Dark Connections: The Other Half

Disclaimer: This is an original story, all characters have been made up by me and in no way represent any people that are alive or dead. This is my story, I created it and have not ripped it off of anyone.

Warnings: Angst, Death, Language, MC,N/C, OC, Tort, UST, WIP

Chapter 3

Savannah fled back to Newport as fast as she could. She had traveled a little over one hundred and thirty miles in about ten minutes. She moved that fast for two reasons. One, she needed as far away from Daniel as she could get. And two, she had to get out of the blood stained clothes she was in.

She didn't stop and do the things she normally did when she came home. There was almost a tradition to it. But tonight she cast all of it aside and ran to her room. Climbing the two flights of stairs to her room took a matter of seconds. She ripped her clothes off in shreds, leaving a trail behind her as she entered her room. The smell of Randi's blood lingered on her skin. The taste was sweet and metallic in her mouth. Savannah wanted more. Wanted to feel the blood flow down her throat, to let down all the walls she had held up and just feed. It was that thought alone that held her back. To keep her from becoming a ravenous monster.

Savannah threw her closet door open and grabbed the nearest robe. She didn't remember putting it on or falling to the floor. Her hands convulsed and she dug her nails into the hard floor beneath her. A gust of wind blew over her and she knew Ashton had come into the room.

"Savannah!" Ashton called, dropping to his knees beside her. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her hair away from her face. She looked like she was going to get sick. He could smell the blood and he knew that it was human. "You didn't...Dad!" Ashton screamed. "Savannah, why? Why did you feed?" he asked more to himself than to her. Another gust of wind filled the room. Their dad stepped over the shreds of Savannah's clothes. The smell of blood had filled the entire room.

"What have you done?" he asked horrified. He came to his knees beside them.

"She drank from a human." Ashton explained. Savannah shook her head violently. She beat her fist into the floor. The wood gave and moaned from the unexpected force. Her other arm held her stomach from the pain. It soared through her body, convulsing her muscles.

"I didn't drink her blood." her voice came out in a strained whisper.

"What did you say?" her father asked amazed.

"I didn't drink her blood!" her scream was shrill and filled with pain.

"But you're drenched in the smell. Your clothes..." Ashton said. He found it hard to believe that she was near so much blood and hadn't fed.

"I was helping to slow down the process of the girl becoming the other half. Her blood touched my lips but I did not drink. And now my body is on fire because of it." her fathers face lit up with a smile, his eyes shining with approval. He knew that she hadn't lied.

"Then I'll stop your pain." he said. Ashton let go of her shoulders and her father helped her come to her knees. He held her face in his hands gently and leaned forward until he touched her forehead with his own. His eyes closed and the room filled with a soft buzzing sound. The lights started to flicker until they dimmed so low that iw was almost pitch black in the room.

Savannah sat there, leaning against her father, feeling the fire in her being replaced by an electric buzz. Tiny pulses of electricity surged through her. None of them hurt, she was used to them. It wasn't the first time her father had taken away pain. The first time had hurt, hurt so much that it was worse than the actual pain she had started out with. But now the tiny pulses didn't phase her.

The lights started to slowly brighten up. Savannah pulled her head back and took a deep breath. "Feeling better?" Ashton asked. Savannah nodded and gave her dad a smile. He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head.

"Come on. Let's get you downstairs." her father said. Maurice helped her stand to her feet. The three of them went back downstairs and into the living room, which was actually much bigger than the average room. Couches, chairs, sofas and a few tables filled the room. A fire was timidly burning on the far wall.

Maurice sat Savannah down on one of the sofas and sat next to her. Ashton sat on the table in front of them. "Tell me what happened." Maurice said.

"I was told that a young woman with the gift of sight was going to become the other half. I set out to find this girl but found the vampire instead. I was able to track her scent back to her home where there were members of Astoria's pard. The girl had already begun the transformation but she was not near enough to the vampire to bond properly. I helped her fight off some of it until she can be united with her vampire. I just didn't know how hard that was going to be." Savannah told them.

"What made you think you had to go and be present when it started?" her father asked. "You know there are others who have been assigned to do that."

"I know the vampire that she is to be bonded with. I thought that my presence would do better than a strangers. I am knowledgeable enough to know all that needs done to prepare a bonding."

"Who's the vampire?" Ashton asked.

"Edward Matthews." she said looking at her father. Maurice's face was still. No emotion or thought passed through his eyes.

Edward Matthews.

That was a name he hadn't heard in a very long time. The two had actually known each other at one time. But that was before the boundaries had been put in place, the boundaries were not in place for a good reason. It prevented Maurice from sensing his vampires in Oregon.

Maurice was the master of Oregon. All the vampires in the state were his. It was how he kept watch over and protect them. But during a feud with a rival master, the boundary was put up, blocking his vampires from his mind. The only ones he could sense were his family and the vampires in Newport. It had been done in an attempt to weaken Maurice and make his people believe he was dead. Bradley thought the vampires would go crazy without the presence of their masters mind.

Instead of that, the vampires rallied together and over took Bradley's fortress, killing all that were inside. They were shocked to find Maurice alive but unconscious and badly wounded. Maurice had taken back his role as master bu the boundary had not been taken down. Nobody was powerful enough to tear them down, not even Maurice.

Edward had been one of his strongest vampires. When the boundaries went up he was lost without feeling Marurice's power and he fled the city. Jaicyn had left to go find him. As far as Maurice knew, Edward had died and Jaicyn had just never returned. He never dreamed to hear his name spoken again.

"Father?" Savannah said again. She had been trying to get his attention for a few moments now.

"Do you know him?" Ashton asked.

"A life time ago." he said quietly looking at Savannah. He gave a small smile. "It doesn't matter now anyway. What matters is that there is another other half being brought into the knowledge of our world. I'm going to leave it up to you, Savannah, to help bring her forth. This is a great responsibility. If you think you cannot do it, tell me, and I will assign someone else." Savannah's face brightened into a smile.

"I would be honored, father. Thank you." she gave him a quick head before standing up.

"The night has only just begun. Are you planning to do nothing?" Maurice asked. Savannah shrugged.

"It has been a long beginning to this night. I think I would rather just stay inside the safety of the house tonight." she looked at her father and then to Ashton before she left the room.

Maurice relaxed back into the sofa. "And what about you, Ashton? It is Halloween after all."

"Elizabeth and I are going to go out and see what the humans are pretending to be this year. Besides, you know she will not want to be around mother when she gets home." Maurice let out a bark of laughter. The sound filled the room until it was almost bursting with happiness. Even Ashton couldn't help but be overcome by the sheer joy his father radiated.

"That is true. Liz never has cared for your mother. Give it time. She'll come around." The happiness was beginning to die down. Ashton stood and gave a half-hearted smile.

"I don't know. She really has a problem with her." Maurice looked up at Ashton, raising a brow.

"And do you know what that problem is?" Ashton hesitated a few seconds.

"Not that I'm aware of." he gave a small shrug.
"Alright then. I hope you and Elizabeth have a good time tonight." Ashton nodded and headed upstairs to meet Liz.

Maurice lay his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes. There were so many things running through his mind. Too many things that had to be done. But tonight was his only somewhat free night. Even though Halloween was the night most the trouble occurred. He smiled to himself. Maurice's vampires were under strict rules.

Half the vampires in Newport still drank human blood, but they were in the middle of being weened off humans. None of the vampires were allowed to speak to humans on this night. It was easier for them to not be tempted if they didn't have direct contact with them. But of course not all the younger vampires could hold to that rule. So that was why they had sponsors; Older vampires paired with the weaker ones. That way if the young ones started loose control, the sponsors could intercede and help calm them enough to gain back enough control to get back to their home and get some animal blood in their system.

The sponsors had been a wonderful addition to the kiss. Actually, it was Edward who had come up with the initial idea. He thought that the young ones needed guidance against the inner urges that leaped up inside of them. It was Edward had been one of the first sponsors along with both of his daughters. Ashton was also a sponsor, but from what he said earlier, he had forgotten about Edward's ever being in Newport.

At seeing the success and drop of human lives, Maurice made it a standing order that the first five years of a vampires new life must have a sponsor. The next three years they were on a type of probation. Occasionally being checked on to make sure that they were fully adjusted to animal blood. If they failed to have their sponsor present, they would be punished based on how much damage was done. If no damage was caused then they were just sent to spend a few nights in the lower levels of Maurice's lair and go without feeding those nights. But if it was the sponsor that failed to get their charge, their punishment was more severe. They could be sentenced to years without feeding, being locked in a room no bigger than a closet, covered in crosses so that they couldn't break out. Maurice never liked having to punish his people in such a way. He wanted to be a civil master, not an evil one. For the most part he accomplished being civil. But there were times that force was needed.

Edward and his ssiter had been traded from their master for a good amount of money. He had only been a vampire for fifty years, but had been through more torture than anyone Maurice had ever met. But Edwards ideas were amazing. He had so many on a kisses structure and was so adamant about no torture and not feeding from humans. He was a good vampire and would make a good leader, if he hadn't already.

Maurice was thrilled that Edward had received his other half. Not all vampires were blessed with such a person. Instead of an other half, they were given a wife or husband a few years after their new life. Only the council could grant a marriage. If one was not given, they either became powerful enough for an other half or not. It was something only few achieved.

A faint sound caught his attention and his eyes slowly opened. He couldn't feel his family. That realization itself made him snap his head up and jump to his feet.

"What's going on?" he asked to no one.

"Something that will hurt you deeply." a voice answered back. It was so familiar to him. He had heart this voice thousands of times. He just couldn't place it. And it killed him. The voice haunted his mind, lingered in it's dark corners.

"What are you going to do?" Maurice asked mindlessly looking around the room for who ever was speaking.

"What I started." the voice whispered into his ear. Maurice whirrled around in the direction of the voice but no one was there.

"Dad!" Savannah screamed, her voice echoing through the halls.

"Savannah! What are you doing to her?" Maurice yelled at the voice.

"Maurice!" this time Elizabeth screamed.

"Leave them alone!" Maurice screamed. THe voice didn't answer back. Maurice raced up the stairs to Savannah's room. She wasn't there. His heart began to beat faster. Where was she?

"Dad..." he heard Ashton call softly. He spun around to find his son lying on the floor behind the door. Maurice fell to his knees and helped Ashton sit up. His face was covered in blood and he wasn't quite sure where the wound was. His clothes were ripped and it looked like he had been thrown through the wall. Pieces of the wall were on the floor around them. Ash swayed back and forth and caught himself on his father.

"Where are the girls?" Maurice asked him in a hushed voice.

"Gone." Ash's voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "He took Elizabeth."

"Did he take Savannah?" Maurice asked. Ash shook his head and pointed towards the window. The heavy black curtains were torn away and the window had been shattered. Why hadn't he heard the glass breaking?

"She tired to leave the room with Elizabeth, but he took her and Savannah kept going."

"Maurice!" he heard his wife yell. Mailynn ran into the room with their other daughter, Sydney. "What happened?" She asked shocked. Maurice looked at Mailynn then to the window.

"I"m not quite sure." he said. He turned back to Mailynn. "I don't know.