This is the night that never ends...

[godofcologne]

A few minutes of quiet and the scent of gunpowder managed to do what all the interminable talking had not: clear Thomas' mind to the point where he could actually stand being in his own head. Still, just because he wasn't in danger of hurling insults or spewing his guts didn't mean he wanted to see any of the housemates who had been informed of his

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[godofcologne]

"Oh no, if you're not sleeping either, I'm sending her after you," Thomas protested half-jokingly. "I've gotten the Alice Cullen treatment for two weeks, it's time someone else enjoyed the privilege."

He raised a surprised eyebrow at the offer of whiskey, but accepted without question, true to his word filling the mug the rest of the way with alcohol. Settling back in his chair, Thomas brought the cup to his mouth and sipped carefully. "If you really want to stay awake, you should send one of the crew out for a few shots of espresso," he said mildly.

Sipping his coffee, and speaking as if they were talking about the morning paper, Thomas continued, "If you start raving, should I just clock you in the back of the head and toss you into a closet to sleep it off?" There was no question in there about why it would happen, or whether he'd tell Lacci, just an offer of assistance if it did. The Desert Eagle that had returned to the small of Thomas' back, and the memory of Lacci's own flirtation with coffee, were more than enough qualifications for such, as far as Thomas was concerned.

[bad_vlad]

"Espresso, right. I'll keep that in mind." The question seemed a little... out of nowhere, and Vlad raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it'll be a problem." If he could just survive their first attempt, he might be too much of a nuisance and they'd settle down to wait. It shouldn't take long. "I promise to sleep before I start raving." Hallucinating was so unattractive.

"But... thanks? For the offer?" He was trying to be helpful. Probably.

[godofcologne]

Vlad's response was unexpected, to say the least. Hadn't he been watching? Seen Lacci's descent into caffeine fueled madness? Maybe not. Thomas sipped again, letting bitter coffee and the burn of whiskey linger on his tongue. "Just trying to figure out what's genetic and what's not," he said, answering the unspoken but obvious question. "Since your sister didn't take too well to the whole coffee-to-stay-awake thing, I figured contingency plans might be helpful."

[bad_vlad]

The mug was halfway to his mouth at this curious pronouncement. Vlad paused, staring at him carefully, then set the mug back down.

Lacci used coffee to stay awake? When? Why? Did it have anything to do with her new Cullen-inspired eyes? Whatever had happened, she hadn't 'taken too well' to it. Had someone knocked her out and thrown her into a closet?

It was starting to become clear to him, why they'd taken away his television.

Vlad tried to sound calm, but he couldn't help a slightly narrowing of his eyes. Not necessarily at Thomas. "What happened." It wasn't a question.

[godofcologne]

Meeting Vlad's eye, Thomas sipped the coffee and whiskey again, slowly, before he set the mug back on the table. So he didn't know. And the way Vlad was looking, with protective anger rising beneath the surface, made Thomas suspect the reason he didn't know wasn't because he had stopped watching because he was tired of seeing his sister naked on television (thanks Harry).

"Almost a month, no wait..." It took a few minutes for Thomas to remember that he had been the one on a weird time. And then he realized Vlad might not have been on the same time schedule as the house during that time (even though Chicago and Forks had both been). Thomas sighed in irritation, giving up. "A while back, something freaked out Lacci. A lot." He held up a hand to stay any demands.

"The lawyers... I don't know what they did, exactly, but she was gone for days. We didn't know it. It seemed perfectly normal to all of us that she was gone. That we knew she would be and it was alright. But she came back, and as soon as we saw her, whatever they had done went away. I'm not the wizard, I don't know how it happened. I just know the signs of having been fucked over."

Thomas took another sip from his coffee mug. "She didn't sleep for days, thinking they would come for her again." A hint of anger, not at Vlad but at the memory of another man, crept into Thomas' voice. "We did what we could, to get her to sleep. But you know how stubborn she is. She ended up screaming bloody murder at the mirror one night."

[bad_vlad]

It wasn't long into the story before Vlad's faced smoothed into an expressionless mask. It remained that way until several long seconds after the story was finished. For Thomas though, the man was a horrible mess of migraine-inducing emotions. Hate and rage were the main themes. But through that, streaks of protectiveness, hurt, and a hint of guilt wove their way.

After that silence, everything Vlad was feeling condensed down into one single, bright point, and he snarled. Mug in hand, he pushed back from the table, stood and turned in one motion, and hurled the cup at the wall. The plaster itself received a dent; the glass shattered, and a puddle of ceramic shards tinkled to the floor.

He stood there for a moment, staring at the place it had hit, his hands clenched tightly into fists. The snarl still lurked on his face, and Vlad's eyes were a little glazed. If anyone had asked - though he probably couldn't speak - he would have told them that he was fighting to stay in that kitchen, and not try and take off into the burning light of day to find the lawyers responsible and kill them very slowly.

[godofcologne]

The crash of the mug against the wall didn't surpise Thomas though it made the camera crew jump. The building hurricane of rage and hate had been enough to warn him. Thomas let the seconds tick by in silence, counting them down until enough time had passed that the burn of righteous fury burned a little less bright against the Hunger.

When he did speak, it was mild and carefully devoid of emotion, more of a warning for the other man instead of actual detachment. 'Be careful of what you say.' "I guess that's why you're really here."

[bad_vlad]

Vlad closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath that didn't help in the slightest. When he opened them again, he turned slowly to look back at his companion. His eyes weren't quite back to normal, and his smile was utterly humorless and bitter. "It wasn't. But that's why they were really trying to keep me out." His gaze was already moving on, to the doorway, and when he spoke again, it was quiet murmur. "Excuse me, Thomas." He strode out without another word.

Vlad needed to calm down. He needed to pace his room until he wore a track in the carpet. He had no idea if or when Alice might seek him out, but if she saw him like this, she'd ask awkward questions.

Also Edward may or may not get punched from keeping that from him. Not that it would hurt the boy. But it would make Vlad feel better.