Path of the Vampire forum

Thread backdated to during the Wendigo Side Story.

Judah Marck

It was 3am and the world had closed in around him, Judah sunk heavily beneath a sea of blankets that held him down. His dreams had grown worse, the wandering so severe that he’d had his friend Sterling watching him in the evenings, staying at his place to make sure the man stayed safe. Tonight was no different, the both of them had fallen asleep on the couch, August safely tucked up in his bed and the t.v. still on. A particularly nasty dream featuring members of his family past and present, Leonie the star of the one that had rocked him enough to have him waking gasping. He was trapped in the tangle of blankets and Sterling’s legs over his lap, an effective cage to stop him heading to the door. The nightmare had him panicked enough for her safety that even with their current distance both physically and emotionally he found himself grabbing for his phone, still half awake, dialing her number before he even paused to think about it. The ringing felt like it went forever, Jude taking the time to disentangle himself from the sleeping Sterling’s limbs, walking drowsily towards his bedroom. “Pick up, pick up.” He urged.


Leonie von der Marck

Brrrrrrrrrriiinnnnngggggg!

The dark-tressed Lioness frowned in her sleep, a risen moon casting gentle light upon her and the broad-shouldered male ever, comfortingly at her side. She turned slightly with a pillow in hand to block out what seemed an almost insistent, though far-off, sound that snuck into her mind and toyed at the edges of the pleasantly recurring dream playing in her head, cutting through the almost hypnotic sway of the ebb and flow of the lake that held her relaxed body. At one time, dreams of laying out and letting the water take her where it wished would have been an awful prospect. Now, it seemed to perfectly reflect the balancing harmony of her life, the fulfilling sense of purpose, and the growing, steady nature of her day-to-day.

It was a dream she looked forward to these nights and so, to finally have it shatter and dissipate after another shrill, seemingly louder ring was a bit more than an annoyance. The one-time party girl would once upon a time never be caught sleeping at the late hour but now, a year in, things had surely changed. Her eyes cracked open a moment and she almost groaned at the sight of the clock. The random, late night calls asking her to come out to Paris or Gstaad to play had ended some months ago. Relief had finally come at the hands of the glossy magazines and gossip columns no longer taking an interest in where the ‘lost’ heiress had disappeared to. And her true friends (the kind you always learn of, in the end), knew right where she was and what she’d been up to... some had even come to visit, because they among the bevy of hangers-on and loose entourage had stayed doggedly loyal, even if she’d long since left the lifestyle behind.

But another ring had her abandoning the tantalizing prospect of more sleep, all at once worried for what emergency might be on the other end, and the incessant noise waking Lou, who would surely be rising with the sun, if not before it. At last, she lifted the small device and forced herself to confront the glaringly bright light of the display.

And promptly dropped the phone.

****.

She hadn’t spoken with Jude for ages. He’d successfully avoided her at Christmas and she’d long since abandoned the thought of giving him the gift she’d picked out. There had been no point, after all, and it had been returned and the card torn up and burned in some fire or another. Closure, she’d tried to tell herself, though she knew that wasn’t likely to bring it about. The event, as well his complete avoidance of the ruckus her family always liked to cause, knowing full well how much pain and sheer havoc they wreaked upon her, had more than reinforced the thought that he hated her and things between them were permanently irreparable. And so the only reason she could fathom he would ever call the likes of her was for some sort of family emergency. For all she knew, he’d tried Lou first and she was a mere last resort.

And that was what got her moving, finally, to answer.

“Hello?” she finally said after tapping the answer button, her voice slightly hoarse and groggy from recent slumber. “Judah? What’s wrong? Is August okay? Is Alaric?”

Judah Marck

It was getting to the point where he thought the phone would stop ringing, a familiar voicemail giving him no comfort as it would only signify the potential peril that Leonie could be in. He couldn’t help the shudder that shook him, a violent twitch of muscles as flashes of nightmare fodder returned to him, Leonie drowning in a turbulent river, dragged towards ragged rocks that threatened to tear her apart. All the while he couldn’t help, a firm hand on his shoulder and whispers in his ear, telling him that she wasn’t his concern, that he should leave them all behind. It promised him a new family, freedom and wildness. Jude wasn’t buying it, fighting against it all. Whatever distance he’d put between them and himself had been so that they could be happy, and so that he could find his own peace. The family had been his life, but he wanted more, wanted things that were just for himself. Leonie had had that, for a brief period of time, even if for her distance from the family was a cage in itself. Freedom from responsibility did not come easy for the von der Marck’s.

She answered, voice heavy with sleep but frantic in nature, asking if people were ok. “What? No… I mean, yes, Leonie. Leonie are you ok!? Are you safe? Don’t go to the water.” He gasped, sitting down heavily on the bed in his room, already trying to think of the quickest way to get to the manor if they needed him.


Leonie von der Marck

It took the Lioness a minute to pull herself out of emergency mode, drawing a deep breath while pulling heavy locks from the nape of her neck as she swung her legs from the bed, a wary gaze tossed to the thankfully still-sleeping male beside her. Everyone was safe. It was okay. She drew in another slow breath before dropping her voice to a quieter tone, working to keep the irritation from wiggling it's way into her voice. She'd been woken from a dead sleep, after all, but it also occurred to her he wouldn't have bothered unless it was serious.

“Judah, I'm fine,” she began in a more soothing tone as she slipped out to the small sitting room next door and sank onto a sofa. “What on Earth do you mean? I was asleep and... And... Wait, what? Water... Why?” Her brow furrowed slightly, unable to stop the next words from tumbling out, no matter how inane they sounded. “How do you know what I was dreaming about, anyway?”

Judah Marck

He breathed a sigh of relief, though there was still an obvious agitation to him, twitchy and struggling to sit still as sleep shook further from him. There was still a huskiness to his tone as he spoke around the receding lump in his throat, fear sliding into confusion. “You’re really ok?” He asked, though no really expecting a reply, responding to her questions as they’d come at him. “Because you were drowning, Leonie. There was a storm, there is always a storm, and you’d gone in the river. Why do you always have to go to the damn river?” He winced, “It was in the middle of the forest, it kept getting bigger and the rocks were so sharp and the mud so thick at the banks that you couldn’t hold on…” He trailed off, swallowing hard.

“You were dreaming too? Oh god, have you seen them too? I only ever see glimpses. Distorted creatures and they turn into you all, and they try to make me come to them. Sterling has been watching me, I started walking and… You’re ok. You’re ok, and everyone is ok. It wasn’t real.” He blinked rapidly, fully awake now, staring at the room around him, pulling the phone from his ear to stare at it.


Leonie von der Marck

“Yeah, I’m really okay, Judah,” she repeated, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose before they rubbed over her temple, her sleep-addled brain still trying to make sense of his words, still trying to understand why he’d called. “Drowning? Dude, I was asleep. I promise, I’m not near any water, unless you count the drippy bathroom faucet.” A small, wry smile stole over her lips as she considered how she’d teased Lou about it earlier in the day. He took such pride in the house and maintaining it, so it had only been in good fun. “I’m not near any rivers... I haven’t been to one in months,” she added lamely, not sure what else she could say to assure him.

The rambling babble that followed had her shaking her head, even knowing full well he couldn’t see her. She had no idea who Sterling was, but she was grateful he wasn’t alone with August while having what amounted, in her estimation, to a panic attack. She had no idea what creatures he was talking about, either, but she ignored that for now, chalking it up to his still being heavily freaked out. “Hey. Judah.” She tried again, her voice softening even more, hoping to soothe him. “It was just a dream. A nightmare. That’s what they do, they play on our fears and magnify them... no monsters are lurking. You’re right, its not real... its okay. Everyone is okay. But are you?”

Then, against her better judgment, still certain he wouldn’t have ever called had he been fully awake and already preparing for the sting of an angry response, “Do you want me to come over?”

Judah Marck

“Sorry, Leonie.” He muttered, his heart still thudding in his chest, a hand passing across as he face as he took breaths to try and settle his pulse. “You’re right. It was a dream, just another dream.” Jude said it with a small amount of bitterness alongside the weariness that made him flop back against the bed. “I’m… Ok? No. Not really, but i’m trying. Something isn’t right, Leonie.” He admitted quietly, as if it were a secret between them, perhaps the first time he’d actually admitted it outloud. Judah had made valid efforts to play off his exhaustion, to deny that the looming nightmares were anything more than just bad dreams but the last few nights they had become more dangerous. He knew he needed help, that he relied on the presence of friends to keep him from walking into the street and that daytime hours were no longer free of horrifying microsleeps.

“It’s ok, I don’t… Thank you, but no. I have someone here with me. I just… It was a dream.” Jude winced, “I’m sorry I woke you.”

Leonie von der Marck

The woman held back a sigh, relief and worry flowing through her in equal measure that he had denied her, but hadn’t been hostile about it No matter how fierce the Lioness could be, she wasn’t sure she could handle more in the way of bitterness or anger or the silent disdain both had boiled down to over the past few months. She wasn’t quite ready to see him, either, but would have tucked all that down deep if he’d said yes. No matter that he didn’t want to be around her anymore; he was still, in some ways, her Judah. Her blood. And that still went some long way toward loyalty and protection in her mind.

“Don’t apologize. I... I’m still here, Judah, for you. No matter what. I hope you know that.”

Her teeth toyed over her lower lip, not really knowing what else to say without her voice cracking and giving way to pesky emotion, though his quiet confession played over in her head, instantly steeling her, forcing remnants of sleep away and making her suddenly alert as concern twisted her gut. She knew the sound of that tone. “Tell me. What isn’t right? Are you safe?”

Judah Marck

“I know.” He admitted quietly, eyes closing to the world, focusing on their conversation. “I just thought we needed space, all of us. I want things for myself, Leonie. While you were running away from your family I was immersing myself further in it. I had my career but even that was tied in with our family, able to search the records of our chosen faith to help track different branches for the chronicles.” The sigh that escaped him was heavy, exhaustion rolling over him leaving him feeling oddly empty. “I wanted us to be close again, to be able to friends but there was hurt between us. I hoped that my distance would give it time to simmer and dissipate, so that we could all just be. Until these dreams started I was doing really well, i’m happy to be back in my apartment with my son and my…” He paused, a noise from the other room making him open his eyes, someone stirring. “My friends.” Jude finished as a scruffy dark haired man appeared in the doorway, looking at him with gruff relief, as if he were a naughty kitten who’d hidden himself away and given his new owner a fright.

Jude offered Sterling a smile, it was one of quiet welcome, content to be joined. Sterling did enter the room, closing the door behind him but only pausing to brush a hand across Jude’s hair before he disappeared into the en suite bathroom. “I’m safe enough, for now, but there are things out there, forces that are trying to get ahold of me. I know that sounds crazy, trust me, but something bigger and far badder than me is trying to get it’s hooks in. These dreams… God, Leonie, these dreams are awful.”


Leonie von der Marck

“I know you do. And you should have them, Jude. But nothing good ever comes of us all being apart. You know that just as well as I do. We... all of us... we need each other. More than ever,” she said. “I know I had my time away... and I know you’ve needed yours for awhile. But... Jude, I need you as much as I ever did, and I hate that there’s this distance between us now.” She sighed and ran a hand through her dark locks. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry there’s hurt between us... but I got past mine some time ago. Can you get past yours?”

The words were almost whispered, an edge of desperation in her tone. That it had taken fear to finally bust down the barriers was not lost on her, but she hoped it would keep that communication open. “There has to be a happy medium... a compromise... somewhere in there... right? You can’t keep facing this **** alone. After everything we’ve been through, seen, done... it doesn’t sound crazy at all. But distance won’t do it any good, Jude. Have you told Alaric yet? I know he’s... well. He knows things we don’t, and with his abilities... maybe he can help...?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose again. “So come home, Jude. Come back to the manor and talk to him. Please.”

Judah Marck

“It’s unrealistic, Leonie, to think that we’ll all reside in that manor together forever and be able to have what each of us individually want.” He sighed heavily, sitting up as reality came crashing down on him all too readily. “Look, this isn’t about you, you were part of it but there is a lot more to it. I don’t feel that my living there needs to correspond to our being close, but I think we need to work on forming new relationships, we are different people now and we can’t rely on old bonds to always pull us through tough times. I need to give myself time to figure out who I am without…” Jude paused, not quite sure how to explain it to her and suddenly feeling frustrated that he had to, that he felt the need to explain himself to anyone.

“It is what I need right now, and I need you to respect that. I am happy living in my own space, raising my son and working on things at my own pace. I’m drinking less, and up until recently I was sleeping better. It doesn’t mean I don’t come to the manor or won’t, I come to spend time with Alaric quite often. I may talk to him, I will see how I feel come the morning.” Jude scrubbed a hand at his face, crawling back until he was able to kick back the blankets, crawling beneath them. “I’m always going to be a von der Marck and support the family. Just give this time, we can start slowly. Don’t… Don’t worry. I’ll call if i’m in over my head.” He knew that he was, but he’d already reached out, he’d sought assistance. Alaric would be helpful, and Judah planned to visit him in a day or two either way, once his schedule allowed. “I’ll speak with Alaric. Sorry I woke you… You should go back to bed.” He smiled when he said this, trying to ensure it reached his voice.


Leonie von der Marck

“That’s not what - “ she hefted a sigh, checking her tone before the rising annoyance could blight out the concern. She never was very good at being clear without a cup of coffee, at the very least. A slow breath was released. “I don’t mean you should come back to live here, or even jump right back into everything. I meant beyond the physical distance, Jude. Mental blocks, wedges, whatever. Its never been a good thing. You do what you have to do, no one is gonna begrudge you that, least of all me. You deserve time to yourself and to figure things out and I’m sure I’m the very last person you want to see around,” she added before biting down on her lip. “I can make myself scarce when you’re here. But... I didn’t find myself, or anything fulfilling, out there away from everyone and everything. For me, it was just... running away. You’re a lot more mature and level-headed than I am, though, so you’ve probably got a much better grip on the whole deal of figuring out what you’re looking for... but it wasn’t til I came back here that I started figuring things out.” She heaved a slight shrug, no matter he couldn’t see the move of resignation. “And I do think... when you’re ready... if nothing else, it’ll be good for you to speak with Alaric about those dreams.”

She raked a hand gently through her hair, and breathed a soft sigh of relief that ended on a quiet laugh. “I always worry,” she replied as she rose and headed back toward the bedroom, though she doubted she would find the warm comfort of sleep again, not with the sneaking suspicion that he was not, in fact, okay, swirling around her head and lending an edge of fear to her thoughts. But it surely wasn’t her place to demand he call if things got worse.

“Goodnight, Judah.”
Judah Marck

Jude let a deep sigh part his lips, giving the slightest wince of frustration and resignation, he’d already said it but he would again before they said goodbye. “I know, Leonie. I’ve not left my family, I am the Chronicler and I continue to do the work that keeps our records intact, i’m still the one that seeks out those wayward members and tries to make contact, i’m just not at the manor all the time. I wasn’t until recently, I have my own place, the manor wasn’t lived in full-time by any of us but Lou until a few months ago. It was a means to an end, it made sense to stay close to each other at that time. I still come to the library and to the wall with the family tree mural to find things I need, as I did before…” He shrugged, no need to rehash it, all that had happened, what they had gained and lost when the ritual had finally been successful. “I’ll speak to Alaric when i’m ready, when I know how to even begin to explain.... Goodnight, Leonie, I hope you two sleep well. We’ll talk soon, alright? I’ll be around.” He let the phone come away from his ear, pressing at the screen to end the call.

The silence felt oppressive, the only thing disrupting it his own breathing for the handful of moments until Sterling emerged again. Jude felt like it had been an age that he’d been sitting there bordering on falling back asleep but not quite bringing himself to crawl back into the bed, responding in a dazed fashion as the guiding hand at his shoulder. He wasn’t entirely sure how he ended up curled up safely in bed, but he woke hours later to the smell of coffee being made and the sound of August’s laughter. He wasn’t sure at first if the conversation had been a dream, but a quick glance at his call log told him it had been reality and he wasn’t entirely ready to face it. Jude rolled over, pressing his face deeper into the pillow, with every intention to stay there until someone came to find him, which was inevitable. He’d have to face everything eventually, he always did and he would with a smile when it came to it but for just a moment he wanted to pretend he’d had a good night of sleep, to just listen to the happy sounds from the kitchen and enjoy the smell of someone else making breakfast while he stayed in bed.