Midnight CEO. To hell and back.

11.

"Carter." I cried as I looked up into his perfect aqua eyes as they glittered with silver specks. "You're home."

"I'm home, baby." He picked me up off the floor and hugged me tightly as I wrapped myself around him. "You have no idea how much I missed you." His voice broke slightly as he buried his face in my neck. "No idea."

"I thought I would never see you again," I whispered as the tears poured from my eyes.

"I will never stop fighting for you, baby. You should know that by now." He looked me in the eye and smiled softly. "I love you so much." He kissed me softly.

"I love you too." I pulled his head towards me and kissed him deeply as he lifted me higher on his body. "I can't believe you're here." I touched his handsome face with my fingers. His eyes looked tired, and I saw scars on his face that hadn't been there before. His black hair was longer, and he had grown a slight beard. He looked like a different vampire, yet he looked the same as his beautiful eyes twinkled at me.

"To be honest, neither can I baby. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I shrugged suddenly reminded of Carter's torture over the past ten years. "Oh my god, Carter, how did you survive all that?" I started crying again and couldn't stop.

"Shhhh, baby. I'm here now with you, and that's all that matters to me." He pulled me close to him. "Let's not talk about it anymore. As long as you are okay, that's all that matters to me." He squeezed me tightly as I tried not to cry on his shoulder.

"Glad to have you back, boss man." I heard Jake's voice and turned around to see him standing in front of Carter.

"Glad to be back, Jacob, my boy." I climbed out of Carter's arms. "Thank you for everything," Carter said, touching Jake's shoulder.

"I just wish I had known earlier about all of this."

"You are here now, and that is all that matters to me." Carter patted Jake on the back. "You're a good man, Jacob."

"Thanks, boss."

"Father," Callan said, approaching Carter.

"Hello, son. It's been a long time."

Callan nodded. "It has. It's good to have you back." Carter walked towards him and hugged his son.

"I'm glad to be back." Carter smiled as he looked at his son. "You look good, kiddo, been working out?"

"I try." Callan shrugged and smiled.

Leon cleared his throat, and the room fell silent as Carter turned to look at his younger brother standing by the window.

"Hello, brother," Leon said, looking nervous.

Carter stared at him, not moving a muscle in his body.

"I don't know how to start my apologies to you..."

"Stop," Carter said as he tensed his body. "For ten years, I have watched in horror as you inflicted pain and suffering on my family. I have watched you hurt them time and time again, and the whole time I was trapped in hell, do you know what I was thinking?"

Leon looked away slightly. "That you wanted to kill me?"

"No," Carter yelled loudly, making me jump. "All I kept thinking the whole time I was in there was why doesn't he just kill them? Why put in so much effort into killing them only to kill them again. I get the joy you feel watching your enemies suffer, but why keep bringing them back for ten years? That must have been exhausting for you. The amount of time and energy it would take to bring them back? It just doesn't make sense, Leon. Does it? I get the whole eternal suffering bit, but if you wanted to do that, then you would have made them suffer in front of me and not die, wouldn't you? I mean, death stops the suffering."