fandomtownies | The Preserve, late Saturday night

Allie remembered enough to know that there had once been a time when she hadn’t been constantly hungry. There’d been bottles of blood that weren’t the greatest in taste, but they’d served their purpose and kept the hunger at bay.

The bottles ran out a long time ago.

The Hunger never stopped. Alie did what she could to stop it with small donations from willing participants that wouldn't be too weakened by the blood loss. But there was one donor who wasn't so willing.

Another night, another game of chase through the woods with the hollow that had once been Nikolai Bartamian.

Allie sighed as she rolled Nick’s limp body over and automatically checked his goggles and his badge. She hated doing this, but it meant she could go that much longer before asking someone in village to let her feed. More importantly, it kept Nick a little weaker than he would have been. Weaker meant maybe he was a little less dangerous to the humans left on the island. Weaker meant Allie could put off the inevitable one more day.

Or not.

"No," she whispered, horror thick in her voice. Under her fingers, Nick’s pulse throbbed steadily in his neck. But the dirt-stained skin had changed to something other than human. It was hard, with sharp points that caught on her skin.

He was changing. Fast. This hadn't been there when they’d crossed paths just two nights before. It would probably only get faster. He would get stronger and more dangerous. More deadly.

Allie knew there was only one thing left to do.

Heads shaking, Allie closed her hands on the sides of his face. "I’m sorry." And then, in the softest of whispers...."I love you."

It only took a second. A quick twist. A snap.

And suddenly it was over.

Allie didn't let herself cry as returned to the village for a shovel. Her eyes stayed dry as she dug a shallow grave. But when she carefully unhooked the sheriff’s badge from the ruins of Nick’s coat and clenched it in her hand, her eyes filled with bloody tears. "I hope you’re at peace now."

She tucked the badge into her pocket and slowly filled the grave.

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[ooc: awwwwwwwwwwwww! *hugs poor Allie*]

Peter found her on a patrol and held back as she said her goodbyes. He checked the area, then put up a shield around the grave and a few feet out - the kind of thing he wished he could keep up for good, but at least for now, he could make sure no one, human or other, would disturb them.

He stepped up quietly, knowing Allie would hear him anyway. "You want some help, or should I just stand watch?"

"I can do it. It's not like I haven't buried someone before."

Stubborn vampire was stubborn.

"I know," Peter said. "Didn't ask if you needed help, asked if you wanted it."

You've never buried him before, he didn't say.

Allie shook her head. She appreciated the offer, she really did. But this was something she needed to do herself.

"If you can just keep watch? Please?"

"Yeah." Peter nodded. "I can do that." He upped his barrier until it was just visible. "Nothing'll get through that, and I'll keep an eye out for people. Take as long as you need."

He stepped back, took his sword out, and stood at the edge of the barrier, prepared to wait as long as she needed.

Godspeed, Nick, he thought. I hope you're at peace now. Aiōnia ē mnēmē. Your memory will live eternal, as long as we're here.

A last few shovelfuls of dirt and it was over.

She stared at the uneven ground, unsure what to do next. Finally she had to admit it.

"I'm not sure what to do now."

Peter looked back over his shoulder at her. "What you've been doing. Helping out, keeping people as safe as you can. What else is there?"

And wasn't that the million dollar question. "I don't know. We've been doing that all along. And people are still dying."

"If you've got another answer, I'm all for it," Peter said. He laughed humorlessly. "One of the kids from the new Fandom apparently thinks we're cowards for not charging out to take down all the monsters. I didn't bother telling her we've tried before."

He sighed. "Seems like all we can do is try to keep people from dying any faster than they already are. I could try reaching another dimension again, I suppose." It had gone the opposite of well last time, but he'd lived.

"I'm all out of ideas, Allie. But I have to believe that we're doing what we can to help. How many of us would be dead without you?"

"Did you could take him on a tour of the graves?" At least for the bodies they'd been able to retrieve.

She shook her head at his suggestion of trying for another dimension, not wanting to repeat that experience.

"So what? I help keep them alive so they can slowly forget who they are?"

"You keep them alive and help them remember. And then..." He rubbed his eyes. "Everyone dies. You live long enough, you think you'll get immune to it, but the only ones who do are the monsters. But still - everyone dies eventually, Allie. We just have to do what we can in the meantime."

The words made sense and at some other point Allie would agree with him. But not tonight.

"I'm tired, Peter. I've spent my whole life fighting and it feels like I'm always losing."

"I know." Peter sighed. "Believe me, I know."

He'd like to say they weren't losing, or that things would get better, or that they were strong enough to go for as long as this took. But he was never one to lie like that.

The Preserve, late Saturday night

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