ACROSS TIME

From the inky black void he had fallen into, something warm and soft seemed to pull the vampire out of this slumber had been forced down into. With a loud groan, he shifted a bit, his face still swollen, but slowly, very slowly healing due to his vampiric powers.

Carefully, he took a swollen, dirty hand and gently ran it through her sweat stringy hair.

"...what did he do to you..." Dominic whispered. "I'm....so sorry...this is my fault..."

Elle wanted to tell him that everything was alright but she couldn't talk, or even look him in the eyes. She burried her face in his chest and cried her eyes out. She held tightly onto his tattered shirt. A muffled, "Why," could be heard.

"We need to get them home," Fay whispered to Irving, "And we need to keep a close eye on both of them, no offence to them but they seem like the type that might take their own lives, Elle especially," Fay sighed and twisted her ring around her finger, "She's so young and fragile, though," She smiled a little, "She's got one hell of a temper..."

Dominic rarely cried and being a vampire, when he did, they were tears of blood. But he couldn't hold back any longer, not now. His arms wrapped around his beauty, holding her tightly as the crimson tears streaked down his cheeks.

"My Elle..." he cried, sobbing bitterly. "My precious, precious Elle...my twisted heart beats for you and you alone. I...I'm so sorry." his said. His voice was barely above a whisper at this point. "I promise you, I shall never leave you. Please...forgive me. Forgive me for my ignorance..."

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Irving nodded, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist and pulling her close.

"Yeah...you're right." he said quietly. "She's gonna need you to help her, you can uh, relate to her situation." he added, wincing slightly. "As for Dominic, well, I can talk with him too. She's stubborn too and I think that will help her pull through."

Elle looked up at him, there was a very faint smile on her face, "It's not your..." She whispered before her body sucumbed to shock and she blacked out.

Fay walked over and knelt down beside the pair, "We'll wait until after sundown to leave," she told Dominic as she waved her hand in the air a little. The hole in the wall, seemed to patch up with various plants, "No one, so far, is brave enough to challange the people who killed their boss, that'll give the both of you enough time to regain your strength."

She smiled a little, "If anyone trys to attack we'll hold them off."

Dominic passed out too, the shock of seeing his beloved crash to the ground. He had seen Fay's gesture and smiled weakly in appreciation, before the blackness consumed him.

"Poor kids..." Irving said, shaking his head. "C'mon, the place has cleared out of blood suckers. Let's take them back to the girls room and let them rest."

Scooping Dominic and flinging him off his shoulder, he carried the vampire like a sack of potatoes to the back room, where Fay and Elle had originally been sent to. Finding the cleanest and best bed, Irving laid Dominic down, taking off his shoes for comfort.

"Just lay Elle down next to him." the thief said, as Fay was gingerly carrying the battered young demon in her own slender arms.

Fay set Elle down next to Irving. Even though she was asleep, well, unconsious, she didn't look peaceful, she looked on edge, angry, and a little scared, though shortly after she was next to Dominic she seemed to relax.

Fay was sitting on one of the beds hugging her legs, "This is all so weird," She said quietly, "If this is what the future's like I want nothing to do with it," She sighed, "I have yet to see one good thing. This seems to be like our time, people selling women and thinking that they can just buy one and command her to do what ever the buyer wants..."

She wiped her eyes, "We have no idea how to get back... We may never see our children again..."

Irving sat down next to Fay and pulled himself close to her, kissing the crown of her head.

"We've thought that before, remember?" he said quietly. "I seem to recall us surviving a two go-rounds in a hellish castle, a kid-napping and my dear, sweet mother-in-law forcing you to marry someone else."

His hand rubbed up and down her back, trying to bring some semblance of comfort to her.

"But that's thing about you and I...we're tough. No matter happens, we bounce back, like a ball. Sure, this world is...strange, and thankfully, we won't have to live in it for much longer. But there is a way to get back to our kids, to our own time...I know it. We've climbed hurdled before and wound up victorious...we can beat this too."

"We can't always win," She whispered, there is nothing keeping us from losing this time," She told him, she was usually the first one to lose hope. She rested her head on Irving's chest and sighed, she, a few seconds later pushed away from Irving and stood up, "I'm going to go see if the sun's set yet," She walked away from her husband and went to where they found Dominic and Elle laying on the ground, she let the plants drop and watched the last moments of daytime.

"Wha, where am I?" She heard a weak voice ask as she returned to the room. Elle sat up quickly and went to squeeze her hand but found that her fingers were laced with Dominic's. She was still groggy and didn't really remember where she was, she was just sore and used to waking up as soon as the sun went down so she went about the usual gentle shaking of Dominic until he woke, if she woke up before him.

The sleep had greatly accelerated Dominic's healing and his body has been restored to it's pre-attack status. Yawning greatly, he squeezed Elle's hand by instinct, as he always did. It wasn't till he was sitting all the way up that all the memories of earlier came flooding back.

"ELLE!" he shouted and encompassed her in a tight hug. "My beloved..."

Irving coughed a bit, to remind the group that Fay and himself were still there.

"Listen, as touching as this is, the sun has set so it's safe for you to travel, Dommie. I say we head back to the apartment, call it a night and tomorrow, figure out how the hell Fay and I are gonna get back to our own time."

"Indeed..." Dominic said softly. "...thank you for your help."

Elle held tightly onto Dominic, she burried her face into his chest, almost like a child looking for protection. She inhaled deeply, taking in his comeforting scent.

"No, thank you, for saving us," Fay told Dominic, "I don't know what we would have... done," She took a pause to notice that Elle had tenced up, she sighed a little, she would have to choose her words wisely for a while.

Irving twitched slightly, feeling a burning sensation from his gut. He didn't pay much attention to it, figuring it was just stress and anxiety doing that. Little did he know whatever excuse for a soul Thorn had left, was slowly wiggling it's way into Irving's own soul, polluting the heart and mind of the retired thief.

"Damn....Elle looks damn fine like that and....what the hell??!" Irving thought, shaking his head in disbelief. The thought seemingly came out of nowhere, as if he didn't even think of it himself.

"Anyway..." Irving said, shaking his head. "We need to leave this place and try and forget about what went down in here. Sooner we get back to the um, what's it called? Apartment? Sooner we can unwind and put this ugly incident behind us."

Elle lifted her head up a little, "I... I'm hungry," Her voice was cracking, for the first time in a few days she actually wanted something to eat. She immediately placed her head where it was perviously in Dominic's chest, she was trying to black out memories of only hours before.

It didn't happen... It was only a dream... Then why am I here... and why am I so sore? It didn't happen, She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hide from the world. She wanted to lock herself away in any safe room and just let herself rot away.

"Yeah, come to think of it, I haven't eaten anything either..." Irving said, scratching the back of his head. "Um, I'm not sure I know a lot about 21st century food, so Dominic, you might have to lead the way."

Dominic nodded a bit, casually standing up, but still holding the broken Elle in front of him.

"My princess..." he whispered in her ear. "There is a kitchen nearby, I saw it when Irving and I first came in. You need to get your strength back. Come, I can carry you." he said, scooping her petite body up in his arms.

Irving grabbed Fay's hand and squeezed it tightly, sighing to himself as Dominic walked off carrying Elle.

"I feel so bad for her..." he said. "I just wish I could undo this whole mess and save her from this."

Elle didn't object, though she would rather just go home, though she knew there was never food there, well, almost never. She just rested her head on Dominic's shoulder.

Fay sighed, "Sometimes people's sympathy is the last thing someone wants, sometimes they just need support. Sympathy says, "I feel bad for you," support says, "I'll fight for you,"" Fay told Irving, "I mean, look at Dominic, he doesn't even know the half of what they did to her, he probably wouldn't have even needed to know that anything happened to her..." She smiled a little, "He probably would have just needed to see the frown on her face to give anything to cheer her up..."

Irving nodded, still following the couple towards the kitchen. His wife's word spoke true, as usual. She always was the more logical of the two.

"You're right, babe..." he said softly. "I knew there was a reason I married you."

Dominic sat Elle down on the gleaming metal counter top and opened the door to the fridge, which was surprisingly well stocked for a place run by vampires. Dominic assumed the food was more for the girls in captivity, then Thorn or any of his men.

"What is that you desire, my love?" he said, glancing it. "They seem to have all sorts of meats, vegetables, fruits and various other items you humans seem to enjoy. Excuse me, demons." he added, smiling just a bit. He normally wasn't the kind to to do that, but anything to pull her out of this quagmire of depression was worth it to him.

Irving walked passed Elle to check the fridge for himself, suddenly finding images of himself frantically thrusting himself in and out of the girl, moaning and groaning as she bellowed his name to the Heavens and...

"...what...the...hell..." he thought again, shaking his head for effect. These leering, sexual, perverted thoughts about Elle were becoming stronger and stronger, something he just couldn't figure out why.

Elle smiled a little, but her smile was soon replaced by a frown. She opened to respond to Dominic's question but Fay shoved an apple in her mouth which she soon took a bite of.

Fay noticed something was wrong with her husband and walked over to him, she placed her hand on his lower back, "Is anything wrong baby?" She whispered in his ear.

Elle swallowed the bite of the apple and set it down. She was starving one second before, but now felt full, and as if she was about to throw up. Everyone else was occupied. She pushed herself off the counter and landed almost silently on the ground. She walked to a corner of the room and placed her back against the wall. She slid down the wall and placed her head on the adjacent wall. She just hugged her knees, wishing to go mentally numb and just fade away.

Irving just shook his head again, as images of Elle's head bobbing up and down on his manhood, her lips an air tight seal, raced through his brain. The thing that was odd about these thoughts were that they didn't seem to be occurring from his own will, but rather, as if someone were crudely shoving the thoughts into his own brain.

"I dunno..." he said quietly. "You..you ever get the feeling you weren't yourself?"

Dominic slid down next to Elle and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

"I admit...I feel as if though I have failed you." he said somberly. "I feel as if though I have failed you as a friend and failed you as a lover. I allowed these horrible things to transpire, all out of my own arrogance and ignorance. Is...is there any way you can forgive me? I cannot undo what has been done, just assure you...it won't happen again. If..."

He paused and coughed a bit, trying to fight down the tears.

"...if you wish to leave me. I would understand."

Fay had a concerned look on her face, "Sometimes, but why do you ask?" She asked.

Elle sighed, "I... I don't know if I want to get back together with you... Or well, be with anyone, I-I'm scared," She sighed, "But I don't want to be without you," She whispered.

Elle rested her head on Dominic's chest, "You didn't fail me, nothing could have prevented what happened, well, except for me not loosing the baby," She sighed, "I-I want to go home, I want to get him out of me and I want to go to sleep... Forever," She told him.

The images were getting stronger now, more intense. Irving could picture Elle on all 4s, her back arched like a car as he frantically thrusted himself from behind, their sweat staining the satin sheets. Instead of trying to fight them, he used his imagination to substitute Fay instead of Elle and the visions died down for the time being.

"I...I dunno." he finally said. "I keep getting these visions...these...images. I can't shake them. It's probably just stress. We really need to get some sleep and forget about all that's going on for now."

Dominic ran his fingers through Elle's soft hair, feeling her shiver a bit in his arms. He stood up, offering his hand to help her, before scooping her up into his arms, like a newlywed bride.

"Then let us take leave of this cursed place." he said, kissing her lips softly. "We shall rest and give you time you need."

He turned towards Irving and Fay, gesturing towards the door with his head.

"Come. We are leaving."

"Tell me about it later," She told Irving as she walked over and opened the door for Dominic. She looked at Elle, she didn't want to say anythying, but she looked horrible. She looked exhausted, malnurished and depressed. She had her arms wrapped around Dominic's neck and her head on his shoulder. She looked as if she was about to pass out. Her eyes were somewhat glazed over and half closed.

Elle kissed Dominic's neck lightly, "I love you..." She mumbled in a faint whisper before falling asleep in his arms.

"I love you too..." Dominic whispered just as softly, hoping she slept for awhile to regain her strength back. Irving followed Fay closely, looking behind at the ghost town that was once Thorn's auction house/night club.

"At least that sleaze bag is gone..." he thought, grabbing Fay's hand as they walked behind Dominic, the vampire leading the way.

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The walk back home was very quiet, with nobody so much as uttering a word. Elle slept as best she could in Dominic's arms, the vampire carrying her stonefaced, trying to be strong for his beloved.

Irving would occasionally squeeze Fay's hand, his way of letting her know he was still there and not going anywhere. True, it had been ages since his affair and their split, but he wanted to make sure his bride knew he was still there.

He imagined being next to her on a cool sprint night, laying in their bed as a gentle breeze tickled their flesh, both of them sweaty from passionate love making. She would curl up in his arms and...

"Unggghhh...harder..." Elle would groan, her body heaving underneath Irving. And he would respond accordingly, slamming, thrusting himself in and out of her, frantically making love to this young demon, till, hitting his peak he would...

'Dammit!' he thought. 'What the hell is wrong with me? Ugh...I need some rest. My mind is so frazzled.'

Fay squeezed his hand back and rested her head on his shoulder, or as close to it as she could reach. She didn't notice it until now, but she was also tired and a little hungry. She noticed something was odd with Irving, "Is everything ok?" She asked. Looking up at him, she knew something was wrong, she just didn't know exactally what.

Elle clung tightly onto Dominic, she was drifting in and out of sleep. She kept being ripped from her slumber by nightmares.

"I keep having these...thoughts...these images. But the thing is, they're not my own." he said, scratching the back of his head. "It's almost like someone is forcing these thoughts on me, as if my brain is being hijacked." he said, with a heavy sigh. Giving her a soft kiss on her cheek, he smiled faintly. "I'll be fine, though. Just some sleep is all I know."

Dominic could see her twitch slightly, squirming a bit in his arms. He knew the nightmares she were having had to be terrible, and yet, though she was so close to him, he still felt miles away. He felt hopeless, as if there was nothing he could do to end her suffering and shame. She felt broken and there was nothing he could to mend her.

Fay smiled, "Well, as long as you think you'll be better..." She looked up at the sky, "There are fewer stars..." She sighed, "This place is so different," She sighed again, "I feel so... out of place here..." She whispered.

Elle opened her eyes a little and smiled faintly, "You're still here..." She whispered, she didn't know why, but she felt as if when she woke up he wouldn't be there.

Irving nodded and squeezed Fay's hand again, looking up at the stars with her.

"Everything seems so...complicated." he said quietly. "Life is much simpler back in our time. Chaos just seems to be the ruler here. I can't wait to get back home to our kids. Heh, let's hope Alexander doesn't think about hiring Lucy's services when he turns 13. I know how I was at that age."

As he watched the street lights and what was seen of the stars, these images again faded into thoughts about Elle. This time, he pictured himself laying on his back as Elle grinded herself into him, her breasts pushed against his chest as he squeezed her ass hard.

...and for the first time, he didn't fight it. No, instead he let the images swirl around in his brain, forming something dark and forbidden inside of him. He smiled slightly, feeling his body reel with sexual excitement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was such a relief to see Elle smile, and it warmed what was left of his heart. Again, he gently kissed her lips as they made the front door to take them to their apartment complex.

"I'm never leaving." he said just as softly. "You are my beloved...and I love you so much."