Somewhere In Between

Title: Somewhere In Between
Author: MakaiKitty
Rating (this chpater): PG-13/R
Category: Original Fantasy, "Fate" storyline
Pairing: Victor/Blaine, Victor/Caspian, North/Victor, Victor/Tamara, Sorrel/Tamara, Telen/Caspian
Warnings: Slash, Het, and Yuri, M/M, M/F, F/F, Violence, Language, Catbois, Vampire Sex, Werewolf Sex, Daemon Sex, Anal, Rimming, Death, Angst
Distribution: My website, My LJ and any LJs I choose to post at, AFF.net, FicWad, and DeviantArt. All of my accounts are under the user name MakaiKitty. If you'd like to use it just let me know.
Disclaimer: The characters, daemon realms, and situations in this story are all original and belong solely to MakaiKitty. Please don't steal, borrow, take, or otherwise use anything from my fics.
Updates: Just join my YahooGroup to be informed of any updates to this or any of my other fics - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/makaikittyfics
Status: Complete
Story Notes: This story contains characters that were first introduced in "Fate". However, it is not really necessary to have read "Fate" to understand this story. In fact, you may like Victor better if you haven't read "Fate". As for those of you who have read "Fate"? No, Shayne and Lexi will not be showing up in this fic. Maybe in later stories (Victor has a long back story), but not this one. Also, I have a general outline for this story, but everything isn't set in stone yet. Just like with "Perceived Perceptions", I'm sure that some things will not go as planned. So, the warning lable above is just a general guide, I really don't know for sure where this fic will go. Just a warning, if you're squicky about some stuff (don't worry, there won't be beastiality or scat or anything too extreme) then read the warnings at the start of each chapter. However, I know from experiance, that most of my regular readers can handle anything that I throw at them, so I'm not too worried about any of you. Either way, I hope you enjoy the fic...

Author's Note: Next up... the last chapter!

Somewhere In Between

Chapter Twenty-Three: Gone But Not Forgotten

Caspian's shorter frame shouldn't have been able to keep up with North's long strides, but as they grew closer to their destination he found himself well ahead of the werewolf. It had taken longer than expected to find the other man, and although he didn't have the psychic screams of a twin in his head, he still knew that Victor needed him. That thought alone drove him all the harder.

"Dammit, I knew that I shouldn't have left her alone."

"You're right, you shouldn't have!" His anger wasn't really for the lycanthrope, but it felt better to be yelling at someone than trying to hold it all in. North would forgive him. And if he couldn't, well, it didn't really matter anyway. Only getting to Victor and Lennora in time mattered. Only the fact that he couldn't hear the screams and howls any longer mattered. Nothing else.

They rounded the corner, both men at a full run, only to be stopped just short of their destination by the sight of two men. One was on the ground, obviously dead even from a distance, the other was standing over him in a white lab coat.

The reflective surface of his glasses glinted in the torchlight as Lorcan turned his face towards North and Caspian, his rust colored eyes all but hidden by his spectacles. His brows were drawn low, his color even more drained than the usual pallor that marked him as a vampire, and the hand that he placed on the wall to steady himself looked to be shaking. It was the most flustered that either man had ever seen the scientist.

"North. Caspian. What in the name of the Blessed Mother is going on here?"

"Something's wrong with Victor's sister." North growled, looking down at the guard who lay at their feet. He had left the man there in his place, telling him that it would be an easy duty. And now his eyes were gouged out and his lifeblood was slowly draining out from the corner of his mouth, which hung open in an eternal scream of agony. Another soul that he owed penance to. Sometimes North wondered how many there would be before his own time came, and he was left to pray that this would at least be the last of the day. "We need to get in there, now."

North had left his guard at the end of the hallway, just feet from Lennora's door. The three men could hear sounds coming from the rooms beyond the open doorway, and nothing of what they heard boded well for their friends.

Caspian ran forward without another word. He didn't get far, however. There, in the doorway, he froze in horror at the sights beyond. At his feet lay Talfryn, dead eyes staring up at him, cruel and arrogant even in death. Further into the room he saw something massive and misshapen near the back wall. At first he couldn't even tell what it might be, or might have been, but then his eyes slowly moved over the thing and he realized that it was a wolf. Or a woman. Perhaps both. Then reality set in, and he knew that they had been too late to save Lass. His midnight eyes frantically searched for Victor after that, needing to know that all was not lost, but when he saw him kneeling on the ground at Sorrel's feet with a thick pool of blood surrounding him, Caspian was left wondering just how much more time they could have spared before both twins would share the same fate.

"Victor!"

"You will stay out of this, Caspian Lavias von Alderton." Sorrel didn't take her eyes off of Victor, and her hand did not cease to glow, although she clearly knew that the others had arrived. "This is family business."

There were footsteps behind him, and Caspian knew that North and Lorcan were at his side. The problem was, he didn't know what good any of them could do. He could see Sorrel's eyes from where he stood. There was death in that dark gaze.

"Fuck." Caspian thought that North, though ineloquent, had summed up the situation very adequately.

A strangled scream from Victor told him that, whatever they did, it had to be soon.

"She's going to kill him." Lorcan sounded as certain as Caspian felt, and that alone made up his mind. The scientist knew Sorrel better than anyone. If he said that Victor was dead, then Victor was dead. And Caspian would do anything to prevent that. Even if his next words were sure to destroy his own heart in the process.

"Lorcan." The hand on his shoulder let Caspian know that the other vampire was listening. "Get him out of here."

***
The pain was threatening to take his consciousness with it. He was still struggling to get to Sorrel, to plunge the dagger into her at least once before she took his life, but with every passing second more of his blood was pulled from his body, and with it the last of his strength. He was about to die. Victor knew that. And he would die without avenging his sister or his lamb. He was powerless to grant them, or himself, peace. The thought left him with more anguish than he had thought his soul capable of holding.

Then he heard Caspian's voice at the door, and North and Lorcan as well, and Victor knew a whole new level of pain. Three more souls that he would lead down into hell with him. He was truly cursed.

One last burst of energy filled him as Victor thought of a delicate vampiric body buried beside him and the two young women that he had already lost, forever given over to the cold and unforgiving earth, and he was able to force his legs to support him while he lunged blindly at the sorceress who was slowly draining him of life and will. He knew that he had fallen short, however, when a strong backhand sent him flying into a wall without a drop of the sorceress' blood having spilt.

The world grayed around the edges, the room swam in distorted confusion, and Victor knew with certainty that he had lost. He only hoped that the others were able to escape Sorrel's wrath. He didn't want his impotency to be their downfall.

Then gentle hands were lifting him up, and Victor found himself cradled against cool flesh, his vision going white instead of grey. He tried to force his eyes to open, to focus, tried to find his voice, but he discovered that whatever damage Sorrel had done had rendered him completely helpless. He couldn't even push away his protector, let alone demand to be allowed to continue to fight. He couldn't even tell his friends to run. He could do nothing. Even as he glimpsed his beloved Caspian standing shoulder to shoulder with North, both men barring the way for Sorrel, putting their lives on the line to buy Lorcan enough time to carry Victor out of the room and away from eminent death, Victor was unable to do anything.

He couldn't even say goodbye.

***
"What..."

"Don't sit up too quickly." It was Lorcan's voice, but Victor found it hard to focus on the man himself. "You've lost a lot of blood. Here, drink this."

A glass of warm, dark liquid was placed at his lips, and as Victor drank the fresh blood he instantly felt some of the cobwebs clearing from his mind. He might not be a full-blooded vampire, but blood had always been key to his survival. Not like his sister. His sister?

"I have to get back!" Victor nearly spilled the last of the blood, and Lorcan barely had time to pull the glass away before Victor was trying once again to rise. "She's mad. She will kill Caspian, and North, just like she did to Lass."

"No."

"No?" Victor was sure that he had misheard Lorcan. Because, otherwise, the vampire was telling him to leave his friends to the slaughter while he hid in some dark corner away from the danger. "What the hells do you mean, no?"

"Caspian asked me to protect you, to get you out of here, and that is exactly what I plan to do."

Victor was used to Lorcan being so timid and meek, and any other time he would have applauded the other man for finding the strength to stand up to him, but now was not the time for a show of bravado. At least, not from Lorcan.

"Move, Lorcan." He tried to stand, but found that his legs would not support him. But that didn't stop Victor from trying. "Now."

"No." Lorcan repeated, pushing Victor down against the sofa that he had been laying on. The move was effortless. "I can't let you go. If I do, then you'll die. We both know that."

"I don't care!"

"Well, I do." Lorcan's calm, even, controlled voice was infuriating to Victor. If he'd had the strength to do so then he most likely would have pummeled the other man for his attitude. His next words, however, stopped Victor from even attempting to move. "We're not ready for you yet. No one is."

"We're not ready for you?" Victor parroted. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough." That was the last thing he heard before his head began to swim again. Then everything went black.

***
"Bloody hell!" The first thing that Victor heard when he landed with teeth rattling force against the unforgiving ground was a heavily accented voice shouting from somewhere above his head. "Father Smith was right! It's a God damned angel!"

Victor wished that whoever it was would stop shouting, but he couldn't quite find the breath to voice his request. Or to laugh. Him, an angel? Not very likely.

"Hey, Mr. Angel, are you all right?"

Was he all right? No. Not in any sense of the word. Although his body seemed to have survived, for the most part. Lorcan had accomplished that much at least. As for the rest of him? Only time would tell.

When he finally found the strength to open his eyes he saw a boy not so much younger than himself standing next to him. He was beautiful, with a mane of fiery red hair that hung down well past his shoulders, and he had haunting golden eyes. It gave his appearance a mysterious and alluring air. But Victor knew instantly, despite his odd coloring, that the boy wasn't of his kind. Either of them. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, Victor was relatively certain that he was staring up at nothing more than a common human. And that unnerved Victor to the point where he was able to force himself into a sitting position and look around.

"Shouldn't move too fast after that fall." The boy said after Victor grunted in pain. He was still muttering to himself as he moved to Victor's side, unsure of what to do but thinking that it would be nice to try to provide some sort of aid to his heavenly visitor. "Kind of dark for an angel. Father always says that they're blonds or redheads. Maybe you're a fallen angel? Wow, how much fun would that be?"

The boy knelt down beside Victor, looking into his dark eyes without even a hint of fear. "Hey, are you by any chance a fallen angel?"

Victor wanted to laugh at that, but the flood of memories still filling his brain prevented it. Would probably prevent it for a very long time to come. "Maybe," was all that he could say.

"Well, don't let Father Thomas hear about that. Mad as a badger, that one. Probably'd try to behead you."

"Can't have that." Victor muttered, utterly confused by the strange human and his continued ramblings. "Father Thomas aside... where am I?"

Now it was the boy's turn to look confused. "Where else, Wales."

TBC ...