Jewel

48

By the time they get home, Julie is tired. She goes to her room and is about to drop onto her bed when she see's something on it.

She picks up the smallish box and opens it. Inside are the beautiful emerald earrings that were being auctioned.

She looks but finds no card. But there had only been one person these could come from.

"Alex," Julie says knocking at the door.

Alex opens his door. Julie holds out the earrings, "Did you buy these for me yesterday?"

Alex doesn't say anything and just nods. Of all the Demarco's other than Adam, she is or was closest to Alex, that's why it had hurt her so bad.

"Why?" The question is vague, but Alex knows what she wants to know.

"I did listen to your warnings. I tried, I really tried to get her to leave me alone that night. I commanded her to leave me alone even and go home. She didn't ignore it like you, but somehow," Alex still is confused about this part, "she evaded it, twisted it so that it was no longer a valid command. I have no idea how that could happen. I've never heard of that happening."

"A human seduced a vampire, if it didn't have such harsh repercussions I'd be dying of laughter." Julie says thoughtfully.

Alex snorts, "It's easy enough for vampires to be seduced by humans. It's the humans surviving unscathed that is rare. Julie you've seduced all of us. You seduced us before we were allowed to even touch you. You had most of us seduced without even seeing you."

Julie looks at him demanding an answer.

"When Adam came home all hot and bothered because a human ignored his command. Not just ignored it but told him off on top of it, we all became hooked. In that moment we wanted you. Adam saw you first, Aaron and I stumbled on you after him but the moment Adam talked about you, you were ours." Alex hesitantly caresses her face. "In that moment began our downfall. Nothing and I mean nothing hooks a vampire as much as a challenge. And you, Julie have proven to be the ultimate challenge.

"You are nothing like other humans we've met. You are beautiful, but yet you were untouched. Beaten and abused, but not broken and you remained strong, standing up for those that couldn't."

Alex smiles, "You eschewed dresses and heels. Didn't know what to do with our gifts and money. You asked for nothing.

"We had no idea how to deal with you. Still don't in many ways. We love you. You won our hearts, but the thing is, we don't know if we won yours." Alex gives a sad smile, "And then I hurt you so bad, I could see it. You wouldn't eat, you wouldn't come out of your room. Julie, you were dying because of me and my actions.

"I thought it was better for me to leave. At least then you might come out of your room. The only reason I'm still here is because of my child. I can't leave until you have him or her.

"Then when you went to the auction, I was so happy to see you. That bitch, somehow, and I still don't remember it, said that I promised to take her to the auction. Then you left because of her.

"I know if you'd have stayed that you would have bought some items. You actually won some of the silent bids. I paid for them, I'm still going through the items delivered today, I'll bring them to you when I find them. I bought the earrings for you though, hoping you'd accept them. 

"They are an apology. I told that bitch after you all left last night that she is to be quiet and not say a word. That after that there would be no communication with me or you. When I dropped her off she was pretty pissed."

"So that's why she filed the false police report and had you arrested?" Julie asks softly.

"Yes. She was doing it in revenge for me scorning her. Why did you come last night with Adam?"

When Alex had come out of the holding area and found Julie there he was shocked, thrilled but shocked. When she had hugged him he was able to relax for the first time in over a week.

"I knew there was no way you raped her. She was lying and I knew it, I wanted you to know that as well."

"Thank you, it meant more to me, seeing you there than having my brothers there." The others had shown up after they got done with what Adam had assigned to them.

"I know, I hurt you. Adam tells me that it was worse than even I think. I never meant to hurt you, believe me, normally I wouldn't go near her. I'm still not sure how it happened."

"I know." Alex and Julie are hugging when Adam comes up to them.

"Can I talk to you both in the study please?"

They immediately turn and go down with Adam. Julie holding his hand and Alex placing her arm around his.

Adam takes up a seat across from them both and waits for them to settle. Once they are he begins. "Neither of you realize just how bad this is.

"Alex look at her aura." Adam commands Alex and when Alex sees it he gasps in surprise. The red was broken surrounding her white. Her white was stained with grey.

"This is already better than it was just yesterday. I believe it's because Julie is once more talking to you. 

"Julie, you were dying. I'm not sure that you would have made it to your birthday with how fast the gray was claiming you."

"I don't understand," Julie says for what feels like the millionth time when dealing with things in their world.

"When a vampire gets tired of life he'll either go crazy so we are forced to kill him or he fades away. He gives up on life. His aura, which for vampires is normally black or black with red, turns to a grey color.

"That same gray had started in your aura and was taking over the beautiful white that it normally is. The red that came when we bit you, was broken and it looks like your aura had been attacked it was so ragged.

"We are linked, I explained that before, but I hadn't realized that you had taken on so many of our characteristics. You were fading, Julie, dying. It wasn't just human depression like we had assumed.

"Betraying you like that nearly killed you. It can't happen again." Adam tells her. It makes him sick to see just how close he'd come to losing his love.

"It won't, Adam. I'll never let it happen again." Alex couldn't handle it. He'd rather die than put Julie through so much pain again.

"See that it doesn't. Now it seems that being near you is helping her, if Julie is amenable, spend the day with her. I've already talked to the others. Until Julie is better we're all going to forgo our time with her." Adam hopes that she will get better before Monday though.

"Julie? Would you spend the day with me?" Alex says hopefully.

"I will, but I'm really tired."

"We can just do stuff around the house, maybe watch movies or something." Alex doesn't care he just wants his friend back.

"Sounds good." Julie smiles at him. Then she turns to Adam and shows him the earrings that Alex bought her at the auction.