musesandlyrics | 10.3. Woody Allen quote
10.3. "Love is the answer, but while you are waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty good questions."
Woody Allen
Co-written with obscuritenoire
Blaise didn't even manage to make it to his bedroom before he had to stop, leaning weakly against the wall as he took his cell phone out and called on Jaquelynne to bring him someone to feed on. He stayed resting there until she came, her arm linked through the elbow of their gardener, who was more than happy to be Blaise's (or anyone's) meal when it was needed. He was mortal, but had a long history of involvement with Kindred. He was employed because he was currently dating one of Blaise's Kindred advisors. It all worked out, even if it came across as more than incestuous on first glance. Blaise locked gazes with the young man as they approached, and he didn't hesitate when he reached for the man's arm. But he faltered, pausing as he put his wrist up to his lips. His stomach turned at the prospect of feeding and his eyes fell closed momentarily as he braced himself, wetting his lips.
He was still leaning against the wall as both Jaquelynne and the gardener waited for him. When he opened his eyes, they were silver and it was only then that he noticed Juliette standing at the end of the hall watching the scene with her arms folded and an unreadable expression on her face. This time, he locked her gaze before he broke it and bit down sharply on the man's arm, feeling his blood rush over his tongue and flood his mouth. The man moaned in pleasure as Blaise gripped his arm and fed as intensely as he could manage, but he could only tolerate it for a short while before he was pulling back, licking his lips with a small frustrated shake of his head. He passed the poor guy's arm off to Jaquelynne to heal and then wiped some droplets of blood from his lips with the edge of his hand, looking beyond his personal assitant and the gardener to Juliette. "Merci," he told them quietly. "Go now." Jaquelynne kissed Blaise's forehead softly and then disappeared with the gardener again, leaving Blaise and Juliette in the hall alone.
Juliette waited a moment before she started to move closer to Blaise, the unreadable expression turning into one of concern. "You're still ill," she said quietly. It was in no way a question. "No matter what passes between us, I cannot believe I had to find out from Emmeline that you were sick. Is this still because of the blood, or is there something else now? Where is your Buffy? I was under the impression she was looking after you now."
"I can look after myself," was Blaise's short snappish reply. "Had you not been disrespecting me and insulting me, you would have known yourself what affairs were occuring right under your nose. I cannot believe you had to find out off Emmeline, either. It is not like this is something that could be hidden. Were you temporarily blinded?" he asked sarcastically. He decided this really sucked. It didn't seem right that the last civil conversation he had without any anger was with Logan's lover. Even with Riley, they had words over various things. Blaise was exhausted with confrontation and constantly having to explain himself.
"Non, I wasn't here last night," Juliette replied simply. She didn't buy into the sarcasm, and didn't raise her voice. She kept her voice quiet and level, and dropped her arms to her sides before she reached out to slip her arms around his shoulders. "Mon loup, s'il vous plait, can we not move onto the forgiveness? This is unbearable watching you suffer, and not being close to you to take care of you."
Blaise pulled away from her and shot her a glare. "This does not just get set aside like all you did was make some passing insignificant comment. You made it very clear where your opinion stood with this whole thing. I do not even have enough words to begin to tell you how offended I was by your reactions to my choice to step in and protect Rory from what was eating him up from the inside out. You should have been thankful I would lower myself to mortal protection like that and put myself at risk. No other Prince to walk this earth would have done that. I did it all for you, and you could not even see that. I am beyond disappointed. I could not even stand to be in your presence beyond that."
Juliette's hands were cradled against her chest as she watched Blaise. "I know, mon amour, but I did not see it at first. At least talking to Emmeline gave me a better prospective. I cannot tell you how sorry I am, Blaise. I hate myself for what happened, but I really was blinded. Everything in this situation as clouded my mind. I care about Rory, I care about you... But in that moment, I just saw red. And perhaps a lot of green." She caught his gaze again. "I really am thankful that you stepped in. I know Rory would not have had a chance otherwise."
Blaise was quiet as he just watched her for a few long, and lingering moments. He was trying to tell himself not to yell, and not to reject the blood he had just consumed. It was strengthening him a little, but it was going to take a few more days yet to get over that horrific bad move. He had since heard that the woman had, indeed, died on her way to the hospital and Blaise felt sickened over the fact. Even if she was terminal, he had cut her life even shorter. He hated himself for it. On top of that, he felt like a handicap everytime he tried to communicate with Buffy. Something just wasn't right, and he hated that too. He swallowed heavily, forcing the blood to remain in his system, but he stayed leaning against the wall until he could trust himself to continue without collapsing. "It would be advisable for you to begin preparing yourself for that fact he still may not wish anything further to do with you after this. Or that he may not be the same because of it."
Juliette reached for Blaise again, but pulled her hands away when she was once again wary of being rejected. She was still his mate, and she still wanted to just help him. She didn't even think about offering him her blood if he could barely stomach the Gardener. "Let me help you to bed, mon loup. You cannot struggle through this on your own. And I am all too aware that he might not want to see me. Why do you think I am here, and not still trying to see him? Why do you think I'm so intent on staying in my own wing once he's brought here? I cannot begin to tell you how much that outcome hurts, but I have earned it... I have been too stupid."
"I need a minute," Blaise told her quietly, still not moving from the sanctuary of leaning against the wall. He could still feel the anger at the situation bubbling under the surface, coupled with his frustration of seeming to lack any strength lately. It was tempting to just retreat to his room and remain there in his comfort zone. The pain of everything occurring within him would be almost bearable then, but his absence in his City would inevitably be cause for talk. He needed to be visible, at the very least. Plus, Rory would return here as soon as he was awake, and he needed to keep a close eye on the Scot at all times until he started to return to his old self. "I have been contemplating that we should just walk away."
Juliette nodded slightly, waiting to catch him if Blaise decided he liked it better on the floor. Considering how long it had been since Blaise had last been sick, Juliette was feeling distinctly out of practice. She just knew that keeping him well enough to still tend to business would no doubt be the first goal. She frowned a little as she watched his features. "From each other, or from them?"
The look Blaise gave her was answer enough. In fact, he nearly exploded at her that she would even have to query that and his eyes turned a bright silver. Why was every single interaction he had with a female of late all about some sort of damn battle about his feelings towards them? Her turned away, cursing harshly in French, the words coming out in a soft hiss. He had to take a few moments to regain his composure before looked back at her. "Why am I even having this conversation?"
Juliette held her hand up with her palm facing towards him before she waved it uselessly and then ducked her head as a submissive gesture. "Because it's been a long time since mortals caused this much trouble in our lives, and because you know as well as I do that I won't ever be able to give you everything you need. I'm trying to make sure you have the world, mon loup, but all it seems to want to do is spin away from us."
"So, suddenly after four hundred years, you just assume we have the capability of walking away from each other? We would not. We would decease outwith each other's presence," Blaise told her and finally attempted to push away from the wall now that the blood he had taken in was starting to work like it should. "Have I suddenly started communicating in Chinese? African? All of the above? Do the words really coming out of my mouth fail to make any sense? I am coming this close to cutting off this whole facade and cutting my losses! It is getting ridiculous. I do not think I am ever going to be on the same pages as these mortals. I am beyond it. To hear you talk of this just makes me even more frustrated."
"Je suis desole, please forgive me," Juliette murmured as she moved in a little closer to him. "I was just foolish enough to hope that she would be what you needed, but clearly I am wrong. I can't even blame it on being a Childer. Merde, even a Childer does it better than us. Look at Airlie and her Xander. And Logan with his partner... What is wrong with us, hm? Why do we not deserve love as much as them. Why can we not find it as easily?"
Blaise gave a weary shake of his head. "A Kindred Prince getting involved with a Slayer was a mistake. My people are never going to truly believe she is not a threat, and they should not have to either. What she does is a threat to our Kind. It might not be a threat she has intention of acting on, but a threat to a Kindred needs be just that. She gets so defensive about it when I try to get her to see that crossing into my world means sacrifices. Even so much as accusing me of telling her not to talk about her past or thinking I am hiding secret things in secret rooms. I am just at a complete loss. We clash all the time to the point I cannot find it in me to feel affection enough to fall in love with her. It is like I am just constantly waiting at every turn for her to jump down my throat again for treating her like a kid or not 'getting her'. I have not done any of that. Indeed, what I am telling her of my world and how things are may seem harsh, but if she cannot even tolerate that, I cannot believe she is made to be here. All I want is someone to compliment me, not fight against me one hundred percent the whole time because my beliefs are different to theirs. I am nearly five hundred years old, I have to live a certain way to hope to survive. I cannot suddenly just change my ways."
Juliette reached out to touch his face lightly. "And yet true love is never easy. Not in the way people think. There is no such thing as love at first sight, merely attraction. A deep lust. Do you not remember how we used to fight in the end? We fell in love, but it burned too brightly and too quickly. We fought, and we retained the passion... We moved on. We evolved into something more. Perhaps it's for the best that you're getting the fights out now. That you can move on to love instead of losing it. I do not know what to tell you anymore, mon amour, other than maybe you're right. Maybe we should just cut our losses. I had already begun to try and cut mine when... When Rory..." Juliette shook her head as words failed her. She didn't want to cry with the mess it would make, but she couldn't deny the sudden emptiness she felt inside. She really was assuming already that she had lost him. "If you feel no attraction for her, if there is no little inkling of hope, then just do it. Walk away."
Blaise looked at her, tilting his head slightly. "Non, non, Juliette. Do not patronise me about love. You really do not want to do that. I did not say true love was easy. These are not fights. These are her picking and choosing mere pieces of what I am telling her and using them to throw back in my face about how she is the Slayer and that swaying from that is a near impossibility. Some of the things she says astounds me. Kindred rooms. I still have no idea what that means, or when she imagined that I asked her not to talk about her home town. If she does not like what I am saying to her, she just sulks or changes it around like I am picking on her... or something. I do not know, but I am so drained trying to pull us onto the same page. I think she just wants me to be normal and accept what she does as a Slayer, but I will never be normal, and I can never just accept what she does. But I have never once told her she must walk away from it. In fact, I keep telling her to go back to it if she cannot survive without it. If that is all she knows, then she should go back. If she wants to see the world from a different view, however, then why must she continuously fight me with this? I am a Kindred Prince. I must afford my people with confidence they are safe, that they are free to walk via The Masquerade and I will ensure they are protected as they can be."
This time it was Juliette who slumped against the wall when it was clear Blaise wasn't ready to move away from this area yet. She rest her head against it as she looked down at her feet, her red-painted toenails in clear view now that she wasn't wearing heels. She didn't even have clothes on, really. Just a red silk slip under a black robe. Only Blaise wouldn't be able to see the red yet with how tightly she'd done the robe up. She still wasn't sure how she was going to say anything without Blaise assuming she was patronising him. She hadn't thought she was. "Perhaps she is just confused about how she can be the Slayer and still love you? Or you her if she is back in Scotland and your home is here. Wasn't that why she came? Because you would never be able to leave Paris. That shows at least some understanding of your position. A tiny sliver in amongst all the shit." Juliette reached up to rub her fingers against her lip. "She might be torn because she cannot see how this will work without her walking away from it. That is a huge step for a girl like her."
"It cannot work without her walking away from it. That is exactly what I am saying here. It is a decision she needs to make, not me. I was trying to suggest other options, but again, I was met with more excuses. If she must keep slaying supernatural presences, then this is never going to work. Kindred are not going to believe she is choosy. I am still more than convinced Rory was attacked for being a Hunter, but being Brujah, they wanted to draw him in for their own gain and not just slaughter him. They could have just killed him, but they chose to try and Embrace him. We have Clans who simply do not understand the kindness of the heart. They understand Kindred and Kindred only. Going back to Scotland would be her choice to cease with this, and I would not judge her for that. She can go and command her army and that would be the end. I would eradicate her mind of any Kindred knowledge. It would be as easy as that." Blaise leant against the wall again, looking up the length of it in the direction of his room as he felt quiet in thought. "I think I must just need to step away until she makes all these decisions and decides what she really wants. I have given her all the information I can at this point. If that is not enough for her to choose, nothing will ever be enough."
Juliette took Blaise's hand as she slid her fingers between his and started to pull him in the direction of his room. If he wasn't going to make the decision to rest, and to rest properly, then she would make it for him. She pulled the sash of her robe with her other hand and revealed the red slip as incentive, and as a sort of flag of surrender. She just wanted their fight over with. "Then something needs to be done to make them understand because Rory is a Hunter who is choosy. He will not touch Kindred without true and real cause, and even then he would most likely defer to the Prince. As for the Slayer, I do not know. I heard talk of getting rid of the army, that it would be possible. She is willing to do that for you, for our Kind. It is one of the first sacrifices she is willing to make before she steps down herself as a Slayer. If she steps down," Juliette quickly corrected. "I cannot pretend to know her mind. All I want to know is how long you are really willing to wait for her to make her decision. You cannot live in limbo. It is... killing you, mon amour."
"That is exactly what I am trying to say here. I cannot force my whole City to understand ridiculous notions like that. It does not matter what declarations Buffy or Rory make, Kindred will be at unrest if both are here and still intend to slay or hunt or whatever they call it. No one will think twice of their presence if they are merely here. If they are here to slaughter, that is when the unrest build. I can never allow Buffy to infiltrate France with any slayer intentions, nor Rory with hunting tendencies. They can go back to Scotland and do it all they like, but here, I forbid it. I will not have my people fearing their lives. If they go back to that, however, I will do everything in my power to ensure they cannot return here. They are merely two people. Who they are attached to, other Hunters and Slayers, may not be able to distinguish between Kindred and other vampires if they ever cross paths. That is where the risk lies." Blaise was loosening the buttons on his shirt when they got to his room. "I will not wait long. I cannot wait long. I am not asking anything of her or forcing her into anything. She must choose for herself. It is killing me. If she cannot be my true love, I need another who can be."
Juliette slipped behind Blaise to help him with the shirt, her hands running over his torso and her lips brushing against his neck as she nuzzled against his skin briefly. The shirt was dropped to the floor and she moved back in front of him as she automatically started on his trousers. "They have at least kept their word in not hunting here. There is nothing to say either of them would start. They promised. And on that I expect them to keep their word as it concerns their professions. I cannot blame you for wanting to keep Hunters and Slayers out of our country. I cannot even believe there really is an army in Edinburgh. It seems... ridiculous. Overkill. Just like everything else American."
Blaise closed his eyes, absorbing the contact he had with his mate. It was something he needed, whether he was trying to punish her or not. "There is nothing to say they would not, either. A word is sometimes not always sacred. Buffy by her own word has admitted there was one Slayer who once had an horrific killing tendency. A whole army, she could never possibly know if there are more like that. She can merely believe what she is presented, but there could be women in that army who crave power just like any other being is capable of. With skills of a slayer trained and honed, who knows what they could decide is ideal for ridding the world of evil. What really is evil? That is not something that can be universally agreed on. Every species will tell you something different. Every species also has a purpose."
Once Blaise was undressed, Juliette dropped her robe to the floor and slipped her arms around him as she pushed her fingers up into his hair and kissed along his jaw gently as she kept up with the contact. He could still punish her all he wanted, but right now she was intent on giving him whatever it was he needed. She stroked her other hand over his arm and back, her fingertips grazing his skin lightly. "I do not know what to suggest. It's not as if we would be able to get away with a mass hypnotism, is it? They would all need to forget about being slayers, about what they had learned."
"I am not asking you to suggest anything. I am asking Buffy to make decisions of which she perhaps does not wish to. I do not wish to have anything to do with the rest of them. They are her problem, not mine. I have my City, she has the army. Never the twaines shall meet as long as I am in power. She can remain in command of them, or she moves on with her life. If it is the former, then practically, she can never be the true lover of a Kindred Prince. It would not work. I can see that now." Blaise looked over his neatly made bed, now no signs of anything that had occurred the few nights before when he was so ill. "I think I just need to leave her to the decision process. She knows where to find me if she decides to move on. I will not keep fighting her on this, but I will also not wait forever."
Juliette nodded in understanding, and looked over at the bed as well before she looked back at Blaise. "I wish I had been here last night, mon loup. I will not leave your side again. Even if you decide I am too much of a bitch to deserve to be there. Will you let me stay with you tonight? Leave her to her decisions. She clearly has much to think about, and if she is smart she will not take too long. Not if she cares for you at all."
Blaise hooked his fingers into his underwear and pushed them down too. "I think perhaps she wants to, but I just fear I may be like Sergeant Finn to her. Not enough to satisfy her. He is a pleasant man, a good man. Very attractive. He was not enough for her. What is to say I am? I do not know if my mind is capable of forming many rational thoughts right now, however. I am weakened and I am lonely. I did not even have an indication my prey was diseased. Not in the slightest. The error was horrific. A stupid move. She died. I stole the remainder of her life away from her."
"Mon dieu..." Juliette cupped his face in her hands and searched over his face. "This is why I cannot leave you. This is why you cannot hunt alone right now. I don't need you making any more errors like that... I cannot lose you. Do you understand? Your time is not up. I will not let it be up. If you are not enough for her, that is her problem. You do not need to feel inadequate. I will not let you, d'accord?"
Blaise looked at her sadly. "I just want love, mon cherie. I want it so much. I want it to engulf me and to own me. I want to have affection and humour, and wake up with someone in my arms every morning. To shower my love with gifts without having them thrown back in my face. I cannot believe right now she is the one to be all that. She does not seem to wish it. I think she enjoys the notion of us as lovers, but in essence, we continue to clash. I do not want to clash with a lover, I want to worship them, to know they feel the same for me." His voice shook a little with emotion. "I hurt so deeply inside, I fear it is unable to be healed anymore."
This time there was no stopping Juliette's tears as her own sadness absorbed her mate's and the blood tears began to stain her cheeks. She knew they had moved well beyond love, and he had already spurned her wishes to be the one for him again, but she really did so desperately in that moment want to be able to just change everything and to be the one to love him like he needed. Juliette kissed him softly, and murmured soft professions of her own feelings for him against his ear before she pulled him back to the bed. "Perhaps tomorrow we will need to start searching... There must be a woman out there that can love you as you need."
Blaise didn't protest when he sank down amongst the sheets of his bed. "I have lost my fight. Something feels wrong, but I cannot figure out what it is." He lay on his side with his cheek cushioned on the silk covered pillow. "I do not ask for too much, do I? Do I deserve this punishment?"
Juliette joined him between the sheets, but sat up a little bit so she could stroke her fingers through his hair as she used her other hand to wipe at the blood on her cheeks. "Non, mon amour, you do not. You have done nothing at all to deserve this. If we ever meet whatever powers are in charge, I will gladly tear them to shreds for putting you through this."
Blaise took her hand and kissed her fingers and then hugged it close to him, closing his eyes again. "Emmeline has returned. I wish I could believe that would make things a little less tense, but she could cause World War Three with that mouth of hers if she wished. Buffy was already asking me about her. Emmeline will not be happy with mortals staying here. I know she will not. She is a snob. All I can feel is more malaise when I think about her stalking through these corridors with intent to stake her claim."
"She would piss all over you, me, and the furniture if she had to. I've tried talking to her, but all she can see is threats to you and the city. She doesn't need a lover, so she does not quite sympathise with your predicament. Only that you are ill. Emmeline is not happy that one of the mortals is a slayer for obvious reasons." Juliette watched Blaise quietly for a long moment. "I do not know how she will take Airlie, either. Emmeline would probably deny any sort of Childer period to her Embrace where she wasn't the perfect specimen she is now."
"That is my point. If she sees it, other Kindred will too. That is where I keep running into difficulties with this whole thing." Blaise opened his eyes to look at her in confusion. "You think Emmeline would deny one of her own Clan? She would not. Airlie is likely the only one she will accept without question. She does trust Sergeant Finn, so we could maybe edge around the whole thing that way on some level. Have you been in Buffy's close presence lately? Near to her personal space? I am sensing something and it is throwing me. I feel like she is shielding something from me. I feared it may be another lover, but it is not. When she had been with Sergeant Finn and Rory, their scents were all over here. It is not that."
Juliette smirked. "She wants to sleep with Sergeant Finn, that's not complete trust, that's just attraction. She is quite shameless. D'accord, you are right. She would not deny her own Clan, but she would still question a Kindred who is best friends with a Hunter. The same as she questions you and I for being social with them." Juliette frowned at the question before she shook her head slightly. "I have only been in her presence for a limited amount of time... Do you wish me to investigate? If your senses are playing tricks, then perhaps it is better I find out what is going on. There is no other lover, of that much I am sure. She has at least reeled in her... promiscuous behaviour."
Blaise shook his head. "Non, she would not. Not if she learnt of the ordeal that led to Mademoiselle MacKenzie becoming Kindred. She had no one else, and Rory took care of her and protected her, despite being a Hunter. Emmeline is arrogant and self-righteous, indeed, but she is not unreasonable. They are not playing tricks, they are just not piqued as they should be. I am still sensing, I am just not sensing accurately. I am not inventing fairy stories in my head. There is something not right, but she is adamant she is not withholding any secrets."
Juliette arched an eyebrow as she looked at him. "Then perhaps it is a secret she is unaware of? It is possible, you know. I don't know what it could possibly be... Perhaps it is merely that time of the month? I will make some time to sit with her, reacquaint myself with her presence. Then I shall take Airlie for our first private time together. I think it would be wise to start distracting her before Rory comes here. As you have pointed out, he may not be himself. That will no doubt create some high emotions in the Childer. And with Emmeline here for support... We will have her becoming one of the best of our Clan."
"My senses have better things to worry about than picking up when every mortal woman around me is dealing with lady's issues," Blaise scoffed with a small frown. "You may have your work cut out for you getting her away from Buffy's friend. I have not witnessed them separated since they arrived. Buffy never speaks of her friends much, so I do not know anything about him. Just remember that she, above all else, knows Rory the best. If we try to keep her from him or interfere too much, it could enrage her. She is still young, we just need to be careful. She has much talent. I heard her in the conservatory playing the piano the other day."
"She is Toreador, of course she's talented," Juliette replied with a scoff. Did he really have any doubt? Only the best were Embraced. Even if Airlie's ex sounded more like he had just been caught up in the moment. "They are quite a charming couple in a mismatched sort of way. Did she really never mention how he lost an eye? It's so rare these days to see someone with an eyepatch. I will not keep her from Rory too much, but we do not know how long any of them will be staying. I want to work with her sooner rather than later. If Rory wants to return to Scotland, she will no doubt follow."
Blaise smirked faintly before it was gone again. "Perhaps if he spends any amount of time in Emmeline's presence, she will convince him to switch to a Gucci or YSL patch. It will be a miracle if she does not try and make someone over before the week is out. She always gets restless when she first returns from overseas. I still cannot forget her making our barman into something that belonged on a Milan catwalk. Then perhaps Buffy can spend time with her... merde. I cannot even clearly remember his name. She mentions him fleetingly. All I hear is Angel, Spike or Riley. Alexander, non? Maybe he can help lead her. I do not know. I know nothing anymore."
Juliette frowned. "Which conversations have you been participating in? I only hear the others mention those names. Rarely her. And it's Xander. I think his full name is perhaps Alexander, but we all know how much the Americans enjoy nicknames. I highly doubt Buffy would be let anywhere near Emmeline after the mood she was in. We shall just wait and see, hm? There is no point making plans when we're not even sure if your beloved will stick around."
"Have you been present in my interactions with Buffy, have you? Funny, I never noticed," Blaise said with unimpressed sarcasm. "Whose beloved? Last time I looked, my beloved was dead and buried fifty years ago," he added, wishing that anger would stop trying to build up inside him.
"I'm very good at hiding. You should remember that from Egypt in 1942." Juliette slid her and beneath the sheets as she caressed his penis. "I'm sorry, mon loup, that was a poor choice of wording. Perhaps it would just do you good to forget her for a day."
Blaise closed his eyes and stifled a sigh of annoyance. "I dearly hope that you are joking about eavesdropping on my conversations with her," he murmured. He wasn't sure he could take that invasion of privacy on top of everything else falling apart around him. "I just wish it was not so draining. I do not expect it to be easy, but I just cannot believe I am right for what she needs. I keep feeling so wrong."
Juliette trailed her fingers back up his torso, and tapped a slender fingertip against his chest. "Of course I am joking, mon amour. I have not heard a single word that has passed between the two of you until you choose to tell me. Then take the break. Let her figure out what she wants, and just focus upon yourself and gathering your strength."
Blaise nodded, making the decision that it was probably the best idea to just take a step back and see what happened. He had laid it all out for Buffy, and if that wasn't something she wanted, and that she couldn't live without being a Slayer, than perhaps it would be time for them to move on. He just really hoped he had the strength to find someone who could take him for who and what he was. There was a reason it had taken him fifty years to start feeling that painful yearning again. "I will just focus on ensuring Rory is okay... so you might at least have the chances I am incapable of anymore," he told her quietly.
Juliette bit back the reply that sat on the tip of her tongue initially. She didn't want another argument. She nuzzled into Blaise's hair as she murmured her gratitude. "Merci, mon loup. You always did know how to take care of me. I was just without my head for a little while there. You are not the only one lost amongst all this mess." She slid a little lower in the bed and pulled him against her chest. "Now rest. Take just this one order from me, oui?"
Blaise gave a small nod and snaked his arm around her waist. It was late at night, and while he should normally be out on business by this time, he couldn't face anymore of that for the day. No more talking, no more negotiating. If he had to have a hope of getting back on his feet, he had to shut the rest of the world out, and he was already planning on spending the rest of the night and following day right here in his bed to recuperate. He would eventually instruct Jaquelynne to ensure he was only brought vitally urgent business. Everyone else would be cut off. "Je t'aime, cherie," he murmured, trying to force away a fleeting sadness that Juliette hadn't been able to be his true love. It would have made his life so much happier and easier. If he had one wish in his whole long life, it was to find a love who wished to be with him forever... but for now, he just had to keep searching.
Words: 6429
Woody Allen
Co-written with obscuritenoire
Blaise didn't even manage to make it to his bedroom before he had to stop, leaning weakly against the wall as he took his cell phone out and called on Jaquelynne to bring him someone to feed on. He stayed resting there until she came, her arm linked through the elbow of their gardener, who was more than happy to be Blaise's (or anyone's) meal when it was needed. He was mortal, but had a long history of involvement with Kindred. He was employed because he was currently dating one of Blaise's Kindred advisors. It all worked out, even if it came across as more than incestuous on first glance. Blaise locked gazes with the young man as they approached, and he didn't hesitate when he reached for the man's arm. But he faltered, pausing as he put his wrist up to his lips. His stomach turned at the prospect of feeding and his eyes fell closed momentarily as he braced himself, wetting his lips.
He was still leaning against the wall as both Jaquelynne and the gardener waited for him. When he opened his eyes, they were silver and it was only then that he noticed Juliette standing at the end of the hall watching the scene with her arms folded and an unreadable expression on her face. This time, he locked her gaze before he broke it and bit down sharply on the man's arm, feeling his blood rush over his tongue and flood his mouth. The man moaned in pleasure as Blaise gripped his arm and fed as intensely as he could manage, but he could only tolerate it for a short while before he was pulling back, licking his lips with a small frustrated shake of his head. He passed the poor guy's arm off to Jaquelynne to heal and then wiped some droplets of blood from his lips with the edge of his hand, looking beyond his personal assitant and the gardener to Juliette. "Merci," he told them quietly. "Go now." Jaquelynne kissed Blaise's forehead softly and then disappeared with the gardener again, leaving Blaise and Juliette in the hall alone.
Juliette waited a moment before she started to move closer to Blaise, the unreadable expression turning into one of concern. "You're still ill," she said quietly. It was in no way a question. "No matter what passes between us, I cannot believe I had to find out from Emmeline that you were sick. Is this still because of the blood, or is there something else now? Where is your Buffy? I was under the impression she was looking after you now."
"I can look after myself," was Blaise's short snappish reply. "Had you not been disrespecting me and insulting me, you would have known yourself what affairs were occuring right under your nose. I cannot believe you had to find out off Emmeline, either. It is not like this is something that could be hidden. Were you temporarily blinded?" he asked sarcastically. He decided this really sucked. It didn't seem right that the last civil conversation he had without any anger was with Logan's lover. Even with Riley, they had words over various things. Blaise was exhausted with confrontation and constantly having to explain himself.
"Non, I wasn't here last night," Juliette replied simply. She didn't buy into the sarcasm, and didn't raise her voice. She kept her voice quiet and level, and dropped her arms to her sides before she reached out to slip her arms around his shoulders. "Mon loup, s'il vous plait, can we not move onto the forgiveness? This is unbearable watching you suffer, and not being close to you to take care of you."
Blaise pulled away from her and shot her a glare. "This does not just get set aside like all you did was make some passing insignificant comment. You made it very clear where your opinion stood with this whole thing. I do not even have enough words to begin to tell you how offended I was by your reactions to my choice to step in and protect Rory from what was eating him up from the inside out. You should have been thankful I would lower myself to mortal protection like that and put myself at risk. No other Prince to walk this earth would have done that. I did it all for you, and you could not even see that. I am beyond disappointed. I could not even stand to be in your presence beyond that."
Juliette's hands were cradled against her chest as she watched Blaise. "I know, mon amour, but I did not see it at first. At least talking to Emmeline gave me a better prospective. I cannot tell you how sorry I am, Blaise. I hate myself for what happened, but I really was blinded. Everything in this situation as clouded my mind. I care about Rory, I care about you... But in that moment, I just saw red. And perhaps a lot of green." She caught his gaze again. "I really am thankful that you stepped in. I know Rory would not have had a chance otherwise."
Blaise was quiet as he just watched her for a few long, and lingering moments. He was trying to tell himself not to yell, and not to reject the blood he had just consumed. It was strengthening him a little, but it was going to take a few more days yet to get over that horrific bad move. He had since heard that the woman had, indeed, died on her way to the hospital and Blaise felt sickened over the fact. Even if she was terminal, he had cut her life even shorter. He hated himself for it. On top of that, he felt like a handicap everytime he tried to communicate with Buffy. Something just wasn't right, and he hated that too. He swallowed heavily, forcing the blood to remain in his system, but he stayed leaning against the wall until he could trust himself to continue without collapsing. "It would be advisable for you to begin preparing yourself for that fact he still may not wish anything further to do with you after this. Or that he may not be the same because of it."
Juliette reached for Blaise again, but pulled her hands away when she was once again wary of being rejected. She was still his mate, and she still wanted to just help him. She didn't even think about offering him her blood if he could barely stomach the Gardener. "Let me help you to bed, mon loup. You cannot struggle through this on your own. And I am all too aware that he might not want to see me. Why do you think I am here, and not still trying to see him? Why do you think I'm so intent on staying in my own wing once he's brought here? I cannot begin to tell you how much that outcome hurts, but I have earned it... I have been too stupid."
"I need a minute," Blaise told her quietly, still not moving from the sanctuary of leaning against the wall. He could still feel the anger at the situation bubbling under the surface, coupled with his frustration of seeming to lack any strength lately. It was tempting to just retreat to his room and remain there in his comfort zone. The pain of everything occurring within him would be almost bearable then, but his absence in his City would inevitably be cause for talk. He needed to be visible, at the very least. Plus, Rory would return here as soon as he was awake, and he needed to keep a close eye on the Scot at all times until he started to return to his old self. "I have been contemplating that we should just walk away."
Juliette nodded slightly, waiting to catch him if Blaise decided he liked it better on the floor. Considering how long it had been since Blaise had last been sick, Juliette was feeling distinctly out of practice. She just knew that keeping him well enough to still tend to business would no doubt be the first goal. She frowned a little as she watched his features. "From each other, or from them?"
The look Blaise gave her was answer enough. In fact, he nearly exploded at her that she would even have to query that and his eyes turned a bright silver. Why was every single interaction he had with a female of late all about some sort of damn battle about his feelings towards them? Her turned away, cursing harshly in French, the words coming out in a soft hiss. He had to take a few moments to regain his composure before looked back at her. "Why am I even having this conversation?"
Juliette held her hand up with her palm facing towards him before she waved it uselessly and then ducked her head as a submissive gesture. "Because it's been a long time since mortals caused this much trouble in our lives, and because you know as well as I do that I won't ever be able to give you everything you need. I'm trying to make sure you have the world, mon loup, but all it seems to want to do is spin away from us."
"So, suddenly after four hundred years, you just assume we have the capability of walking away from each other? We would not. We would decease outwith each other's presence," Blaise told her and finally attempted to push away from the wall now that the blood he had taken in was starting to work like it should. "Have I suddenly started communicating in Chinese? African? All of the above? Do the words really coming out of my mouth fail to make any sense? I am coming this close to cutting off this whole facade and cutting my losses! It is getting ridiculous. I do not think I am ever going to be on the same pages as these mortals. I am beyond it. To hear you talk of this just makes me even more frustrated."
"Je suis desole, please forgive me," Juliette murmured as she moved in a little closer to him. "I was just foolish enough to hope that she would be what you needed, but clearly I am wrong. I can't even blame it on being a Childer. Merde, even a Childer does it better than us. Look at Airlie and her Xander. And Logan with his partner... What is wrong with us, hm? Why do we not deserve love as much as them. Why can we not find it as easily?"
Blaise gave a weary shake of his head. "A Kindred Prince getting involved with a Slayer was a mistake. My people are never going to truly believe she is not a threat, and they should not have to either. What she does is a threat to our Kind. It might not be a threat she has intention of acting on, but a threat to a Kindred needs be just that. She gets so defensive about it when I try to get her to see that crossing into my world means sacrifices. Even so much as accusing me of telling her not to talk about her past or thinking I am hiding secret things in secret rooms. I am just at a complete loss. We clash all the time to the point I cannot find it in me to feel affection enough to fall in love with her. It is like I am just constantly waiting at every turn for her to jump down my throat again for treating her like a kid or not 'getting her'. I have not done any of that. Indeed, what I am telling her of my world and how things are may seem harsh, but if she cannot even tolerate that, I cannot believe she is made to be here. All I want is someone to compliment me, not fight against me one hundred percent the whole time because my beliefs are different to theirs. I am nearly five hundred years old, I have to live a certain way to hope to survive. I cannot suddenly just change my ways."
Juliette reached out to touch his face lightly. "And yet true love is never easy. Not in the way people think. There is no such thing as love at first sight, merely attraction. A deep lust. Do you not remember how we used to fight in the end? We fell in love, but it burned too brightly and too quickly. We fought, and we retained the passion... We moved on. We evolved into something more. Perhaps it's for the best that you're getting the fights out now. That you can move on to love instead of losing it. I do not know what to tell you anymore, mon amour, other than maybe you're right. Maybe we should just cut our losses. I had already begun to try and cut mine when... When Rory..." Juliette shook her head as words failed her. She didn't want to cry with the mess it would make, but she couldn't deny the sudden emptiness she felt inside. She really was assuming already that she had lost him. "If you feel no attraction for her, if there is no little inkling of hope, then just do it. Walk away."
Blaise looked at her, tilting his head slightly. "Non, non, Juliette. Do not patronise me about love. You really do not want to do that. I did not say true love was easy. These are not fights. These are her picking and choosing mere pieces of what I am telling her and using them to throw back in my face about how she is the Slayer and that swaying from that is a near impossibility. Some of the things she says astounds me. Kindred rooms. I still have no idea what that means, or when she imagined that I asked her not to talk about her home town. If she does not like what I am saying to her, she just sulks or changes it around like I am picking on her... or something. I do not know, but I am so drained trying to pull us onto the same page. I think she just wants me to be normal and accept what she does as a Slayer, but I will never be normal, and I can never just accept what she does. But I have never once told her she must walk away from it. In fact, I keep telling her to go back to it if she cannot survive without it. If that is all she knows, then she should go back. If she wants to see the world from a different view, however, then why must she continuously fight me with this? I am a Kindred Prince. I must afford my people with confidence they are safe, that they are free to walk via The Masquerade and I will ensure they are protected as they can be."
This time it was Juliette who slumped against the wall when it was clear Blaise wasn't ready to move away from this area yet. She rest her head against it as she looked down at her feet, her red-painted toenails in clear view now that she wasn't wearing heels. She didn't even have clothes on, really. Just a red silk slip under a black robe. Only Blaise wouldn't be able to see the red yet with how tightly she'd done the robe up. She still wasn't sure how she was going to say anything without Blaise assuming she was patronising him. She hadn't thought she was. "Perhaps she is just confused about how she can be the Slayer and still love you? Or you her if she is back in Scotland and your home is here. Wasn't that why she came? Because you would never be able to leave Paris. That shows at least some understanding of your position. A tiny sliver in amongst all the shit." Juliette reached up to rub her fingers against her lip. "She might be torn because she cannot see how this will work without her walking away from it. That is a huge step for a girl like her."
"It cannot work without her walking away from it. That is exactly what I am saying here. It is a decision she needs to make, not me. I was trying to suggest other options, but again, I was met with more excuses. If she must keep slaying supernatural presences, then this is never going to work. Kindred are not going to believe she is choosy. I am still more than convinced Rory was attacked for being a Hunter, but being Brujah, they wanted to draw him in for their own gain and not just slaughter him. They could have just killed him, but they chose to try and Embrace him. We have Clans who simply do not understand the kindness of the heart. They understand Kindred and Kindred only. Going back to Scotland would be her choice to cease with this, and I would not judge her for that. She can go and command her army and that would be the end. I would eradicate her mind of any Kindred knowledge. It would be as easy as that." Blaise leant against the wall again, looking up the length of it in the direction of his room as he felt quiet in thought. "I think I must just need to step away until she makes all these decisions and decides what she really wants. I have given her all the information I can at this point. If that is not enough for her to choose, nothing will ever be enough."
Juliette took Blaise's hand as she slid her fingers between his and started to pull him in the direction of his room. If he wasn't going to make the decision to rest, and to rest properly, then she would make it for him. She pulled the sash of her robe with her other hand and revealed the red slip as incentive, and as a sort of flag of surrender. She just wanted their fight over with. "Then something needs to be done to make them understand because Rory is a Hunter who is choosy. He will not touch Kindred without true and real cause, and even then he would most likely defer to the Prince. As for the Slayer, I do not know. I heard talk of getting rid of the army, that it would be possible. She is willing to do that for you, for our Kind. It is one of the first sacrifices she is willing to make before she steps down herself as a Slayer. If she steps down," Juliette quickly corrected. "I cannot pretend to know her mind. All I want to know is how long you are really willing to wait for her to make her decision. You cannot live in limbo. It is... killing you, mon amour."
"That is exactly what I am trying to say here. I cannot force my whole City to understand ridiculous notions like that. It does not matter what declarations Buffy or Rory make, Kindred will be at unrest if both are here and still intend to slay or hunt or whatever they call it. No one will think twice of their presence if they are merely here. If they are here to slaughter, that is when the unrest build. I can never allow Buffy to infiltrate France with any slayer intentions, nor Rory with hunting tendencies. They can go back to Scotland and do it all they like, but here, I forbid it. I will not have my people fearing their lives. If they go back to that, however, I will do everything in my power to ensure they cannot return here. They are merely two people. Who they are attached to, other Hunters and Slayers, may not be able to distinguish between Kindred and other vampires if they ever cross paths. That is where the risk lies." Blaise was loosening the buttons on his shirt when they got to his room. "I will not wait long. I cannot wait long. I am not asking anything of her or forcing her into anything. She must choose for herself. It is killing me. If she cannot be my true love, I need another who can be."
Juliette slipped behind Blaise to help him with the shirt, her hands running over his torso and her lips brushing against his neck as she nuzzled against his skin briefly. The shirt was dropped to the floor and she moved back in front of him as she automatically started on his trousers. "They have at least kept their word in not hunting here. There is nothing to say either of them would start. They promised. And on that I expect them to keep their word as it concerns their professions. I cannot blame you for wanting to keep Hunters and Slayers out of our country. I cannot even believe there really is an army in Edinburgh. It seems... ridiculous. Overkill. Just like everything else American."
Blaise closed his eyes, absorbing the contact he had with his mate. It was something he needed, whether he was trying to punish her or not. "There is nothing to say they would not, either. A word is sometimes not always sacred. Buffy by her own word has admitted there was one Slayer who once had an horrific killing tendency. A whole army, she could never possibly know if there are more like that. She can merely believe what she is presented, but there could be women in that army who crave power just like any other being is capable of. With skills of a slayer trained and honed, who knows what they could decide is ideal for ridding the world of evil. What really is evil? That is not something that can be universally agreed on. Every species will tell you something different. Every species also has a purpose."
Once Blaise was undressed, Juliette dropped her robe to the floor and slipped her arms around him as she pushed her fingers up into his hair and kissed along his jaw gently as she kept up with the contact. He could still punish her all he wanted, but right now she was intent on giving him whatever it was he needed. She stroked her other hand over his arm and back, her fingertips grazing his skin lightly. "I do not know what to suggest. It's not as if we would be able to get away with a mass hypnotism, is it? They would all need to forget about being slayers, about what they had learned."
"I am not asking you to suggest anything. I am asking Buffy to make decisions of which she perhaps does not wish to. I do not wish to have anything to do with the rest of them. They are her problem, not mine. I have my City, she has the army. Never the twaines shall meet as long as I am in power. She can remain in command of them, or she moves on with her life. If it is the former, then practically, she can never be the true lover of a Kindred Prince. It would not work. I can see that now." Blaise looked over his neatly made bed, now no signs of anything that had occurred the few nights before when he was so ill. "I think I just need to leave her to the decision process. She knows where to find me if she decides to move on. I will not keep fighting her on this, but I will also not wait forever."
Juliette nodded in understanding, and looked over at the bed as well before she looked back at Blaise. "I wish I had been here last night, mon loup. I will not leave your side again. Even if you decide I am too much of a bitch to deserve to be there. Will you let me stay with you tonight? Leave her to her decisions. She clearly has much to think about, and if she is smart she will not take too long. Not if she cares for you at all."
Blaise hooked his fingers into his underwear and pushed them down too. "I think perhaps she wants to, but I just fear I may be like Sergeant Finn to her. Not enough to satisfy her. He is a pleasant man, a good man. Very attractive. He was not enough for her. What is to say I am? I do not know if my mind is capable of forming many rational thoughts right now, however. I am weakened and I am lonely. I did not even have an indication my prey was diseased. Not in the slightest. The error was horrific. A stupid move. She died. I stole the remainder of her life away from her."
"Mon dieu..." Juliette cupped his face in her hands and searched over his face. "This is why I cannot leave you. This is why you cannot hunt alone right now. I don't need you making any more errors like that... I cannot lose you. Do you understand? Your time is not up. I will not let it be up. If you are not enough for her, that is her problem. You do not need to feel inadequate. I will not let you, d'accord?"
Blaise looked at her sadly. "I just want love, mon cherie. I want it so much. I want it to engulf me and to own me. I want to have affection and humour, and wake up with someone in my arms every morning. To shower my love with gifts without having them thrown back in my face. I cannot believe right now she is the one to be all that. She does not seem to wish it. I think she enjoys the notion of us as lovers, but in essence, we continue to clash. I do not want to clash with a lover, I want to worship them, to know they feel the same for me." His voice shook a little with emotion. "I hurt so deeply inside, I fear it is unable to be healed anymore."
This time there was no stopping Juliette's tears as her own sadness absorbed her mate's and the blood tears began to stain her cheeks. She knew they had moved well beyond love, and he had already spurned her wishes to be the one for him again, but she really did so desperately in that moment want to be able to just change everything and to be the one to love him like he needed. Juliette kissed him softly, and murmured soft professions of her own feelings for him against his ear before she pulled him back to the bed. "Perhaps tomorrow we will need to start searching... There must be a woman out there that can love you as you need."
Blaise didn't protest when he sank down amongst the sheets of his bed. "I have lost my fight. Something feels wrong, but I cannot figure out what it is." He lay on his side with his cheek cushioned on the silk covered pillow. "I do not ask for too much, do I? Do I deserve this punishment?"
Juliette joined him between the sheets, but sat up a little bit so she could stroke her fingers through his hair as she used her other hand to wipe at the blood on her cheeks. "Non, mon amour, you do not. You have done nothing at all to deserve this. If we ever meet whatever powers are in charge, I will gladly tear them to shreds for putting you through this."
Blaise took her hand and kissed her fingers and then hugged it close to him, closing his eyes again. "Emmeline has returned. I wish I could believe that would make things a little less tense, but she could cause World War Three with that mouth of hers if she wished. Buffy was already asking me about her. Emmeline will not be happy with mortals staying here. I know she will not. She is a snob. All I can feel is more malaise when I think about her stalking through these corridors with intent to stake her claim."
"She would piss all over you, me, and the furniture if she had to. I've tried talking to her, but all she can see is threats to you and the city. She doesn't need a lover, so she does not quite sympathise with your predicament. Only that you are ill. Emmeline is not happy that one of the mortals is a slayer for obvious reasons." Juliette watched Blaise quietly for a long moment. "I do not know how she will take Airlie, either. Emmeline would probably deny any sort of Childer period to her Embrace where she wasn't the perfect specimen she is now."
"That is my point. If she sees it, other Kindred will too. That is where I keep running into difficulties with this whole thing." Blaise opened his eyes to look at her in confusion. "You think Emmeline would deny one of her own Clan? She would not. Airlie is likely the only one she will accept without question. She does trust Sergeant Finn, so we could maybe edge around the whole thing that way on some level. Have you been in Buffy's close presence lately? Near to her personal space? I am sensing something and it is throwing me. I feel like she is shielding something from me. I feared it may be another lover, but it is not. When she had been with Sergeant Finn and Rory, their scents were all over here. It is not that."
Juliette smirked. "She wants to sleep with Sergeant Finn, that's not complete trust, that's just attraction. She is quite shameless. D'accord, you are right. She would not deny her own Clan, but she would still question a Kindred who is best friends with a Hunter. The same as she questions you and I for being social with them." Juliette frowned at the question before she shook her head slightly. "I have only been in her presence for a limited amount of time... Do you wish me to investigate? If your senses are playing tricks, then perhaps it is better I find out what is going on. There is no other lover, of that much I am sure. She has at least reeled in her... promiscuous behaviour."
Blaise shook his head. "Non, she would not. Not if she learnt of the ordeal that led to Mademoiselle MacKenzie becoming Kindred. She had no one else, and Rory took care of her and protected her, despite being a Hunter. Emmeline is arrogant and self-righteous, indeed, but she is not unreasonable. They are not playing tricks, they are just not piqued as they should be. I am still sensing, I am just not sensing accurately. I am not inventing fairy stories in my head. There is something not right, but she is adamant she is not withholding any secrets."
Juliette arched an eyebrow as she looked at him. "Then perhaps it is a secret she is unaware of? It is possible, you know. I don't know what it could possibly be... Perhaps it is merely that time of the month? I will make some time to sit with her, reacquaint myself with her presence. Then I shall take Airlie for our first private time together. I think it would be wise to start distracting her before Rory comes here. As you have pointed out, he may not be himself. That will no doubt create some high emotions in the Childer. And with Emmeline here for support... We will have her becoming one of the best of our Clan."
"My senses have better things to worry about than picking up when every mortal woman around me is dealing with lady's issues," Blaise scoffed with a small frown. "You may have your work cut out for you getting her away from Buffy's friend. I have not witnessed them separated since they arrived. Buffy never speaks of her friends much, so I do not know anything about him. Just remember that she, above all else, knows Rory the best. If we try to keep her from him or interfere too much, it could enrage her. She is still young, we just need to be careful. She has much talent. I heard her in the conservatory playing the piano the other day."
"She is Toreador, of course she's talented," Juliette replied with a scoff. Did he really have any doubt? Only the best were Embraced. Even if Airlie's ex sounded more like he had just been caught up in the moment. "They are quite a charming couple in a mismatched sort of way. Did she really never mention how he lost an eye? It's so rare these days to see someone with an eyepatch. I will not keep her from Rory too much, but we do not know how long any of them will be staying. I want to work with her sooner rather than later. If Rory wants to return to Scotland, she will no doubt follow."
Blaise smirked faintly before it was gone again. "Perhaps if he spends any amount of time in Emmeline's presence, she will convince him to switch to a Gucci or YSL patch. It will be a miracle if she does not try and make someone over before the week is out. She always gets restless when she first returns from overseas. I still cannot forget her making our barman into something that belonged on a Milan catwalk. Then perhaps Buffy can spend time with her... merde. I cannot even clearly remember his name. She mentions him fleetingly. All I hear is Angel, Spike or Riley. Alexander, non? Maybe he can help lead her. I do not know. I know nothing anymore."
Juliette frowned. "Which conversations have you been participating in? I only hear the others mention those names. Rarely her. And it's Xander. I think his full name is perhaps Alexander, but we all know how much the Americans enjoy nicknames. I highly doubt Buffy would be let anywhere near Emmeline after the mood she was in. We shall just wait and see, hm? There is no point making plans when we're not even sure if your beloved will stick around."
"Have you been present in my interactions with Buffy, have you? Funny, I never noticed," Blaise said with unimpressed sarcasm. "Whose beloved? Last time I looked, my beloved was dead and buried fifty years ago," he added, wishing that anger would stop trying to build up inside him.
"I'm very good at hiding. You should remember that from Egypt in 1942." Juliette slid her and beneath the sheets as she caressed his penis. "I'm sorry, mon loup, that was a poor choice of wording. Perhaps it would just do you good to forget her for a day."
Blaise closed his eyes and stifled a sigh of annoyance. "I dearly hope that you are joking about eavesdropping on my conversations with her," he murmured. He wasn't sure he could take that invasion of privacy on top of everything else falling apart around him. "I just wish it was not so draining. I do not expect it to be easy, but I just cannot believe I am right for what she needs. I keep feeling so wrong."
Juliette trailed her fingers back up his torso, and tapped a slender fingertip against his chest. "Of course I am joking, mon amour. I have not heard a single word that has passed between the two of you until you choose to tell me. Then take the break. Let her figure out what she wants, and just focus upon yourself and gathering your strength."
Blaise nodded, making the decision that it was probably the best idea to just take a step back and see what happened. He had laid it all out for Buffy, and if that wasn't something she wanted, and that she couldn't live without being a Slayer, than perhaps it would be time for them to move on. He just really hoped he had the strength to find someone who could take him for who and what he was. There was a reason it had taken him fifty years to start feeling that painful yearning again. "I will just focus on ensuring Rory is okay... so you might at least have the chances I am incapable of anymore," he told her quietly.
Juliette bit back the reply that sat on the tip of her tongue initially. She didn't want another argument. She nuzzled into Blaise's hair as she murmured her gratitude. "Merci, mon loup. You always did know how to take care of me. I was just without my head for a little while there. You are not the only one lost amongst all this mess." She slid a little lower in the bed and pulled him against her chest. "Now rest. Take just this one order from me, oui?"
Blaise gave a small nod and snaked his arm around her waist. It was late at night, and while he should normally be out on business by this time, he couldn't face anymore of that for the day. No more talking, no more negotiating. If he had to have a hope of getting back on his feet, he had to shut the rest of the world out, and he was already planning on spending the rest of the night and following day right here in his bed to recuperate. He would eventually instruct Jaquelynne to ensure he was only brought vitally urgent business. Everyone else would be cut off. "Je t'aime, cherie," he murmured, trying to force away a fleeting sadness that Juliette hadn't been able to be his true love. It would have made his life so much happier and easier. If he had one wish in his whole long life, it was to find a love who wished to be with him forever... but for now, he just had to keep searching.
Words: 6429