Shadows of the Soul (for onceaheroine) Slayer!Belle and Vampire!Gold

[with_aprice]

He knew her.  Some things might have changed over the course of five years, but not the important things.  She still patrolled, and without him around she was more or less alone when she did.  There weren't that many cemeteries in town; he picked the largest and sat on one of the headstones, waiting for her.  She'd be here eventually

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[onceaheroine]

Archie had attempted to insist he was patrolling with her, but that had gone precisely nowhere. She'd pointed out that he was no warrior, and she'd be distracted by keeping an eye on his safety. Reluctantly, he had conceded -- and attempted to foist an elaborate check-in system based upon their grid of Storybrooke, so he'd have a good idea where she was should something happen and she not check in within a reasonable interval, but that would take time to make into something practical.

Slayers develop a strange sixth sense over time, Belle has learned, that tell her when there's a vampire nearby. A kind of gut feeling that's never, ever wrong. And even before she was called, she knew what it felt like when Nick was watching her. The combination was unsettling.

"Evening," she acknowledged his presence with a slight nod. "Waiting for me? You shouldn't have."

[onceaheroine]

Unlike the soft problematic surface of the mattress, the cemetery floor is rough and unyielding and Belle is able to roll them over and scramble to her feet. He's too confident, and that's kind of insulting -- as if she'd frozen completely when he'd left her life. There's more to her than he knows.

"Adrenaline's a bitch."

[with_aprice]

"Not at all, my dear wife. There's nothing so sweet as feeling your blood racing in your veins." He jumps up, in seconds standing just behind her, and hand wrapped around her wrist. "There's nothing the world that tastes like you, dearie. Did you know that?"

[onceaheroine]

"You're not the first creep to wax rhapsodic about slayer blood, Nicodemus."

Her upper body snaps to the right, attempting to jerk her left wrist from his grasp and drive her right elbow into his gut with the same abrupt, strong motion.

[with_aprice]

"I assure you I appreciate the fact that you're a Slayer, my precious, but it's not just that. It's you. Your blood tastes as your kisses do, but so much more intense. Pure ambrosia." The one taste, thus far, is not nearly enough.

He lets her motion spin them both, the action freeing her arm but he still holds her around the waist.

[onceaheroine]

"Oh, lovely. Am I like your own personal brand of heroin, Edward Cullen?" She frees her upper body, but he catches her around the waist and the movement is suddenly one part violence and one part ballroom dancing.

Years ago, Nick had painstakingly taught Belle how to tango -- in spite of his bad knee -- and their movements here were as reminiscent as any training sessions.