Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, in a faraway land…

That’s how most romantic fairy tales begin, in a faraway land somewhere…. Well, this one starts in Ireland, 1916 during The Easter Rising.

And instead of a prince, it starts with a young peasant boy, who was caught up in all the fighting. The boy didn’t have everything his heart desired, living in a shack with his parents and older brother, with barely a penny to his name.

But he was good.

Considered an annoyance by almost everyone who knew him, but good none-the-less.

One cool spring night, as he and his brother retreated away from the fighting, this young boy heard a woman crying out from the nearby swamp. She looked scared, fingers scrambling along the ground as she tried to pull herself out of the murky water.

She begged for the young man’s help.

Enraptured by the beauty of the young woman, the boy rushed over, reaching out to grab her hands and pull her out…. Unfortunately, it didn’t go quite as expected.

As he grabbed her hands, the young woman’s beauty melted away, as her face twisted into a hideous snarl of glee, blood-lust in her eyes.

The young boy tried to escape, but it was too late.

She pulled him towards her, one hand tangling into his hair and pulling his head to one side, leaving his neck exposed as her teeth sank into the young flesh.

She intended to drain him as she pulled him into the swamp, leaving the husk of his body there so that no-one would ever find it.

It didn’t quite work out like that.

Unknown to this monstrous woman, the young boy survived the attack, his body changing.

When he woke up, he knew something was wrong… he knew something had changed.

The way his skin burst into flames at the barest glimmer of sunlight.

The craving for blood that he couldn’t explain.

How he didn’t die after being shot by a local farmer during one of his attempts on the man’s sheep.

It was easy to figure it out, thinking back to the old folk-lore stories his Mama would tell him.

Vampire.

Slightly ashamed of his new, monstrous identity, the young boy concealed himself inside a large castle, surrounded by dozens of his own kind.

There was no magic mirror to the outside world… no enchanted rose… no promise that true love’s kiss would break the curse.

Just a boy and his new life.

The years passed, and the young man started to fall into despair, and lose all hope.

What was the point of an immortal life, when you were all alone.

……………………………………………………………………..

It was a little town… full of little people, with little problems.

Jesse hated it…. It reminded him too much of Annville.

Everyone knew each other, said hello in the mornings and didn’t trust any strangers who happened to wander in.

Even the ones who were technically invited.

“Bread Preacher?”

Spinning around to face the baker, Jesse gave him his best ‘I’m an innocent Preacher, please trust me’ smile. “Sure… why not.”

“You here to deal with the little… problem that we have?”

Ah yes… the little problem. Farm animals going missing… as well as a few people.

“Good thing too…” the man continued, not seeming to care that Jesse hadn’t said anything, “… Poor John’s wife went missing several weeks ago, and his meat hasn’t been the same.”

If Tulip were here, she wouldn’t be able to resist making a dirty innuendo… as it were, Jesse coughed into his hand to hide his smile.

The smile soon disappeared when he spotted John walking back to his shop, a piece of roadkill in his hands…. Probably the meat the baker was referring to.

He needed to seriously think about becoming a vegetarian.

“Hope you catch them soon…” The baker continued, “… probably that biker gang from the next town over.”

“… Probably.”

Making his excuses, Jesse left as quickly as he could, narrowly dodging the children who were rushing to the local school, and the many woman who were complaining about the price of eggs… which had apparently gone up.

“Preacher!”

Spinning around, Jesse resisted the urge to groan when the local church busy-body (who wasn’t nearly as hot as Emily) came rushing over to him.

“I was hoping you’d be willing to give this week’s sermon!” she announced, “I think we all need a lecture on sin…” she glanced around at the villagers, a slight sneer on her face, “… you have met some of them, haven’t you?”

Why him.

“My apologies…” he began, “… but me and my companion are only here to investigate these strange disappearances. Sermons are often a full week job, and I don’t have time for that. Now go and be in peace.”

She wasn’t happy, but allowed Jesse to walk away, the wheels in his head already turning as he wondered about what was stealing livestock and kidnapping people. If it were just the animals, it could be chalked up to wild animals… it still could be really.

But something felt wrong about this.

As he walked past a stall that was covered head to toe in flowers, he suddenly got the sensation that someone was watching him. Glancing around slightly, he spotted a slim figure watching him from the shaded doorway of a nearby shop.

“Oh Preacher!”

After dealing with the woman who was having concerns with her daughter, Jesse turned back to the doorway, frowning when he realised that the figure was gone.

It was probably nothing.

………………………………………………………..

“And you’re sure they’re here to investigate the disappearances?” A patronising smile appeared on the man’s face, “This town is in desperate need of a preacher after all.”

The two men in front of him nodded eagerly, “We heard them talking about it with the villagers. Apparently, they’ve got a reputation for solving… unusual cases.”

“Hmmmm… does he know?”

They both knew who ‘he’ referred to.

“Yeah… Deng reckons he saw him hiding in the bar, and everyone’s talking about it.”

Silence.

“Ummm… is it bad that he knows?”

The man in front of them sighed wearily, “… He’s always had… a soft spot for humans. You know that has always been a concern for me.” Another sigh, “Although… maybe… maybe we can use this to our advantage.”

………………………………………………………

“You went out.”

A roll of the eyes. “I got bored listenin’ to all your followers kiss your ass… sue me.”

“It’s not safe for you out there during the day.”

“T’is is my ‘I care’ face.”

“… that’s not very nice dear.”

“Don’ call me t’at… I ain’t yer dear. And I never will be!”

“So, you keep saying…. I hope you’ll join us for dinner tonight?”

“No.”

“Other plans?”

“Nope… just t’ink yer a wanker.”

…………………………………………………………………..

Jesse couldn’t help but think about the skinny figure in the doorway as he headed back to the local motel, glancing around as he got closer to make sure no-one had followed him. As he opened the door to their room, he could hear Tulip humming something in the bathroom… it sounded… familiar.

“That Disney?” he called out, smirking as the singing suddenly cut off, only to be replaced by cursing as the bathroom door slammed open.

“I though’ you’d be out for longer!” she growled, clearly trying to play off the entire incident, “Nobody care about the Good Lord ‘round here?”

“Too many…” Jesse admitted, handing her the bread, “… I practically ran home.”

“Poor baby…” As she took a big bite of the still-warm bread, she turned the conversation back to the matter at hand, “… you find out who’s been nicking the animals?”

“Please don’t speak wit’ yer mouth full… and no, no signs whatsoever. Aside from the fact that it’s probably nothing and this is a huge waste of time!”

Sensing that Jesse was about to go into another ‘we have better things to be doing, like looking for God’ speech, Tulip reached out and grabbed his hand, “You don’ know that…. What if you really can help here? Help people like you used to do back in- “She paused…. The memories of their old town were still fresh in her mind, and they weren’t exactly happy ones.

“Yeah… you really think this is something?”

“I wouldn’t have drove us here if I didn’t think so.”

As Jesse nodded, a small smile on his face, Tulip got to her feet and grabbed some money off of the side table. “I’ma go get us some food, something better than that crap anyway, ask around about the disappearances and everything.”

“Use your feminine charms?”

She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, “You know me so well.”

And with that, she was gone, leaving Jesse alone with his thoughts.

Chapter Text

“Are you really a Preacher?”

Jesse glanced up at the child, turning his attention away from the scuff marks in the grass, a sign that one of the animals in this field was dragged away kicking and baaing.

None of the other scenes indicated a struggle, including the ones where people disappeared from their own rooms.

“I am, yes…” he straightened up and raised an eyebrow, “… don’t I look like one?”

“Mummy says she saw you smoking…. Preacher’s don’t smoke.”

Resisting the urge to sigh, Jesse shrugged, “No-one is perfect child… even someone as devoted to God as I am. It is not a sin.”

The boy clearly wasn’t convinced.

“Billy! Don’t you be bothering the Preacher now!”

Jesse barely flinched, but the young boy did, racing off and leaving Jesse alone… as the church busy-body came stomping over to him again.

He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he hid the cigarette behind his back.

“Is that really the best example you’re setting for our children?” she asked, in a patronising tone, “I’m sure the Bible teaches us to keep our bodies and minds pure, and I’m sure smoking is one of the vices frowned upon.”

Not replying, Jesse simply smiled and dropped his cigarette to the ground, using his shoe to put it out as the woman glared at him.

Clearly, this lecture wasn’t over.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The Preacher was out again… almost pinned against the wall by the old lady.

“Jus’ tell her to piss off Padre…” he couldn’t help but mutter to himself, watching as the Preacher stammered and tried to make his excuses, “… oh, for fuck’s sake.”

……………………………………………………………………………………….

“Ah!”

The woman spun around as something struck her in the pack of the head, turning her attention away from Jesse.

The figure that moved in the shadowed alleyway looked very familiar to him.

“Children…” the woman hissed, rubbing the back of her head as she stormed towards the alleyway, “… I’ll have them this time, I’ll have you this time!”

And then she was gone.

This was a strange village.

……………………………………………………………….

“Did you see that?!”

“Yeah, what is he thinking? Protecting the preacher?!”

“You heard Eccarius…. Soft spot for humans remember?”

“… What does Eccarius see in him anyway? He could have anyone, why pick… him?”

“It’s not our business to question Eccarius’s choice in partners… we just need to keep an eye on him.”

“Hasn’t he swore he’ll never be with Eccarius?”

“… C’mon, we have other things to do today.”

As the pair walked off, they were unaware that they were being closely watched from the shadows.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

“Who the fuck does he t’ink he is? Like I would ever be wit’ him…. I have better taste than t’at, no wankers for me!”

From the shadows, he glanced at what he could see, smirking at the sight of children running past…. He’d watched almost three generations grow up in this town.

And he was likely to watch another three.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

“Lovely view… only wished I recognised it.” Tulip glanced around the wooded area, frowning when she didn’t recognise it at all.

She was sure they didn’t drive up this road, despite there being only one road into the town.

She wasn’t even entirely sure how she ended up all the way out here…. And retracing her steps was getting her nowhere.

“Maybe… Maybe it’s this way.” She walked to the right, heading down a path that seemed to have been trampled through the wooded area, “Yes, I’m sure we passed this when we came to this dump.”

And then she heard the stick crack behind.

No guns. No knives…. And by the sound the heavy breathing, multiple assailants.

“I hope Jesse never hears about this…” she growled to herself, before suddenly bursting into a run, hoping to either reach the village or put enough space between her and them.

She quickly realised that she was being surrounded though.

Cursing violently, she darted to the side, making her way off the path and into the heavy undergrowth in order to try and hide, hunkering down low as footsteps passed her by.

There must have been about twenty of them… and she would bet all the money she ever had, that they were related to the weird disappearances.

Suddenly darting out and knocking several of them out, she ran towards the east, pushing her way through branches and bushes until she saw large iron gates up ahead.

Challenge accepted.

Gripping the cold bars and pulling herself up, feet scrambling to gain purchase, she quickly managed to climb over the top, dropping to the ground and moving into a forward roll as she hit the ground.

Whoever was following her, seemed to have been left behind, but as soon as Tulip turned away from the gates, she couldn’t help but shudder slightly at the large building up ahead.

This place was creepy.

When she got closer, she frowned when she saw just how big the building actually was… how was something this large, kept so hidden?

“Probably abandoned…” she muttered to herself, almost in reassurance, “… no signs of life and no one mentioned it in the town…. Abandoned.”

She raced up to the front door, trying to ignore the lit candles in the window. Once she was directly in front of it, the door opened up and she cautiously made her way inside, peering around the door and frowning when she realised that no-one was there.

“…. Okay.” She slowly shut the door and glanced around the first room, “Hello?”

No reply.

On a table near the door, there was a lit candlestick… recently lit by the looks of it. Picking it up, she made her way further into the building… where she could hear someone singing from a side room.

“Way down in Tipperary, where the cow plop is thick…”

“Hello?”

She ran towards the sound, flinging open the door, hoping to catch the person unaware.

She didn’t miss the figure darting into the shadows, but by the time she made her way over, whoever it was, was gone.

Slowly, she backed out of the room and back into the main entrance hall. “Whoever you are, I- “She stopped when she heard sounds coming from another room to the left, which turned out to be the kitchen. On the large table, was some bread and milk.

“Alright, this is just getting’ weird now!” She called out, even as she took a seat at the table, only just realising that she was starving, “But thanks!” Hungrily, she tore off a piece of bread and stuffed it in her mouth.

The milk however, she eyed in suspicion…. Who knows what was put in there.

“I ‘ain’t drugged it…” chuckled a voice from the darkness, “… you always this paranoid?”

Tulip was still for a moment…. Before she shot to her feet and started to head back to the front door. “Nope…” she muttered to herself, “… not dealin’ wit’ this. No way.”

Ignoring how the shadows seemed to move all around her, she opened the door and raced out…. Unsurprisingly, she ran.

The trees passed by very quickly, and it was clear to Tulip that someone was following him, footsteps echoing through the gardens as they got closer and closer.

Before she could reach the gate, someone tackled her from behind and she went crashing to the ground.

“Jess- “

An arm wrapped around her neck, choking the breath out of her… and then there was only darkness.

Chapter Text

Jesse frowned as he paced the motel room to and fro.

Tulip wasn’t back yet.

It had gone dark hours ago, and she wasn’t anywhere to be found. Not in the bars or anything… in fact, the last thing anyone had seen of her, was a brief glimpse of her near the woods. He’d headed back to the motel room, hoping that she’d be back soon.

But there was nothing.

“Dammit Tulip…” he groaned, grabbing one of the spare flashlights from their travel bag, “… Dammit, dammit, dammit!”

………………………………………………………………..

Nothing.

Jesse felt like he’d combed every inch of these woods and there was no sign of Tulip anywhere…. Except for those broken branches it seemed.

Frowning, he wandered over in that direction… he was so sure he’d been everywhere, but maybe, he’d missed something.

After less than five minutes of walking, he came across a large gate, that seemed to be the entrance to a large mansion-like building.

He couldn’t believe he’d missed something like this.

Thankfully, the gate seemed to be slightly open, leaving him a tiny little gap to slip through.

“I hope you appreciate this Tulip…” he muttered, “… if you’re in there having a drink, I’m going to lose it!”

Slowly, he made his way over to the large building, pushing the large door open and heading inside. Everything was old-fashioned, definitely not matching up to the world outside.

The lack of dust was disconcerting as well.

On the table near the door, he spotted some silver candlestick holders, but before curiosity overcame him, he heard cursing from somewhere below. Grabbing the lit candlestick, he headed towards the sound, instantly recognising some of the more creative curse words.

“Tulip?” The further down the stairs he went, the closer the sound got, “Tulip!”

“Jesse!”

Jesse raced down the reminder of the stairs, coming across several cells. In one of them, Tulip was reaching out for him. Placing his source of light on the floor, he knelt by the cell door.

“How’dya find me?!” she exclaimed, before tugging on the bars, “C’mon, let me out before they come back!”

Jesse nodded in agreement, frowning at the coldness of her hands, “Your hand are like ice!” he hissed. “We need to get out of here!”

“Didn’t I just say that?! C’mon, he’s insane, he’s actually insane!”

“Who?!”

Tulip’s eyes grew wide, and then there was a sharp pain at the back of his head… everything went black.

……………………………………..

When he next woke up, he was in the cell with Tulip, with a figure dressed in extravagant clothing standing outside.

“Who are you?” Jesse slurred, trying to appear stronger than what she actually felt.

“I think the question is, who are you two?” The man replied, “Why did you break into my home?”

“I came for Tulip… why did you lock her up?”

“She trespassed on private land. What would you have me do?”

“…. Not lock her up?”

The other man growled, “Maybe you should teach your woman better manners?”

Ignoring how Tulip started to curse and snarl, Jesse couldn’t help but smirk in amusement. “I would honestly like to see you try and teach her better manners…. Look, why don’t you just let us go and we’ll forget all about this?”

Tulip vehemently disagreed, “I won’t! I’d start runnin’, ‘cause as soon as I get out of here, I’m gonna give you a beatin’ you won’t forget in a hurry!”

“Then, until you learn how to treat someone’s property with respect, then here you shall stay.”

Jesse got the feeling that the man wasn’t just referring to the house.

It was then that he spotted the other people standing in the shadows, all hiding their faces from the pair in the cell.

COME INTO THE LIGHT, he ordered through Genesis, ignoring how Tulip hissed at him to order the man to let them go.

One by one, the people revealed themselves… all of them were considered missing by the village.

“Interesting…” Jesse muttered, “… You’re not missing. You’re runaways.”

“They are my disciples.” The extravagant man shrugged, “They saw the truth in my words and remain loyal to me in my home. I can ask for nothing else.”

Before either Jesse or Tulip could say anything in return, the man shifted into a cat and crept back into the shadows, his loyal followers disappearing without a word as well.

“You could have gotten us out of here!” Tulip growled, spinning around and punching Jesse in the arm, “What good are your freaky mind powers, if you’re not going to use them?!”

Jesse just chuckled, “What? And ruin our chance to have a bit of a root around?” He smirked at her, “Escaping this cell should be easy, but while we’re here, we can find out exactly what this man offered the missing people.”

“…. I hate it when you’re right.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

He wasn’t sure how long they sat there for… long enough for the sun to set in the sky.

As they were both turned away from the door, with Jesse staring out of the slim window and Tulip sitting there with her with her eyes closed, determinedly ignoring him, they heard a clicking noise.

And then their cell door swung wide open.

“What the- “

Jesse was interrupted as they heard an Irish accent from further down the corridor, clearly speaking to someone.

“I’m just sayin’, we have tons of rooms in this place! Why shouldn’t they have a little more space?”

“Eccarius said- “

“Oh, come on, do you really have to…”

As the Irish voice continued, Jesse gently motioned for Tulip to follow him. Peering out of the doorway, they could see a lanky figure chatting to another man, his tone light as though nothing was going on… even though he could clearly see Jesse and Tulip sneaking out.

Before the person he was talking to could turn around and see what was happening, the Irishman slammed his head against the wall, knocking him out instantly.

“Yer lucky…” he beamed at Jesse and Tulip, “… I made copies of these cell keys years ag-AH!”

Despite the fact that he’d helped them, Tulip didn’t hesitate. Swiftly, she darted forwards, pinning the skinny man to the wall with just one arm.

“Crap!” the man chocked, although he did look very impressed, “Crap, what the he- “

“- You were the one who gave me the food!” Tulip snarled, “You trapped me here!”

“No, no, no! Okay, yeah, I gave ye the food, but it was the others who captured you!” The man winced as Tulip pressed a little harder on his neck, “Yer a lot stronger than I t’ought ye’d be.”

There was a tense silence between them, before the man took a deep breath, turning his attention to Jesse, “I’m sorry…” he tried to apologise, glancing at Tulip nervously, “… I just wanted to help you luv, I never t’ought t’ey’d lock you guys up.”

Silence.

“Every where’s locked up right now, no-one goes in or out, but I can probably find a room for ye? Be a lot more comfortable t’an t’at shit. As far away from the West Wing as possible.”

Immediately, the man winced, as if he knew he shouldn’t have said that.

“Why?” Jesse couldn’t help but be curious, “What’s in the West Wing?”

“Nothing…. Storage space mostly.”

The answer was given too quickly…. An obvious lie.

“If you could just let go of me luv…. Then I can lead you to the east wing… or as I like to call it, t’e only wing!”

He wandered away from the cells, clearly expecting them to follow him as they walked up several flights of stairs, until they came to a large door at the end of a corridor.

“I know it’s not much…” the man forced the door open, “… but no-on ever really comes down this corridor… and the windows are wide enough for someone to climb out of.”

“… Thank you.” Jesse eventually whispered, recognising the statement for what it was… unless of course it was a trap. Mind you… this guy was clearly a terrible liar, the west wing statement had proved that.

“I’ll leave you to get settled…” the man muttered, before letting them pass him and closing the door after they’d entered.

As soon as they were sure that the man was far enough away, Tulip raced over to the window, wrenching them open and peering out…. Nothing beneath that would cushion their fall.

Turning to the bed, her eyes fell on the decorated fabrics covering it.

“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” she asked, a smirk on her face as she turned to Jesse, “He did say we could.”

“… True.”

………………………………………………….

“He said no again.” Eccarius sighed, a frown on his face, “Again and again… what am I missing? What does he truly want?”

It was obvious what his followers thought… ‘because he doesn’t want you.’

“He’ll say yes eventually.” Eccarius sighed, “I never thought he’d be so resistant to the idea. I mean, we’re both powerful vampires, having escaped the hunters several hundred times over.”

“Of course, you are!” his loyal followers simpered.

“I’ve worked so hard to get here and just turns his nose up at it all!” Eccarius moved over to his window and sighed wearily, “I confess to finding myself at a loss.”

Before his followers could say anything else, another man raced through the door (a new one… Eccarius didn’t really remember his name).

“Cassidy’s given the prisoners their own room!” he announced, the frustration evident in his voice, “We’re not sure which one, but we’ll find them again.”

“No.” Eccarius quickly ordered, “Leave them… a couple of projects for Cassidy will stop him from just wandering into town whenever he pleases. Just keep an eye on the gates and stop them from leaving if they do try to escape.”

Straightening out his jacket, he decided to try and find Cassidy. Persistence would eventually break through the Irish man’s walls and put them on the right track.

………………………………………………….

“You will join me for dinner.”

Cassidy didn’t even glance at him, taking a long swig of whiskey.

“Cassidy… that’s not a request.”

Silence.

“Cassidy…”

The other man raised a hand, almost silently ordering Eccarius to stop talking.

Eccarius ignored him, “So… will you join me for dinner?”

“Not hungry.”

To Eccarius, it was the last straw. “I told you to join me for dinner Cassidy!” he growled

“And I said NO!” Cassidy snarled back, “I’d rat’er STARVE t’an eat wit’ YE!”

“FINE!”

As Eccarius stormed away, his anger rising up, he failed to notice Cassidy smirk and slip back into the shadows.

Chapter Text

BANG

BANG

BANG

Tulip and Jesse turned away from the window, tension written all over their bodies as they continued to lower the make-shift rope glaring at the door.

There was a brief moment of silence, before;

BANG

BANG

BANG

“Hello?” The familiar Irish accent called out.

Slowly, they tried to hide the escape rope, before Jesse walked over to the door and cracked it open, just enough for him to look out.

“Oh!” The man beamed at him, holding a large bottle of whiskey in his hands, with three cups precariously balanced on top, “I t’ought you might like a little somethin’ to calm your nerves before you make yer darin’ escape.”

It had been a long time since he’d had a drink.

Opening the door a little more, Jesse moved to one side to allow the man inside, practically snatching the bottle as he locked the door behind the man.

Just in case, you know.

Opening up the bottle and taking a big gulp, Jesse then handed it over to Tulip, who took several gulps.

It was only then that they realised that they were starving.

Tulip turned to the Irish man, who was looking at the bottle with longing, although he continued to keep his distance. “Hey, you got any food around this dump?”

The man almost seemed to wince before he played it off, nodding his head eagerly. “Yeah, sure, what can I get ya?”

“Food dumbass… and a lot of it.”

Not even slightly phased by her harsh tone, the man bowed lowly, a smirk on his face. “Consider it done.”

And then he was gone.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Tulip and Jesse glanced at one another.

“I wonder what’s the deal with this place….” Tulip mused, tilting her head towards the partially open door.”

“… If I had to bet…” Jesse mused, “… it’s in that so-called, non-existent West Wing.”

The pair smirked at one another, before rushing out of the ajar door and heading west, rushing up some stairs to the west wing. Eventually, they found themselves in a long corridor. The only source of light was through the gap of another ajar door.

Slowly, they made their way over to the door and peered through the gap… only for their eyes to widen in shock.

“Are they doing what I think they’re doing?” Tulip hissed.

“If you think he’s turning someone into a vampire… then yes.”

“…. We need to get out of here.”

“Agreed.”

Quickly they raced away, unaware that they’d been heard… and that they were being followed.

Successfully, they managed to squeeze through the gap in the gates, running back in the direction that they believed they had come from originally.

They didn’t see the vampire until it was too late.

A feral growl echoed throughout the trees.

Whilst the growl did send some sort of primal shudder down their spines, they continued to run, desperately not looking back. When they came to a dead end, Jesse cursed furiously, ducking just as someone dived for his throat.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Tulip swore, moving as quickly as she could, grabbing a stick and swinging it as hard as she could at the vampire, “SHIT!”

Whilst they would never admit it out-loud, at this moment, they were actually a little bit terrified.

Just before Jesse could open his mouth and unleash Genesis, a familiar figure dived through the air, landing right on top of their attacker and growling, sharp teeth tearing a chunk of the man’s throat out.

“Holy shit.” Jesse whispered.

It was an amazing sight, and the pair hated to admit it… but they were transfixed.

The two battled ferociously, with the skinnier man suffering a large gash to the leg and not even slowing down because of it.

When he was stabbed in the chest, dangerously close to his heart, their savour fell to his knees. With the attacker weakened, Tulip and Jesse seized their chance and leapt into the fray once again.

Needless to say, at the thought of facing all three of them, their attacker disappeared into the shadows and vanished from sight.

When they turned back around, the Irish man who had helped them was lying on the ground, cursing lowly under his breath as blood started to soak into the soil underneath him. For a brief second, Jesse was tempted to leave him there…. He was a part of the group who had captured them after all.

Tulip however, disagreed.

“Come on…” She stormed over to the man, lightly kicking at his body, “… you need to get up, because we can’t carry you.”

“Not even… if I said… please?” The Irish man slurred weakly, giving her a bloody smile, only to grunt when she kicked him again.

Jesse moved to his side, lifting him to his feet, barely even grunting with the effort.

“My hero…” the man slurred, smirking as Jesse couldn’t hold back a smirk, “… gonna carry me across the threshold?”

Jesse ignored him, turning his attention to Tulip, “We need to find somewhere safe, away from that place.”

She nodded in agreement, “I’ll find something…. Keep an eye on him.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“They can’t have gone far!” Eccarius snarled, “Find them!”

Limping from his wounds, he eyed his loyal followers. The little drops they offered him were worthless with these wounds… he needed more.

“We have to go back to the castle!” one of the men cried out, “The sun will be rising soon!”

“Not until I find him!”

“But- “

Eccarius growled and spun around, grabbing the man by the throat and pinning him up against a nearby tree. “Cassidy was captured by those prisoners…” he stated, clearly trying to keep his anger under control, “… we need to find him. You need to find him.”

Realising that his anger was slowly starting to bubble out of control, Eccarius stopped and took a deep breath. “We need to find him… you know how much Cassidy means to me.”

“But you don’t mean the same to- URGH!”

The mouthy follower yelped as his throat was grabbed and he was pinned up against a nearby tree.

“Say that again…” Eccarius hissed, “…. Say it again, and there won’t even be enough of you left for the animals to find.”

The follower didn’t take the hint, gasping as Eccarius slightly loosened his grip, “You could have anyone you ever wanted!” he whined, “And yet you chase after some drunk, nobody who hates you!”

There was a brief moment of silence, before Eccarius lunged forwards and ripped the poor man’s throat out, blood splattering all over his face. Then he turned to the second man and sneered at him, “Not one word of this… am I understood.”

“Y-y-y-y-y- “

“Good. I’m glad we understand each other.”

Chapter Text

“AAAAAHHHH!” Cassidy, as he had introduced himself as, yelped, “That hurts!”

“Well if you just held still, it wouldn’t hurt as much!”

“You don’t need to press down so hard!”

Tulip just snarled, deliberately pressing down harder. For a few moments, there was silence, before Cassidy spoke up again, “You know… you would have been better making your great escape during the day… obvious reasons, you know.”

“Yeah, we got that impression.” Jesse chuckled, watching as Tulip placed the wet cloth to the side in frustration.

“None of this is working!” She scowled, “You’re not healing!”

“Well… no.” Cassidy raised an eyebrow, “Wounds from a vampire don’t heal so easily… got any blood to spare?”

“What do you want us to do, rob a blood bank? Find an old dog?”

“No! Not a poor dog!” Cassidy pouted, “One of the dumb animals, like a cow or something?”

“You want me to find and bring a COW in here?!”

As the pair bickered, Jesse chuckled and peeked out of the blinds again, looking for any sign of movement in the surrounding area.

They had been lucky to find this abandoned cottage, but who else knew about it?

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Eccarius sighed in satisfaction as he drained the newest vampire, gently dabbing the remnants of the blood away from his lips.

Cassidy would be weakened until he could find something to eat

……………………………………………………………………………………….

Cassidy groaned when he heard nattering by his bed, rolling over to see what was going on, hissing as a small beam of light hit the bare skin of his leg. When he finally mustered up the energy to open up his eyes, he couldn’t help but stare.

“Yer reading to me?”

Tulip froze, slamming the book shut.

“And it’s Romeo and Juliet? A romance.”

“Shut up!” She threw the book the ground, as Cassidy smirked at her, “It’s the only book in this place.”

“Ye didn’ have ta read it though…. You could have just… left me here and run away.”

“Yeah well…” Tulip shifted from side to side uncomfortably, “… It weren’t my idea.”

Her eyes darted over to another corner of the room, where a shadowy figure sat, eyes closed and snoring lightly.

“Ah… me white knight then.”

Tulip ignored him, grabbing a white carrier bag from off the floor, pulling out two rabbits. “Here…” Tulip muttered, “… you need blood right.”

Cassidy nodded eagerly, holding out his hands and gently taking the rabbits from here.

For a moment, it was almost gentlemanly-like… until the vampire started ripping into the dead creatures, shoving chunks of bloody meat and fur into his mouth.

He healed slightly but it wasn’t enough.

“Thanks luv.” Cassidy whispered, “Nothing like a little blood ta keep me goin’”

He never once asked if he could feed off them. He never looked at them hungrily, and he never once complained.

The hours passed by, and Tulip had to admit that there was something sweet about the vampire. Yeah, he was coarse and little unrefined, but also… unsure. Like he didn’t know what do say or do, like one wrong move would get him kicked out.

He cackled from the bed as Tulip pelted Jesse with damp rags, hiding under the covers as she turned to him, a wicked look in her eyes.

One evening, as they all sat down for dinner again, Tulip was surprised to find herself sitting right next to Cassidy, Jesse on his other side.

It just felt so natural.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

They weren’t scared of him.

Cassidy remained as still as possible, trying not to tense up further as Tulip brushed against him, smiling shyly when she smirked at him, leaning over the vampire to steal something off of Jesse’s plate.

…………………………………………………………………………..

This was new… new and a bit alarming.

Jesse watched as Cass (and when did he become Cass?) stretched out his limbs, rolling his ankles and wrists, and sighing in satisfaction.

He loved Tulip. He had loved Tulip for years.

So why did the sight of this gangly, rude, vampire smiling make him smile as well?

“You’re thinking it as well, huh?”

Jesse turned to Tulip, frowning in confusion, “Hmmm?”

Tulip however, looked almost annoyed with herself, “He’s kinda cute… like a puppy that just wants your attention.”

The pair watched as Cassidy got to his feet, doing almost a jig to loosen himself up, humming a catchy, if very familiar song.

“Is that Justin Bieber?” Jesse smirked, cutting the vampire off, “Seriously?”

Cassidy groaned, burying his face in his hands, “It’s catchy!” he whined, the words coming out muffled and mortified.

There was a brief moment of silence, before Jesse spoke up again, nudging Tulip in the side. “We never thanked you, for saving our lives.”

“S’alright… I never thanked ye for not leaving me to be burnt to a crisp.”

Jesse couldn’t help but chuckle, although the one burning question in his mind over-rode everything.

“Cass… why are you hanging out with them lot? You don’t seem to be like them.”

Even Tulip looked curious, both looking over at Cassidy.

“I don’t really have much of a choice…” Cassidy eventually sighed, “… Not a lot of people like vamps ya know. As crazy as it sounds, I thought it was the safest place for me.”

“And now?”

Cassidy was silent, “Now it’s just… lonely.”

Chapter Text

“So… how long has it been since you left that place, and not just to the village?”

The fact that Cassidy had to actually think about it was a little concerning.

“Like… maybe twen’y years ago?”

“Twenty years ago?!” Tulip hissed, “Are you kidding?”

“Hey, it’s really hard for a vampire to go on a road-trip you know!”

“Okay.” Jesse winced, “Understandable. So, where would you really like to visit? Anywhere in the world? Paris?”

Cass scowled, “As someone who drinks blood, I can say with certainty that the French eat some gross shit. Snails? What’s that about?!”

“What about Transylvania?” Tulip asked, smirking when Cass groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Oh, ha ha.” He sighed, “You are so funny.”

“Aren’t I just?”

Outside, a storm raged on.

…………………………………………………….

“This is quite the storm.” The minion nervously piped up, still shaken from the previous events, “Cassidy won’t be travelling in this, he’ll have found somewhere to stay, right?”

Silence.

“He’ll be forced to stay there until morning, we could turn back now and- “

Eccarius spun around and glared at the minion, stunning the man into silence, before opening the door to the mansion.

The minion sighed. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his master rip his friend’s throat out, the blood splattering across the nearby rocks and trees. As they walked into the main hall, the pair froze at the sight of all the other minions.

It was clear that they’d noticed the missing man… and the blood drying on Eccarius’s face. The look on his face must have dissuaded them from asking any questions.

“Cassidy has crossed the line.” He eventually spoke up, “I tried to save your friend, but I was too late… wasn’t it?” He turned to the other minion to ask the question, raising an eyebrow and waiting for the minion to confirm his story.

Which he did.

Reluctantly.

“Once the weather clears, we will all go out to find Cassidy and the two humans who have bewitched him.”

…………………………………………….………………………

Cassidy watched as Jesse and Tulip laughed and joked with each other from the doorway. It was…. nice.

Reminded him a lot of home actually, long before any of this crap took place.

It was clear that they were completely and utterly in love, and honestly, Cass felt a little bit jealous at the fact.

“What are you doing just sitting there?”

Cass yelped as Tulip grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bed, practically throwing him at Jesse, who then started to twirl him around the room, laughing at Cass’s stunned look of surprise.

“You act like you’ve never danced before!” Jesse teased, as Cass rolled his eyes.

“Not like THIS!” He yelped as he was dipped, before being thrown back at Tulip and twirled around again.

This continued on for many minutes, as Cass slowly came to the realisation that he was starting to fall in love.

He’d never been so scared in his life.

………………………………………………………………………………….

By the end of the dancing, all three were exhausted, staring up at the ceiling.

“We haven’t danced like that in years…” Jesse gasped, clutching his sides, “… I’d almost forgotten what it felt like.”

“Hmmmmm.” Tulip seemed to agree, a pleased smile on her face, “Note to self, go out clubbing sometime.”

Cassidy was silent for a few moments, glancing out of the window to see the sunlight shining through the curtains.

“…If you leave know, ye might still get the chance.”

The two humans turned to look at him in shock, trying to meet his eyes as he forced himself to look away.

“They won’t be looking for you now, not unless they want to risk getting burnt… even if they do come after ye, I bet you can manage it.” He forced a smile onto his face, hoping that it didn’t look as fake as it felt.

“But… What about you?”

Cassidy shrugged, “I’ll distract them… give ye enough time to get away.”

Tulip and Jesse glanced at one another, almost seeming to have a mental conversation, before Jesse nodded and sighed. “We’re not going to be able to change your mind about this, are we?”

“Nope.” Cassidy titled his head towards the door, “Go on. The sun will start to set again before you guys actually move.”

He moved to sit on the decrepit bed, watching as they headed out of the door

………………………………………………………………………………………

The atmosphere was muted as they headed back to the village.

“We should go back.” Tulip hissed, “He’ll never survive another round with that… creature.”

“I know.”

“Then why are we walking away like this?!”

Before Jesse could answer, they entered the courtyard, where a mob appeared to have gathered…. Pitchforks and everything.

“What is going on?!” Jesse yelled at the top of his lungs, as everyone fell silent, turning to look at them.

“Preacher!” One of the leaders called out, “We thought you’d been killed!”

“Well as you can see, I’ve not.” Jesse glanced around, “What are you doing?”

“We’ve figured out where those missing people were being taken to!” Another member called out, “And what took them!”

“Demons!”

“Devils!”

“Vampires!”

Jesse and Tulip glanced at each other.

How could they possibly know?

“So, we’re going up there to kill them!”

Jesse shook his head, “You’ll never win against a host of vampires!” That… and there was a chance they would kill the wrong vampire, “Do you actually have a plan?”

“Blow them to smithereens!”

“Yeah!”

As several members of the mob, held up various explosive ingredients, Tulip rolled her eyes. They’d been inside the castle, at it was obvious that a few well-timed explosions were going to do jack-shit.

They watched as the mob slowly moved out, a sinking sensation in each of their stomachs.

What if they killed Cass?

Chapter Text

“Lock him up”

Cassidy groaned as he was dragged out of the cabin, back towards the castle. He knew this freedom wouldn’t last long.

It didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make this as difficult as possible for them, struggling wildly, until Eccarius took over, slinging him over his shoulder.

“You will learn to respect me Cassidy.” The older vampire hissed, “Even if it takes centuries!”

It was only after he locked the squirming vampire in his room, that he heard the mob outside.

…………………………………………………………………

Jesse and Tulip raced back in the direction of the castle.

They needed to save Cass…. Before he was killed.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

“They’re breaking down the doors!” Eccarius’s followers all looked at him nervously, “What do we do?!”

“… Kill them all.”

So long as Cassidy remained his, he would sacrifice a million followers and villagers.

He made his way to Cassidy’s room, opening it up and narrowly avoiding Cassidy’s attack on him.

“Did you love them?” He asked, one hand pinning Cassidy to the wall, the other shutting the door behind him.

“Bastard!” Cassidy ignored the question, struggling fiercely against the iron-like grip.

“You’re a monster Cassidy… just like me. You might have fallen in love with them, but did you honestly think they’d ever want someone like you?”

Before Cassidy could reply, there was a bellow from just down the corridor.

“CASS!”

And then a different voice.

“CASS!”

Jesse and Tulip… they were here.

They’d come for him.

“Looks like we’re going to have to move our little… family.” Eccarius hissed, “And their heads will be mounted on my walls!”

Feeling a surge of strength, Cassidy kicked the other vampire as hard as he could, managing to break free from his grasp, racing for the door.

“CASSIDY!”

A hand grabbed his ankle, yanking at him and pulling him straight to the ground, face first.

“CASS!”

Eyes widening at the familiar voice, Cassidy’s head shot up to see Jesse and Tulip standing in the doorway. Jesse’s face darkened at what he saw, eyes darting to Eccarius.

“LET HIM GO.” He ordered, voice low and deep as Eccarius’s grip suddenly disappeared from Cassidy’s ankle, allowing him to scramble to his feet, yelping as Tulip yanked him closer.

“What. Are. You?!” Eccarius hissed.

Jesse smirked, a sad twinge to it. “Cursed.” Turning away from Eccarius, Jesse continued, “Your followers are going to eventually learn the truth about you. I suggest you start running.”

And with that, the trio left.

As they headed out, trying to dodge all the chaos around them, Cassidy turned to the pair, “You- you came back? For me?”

“Of course we did.” Tulip scoffed, “We should have taken you with us the first time.” She wrapped one arm around each of their waists, pulling them closer, “Never mind. Where are we going next? A vampire free zone this time?”

“Ummm- “

“- Besides you Cass.”

As Tulip pulled Cass into a quick kiss, Jesse smiled at them fondly.

This would work.