Will he?

[Izzy Lynn Hartley]

Attire

Slender fingers brought the thin, long clove to ruby red lips as the tip was singed by a flame dancing at the tip of a match, causing smoke to journey up towards the ceiling to join the pullulating cloud. Frigid lips pressed over the butt of the lengthy cigarette and a long drag was taken as hazel eyes drifted over the various faces that compassed the rather tiny bar. With her back turned to the ones that shot her disgusting, desirous glances Isabella continued to puff the small roll of tobacco attempting to make herself look as if she were ‘too good’ to speak to any of the pathetic mortals around her. Thankfully, her act seemed to be working quite well so far. All she had received were a few stares and glares but none had mustered up the courage to go out on a limb and speak to her. She didn’t have the time nor the patience for frivolous gibber jabber. She was too busy waiting.

Lips puckered slightly, shaping themselves into a small “O” as she exhaled, allowing the pollution to leave her nearly useless lungs. Her free hand was brought up to rest atop the bar’s wooden counter where she traced the tip of her fore finger along one of the spiraling designs. She had only been in the establishment for no more than twenty minutes and already she was growing irritated and impatient. With her right leg crossed over the other, she began shaking her foot, the tip of her heel tapping obnoxiously against the metal leg of the stool she was perched on. Any mortal wouldn’t have heard it over the booming music but to her, it was loud and clear and almost unbearable. It was a habit though so it couldn’t be helped.

A couple of nights before bringing herself to this particular bar, she had gone around questioning locals about the whereabouts of a hunter. To her surprise, a few had known exactly what she was talking about without her having to explain anything. Those who knew were told that a ‘mysterious’ bloodsucker was on their way into town and that it would be best to ‘get the word out’ so to speak to the supposed hunter. Little did the people Isabella spoke to know that she was this strange creature that was apparently coming to cause terror in the small Australian town. Spreading rumors was the only way she could think of that could possibly lure the leech killing mutt to her.

Of course, it wasn’t just any old lycan she was hoping to run into. It was one she had spent the last five or so more years searching for after not seeing him for over fifty. But why would a vampire be in search of a werewolf? Isabella had her reasons. Many, in fact. One reason being that the man she was looking for was her husband.

Turning slightly in her seat, she narrowed her eyes towards the main doors, anticipation already eating her away. It wasn’t until now that she began to worry, causing herself to become nervous and uneasy. She questioned herself, wondering if she was in fact ready to face Mr. ‘Nobody’ again. Was she ready for to be bombarded by the possible questions he may have? Was she ready for the rejection if he refused to accept her back into his life? She didn’t know but she sure as hell prayed for the best. With her eyes fixed on the doors she began to speculate if the man would even show up.

“God, I hope he does.”

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[Nix]

www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=8098109

Broad hands jerked the leather clad gear into third, shifting gears as the road evened out into a larger expanse. It was a relief seeing as only moments before the road had barely been large enough for any normal human to ease a buggy through it. There was a slight chattering about the trees of birds calling that fell silent as the monstrous roar traveled for miles across the surrounding area.

The rustling grumble of an engine echoed throughout the heavy brush, breaking the once silent night. A sleek black blur traveling across a dirt road at speeds that would land anyone else in a ditch, impaled with the glass of the windshield. Pushing such a car to the limit was one thing but at the speeds it was traveling now, all the car could do was jump and grunt in attempts to convince its driver of possible impending engine failure. All of the vehicles efforts fell onto almost silent ears, as it's driver concentrated on his current path. "Just keep steady for daddy, Candy, I'll get us there in one piece." The nineteen sixty-seven Chevy Impala seemed to purr at the mention of it's name. All of it's siblings had names too, each one after a stripper.

Vibrations traveled the length of the seat as Candy unknowingly calmed her owners nerves, not that he was ever truly edgy when it came to a hunt. The only problem was that this particular hunt seemed off. The whole damn thing seemed fishy and the small whiffs of an all too familiar scent that he had been catching the past few days, not the mention the rumors, put him into a bit of a frenzy. It was never pleasant; the scent of a vampire, but this one was different. This one was the reason he was traveling 80 mph on a ditch filled dirt road to get to a broken down bar.

Before long the rumbling of the once overpowering engine fell silent as her pulled up to the bar and removed the key from the ignition. The melodic sounds of Whitesnake droned out with that same motion. Daring emerald eyes scanned the area from the confines of the car, making sure that he wasn't in line for a vampire trap. Vampires these days thought they were so smart, in his lasting experience he thought they just watched too much Buffy. What he wouldn't do to that Willow chick though.

Once his senses gave him the all clear of any Buffy inspired danger he stepped out of the car, steel toed boots thudding against the street. It had been a while since those boots had seen anything but dirt roads. That was evident by the footprints left behind once he sidestepped towards the engine. As anxious as he was to get into that bar, Candy needed a little checkup. Broad fingers popped the hood, allowing experienced eyes to trace over each crook of the still smoking engine. A smirk showed along the line of his lips as he returned the hood to its lowered position. "That's my girl.."With the car in working order he patted the hood and continued on the checking his own appearance; making sure that all weapons were securely in place.

Stepping foot into the bar was usually like setting foot into a family reunion. That proved no different as he pushed through the door and was greeted by the usual array of shouts through the bar. 'Hey Nix, Long time no see, How's that car of yours, You owe me a back massage..etc etc.'

For once the ability to answer escaped him as his eyes traveled to the bar. Just as quickly as he had built himself up for a possible battle he was ripped down. "This scent..it.." His moment of complete shock was interrupted by slender arms wrapping around his neck. Glancing from the corner of his eyes at the red head clutching onto him and cooing softly in his ear he fought for the words "Uh.uh.." Her name escaped him as he looked back and forth between her and the woman at the bar. "Samantha..right Samantha, hold that thought..." He winked at her before unwrapping her arms from around him, the pout on those rose red lips of hers showing her immediate disapproval of where his eyes were glued.

Once he was rid of any more interruptions his fists clenched as he attempted to keep himself composed, despite his rising blood pressure.

"Izzy..."

[Izzy Lynn Hartley]

Ten whole minutes had passed since she focused all her senses on the old dark wood doors. Already she was losing hope and was debating whether or not to simply leave and give up search for Nix all together or stay just a little longer just in case. Holding her breath, she turned back around to face the bar in a feeble attempt to calm her nerves. Not only was impatience weighing down on her but also she was becoming overwhelmed with anxiety.

Olive green eyes drifted from the bartender down to the double shot of tequila she had ordered awhile ago. Frowning in disappointment, she reached up and took the long shot glass into her cold hand then carefully pulled it towards herself indicating that she wasn’t going to let the drink go to waste. Normally when she had ordered her favorite drink, she drank it right away. Hell, most of the time she demanded she had a whole bottle to herself to drink straight from rather than tiring the bartender by making him pour shot after shot for her. This time though, was different. Her thoughts were too scattered which made it hard for her to focus on even taking the damned shot.

Frigid fingers began curling tightly around the glass, cracking it as she inhaled softly, immediately catching the all-too-familiar scent in the air. Despite the fact that she found Lycans’ scent almost unbearable, she couldn’t help but be attracted to this one. Teeth were clenched together and muscles tensed as the main doors were pushed open. Blinking slowly, she listened carefully to the sound of the newcomer’s footfalls. She instantly recognized the sound of the heavy boots thumping against the old hardwood floor. It was the same sound she heard almost sixty years ago when they pair had first met.

Allowing the now warm tequila to glaze over her pale fingers through the crack of the shot glass, she swallowed the lump that had gathered in her throat, fighting the urge to turn around and meet eyes with her husband. Absentmindedly her free hand came up to clutch the two rings attached to a silver chain around her neck. It had been a while since she had actually worn the wedding band and engagement ring around her slender finger. After fleeing, it didn’t feel right to wear them anymore but it didn’t feel proper getting rid of them either.

Clenching her fingers tightly around the pieces of jewelry she uncurled the fingers around the now broken shot glass and held her breath once more as she listened to the various voices behind her. It hadn’t surprised her one bit that Nix was seemingly well known in town. It was like that everywhere he went. The tip of her tongue was pushed against the back of her teeth as jealousy washed over her. Not having to look back to see what was going on, she carefully listened but the words the other woman said went right over her head. She was more interested in what Nix had to say. Judging by the tone in his voice, the girl meant nothing to him and she was grateful for that. Still, that didn’t ease the apprehension growing within her.

Upon hearing her name, she unwillingly turned around to look back towards him, her eyes immediately locking with his. Her hair which she had curled for once, grazed over her shoulder moving to join the other locks behind her, which caused her to shudder slightly. A smile was forced to try to hide her uncertainty before she softly whispered his name.

“Nix…” She knew it was unnecessary to speak above a whisper. With his heightened senses, it was certain he would pick it up over the various cacophonies surrounding them. The urge to remove herself from her seat and throw herself at her husband washed over her but she remained where she was, waiting for him to come to her.

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[Nix]

An eternity had become frozen within those two seconds it took her to swivel about in her seat . Everything seemed so unreal that he had to resist the urge to shoot himself in the leg in hopes that the blow would awaken him from this nightmare dream fantasy. The way her hair moved across her shoulders and the way those green eyes told him everything she was thinking. She had been so easy to read back then and even now he could see the emotion in those gorgeous eyes. Every ounce of his being told him that she was not there. That this intoxicating scent was anything but what his mind wanted it to be. That one of those fucking leeches was toying with his head, but it was the pang in his chest that let him know this was real. Not even the dreams he had about her had caused this aching need that throbbed beneath the leather, the flesh, his ribs.

Amongst all of this, the first thing that came to mind was how different her hair looked when it was curled and the rings that dangled around her neck. He had buried his a long time ago, with the ashes that he thought had been hers. If she was real..he would more than likely have to recover those rings. It took a moment or two for his brain to register that the small symbolic objects weren't circling those dainty little fingers of hers anymore. His curiosity on that matter would have to be satisfied at another time

Once more his brain lapsed as she whispered his name, breaking down even more of the control he was fighting to maintain. It was of no surprise that she still had that affect on him; he had never been able to resist her. Every bit of her, down to the freckle on her left thigh had a way of making his knees weak.

At his continued silence the other occupants at the bar only watched in confusion. Many resisted the urge to interrupt despite the fact that they had not once seen Nix this taken aback by a woman. It did not bother him though because none of them mattered..none of them even knew his real name. The red head, Samantha, reached for him once more but he strode forward, avoiding her grasp. 'nix, what's wrong...' Her words didn't even register; drowned out by the sound of his own throbbing pulse. Each step was slow and deliberate as his mind searched for the correct emotion to show. He was confused yes, but there was so much more than that . For the moment, his expression remained blank, the only tell of his emotions being his own emerald eyes.

Now there were but a few steps between the two and his resistance to grab hold of her was thinning the more their proximity to one another became smaller. It was all he could take before three large steps placed him abruptly in front of her and his right arm reached to pull her from her stool into his chest.

"Izzy..." Completely at a loss for words it was all he could muster. There were of course a thousand questions floating in the back of his mind, but they could would wait.

While he held her as tightly as he could without fear of breaking her his left arm removed a gun from it's holster, holding it at her side. Despite the gun being against her, there was no will in his eyes to actually shoot her. He needed clarification somehow. He needed to know that this wasn't a mind game, that it was his Izzy. "Let me know it's you...." He remembered that back in their days together a vampire or two managed to find where he lived. The two of them had a code to be let in, the name of his first car. It had started off as a joke but eventually came in handy when a few fledglings decided to attack him at home. If this was his Izzy, she would remember, she would know. God, he hoped she knew.

[Izzy Lynn Hartley]

If her heart had been beating, it would have been thrashing frantically in her chest and more than likely would have ripped through her by now. Not once had she ever felt so deranged with various emotions that flooded her. Most of all she was overjoyed at the fact that her plan had in fact worked and she was finally able to come face to face with the one she had been longing for, for all these years. She couldn’t help but feel petrified though. With her eyes locked on his, she could see that he was confused; doubtful. Perhaps he didn’t even want to believe that it was really her. That thought alone caused a lump to gather in her throat as tears slowly welled in her eyes. She fought against her tears though, not wanting to appear weak or vulnerable to the mortals surrounding them.

From where she sat she could hear his heart beating loudly, causing her fangs to throb and ache but not out of hunger. The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt Nix physically. The only time she enjoyed doing that was during sex when he had asked for it. When they had been together in the past, the thought of feeding from him never crossed her mind. Not that she could anyways. They both knew that lycans’ blood were poisonous to vampires and vice versa.

Time seemed to come to a complete stop and everything around them seemed to freeze in place as he started towards her. Unconsciously, she bit down onto her bottom lip while her free hand moved to rest atop the counter to keep herself from falling from her seat. The hand that was clasped tightly over her wedding and engagement ring tightened even more causing her hand to shake slightly in pain. Her breathing slowed until she held her breath as he got closer to her.

Ruby red lips parted to speak but instead, she gasped, feeling the warmth from his arm engulf her as she was pulled towards him. The hand left on the bar now fell to her side but the shaky hand that held onto the rings remained where it was. Her head was lifted to look up at him as a tear made its way from the corner of her eye down to her chin. Despite the fact that she was already in four inch heels, he seemed to tower over her making her feel quite intimidated by him.

Blinking slowly, she narrowed her eyes towards her side, feeling the cool metal from his gun against it. After a moment, her eyes returned to his without fear behind them. She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t shoot her. Not without making sure that she was who she said she was.

His voice caused her knees to buckle slightly. Lifting her hand up from her side, she placed it over his chest as she searched his face for an answer. At first, she wasn’t sure of what to say. There were too many things going on in her mind that she found it hard to concentrate. It didn’t take long though for her to remember the joke they had started decades ago after they had been attacked by other vampires.

“D-destiny” she stammered, nearly choking on a sob that fought to free itself from her throat. It was a hell of a lot harder to fight back the tears now which slowly began streaming down her pale cheeks. “L’amo, sempre…” she whispered as she hung her head. It was something she had told him every time before he went out to hunt or whenever he left without her.

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[Nix]

Slight shivers traveled his entire body when he felt the cold heat of her small frame pushed against his own. She fit so perfectly within his arms. There had not been one moment that passed where he didn't miss the feel of her delicate frame against his own. The first thing anyone else would notice was the cold, dead feel of her flesh, but not Nix. He felt heat, the warmth and fire that he always felt when she was so close to him. The very heat that caused shivers to rack his body and caused his heart to throb maddeningly; it was almost painful. How badly he just wanted to caress her and let her know that everything was ok. That he would never let her go again. Unfortunately, he wouldn't allow himself to do that until she said the words he needed to hear. So for now, that gun remained steady against her side, pointing upward towards her heart.

Awaiting her answer had to be the longest moment of his entire being. Longer than the eternity he had spent simply staring at her in disbelief of her existence. It had not even been made clear in his mind whether or not he could have shot her if she told him the wrong answer. What if she did give him a wrong answer. How would he be able to fight this urge telling him to just hold her in his arms and instead shoot her; shoot Izzy. That was beyond any comprehension he could possibly muster. He continuously repeated in his head, a small mantra of sorts, Izzy..Izzy..be my Izzy. Please be my Izzy. If he had been the truly religious type he would have prayed. Not that it would have done any good, his Izzy was already forsaken. She was in fact a vampire, something that regularly slipped his mind; because it didn't matter. It didn't make him yearn for her any less than he did the moment he first laid eyes on her.

Staring down into those green eyes he felt the ache behind his own eyes. The urge to release the flurry of emotion that had been built up for so long. This man, Nix, had only cried once in his entire life; when he thought he had lost the only woman who he loved enough to shoot himself if she had asked him to. Here he was with that same bombardment of emotion, yet it was of complete opposites. She was here, in his arms, not dead in a makeshift crypt beside his house.

His fingers shook slightly as he felt her hand rest against his heaving chest. It wasn't until he heard that one word that his hand with the gun fell slack. Watching as those tears streamed down those pale cheeks of hers, the arm that had been wrapped around her held her tighter to him. As if that wasn't enough..she added on those two words that made his whole world come crashing down.

There was a loud clatter as the gun fell to the bar floor. Wasting no time the hand that had been holding the gun reached to cup her cheek as he leaned to press his lips against hers. He no longer cared who was in the room, where she had been, or what any of this meant. The only thing that mattered was the soft feel of her lips against his and her body held within his grasp. If this was a dream, he hoped to never awaken.

Unable to speak, all he did was kiss her. Fuck breathing, he didn't need to breath right now. His lungs could wait for their much needed oxygen. If he was ever going to breath again it would be up to her. It would be all up to his Isabella; the vampire he hunted, loved, married, lost, and now refused to let go.

[Izzy Lynn Hartley]

None of this was happening the way she had imagined it to fall out after all these years. Initially, she assumed that he would be furious about her disappearance and would waste no time in bombarding her with question after question or even kill her. Instead, here he was being considerate, giving her a chance to prove to him that she wasn’t just make believe rather than jumping the gun and attacking her.

Startled by the sound of the gun hitting the hard wood floor, she closed her eyes tightly, listening to the loud clanking noise the hunk of metal made. More tears removed themselves from the corner of her eyes to join the ones that trailed over her porcelain face, down to her chin then onto the slender hand against her chest. Before she could even think of reopening her eyes, she felt Nix’s warm hand cup the side of her face which she instinctively leant into. Soon after she felt the softness of his lips being pressed against hers and she couldn’t help but moan against his lips as she returned the kiss.

Finally, her fingers uncurled, letting go of the two rings that she held so tightly onto so that she could cup both his cheeks, pulling him against her as if he weren’t close enough to her already. The warmth that was emitting from his body nearly drove her over the edge. Tip toeing slightly, she pressed her body against his, ignoring the gasps and chatter that went on around them. She tried her best to push back the sobs that begged to escape her as her tongue wrestled and pushed against his.

Reluctantly, the kiss was broken to give him a chance to breathe. She lowered herself back down, standing upright again before resting her forehead against his chin. Her hands were removed from his face only to comb through his soft hair before her arms were draped loosely onto his shoulders.

“I’m so sorry I left Michael.” As always, she spoke in a whisper so that the only one that could hear her was him especially since she had used his actual name rather than Nix which was what everyone knew him by. Her eyes remained shut, her body still pressed against his. “I didn’t want to leave you…”

Now she was certain that he would begin questioning her but she didn't mind. He deserved to know the truth even if it would be something he didn't want to hear.

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[Nix]

Indescribable was the only coherent thought his mind could find to process the overwhelming pressure of her chilled lips returning the love his own had offered only seconds before. There was no creature, man, or god that could ruin this moment for him. Not to mention that in preparation to the unlikely possibility he had an array of weapons to defend his claimed moment of enjoyment.All of his being poured into that one kiss, the past sixty years melding away. The pain throbbing chasm beneath that display of muscle he called a chest that once longed for her throughout the nights seemed to slowly be filled once again.Could anyone truly be so incandescently happy as he was with her in his arms?

It was the equivalent of reality, this soft yet strong body within his own clutching arms, which twitched slightly from the utter perfection of her. How could any creature be so perfect? How could any woman cause such fluctuation of his werewolf head to beat at such an unbelievable pace? How could, after all of these years, she still make him feel the way he did when they first met. Honestly all he needed was a punch in the face and he would've had a serious delema of deja vu'.

“I’m so sorry I left Michael.”
“I didn’t want to leave you…”

"You have no idea how much I..."

His deceleration of love was cut short when the realization of her words hit him and his once vice-like grip loosened noticeably. he couldn't bring himself to completely release her from his hold, not after just getting her back. At the same time he could not find the words to ask her what she meant. There was a buzzing, that neither held nor lacked annoyance, in the back of his head that told him it would be in his best interest not to. Yet he had to know. He needed to know where his Izzy, his wife, had been these past twenty-one thousand nine hundred and twenty three days, seventeen hours and fifty two seconds without him. Yes, he had been keeping track. In the back of his head, since he believed her to be dead he had been timing how long he had managed to survive without her.

"What do you mean by 'You didn't want to leave me?'" Now the questions were beginning to come out and he had to hold back the anxious tremble of his arms as he held her. "Did someone do something to you? Whoever it is I'll rip their throat out. Just give me a name and I swear.."

In his mind there was nothing about this that had probably been her fault. Actually in the back of his mind, there was that buzzing again telling him that hew as a complete fool if he believed that for even a second. But what else could it have been that had taken Izzy away from him but the interference of another party. She wouldn't leave him without telling him would she?

[Izzy Lynn Hartley]

Immediately she took notice to the way his hold on her loosened. Her eyes slid open and drifted over his lips, watching them carefully as they fluttered while he spoke softly. It took a moment for her to actually comprehend what it was he was saying. She had been too caught up in the moment, still in disbelief that she managed to find him; find her husband. His second question was what caused her to blink slowly, pulling herself back into reality just in time to catch what it was he was asking.

“N-no. No one did anything to me, darling…” Unable to look him in the eyes out of disgrace, she hung her head, looking directly at the tips of both of their shoes. It was no surprise that his shoes were covered with dirt and from what she could see, blood. More than likely the blood of her own kind which wasn’t unusual. Despite the fact that Nix, or Michael, killed other vampires, Isabella was never bothered by it. Just as long as her husband wasn’t hurt, she was fine with whatever he did.

Her lips pursed slightly as various thoughts flooded her mind; mainly explanations that she had rehearsed with herself throughout her long search. Now that she was actually face to face with him, all the clarifications and reasons she had come up with were washed away. It was as if she had stage fright. The spotlight was on her now and she stood there, frozen in his arms. Her hands remained rested against his chest, her fingertips lightly grazing the softness of his leather jacket.

Bringing herself forward, she slid her hands apart, moving them down to his sides as her forehead came to rest against his chest now, silently listening to the beating of his heart. “Non sa dove cominciare (I don’t know where to start)” she whispered in Italian, speaking mainly to herself. “I’d rather speak about this somewhere more private.” She didn’t need to lift her head and look around to know that the entire room had their eyes set on the reunited couple. She could hear the various comments passed between patrons, sharing their suspicions with one another about the two.

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