~BOOK 3/PART TWO~ Paranormal: A Vampire's Time Is Now (Multi-Bandom FanFic)

Chapter 17

"Yeah, that's another one of  the reasons I'm leaving," Rachael murmured, her eyes locked on her lap, "I mean, with her not knowing who I am, there's nothing that really binds me to New Orleans anymore. Except for you, but...you're not going to be here much with touring and everything."

"Rachael, where is this coming from?" Patrick asked, unable to stay supportive of her choice - no matter how much he wanted to be.

"Patrick, you know me better than probably anyone, and you know I don't like staying in one place for too long, because when you stay somewhere longer than you're supposed to-"

"Bad stuff happens," He finished her sentence, "Yeah, I know. You've told me that a thousand times before."

"Because it's true," She mumbled. But this wasn't just bad stuff. This was her entire life, everything and every person that made her her.

"Bullshit," The vampire dared to say. He knew he couldn't change Rachael staying with him, but she should at least be staying for one thing - Kenya.

"Bullshit?" She repeated.

"You're leaving because you're scared," He spoke frankly.

"I'm not scared, Patrick." Anger began to boil up inside of the witch, her hands clenching into fists by her sides. "You know, you always thought of me as this...inferior being to you, someone who...who needed to be taken care of and protected. Always, that's how it's always been. Well guess what? I know what's good for me and what's not. I can make my own decisions."

"Rachael, I was only so protective because I cared, but that's not what I'm trying to say."

"Then what are you trying to say?" This conversation had rapidly gone south, the supposed-to-be heartfelt goodbye turning into an argument.

"You're leaving because you're scared of being alone."

Tears wavered in her blue eyes. "Well isn't that what we're all scared of?"

"No, you're scared because you're being forgotten, but Kenya's terrified because she can't remember. Leaving is wrong. You and I both know it. Kenya is more to you, to both of us, than anyone we've ever left behind."

"Yeah, well friends come and go. Why else do you think I've made so many friends over the years?" She responded defensively, the tears building in her eyes now streaming down her cheeks, "It's not because I'm friendly, it's because-"

"Rachael, she is the last person I would want to defend," Patrick interrupted her, "But she's been through a lot in the past few years."

"Yeah, and so have I!" She exclaimed, losing what little calmness she had left, "We all have. She might've lost a few people and some of her memory, but you and I have had centuries of losing people and memories. We're not fucking geniuses, we don't remember every person we've met and everything we've ever done. But you don't see people sticking around out of pity for us."

"Kenya could have left after saving you," He reminded her, "She could have left when her father came, but she stayed and fought. She fucking died for us, and if you leave her now, you'll never forget and I'm sure you'll never stop regretting this."

"Look, Patrick, I've made up my mind," The witch stated, "I'm leaving this time and I'm not coming back. Because I came back last time and look what happened. You turned into a fucking demon, our daughter reminded us of how terrible we were as parents, and Kenya almost killed me. So I'm sorry for wanting to go away, but I can't deal with this shit anymore! I just can't!"

Rachael went to storm out of the room, and Patrick should have let her go. He shouldn't have fought against her decision, but he did. "Her eyes!" The vampire yelled, stopping Rachael in her tracks. "Her eyes told me everything that I needed to know."

She glared back at him. "Whose eyes?"

"Kenya's, they told me that she was confused, scared, and alone."

"Well she's got her pack, and her brother, and everyone else in this fucking town. So she's not alone." The witch held onto the hospital room's threshold and hung her head. "If anyone's alone, it's you and me. We never belonged here, Patrick. I don't even know what we were thinking...moving here...thinking we could be 'normal' for once..."

"You're missing the point, Rach. This isn't about us. It's about Kenya," He told her, "She could have the whole world behind her and she'd still feel like she's the only one in the world, yet she'd never admit that to anyone. If you leave her now, you'd be abandoning her, and I think leaving her would change her back into the monster she used to be."

"You know..." She crossed her arms and turned toward me. "...a year ago you wouldn't even let me visit her in the hospital; you told me that we needed to get as far away from here and her as possible. But now you're saying I need to stay. Make up your goddamn mind, Patrick. Whose side are you even on anymore?"

"I'm not choosing sides anymore. I just want to do what's right. Being with that demon opened my eyes, Rach, and I shouldn't have made you feel like a prisoner."

"But don't you see? You didn't!" She rushed back up to him and clung onto the side of the bed, looking her daughter's father directly in the eyes. "Instead, you took me to places I'd never been before, showed me things I never would've seen. It's this goddamn town that made me feel like a prisoner, keeping us here time and time again. It's like we can't leave without making a scene."

"Rachael, I was crippling you," He admitted, "Kenya showed you what it meant to be independent. She showed you that you don't need someone to keep you at bay, that you don't need someone to let you know that you're fine just the way you are."

Before Rachael could respond, Brendon appeared in the doorway of the hospital room with his arms crossed over his chest. "Rach, what's taking so long?" He asked her, "The car's going to run out of gas sooner or later." His eyes traveled over to Patrick and he forced a smile on his face. "Oh, hey buddy, how are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm feeling just swell, Brendon," Patrick replied sarcastically, "What about you?"

"I'm feeling great," He retorted, entering the room and draping his arm around Rachael's shoulders, "We're just about to go on a little vacation, actually. Did you tell him, Rach?"

"I-I just did," She stuttered, tilting her head down. For the first time since their reunion, Patrick noticed the youthfulness in her appearance - the smoothness of her skin, the pink tint to her lips, the natural highlights in her hair. She looked just like she did the first time the two of them met, a beautiful mixture of sadness and fear. So much had changed over the years, yet somehow she had seemingly returned to this state of the past.

"So a vacation, huh?" The vampire asked, the corner of his lip perking upward in a mocking kind of way, "Where are you guys going? When are you coming back?"

"Well, let's see, we're going to none of your business town and we're coming back on I'm not going to tell you," Brendon answered coldly.

"We're just going to Europe for a few weeks or so," Rachael elucidated, glaring at Brendon, "Maybe a couple of months, but that's it."

"Well, I hope you have a great time," He replied, trying to hide his unconditional and unending hatred and loathing for the man holding the girl he loved.

Rachael and Brendon left not too soon after to let Patrick have a bit a of rest. He took a deep breath in and closed his tired eyes, thankful that he was able to go home soon. The vampire knew that once he entered his old home with Andy, Pete, and Joe, that there would be no silence, so he was going to soak up the moment of peace and serenity for as long as he could. He felt the wind pass through his nostrils as he exhaled and began to drift to sleep, however, never reaching that unconscious, peaceful state.

"Don't fall asleep too soon, Patrick," Someone whispered.