urging them back into place. “There is something really wrong with me. They want me, and i’m not sure I can fight them any longer. I’m scared that i’m not stronger than this.” There was a quiver to his lower lip, one he stopped by sucking it between his teeth, inhaling sharply through his nose to calm his nerves, releasing it shortly after leaving it flushed a shade darker than usual. “I think I need to go see him, the second the sun goes down. You guys could come, maybe? But Sterling… Doesn’t know about Alaric.”

There it was, the reason he’d been uncertain about the name, Jude’s cheeks feeling hot and pink, shifting uncomfortably as he went on to explain.

“He knows bits and pieces about my family, but… He was outside of it. He is outside of it. You know how hard it is for me to keep anything or anyone to myself? I know that sounds crazy selfish, but the von der Marck’s are like a world unto themselves. They are an island, separate and remote, insular. I kind of wanted one thing that didn’t get sucked into that world, or force me to step outside of it. Plus, how do I explain Alaric? “Oh, you know, my ancient relative who I helped bring back from the shadow realm and in the process my young cousin sacrificed himself… He’s a vampire too, by the way, neat huh?”” Jude spoke in a mockingly cheery voice, brutally aware of how crazy the whole thing was. He sighed, trying to control the burst of adrenaline that had him suddenly wide awake, that fear kicking his fight or flight reaction into high gear. “Sterling’s kept me from walking into danger, I don’t really want to shut him out of this, but at the same time is it fair to drag him in?” He mused, almost to himself, even as he looked at her for answers. “I don’t know. Ugh. Dude, I should probably go see who it was yelling…” Yet he didn’t move, just perched there, looking dejected and uncertain.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

She tried to pay attention, but the sound of a voice booming outside the room they were in had her attention. Especially with each step forward. And the smell of the unnamed male drifted into the room and around her nose. Hannah took a deep breath in, exhaled it and then cracked a small smile. Pupils grew in excitement, as both sets of hands wrapped around the arms of the chair that she sat on. Hannah's eyes locked onto Jude as he talked, the woman slowly crossing her legs, as if it were a preventative method. Her attention shifted from the new 'intruder' to their private pow-wow, when he mentioned the name Alaric and started talking about dreams. And then 'they.' "Who's they, Judah?" Hannah asked, not understanding who 'they' was. The Von Der Marcks? Vampires in general, or someone else? Or something else?

The tip of her tongue rolled over her bottom lip as Hannah tried to follow along with the rest of what he was saying. An invitation of sorts was offered to her, and Sterling (or would be, once he was around), Hannah shifting her weight and legs around. "I-I don't know...About going to see Alaric, I mean." Hannah said quietly, her words almost a hiss. "I want to help-but..." Very slowly, her fangs started to elongate, causing a hand to slap over her mouth. Her head whipped around to see Sterling's back, hearing him address the person coming up the stairs.

Hannah shot a foot out to the door that was near her, and slammed it shut with a loud 'bang!' that rattled the walls. "Sorry. I-don't let him come in here. Don't go out there either. Just. Don't. Open. The. Door." The brunette whispered, sling her chair backwards and parking it up against the closed door. She let out a few heavy breaths, closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the door, trying to...focus. Jude needed her more than she needed some vampire blood. "Why do you even need to tell him anything? Alaric doesn't look like Dracula or anything." Hannah slowly mulled over her words, swallowing down the fleeting thought of what it would be like to taste Dracula's blood-if the guy even existed. "Besides, I think Sterling can handle anything you throw at him, Jude. Have you seen his arms? They're like the size of my thighs." Maybe a slight overstatement, but he didn't seem like he was 'weak.' Hannah laughed, exposing her blood thief fangs to him as the laughter trickled out of her.

"I don't know the answer, Jude. If you want Sterling to be in your life, then he needs to know about your life. Otherwise, what's the point." Her eyes drifted away and focused on the wall behind Jude. "Maybe, Alaric won't even be there and you're sweating something...for nothing anyways." Hannah offered, not sure where vampires slept or what they really got up to. Not every vampire ran businesses and were tied to the mob, right?

[Ripper]

Ripper needed not to see any tattoos before realizing from the

stance and bearing of the man in front of him that here was a

paladin warrior. Hadn't he`d seen it enough times by now to know

and recognize it from sight? Totally aware of the fact that if this

meeting had occurred at another time or place it would be reason

enough for immediate hostilities to commence.

“There’s no reason to shout. Can we help you?”

The Killer considered both the man and his question one in turn as he drew up the last few steps on to the same level on which he stood. From the sounds of the open door left adjacent just behind him came the voices of a hushed conversation were still in the room.
His vampire hearing wasn`t enough to pick out every word of it, but there was a name which was repeated over several times and the rest of which was shared in disclosement was enough to make him think of the very wild talk and posts of speculation which were on the Crow.

Even while concentrating on what they had been saying, Ripper fully recognized where his attention needed to be on the man who was standing by the banister and still facing him intently. He would have to focus here and be ready to play all his cards if required to get this to go right. Already events stood on the edge of a precipice; when a paladin decides that it`s time to fight there`s very little you can do then but oblige them. To avoid serious bloodshed was going to require a little tact-maybe not his strongest suit, but there was no better time than to practice.

"Actually guvvna, perhaps it is I that can help you". the vampire replied. "That is, of course, considering that you would *accept* my kind of help..."

[Judah Marck]

Hannah was distracted, that was not overly surprising with the noise coming from outside, he could hear the voices in the hall but was trying to ignore them, to focus on the woman in front of him as her behaviour only became more erratic. “THEY.” He repeated, gesturing vaguely, feeling that strange anxiety swirling in the pit of his stomach, making him feel faintly sick. “I don’t know what they are, but they are after me. They want me to come to them. They are strange, creatures with big antlers. I can never see them clearly, but they are… They are just so super wrong, dude.” He shuddered, the man had been staring at his own feet as if they were fascinating, watching his shoes scuff against the carpeted floors of his office. When he looked up, ready to respond to her stammering uncertainty about Alaric he realised things had escalated.

He wasn’t sure if it was the mention of Alaric bringing her thoughts back to his blood, that of a vampire which had sent her into a tizzy or if it was something else entirely. “Hannah? What the… For go-... Goodness sake! What is it?” He queried, jumping up to move towards her, stopping a safe pace or two away as she slammed the door shut. Her mouth was covered, a hand firmly in place like she were hiding some dastardly secret and he had a very good idea of exactly what it was. Her fangboner, as he liked to call it, popping up at an inappropriate time that reminded him far too much of the quiet snickers and giggles he on occasion took part in when fellow students had to stand up to give reports or do speeches with uninvited guests impeding their performances. Jude was relieved to have never experienced that particular horror, but he could imagine just how unfortunate it might be.

The slamming of the door rang in his ears, watching Hannah pushing the chair in front of it as she whispered desperately to not open the door, not let him in. Jude was baffled, moving closer to her with the caution of someone approaching a wild animal that might bite. Not that he genuinely thought she would, after all, he wasn’t her “type”. “Hannah… Who shouldn’t I let in? What’s going on?” There was a faint tremor to his voice, brought on by the uncertainty caused by the whole situation. She seemed comfortable enough now, settled back in her chair answering his questions with faint disinterest, but having answered nonetheless. “It’s not that, but Alaric does come across… Old fashioned. Plus I can’t just avoid him, he’s the one I need to see. I need his help. He’s gotten better, he can even speak decent English now. As for Sterling’s arms…” Even though he was looking with faint concern between Hannah and the door he couldn’t help but smile cheekily, his head ducking with an awkward chuckle. “Yeah, I’ve seen them. He can handle himself, more concerned about Alaric and the other reactions, considering how they treated you.”

It still bothered him, the way the family reacted, the way they made her feel unwelcome in the manor when he had clearly welcomed her into his life as a new friend. “I understand the need for secrecy, but at the same time, it is a hard juggling act if I intend to have a life of my own and… Ok seriously, I can’t pretend you aren’t acting weird and that you haven’t got a MASSIVE fangboner. Hannah…” He’d been speaking rapidly, admittedly too much in his nervous state. Now he leaned down in front of her. “Is Sterling in danger out there? If so, then, yeah I think I need to go and deal with it. This is my Church, and that’s my friend.” There was a pointed gesture to the door, and her chair blocking it, brows raised in a manner he clearly used on his son when he was misbehaving.