Path to Redemption

[Lucia Drusa Severa]

As the jet ascended higher into the night sky, reaching a comfortable altitude and leveling out, the Hybrid kept her eyes on Pablo, trying to understand. He seemed quite adamant that it was not he who'd sent the memory; but from the point of view of the dream, she couldn't have imagined it being anyone else relaying it to her. She thought she'd felt him near, as well; subtle thought-waves that made her think of him, a certain earnest, almost optimistic realism. Such as it were. Perhaps she was mistaken as to the source?

A soft smile came to her lips as Pablo insisted she could ask him anything, and she sat back in the seat, closing her eyes to better recall what she'd seen in her dream. "It was night." Licking her lips, she started describing prominent things she'd noticed in Pablo's childhood bedroom. "You were Human, so young. Yet old enough to be Aware. Screams from down the hall woke you from your sleep. The voices sounded familiar, though you'd never heard them in such terrified tones before. You knew they were the cries of your parents." Lucia kept her eyes closed, watching behind her eyelids as she remembered the dream. "You were scared. There was a stuffed teddy beside you, yet even he could not help you feel better that night. Then silence. In those dreaded moments, you wondered whether you should venture out, or attempt to hide beneath the blankets. You weren't given an option." The Hybrid opened her eyes, looking over to the Werewolf sitting beside her. Her voice was calm, though she tried to keep from sounding cold as she recounted the last things she'd seen. "Rapid footsteps coming your way, bursting through your bedroom door revealed your mother and father. Or, at least, what had become of them; for they were no longer as you knew them. You thought they could not recognize you..." Lucia looked away for a moment. "That is a mistake. In a frenzy, a Vampire recognizes those it knew and perhaps once cared for; but as the hunger takes over, the Thirst, it no longer matters." That had not been part of the dream; but the Hybrid did not think to keep the information from Pablo. She looked back at him with crimson eyes. "Your parents tried to attack you. Were it not for your Hunter friend, relative? You would likely not have lived beyond that night. He shot your parents, both of them, right before you, and carried you away. To safety."

[Pablo]

The lycan faced Lucia as she sat back and closed eyes. Amused, Pablo smiled, she was being silly he though, still believing that Lucia was in the middle of a poorly done joke. He was however wrong. Amusement turned to curiosity, Lucia was not bluffing. She accurately recounted that fateful night, better than he could have. With details that had long escaped his memory, but came back to him vividly as Lucia spoke them. Pablo cocked his head as she continued. Unsure how to take Lucia's words in regards to his parents recognizing. That had been a long time ago, he'd gone through that night many times, and considered all the options. Whether they recognized him, or not, it didn't matter. They'd intended to feed off him, off of their child. He shrugged the thought away. It was a long time since that memory had particularly bothered him, and it didn't at the moment. It would always affect who he was, but the pain was long gone. It was part of him now, and in a way it was part of Lucia. That didn't bother him, it made him, happy? His gut felt fuzzy. He'd share the events that night often, Pete, Alena, Adele, members of his pack, even Szandor, but the specific details were lost upon all of them. Lucia it seemed, had experienced it for herself. Even Xhel who had his perspective on the night, claimed he only remembered bits and pieces.

He smiled. "I would be dead without him." That fact was never lost upon Pablo. For it he was eternally grateful, and Xhel, bless him, never had the need to bring it up, or hold it over his head. "He is my cousin, my last family, human family, the rest didn't make it through the night. They went after all of us." Pablo paused, considering what insight he could provide. "Our family comes from a long light of hunters, for centuries they hunted the monsters of the night." His eyes went wide for a moment, as he realized Lucia might take offense to that, again. "Lycans, and vampires." He clarified. "We think that's why they came after us, but we don't know who sent them. Xhel was being trained to hunt at the time, I was next in line, I think." The lycan still smiled as he spoke. Talking about it rarely fazed him. "Lucia, that's my first memory, I mean- I had others, I remember remembering stuff before, but I guess I forgot them over time. They couldn't have been that important in comparison. Lucia, I -" He paused once more. "you have to tell me. How do you know about this? Even Alena doesn't know that much, and we've spoken about it, at least a few times. It's like you pried the memory straight from my mind." His smile abruptly ended, and he turned away. Is that what had happened? Had Lucia actually taken the memory straight from his head. She, or Dane, or somebody had messed with his brain. How was it that he seemed to forget that at times. "Is that how you know? The night you messed with my mind, and sent me after Alena, what happened? What did you do to me?"

[Lucia Drusa Severa]

Lucia couldn't help but smile as Pablo seemed to open up more after she'd described her dream. The insight he provided was interesting; she couldn't help but truly enjoy getting to know Pablo more, despite the levity of the subject. When the Werewolf asked her to explain how she knew of that memory, she laughed a little. Caught up in the excitement of bonding with another person her age for pretty much the first time in her life, the Hybrid was unable to wait for him to finish speaking before interjecting happily, "I am just as confused as you. I--"

Then his smile fell, and he looked away for a moment. Lucia paused as he turned back toward her to make his next inquiries. Perhaps he hadn't meant it in such a way, but the girl almost felt like she'd been slapped. Standing from her seat, she took a step forward, her back to Pablo. Brushing a strand of hair aside, she almost shook her head. Had she truly forgotten what she'd done to him?

Shame rose uncomfortably from her belly to her chest in a heavy lump. Unsure of how to process the shame, frustration turned to a low level of anger in the girl. That night had nothing to do with why she'd dreamt of Pablo's past, she thought; but he deserved an answer, anyway. Clenching her fists by her side, Lucia turned half a step back, to glance askance at the young Werewolf. Irritation nipped at her thoughts, but she realized she couldn't be angry with him. It was her fault; she'd done this, she'd allowed it to happen. She was only angry with herself. Trying to keep her voice level, the girl licked her lips before trying to explain. "I did not pick the memory from your head. I did not invade your mind; I can't even communicate that way." She stopped; it felt like she was getting herself worked up when she was really trying not to lash out at him.

Idly, she brushed aside the same strand of hair that kept falling over her face. "There were two witches, Humans, who saw to you that night. Dane had them... I'm not sure. Somehow they were able to imprint the command into your mind to bring my mother back to us. I did not enter your mind, they..." Lucia stopped, confused. It seemed she vaguely recalled the younger of the witches throwing a hateful stare her way, mentioning something about the Lycan's mind being poisoned. What the Hell had she meant by that? She shook her head. "All it looked like they were doing was holding their hands above your head. Dane coerced them into performing the task somehow; they did not seem pleased to be in our presence."

Lucia was about to say something else, when the floor beneath her began to shake, and the jet rattled as turbulence started to take over. Stepping forward with the first big jolt, the girl caught herself on the arm rest of Pablo's seat, her face coming within inches of his. She watched him for the quickest of moments while she regained her balance, then frowned and resumed her own seat. Her hands found their way to her lap, and Lucia glanced over to the Werewolf, a look of concern written on her features. "I am sorry."

[Pablo]

Pablo tensed as Lucia stood, keeping a careful eye on her. The movement was sudden, and he was all too familiar with Lucia's short temper, having been caught on the wrong side of it once or twice before. She was distressed clearly, and he felt something resembling guilt in the pit of his chest. Lucia did seem regretful, and bringing up the topic of his for a lack of a better term brainwashing, didn't sit well with her at all, she seemed hurt, she seemed like he needed a hug. The lycan was about to stand, and walk up to her, but he shook his head. No, he had no reason to feel guilty. Lucia was at fault for this, and he deserved answers, truthful answers. And as he watched her, he wondered, was she truly distressed or was she simply buying time to formulate a lie.

To him, she sounded truthful. He at least believed that she truly did not know how she'd come upon the memory that night. Still it was difficult to believe in someone who had tampered with his mind. Her explanation for his betrayal, that seemed less likely. "Lucia, witches?" He asked, befuddled. It was plausible, he could at the least confirm their existence. The lycan sighed trying to wrap his mind around the thought. At least he was aware that Lucia could not communicate to him mentally. There were times when it would have been beneficial to her to. "I-" Turbulence shook the plane, and Lucia came stumbling down onto him. Instinctively, he caught her, as she caught her self, on arm on her shoulder, the other by her side. The lycan was forced to look up to her, straight into her crimson eyes, he felt almost entranced, before snapping out of it and suddenly retracting his hands. He glanced away from her bashfully.

"Lucia," Pablo turned back to her. She sounded sorry, she looked that way to. Though he had no reason to truly believe her, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was telling the truth. He reached out to grab her by the arm. "I've already forgiven you for that night, don't you remember?" They'd nearly beat each other half to death, but at the end there were apologies both ways. "After you promised to make amends." He said quietly, knowing there may be prying ears nearby. "I trust you, I want to. Geir thinks I shouldn't, he-" Memories of the night prior came flashing into his mind again. The sound of Lucia's moaning, vivid in his mind, and again he pulled his hand away from her, and turned to stare at the floor. He had to ask her now, if not when? "I want to, but Lucia, last night- I need to know you'll keep to your promise. I heard you, with Dane," He blurted the last bit. He tried to keep quiet. "You were fornicating with the enemy! If we're not trying to save your mother from Dane, then from who?"

[Lucia Drusa Severa]

"Yes, witches." The Hybrid nodded, insistent, as Pablo questioned what she'd said. Her features softened a little as he placed a warm hand on her arm, reminding her that he had, in fact, given her forgiveness for her actions. "Perhaps..." She didn't want to quite admit that she'd almost forgotten.

Bringing a small smile to her lips as the Lycan told her she had his trust, the girl's red eyes watched her friend carefully. When he pulled his hand away, pausing mid-sentence, Lucia's smile dropped. Her gaze fell away from the Werewolf at the mention of Geir, and that strange feeling of shame returned. As he continued his train of thought, she was sure he was going to bring up their altercation with the small pack of Werewolves that had come for him last night. She was wondering if he'd want to talk about it, and though she wasn't necessarily looking forward to it, she understood why he might not feel too great about the situation that occurred. Bracing herself mentally to try to help Pablo understand that it had been kill or be killed, Lucia was not prepared for what the Lycan said next.

Her head snapped over, looking to Pablo indignantly. It felt like her face grew warm from embarrassment, though only a minimum of color reached her cheeks. "You-" She could hear it again, Dane's seductive voice, calling her name while he drove into her, giving her the most intense pleasure she'd ever experienced. Clenching her hands into fists in her lap, Lucia could almost feel the ecstasy again right now. They had not been quiet, she knew; she couldn't accuse Pablo of listening in. Yet to bring it up in conversation was not something the girl had expected, and she found it absolutely uncalled for. "I-" He viewed Dane as the enemy; that fact seemed to slip her mind far too easily at times. How dare he say such things to her; he knew nothing of Dane, or her relationship with him. Pablo claimed to trust her, but accused her of having relations with the enemy in the same breath. "I'll have you know Dane is not My enemy. He has served my father faithfully for centuries; I knew him in my youth and he has always had my best interests in mind." Her voice was cold. "Dane loves me." Why did she feel like she had to justify her intimacy with the Vampire to Pablo? Why did she care that he knew, or what he thought about it? Frowning, Lucia kept her eyes on the Werewolf, "And I love him." Was that right? Some part of her felt incredibly guilty about saying that so bluntly. Dane had been the one to take her virginity, and she felt a great many things for and because of him; but she couldn't deny the clear connection she felt with Pablo.

[Pablo]

That was the last thing Pablo wanted to hear. It didn't surprise him, not entirely, not after hearing them together, and suspecting it since his days locked in Lucia's room, but it still hurt. Out of all the people in the world she loved Dane. It created a sick painful feeling in his gut, somewhere between nausea and a knife being jab and twisted into his chest. Deep down inside he'd hope it was just a bout of passion. One last fling before she finally left his side, taking Alena with her. That now seemed unlikely. If there was something that would make an enemy out of Dane, it would be snatching Alena right out from underneath his nose. He doubted, Lucia would wish to do that, to her 'lover'. A smile stretched across his face, one of exasperation. Could she really think that Dane was in love with her? He knew their tale, the handsome vampire that's watched over her since a child, one day rescuing her from her lonely life among the lycans, only to become her lover. It sounded like a fairy tale. It was almost like if Alena one day confessed an undying love to him, he wouldn't believe it. Pablo could have said that, instead he laughed, at his turn in fate. Not out of glee, but again, exasperation. Alena had warned him, Geir too, and instead of heeding their warning he'd told them both off. "Do you really think he loves you? How old is he, how many lovers has he had over the centuries, how can you understand him, Lucia?" He spoke, his voice strained as he struggled to speak at a whisper, obviously frustrated. Was there anyway to get it through her thick skull that vampires weren't capable of love.

Pablo opened his mouth to speak again, but turned away from her, red in the face stopping just short of insulting her, he stared at the wall before finally glancing. A level of calmness returning to him. He knew about her short temper, how she didn't quite always think things through. "Lucia, you promised... we were suppose to do this together. I - I, need you. It does end well for me alone, please." What had changed? A day ago, they'd held hands, while making promises to each other. He was so sure of her then, he let her feed off him. The lycan held his breath, reaching out his arm to hold her by the hand again.

[Lucia Drusa Severa]

Confusion crossed the Hybrid's face as Pablo laughed his exasperation. She didn't think she'd said anything particularly amusing, and she certainly didn't find his next words funny. Crossing her arms, Lucia frowned, frustrated. In her own way, her mother had brought up the severe age difference too. The girl really did not want to think about the plethora of other lovers Dane had likely had throughout his life, but she knew they existed. She knew there had been others; that had been a different time, however. The Hybrid had to try harder than she would have liked, to tell herself that it didn't matter how many came before, as long as she was in the picture, alone, now. It shouldn't matter, she insisted; he was older, he was allowed to have other lovers. The important thing was that he had her now, and she had him. "I know he loves me." Her voice came across short, impatient. "The centuries matter not, nor do his previous lovers." Remembering Dane's words last night, Lucia tried to bring a smile to her face again, but found herself a little too distressed to completely pull off the gesture. "I am unlike any other he has met throughout the centuries." Lifting her head up high, the girl watched the Werewolf, eyebrows furrowed. Wasn't she worthy of love? She'd hoped Pablo could have been happy for her.

Something about the way Pablo spoke to her after looking away tugged at Lucia's chest. Again, her face contorted in confusion as he reached for her hand. The things he'd said to her, she wanted to pull away, but immediately she almost felt calmed in some way as he gripped her hand in his. Glancing down at their clasped hands, the Hybrid's frown twitched skeptically for a moment before she looked up to meet his soft, almond colored eyes. She didn't stare long into his eyes before looking away; the weight of his stare felt too heavy, and she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. "Look, I- I don't necessarily enjoy the thought of my mother staying in a cage for the rest of her life." Biting her lip softly, she glanced back at the Lycan. She felt like she knew what it was like to be locked up, away from everyone. While she'd never actually been kept in a cell away from others, much of her time at the Den in Sweden had felt like being imprisoned; Lucia didn't often get along with her mother, but she didn't feel like Alena deserved to be kept in a cage for the rest of her years. "I will free her. I will help you; but I need to try. I have to try to obtain peace between our races..." -It's my only hope...- The Hybrid stopped herself from speaking the rest of her thoughts out loud, but squeezed Pablo's hand gently.

[Pablo]

Was she listening to herself? The lycan wanted to laugh again, to throw it all back in her face. The thought of a vampire capable of love was impossible for him to grasp. Then when one considered their age gap, how could they even relate? How could Lucia say she understood Dane. It was clear to Pablo, that Dane was just feeding Lucia's haughtiness. Lucia thought she was special, that was never a mystery to him, and Dane was using it to his advantage. Except, she was special, to Pablo at least. He didn't only wish for Alena to be free, but for Lucia to escape with them. It wouldn't be the same without her, he wanted her to be in his life, to see her every day. She wasn't perfect, her temper ran short, she'd hurt his pack, and even him, and at times she was a bit of a sadist. But she was trying to better herself, and she was caring, and fun, and passionate, and a bit broken, but he could help her. And whenever he looked or even thought of her, his stomach fluttered. He couldn't claim to know what love felt like, but he was almost certain it was something like this, it felt special. Did his bias, his hate, for Dane and his kind run too deep for him to accept this. He frowned and said nothing as she held hear head up high.

Pablo cracked a smile as Lucia looked at him with her crimson eyes, but it was only momentary as she glanced away. "Lucia I know you don't want that." Anybody with half a conscious couldn't wish that upon her mother. "Peace would be nice, Lucia." To never lose a friend again, a mentor, family. Admittedly he enjoyed the fighting, but never the loss that came with it. "But at what cost? How much pack would have to die." The lycans wouldn't surrender easily, even with their Queen captured. They would fight, either to their dying death, or near enough that what was left wouldn't resemble his family. He rested their clasped hands together on the arm chair, before placing his other hand on top of theirs. "And when you free your mother, she won't want her peace. Lucia, you can't have everything. You can't have peace, and your lover, and your mother. Not after Rome, and Oslo, not after Szandor."

[Lucia Drusa Severa]

His first words gave the girl hope; it seemed he understood. Yet as he continued, a feeling of despair began to creep over the Hybrid. Of course there would be loss of life; that was the cost of war, and unfortunately, too often the cost of peace. Pablo made it sound like it only ever was and would only ever be loss of Pack, though. Countless Vampires had fallen over the centuries; her father among those numbers. Plus, They were on their way to take out another high ranking Vampire, as they spoke. With her actions now, She was trying to ensure the slaughter on both ends stopped; unfortunately so much blood had been shed over the millennia, that a simple, peaceful truce was unlikely to occur. By holding Alena captive, Lucia hoped as little Werewolf lives would need to be sacrificed in the long run, in order to obtain such a peace.

As the Lycan placed his other hand over hers, encompassing her hand in his warm embrace, Lucia's brows furrowed, her expression growing more grim. She wanted nothing more than to be enjoying Pablo's company, finding comfort in his touch and with his words. However, his words were far from reassuring. Pulling her hand away from his touch, into her lap, the girl's fingers still tingled lightly from the warmth of the Werewolf. Her crimson eyes held a defiant sadness to them, and she looked away. A strange heat grew in her chest; she wanted to scream and uproot the furniture, throwing open the door to fly off into the night, leaving everyone behind. But what purpose would that serve? Pablo's words, she knew, held more truth to them than she would verbally admit to him. The Hybrid realized she'd been purposefully avoiding the subject of her guardian's death since the night it happened. Pablo, having brought it up now, brought with it a wave of emotion she wasn't prepared to handle right now. Emotion she knew could cost her life if it were to distract her in the coming fight.

Licking her lips briefly, and bringing a hand up to brush away a strand of hair, Lucia tried to steel herself. The Werewolf's eyes on her were proving to make such a feat all the more challenging. She felt herself becoming angry, but not at him; at herself. The grief coming over her, thinking of Szandor, was enough to steal her words away, making her chest hurt physically. It felt like losing her father, all over again... But this time, his murderer was her lover. -No.- She shook her head suddenly, telling herself again that Dane had had no choice. Szandor would have killed the Vampire; that was what he was trying to do that night. Dane had to defend himself; he'd already been hurt by her mother, if he had paused in dealing with Szandor, he would no longer be here. With her. Somehow that didn't exactly make her feel much better.

"If Mum will not concede to the peace I have worked for, for all of us..." The girl had to focus to keep her voice from shaking. "Then she does not have to be apart of it."

[Pablo]

The look in her eyes, the way her face contorted, Pablo knew this was difficult for her, what he said wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth. She would choose her mother over her so called 'peace', peace wrought by the hands of vampires. He could never trust or want that. Lucia had to understand. However, as she pulled her hand free from his any reassurance that this conversation was about to head in the direction he wanted disappeared. His eyes never strayed away from Lucia. He could see the cogs and wheels turning in her head as she sat there. He waited, his gut wrenching as Lucia opened her mouth to speak.

That was not what he wanted to hear. "Lucia," His voice was a mixture of disbelief and frustration. His heart began to beat quickly as he began to feel his own distress. She had promised to free Alena once they returned. He'd chosen to spend a night among vampires based on that promise, he'd agreed to fly to who knows where on a plane full of vampires, based on that promise, he'd sat and allowed his own pack brother to endure the torture of silver, a torture he was all too familiar with. "There is no if!" He said, giving up any attempt of remaining quiet. A sting in his voice. Alena wouldn't want peace. "You're damning her, and you're damning me!" He said, clenching his hands into fist and slamming them onto the arm rest. Why couldn't she understand? Alena was his Queen, he could not, he would not, let her rot away in a dungeon under the care of vampires. His mouth opened, as if he were to speak again, but instead he turned away, staring at the floor beneath his feet. It seemed to him Lucia had made up her mind. She would choose Dane over him and Alena.