Wake up call

What Happened before  https://devotedtowriting.forumotion.com/t2228-confirmed-suspicions

James could not believe things had crashed so fast. This new woman was trouble, and he hoped this was the last time they saw her. He was lost in though as he walked out to the dumpster with the broken pool cue when he was startled by someone standing at the edge of the woods. He watched the man walk toward him, and paused where he was. Something felt wrong here and when he saw the man's clothing, he knew what it was. He had heard enough chatter at the mansion to know Texas meant trouble and this vampire looked right out of the movies. The big hat and everything, including a hand resting on a gun in his holster. He walked up to James, looking him up and down. If he had any doubts, the man's accent removed them.

"Now how 'bout that. Here I am trying to figure out a good way to get some info and you come walkin' out to see me. Isn't that nice. Now I'm gonna keep this nice and simple, mister. I ain't interested in you, but I know that there's a couple o' high profile types inside that I might want a piece of."

"You will not come near Jessica...or the others. Your kind are not welcome here."

"Now that wasn't to kindly of you. Here I was plannin' on leavin' you alone and you go and say somthin' stupid like that."

James knew he had to be ready. As the man yanked the gun from his holster, James smacked the barrel up with one of the sticks in his hand. He searing pain as the silver bullet grazed his cheek made his choice for him. This vampire meant to kill him. He did not like the idea but knew he had no choice. He glances sideways, seeing that the bullet had slammed into the pallets, and was leaking liquid silver. He could not take the risk of another shot. He brought his hand around, slamming the cue into the stranger's chest and stepped back.

The stranger looked annoyed and James realized he had not pushed it deep enough. As the stranger brought the gun back up, James grabbed his arm, whipping him into the side of the dumpster. He saw the white wood slam out the back of the stranger right before the stranger seemed to explode. He picked up the gun and belt, tossing them in the dumpster and sighed. How was he going to explain this mess to Sam?

https://devotedtowriting.forumotion.com/t2232-what-do-we-do#19398

After she hung up with Jason, she shook her head to clear her mind. Sam was closing up the bar and she needed to find James. Passing the bathrooms, she heard someone messing with something outside and assumed it was him. Pushing the back door opened, his back was to her. "James? Are...are you okay?"

She saw him throw something in the dumpster and from the outside light caught sight of what was on the object and...on him. Blood. She gasped and rushed over to him. "James, James are you hurt?" She turned him to her and saw the searing of his cheek. "Oh my god, what happened?"

"Someone showed up looking for you and your sister. He looked like he was from Texas. Right out of the damn movies. Big hat and everything. He tried to get me to say who was inside, and when I didn't help him he tried to..."

He lowered his head and fell silent for a minute. When he lifted his head, his eyes were rimmed in red.

"..I had no choice, Jessica. I had to..."

He could not even say what he had done. He dropped to his knees in the gravel, one hand tracing the line across his cheek that was slowly healing.

"I had no choice..."

She had never seen him like this. Her eyes widened when he dropped to his knees and she followed him, getting to her own knees before him. Her hands rested on his shoulders as she spoke softly. "James, don't be sorry. Don't...no, no, no. You did what you had to do, you were protecting yourself, protecting me."

She placed her hand on his slowly healing cheek and winced, knowing that kind of pain was intense, no matter how superficial the wound. She cupped his face and lifted his head to look at her. "I know you had no choice....I know."

James looked up to her eyes.

"How did they know you were here? Who could have told them?"

He squared his shoulders and got to his feet.

"We need to get you and your sister home, Jessica. I'll finish out your shift for you. I need you to be safe."

She sighed softly and shook her head. "I'm not sure...there must be someone on the inside. It would be the only way for them to know I'm here."

She rose with him, standing across from him. He seemed a bit distant and just...off. She looked him from head to toe and shook her head no. "Not like that you won't. I'm pretty sure no customer will want to order with someone covered in blood. Besides, Sam is closing up anyways."

She thought for a moment. "Thank you for protecting Brianna tonight. I uh...I mean you did it because she's my family, right?" Why did she have to doubt so damn much?

He looked at himself for the first time and shook his head. He sighed.

"I liked this shirt. Can you give me a hand?"

He walked over to the side wall of the bar and picked up the hose, turning on the water and began running the water over his head and arms, trying to wash off what he could.

"Oh...I don't know.She's a cute enough girl, but I was not really thinking like that. I had to react or something bad was going to happen. Why was her pet human carrying a gun?"

She nodded and followed him to the side of the bar, helping him with his shirt. He ran water over himself and tried to clean off what he could as she took the hose and washed off his shirt. She dropped the shirt to the ground when he said what he said, cocking a brow in curiosity.

"She's a cute enough girl...hmm, interesting." She turned off the water and didn't bother picking up his favorite shirt. "Well, I don't know James, I guess he was carrying a gun because he's a damn guard!" She snapped at him.

James laughed a bit.

"He was not acting like a guard, Jessica. She clothes smelled like him and he was acting like a protective boyfriend. Do you think that she and he..."

He left the rest unspoken as he realized that she had misinterpreted his comment. He turned toward her, looking in her eyes.

"Jessica, do you really think I would be that stupid? I have a woman, an amazing woman...why would I have any interest in a little girl?"

"What business is it of ours anyway, and why do you care so much? Are you....jealous?" She spat out at him, her arms folded across her chest as she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. He stepped closer to her and her face relaxed, meeting his eyes.

"Jessica, do you really think I would be that stupid? I have a woman, an amazing woman...why would I have any interest in a little girl?"

"Don't feed me bullshit James, I've had about as much bullshit as I can take in my lifetime. You just seem real protective of her all of a sudden and I don't know, it looks pretty funny to me. Can you blame me?"

He sighed and shook his head.

"Really Jessica? I am not your tiger. Once in a while it would be nice if I did not get compared to him."

He took the hose from her hand and finished rinsing the blood from his legs and shoes.

"Now, I have to go see if I can salvage what little normality I have by keeping my job."

He kicked his shirt out of the way and stormed toward the back door of the bar.

Jason's question popped back into her head, and she quickly tried to push it from her mind. When he brought up Quinn and him being compared to him, she snapped at him. "I am not comparing you, I would never do that...but if the shoe fits...." She realized they were having their first argument. A kink in their relationship armor. To think it started out so strong and here it was seeming to crumble beneath her.

"James....I'm sorry, wait..." He turned from her angrily and headed for the door. She was not going to let him walk away. She loved him and she would fight for him. She sped to the door, blocking his entrance and looked into his eyes.

"No, I will not let you walk away from me. Maybe I over reacted, maybe I was wrong...I'm sorry okay! Sorry...I just...I can't lose you, I don't want to lose you. I love you James, and...I'm sorry if my jealousy got in the way tonight. Sam won't fire you, I promise. So please...just talk to me?" She pressed her palm to his cheek that had recently healed and looked into his eyes, never wanting to save a relationship as much as she wanted to now.

James stopped, shaking his head as she blocked his way

"I don't know what you expect of me, Jessica. To think that after all I have done and all we have been through..to think you still doubt me. I am not your pet human, Jason, hopping from bed to bed when ever the wind changes. Oh yes, I have heard all about him from the guards. They were more than happy to tell me about him. About him and so much more..."

He stepped back from her and looked her in the eyes.

"Jessica, I don't know what more you want of me, Jessica. I followed you back to your Maker's home. I created a small piece of the outside world from scrub grass and some bushes for you. I have done everything I can to show you my idea of the world. All I asked is that you let me live in it with you. Without judgement...without suspicion. I have turned my world upside down and I've done it all for you!"

He looked to the bloody mess by the dumpster and sighed.

"I've even killed to protect you, and all I receive is doubt. What more can I do for you, Jessica. I don't know what there is! I promised myself to live a life of peace, Jessica, and now that man's blood in on my hands. Early as a vampire, I did not have so good of control, and ended up with a lot of red in my ledger. I have spent the last fifty years trying to balance that ledger but every time I get close...."

She listened to him and her anger took over, before she had time to think, she reacted at his words about the guards. Slapping him across the face, she pointed a finger at him and snapped back. "I don't give a rats ass what you heard, I remember someone saying we all make mistakes, we all have a past and I will never judge you for it. Was that just bullshit too??" He stepped back from her and she knew she had done it.

"Jessica, I don't know what more you want of me, Jessica. I followed you back to your Maker's home. I created a small piece of the outside world from scrub grass and some bushes for you. I have done everything I can to show you my idea of the world. All I asked is that you let me live in it with you. Without judgement...without suspicion. I have turned my world upside down and I've done it all for you!"

She shook her head. "And do you think I don't appreciate it all? Are you throwing it to my face that you came back with me. I never judged you, I never suspected...I simply asked and you got defensive so I did too."

She stepped back from him when he began to talk about killing the vampire. Shaking her head, tears brimmed her eyes out of anger and hurt. "So, let me guess...I'm the reason you killed someone and so its my fault his blood is on your hands. I never asked you to kill for me....never. I'm sorry I ruined you..." She was hurt by his words, by his constant reminding that he had done so much for her. She looked down and to the side, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'll let you get back to what it was you were doing." Without looking back up, she stepped to the side of him and began to walk past him.

He took her by the arm, preventing her from leaving.

"Jessica. I did not say I was finished."

He turned her to face him again, the red mark from her slap still evident on his face.

"I never said you had any hand in that."

He motioned to the blood.

"What I am saying is that I have done all this, and would do it again without hesitation. I want to make this work, but for that to happen, you have to trust me."

He rubbed the cheek as he felt the skin heal.

"You make snap judgement when all I did was tell you that the guards told me about Jason and his habits. I do not judge you by the past. I hold to my promise of that. Yes, they told me of your former habits with your donors, but I don't care about any of that."

He let go of her arm and let his hands fall to his sides.

"I thought maybe for once I had found a place where I would not be judged for who and what I am."

She was stopped in her tracks from leaving and refused to look at him. He wasn't finished making her feel like the worst thing that ever happened to him. Great. Feeling his hands on her arms, he physically turned her to face him. She finally looked up at him, her mascara and blood tears mixing together, no matter how hard she tried to hold them back.

She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw when he said the guards mentioned her old habits with her donors. She never slept with them, any of them. She could count on one hand how many men she had been with in that way. She preferred to feed from the femoral artery and because of that she was a whore who slept with all her donors. Okay, she made out with one of them...no two. But that was such a long time ago. She never spoke, just listened. When he released her arm, she looked down and to the side, feeling the blood tears roll down her cheek. She never judged him and she never would. She trusted him and she always would. She made a snap decision, a lot of it having to do with the events from earlier. She was wrong and no matter how many times she apologized, she still hurt him. She couldn't take it back, but she didn't mean it.

Her voice barely a whisper, she spoke. "So did I..."

He took her by the hand, walking back to the hose, and using his shirt, he cleaned her face up and lifted her chin so she would look him in the eyes.

"Then lets look for that place together. We don't need this war. We don't need anything but each other. I am willing to wager that Sam knows of a place we can stay until we find something better. There is no reason for your maker's hatred and his enemy's greed to be our problem as well. I say we should remove ourselves from all of it. We can go somewhere else, make a new life. What do you think?"

He finished cleaning her up and threw the shirt aside. It was ruined anyway. He left the hose running, tossing the end of it by the dumpster to was away the blood and took her hands in his, waiting for her to speak.

She looked up when he took her hand and led her to the hose. He cleaned her face and she wiped the residual water away from her cheeks. Sniffling, she held her emotions in check, she looked up at him when he lifted her chin.

"Then lets look for that place together. We don't need this war. We don't need anything but each other. I am willing to wager that Sam knows of a place we can stay until we find something better. There is no reason for your maker's hatred and his enemy's greed to be our problem as well. I say we should remove ourselves from all of it. We can go somewhere else, make a new life. What do you think?"

She gaped at him, her mouth slightly open at his suggestion. She had no idea how to respond. She blinked a few times to get her bearings and shook her head slowly. "I..James I....are you sure? I mean....really sure? That's a big...no huge...step. Are you sure?" She kept repeating, making sure she heard right.

He pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiled.

"At least promise me that you'll think about it?"

She blinked again. "Are you sure...." She smiled softly and felt his hand move her hair. "Tell me you're sure, really really sure and I'll promise to think about it."

He pulled her close to him, his hands cradling her cheeks and drew her into a long, slow kiss. As they kissed, he slid his hands down, wrapping his arms around her and held her close. when he finally pulled back he smiled and looked in her eyes.

"What do you think?"

She was pulled closer to him and his hands cradled her cheeks. He pressed his lips to hers and she closed her eyes, melting into him. Her hands went up to wrap around his neck and she kissed him back. This reminded her she was his, and that he was hers. Minutes passed by and it seemed like a long time before he finally broke the kiss. When he pulled back, she slowly opened her eyes and smiled. "I think you're sure...really sure...and I think I want to, really want to." She nodded and bit her bottom lip as she looked up at him into his eyes. "I love you James and yes, I want to live with you...just us....I just need and want you. I don't need to think about it, I know. I'm sure..."

He smiled, holding her close.

"Now all we have to do is convince your maker that it would be a good thing."

He grinned at her.

"Do you want first shot at that one?"

She snorted and shook her head, that was the deal breaker right there. "That's....never gonna happen. We're screwed." She sighed, disappointed. For a split second she was happy and excited, now she realized Bill would never allow it to happen.

He smiled at her and laughed.

"Then just call me Mr. Impossible. I have no idea how, but I'll make him see the logic of it."

He kissed her again, this time letting himself enjoy it more, taking his time and letting everything fade except for the kiss.