Midnight Sky

At such an offer the corners of his lips tugged up slightly into a half smile. If only he could stay in his wolf form all the time and just fucking forget… He glanced up and met Viktoria’s eyes only for a second “Thanks, love. I might just take you up on that”. Ewan continued to stir the pasta in the pot and everything just weighed too much, even looking at her, truly looking her in the eyes and admit his defeat. Admit his pain and anger. The werewolf was beginning to feel a bit guilty for having asked so pathetically for her to come and having no damn clue how to go about things now. He didn’t even know if he wanted to talk, if he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs and tell the whole world to go fuck themselves, or if he wanted to hold someone -her- and be held just so it didn’t feel so much like he was falling apart from the inside out.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Vik had already finished grating the parmesan. Then turned off the stove, taking away the pot to drain the water. He got the plates ready to serve the pasta and was about to do just that when her hand found his. He let out a breath, being an image of both despondency and contained anger. “Sorry” he said after another long period of silence, letting his fingers wrap around her hand. Sorry. That word tasted foreign in his mouth because for better or worse apologizing wasn’t something Ewan had ever turned into a habit. “I made you come all the way here and-” the man trailed off. She could insert the ending of her choosing to that phrase, anything ranging from him being a silent moron to her having a lousy time cooking dinner with him. He was under no delusion that being here with him right now was in any way a pleasant experience for her.

Viktoria knew she could not fully understand what Ewan was going through, she had never lost a child and she had never had someone turn against her like his ex wife had. However, she knew about loss. And she knew that one of the things that kept her sane was being able to shift into her wolf and just run. Going through the forest, hunting something down and losing herself to her primal self. It was the first time he had looked at her all night and Viktoria gave him a small comforting smile. “Let me know if you ever want the company. I’d be more than happy to meet up with you and run or hunt or anything.” Viktoria told him as he looked away once more and focused on the food. Finishing up her cheese, she leaned against the counter, watching him and not saying anything. The silence wasn’t oppressive. Viktoria didn’t care if he didn’t talk to her, as long as it was what he wanted and what he needed. 

Viktoria wasn’t sure why she sought out his hand, maybe because she could feel his pain too. She could feel how much his heart was breaking, and while she couldn’t relate to losing a child, she still sought comfort in him. It brought her heart to see him hurting like this. Yet, as he held on back, touching her in return and he apologized. Viktoria looked up, and wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly. Was he apologizing? Viktoria shook her head and moved closer, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. “Listen to me, Ewan. You have nothing to apologize for. If you think for one second that I regret coming over or that I wouldn’t be here for you in a heartbeat no matter what, then you are fucking wrong. If you want to scream, then scream. If you want to cry, then cry. If you want to sit in silence and not talk to me, then do that. Do whatever you want and I’ll be here until you want me to leave.” 

Oona sighs, dropping her hands down on the counter top. “Good, I’m glad it wasn’t more serious. It’s lucky you guys were farther away, some people were closer and…” She sighs again, pausing. “They’re saying at least twenty have been injured, probably more, but only one person that I know of actually uh…you know.” Died. Clark Segen, she heard his name was, though she didn’t know the man well, she knew of him. Being out there as long as she had, Oona saw a lot of shops burn down. People’s livelihood gone in seconds, and there wasn’t much the fire department or those who could wield fire could do to help. Most of the buildings had already been taken by the flames and couldn’t be saved,  putting them out so they wouldn’t spread became the main goal. Oona shakes her head, “I don’t know what happened yet, they’re still looking into it. I think Noah thinks someone from the auto shop might have had something to do with it, but I don’t know.” She runs a hand over her face. “I think it’s bigger than that. Whoever’s doing this is doing it for a reason, it isn’t random.” 

But there’s only so much she can do from the sidelines, and Oona knows that. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the luxury to just think for herself anymore. She has to think about her son growing inside her, who could very well be harmed if she puts herself in the middle of this. Which is exactly why she’s trying her best to remain on the sidelines…as hard as that is for her. When Viktoria sits down next to her, Oona leans over, resting her head on Vik’s shoulder with another long sigh. “I’m tired, mostly. And worried…I’m worried that maybe this town isn’t the best place for Hal and I…for this little guy, to be. With things exploding, and people dying, I just…I don’t want to put my kid at risk,” she admits, leaning back a little so she can look at Vik. “You look more than a little shaken up, Vik. Do you wanna talk about it, or just,” Oona pauses, eyes narrowed as she thinks of something to say. “Fuck, I don’t know. Break stuff? We can take a couple empty bottles out back and smash the crap out of them for kicks,” the detective offers, a smile spreading across her lips. “Okay maybe that won’t help, but a lot’s happened in the past twenty-four hours and I think the two of us could use a break from all the scary stuff.” 

Viktoria nodded, still feeling her pulse spike at just the thought of all that went down during the explosion. She was glad she and Ewan hadn’t been closer too because she knew that if she had been any closer she would have spiraled into a full blown panic. It was bad enough to have been close enough for her ears to ring, to be knocked to the ground. For a moment Vik had thought she was back in Savannah on the night her whole pack was slaughtered. It had taken Ewan’s voice and his hands on her to break her from the panic. Ewan hadn’t been in her pack, he held no ties to that memory. “Oh my god.” Viktoria whispered, shaking her head at the thought of this happening in a place that was supposed to be a safe haven. “I’m glad you and Mal were away from it too.” She sighed and touched her forehead where a small wound sat, at least for now. “Really? But isn’t the auto shop ran by locals?” She couldn’t wrap her mind around anyone would do this. “I hate... I don’t want to say this out loud, but do they think it could be hunters?” 

Taking a long sip of her drink, Viktoria turned over everything that happened tonight and what it could mean. When Oona leaned into her, Viktoria leaned closer and petted Oona’s head gently. “Things will explode everywhere.” She whispered, thinking of her own home up in flames. But then she realized what she said and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Oona, I’m not trying to scare you. But I think this just proves that no place is really... 100% safe. I just want you to be safe though, so I’m glad they demoted you to desk duty.” At the question, Vik swallows another sip of her drink and looks away. Oona knew that she and Mal had left their home due to some big thing, but she hadn’t told her many details yet. Just that there had been an attack. “It just... the explosion. It brought back memories of the night I left my pack.” She whispered, visibly shaking. Giving her friend a small smile, she tried to push through her worry. “Breaking things sounds like a good idea.” 

“That’s good” Ewan smiled mechanically as she mentioned she’d been out hunting in her wolf form. He might as well shift soon and do the same soon because sure as hell needed an outlet like becoming his stronger self. “I got some parmesan cheese in the fridge. Can you give me a hand grating it?” he asked and then tilted his head towards the second door on the cupboards by the stove oven. “Grater’s there, love”. Then he just continued to absentmindedly stir the spaghetti.

He asked to see her because he felt he was falling apart, but now that she was here… Fuck, he didn’t know what to say. It hadn’t been easy talking to her over the phone but it certainly was easier than saying anything face to face. There was protection in distance. And Ewan had never really been taught how to properly recognize his emotions, how to deal with them, they all just filtered down to anger. It made him seethe to think about what had happened and know how fucking helpless he was in this goddamn situation. He reached for the beer Vik had given him and took a long sip, still quiet. His mind was reeling and that made it impossible for him to know how to even say anything to her regarding what had happened and the emotional mess he was despite his contained veneer.

As he stood before his counter, Viktoria watched his shoulders and could swear that she saw such a tension in his back muscles. Even under his clothes. “Yeah... if you ever want someone to run with, let me know, okay?” Sometimes it felt good to run alone in the woods, to get that freedom. But sometimes, the pack mentality of being with someone felt like the best thing too. “I can do that.” Heading back to his fridge, she brought out the cheese and found the grater where he said. She set up her own little station on the counter next to him and started grating the cheese. 

Silence fell over them, enveloping the whole thing, but Viktoria wasn’t looking for him to speak up or feel the need to fill the air. He was angry and he was hurt. That was what it boiled down to, he lost his son and that had to be the same as feeling someone rip his heart out of his body. If he didn’t want to talk and only wanted her to be here, she would do just that. If he wanted to talk, she would talk. Filling up a bowl with enough cheese to fill them she wrapped the chunk of cheese back and put it back in the fridge. “Smells good.” The she wolf spoke and smiled softly as she squeezed his free hand, hoping to communicate that he didn’t need to feel the need to say anything if he didn’t want to. 

He managed a small smile as she spoke, appreciative of her support and her willingness to be there for him, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. Ewan reached for her hand, giving it a small squeeze before he headed for the kitchen, where the pasta was still cooking in a pot. “I uh- I’m making something for dinner. I wasn’t sure if you’d already eaten something or not” he mentioned as he stirred the spaghetti with a large wooden spoon. “I have some beers in the fridge. There’s also some wine” he said as he looked up from the pot to look at Vik. “Help yourself to anything you like”.

The fact that the smile did not reach his eyes did not bother Viktoria, she knew he was going through the hardest thing of his life right now with the loss of his son. But she could smile softly at him as he took her hand and squeezed gently. She didn’t want to see him in pain, and as he pulled away finally Viktoria found herself wishing once more she could do more for him. “I caught a deer before you called me, but I’m hungry again so it’s all good.” Viktoria told him as she followed him and stood in his kitchen. “Can I do anything to help? Do you need anything chopped?” While he stirred she grabbed two beers out of the fridge and gave him one she opened before taking as sip from the other one. 

“I think the memories began when I realized I was a nymph, actually. That was the main catalyst, I think,” he chewed thoughtfully. “Otherwise, its mainly time. And as its been almost two years… well, thats a lot of time to remember, don’tcha think?” He watched her eat and thought for a moment. “Matty? Um, no, I don’t know why. But yeah we’re great mates.” They ate for a few more seconds and she spoke up soon after. “I can believe that, my schedule just makes us not meant to be!” he exaggerated, grinning down at his food, almost afraid to look her in the eye at that comment. “Yeah, I can believe it. I only want to send the snail mail and happy birthday letters and presents and things like that, but we don’t always get what we want.” He shrugged then hesitated a moment. “Let me know if you’re willing to share. That looks good. What is it called?”

Viktoria really hadn’t gotten to know any of the riverborn in the city when she and Mal arrived, though they had heard talk of them all around. But, she wasn’t sure she completely understood how it worked for them. “You had no idea you were a nymph?” Viktoria asked, trying to imagine what it was like to not know she was a werewolf. It was so engrained in her, she could feel it in her bones. “So... do you know what happened? I mean, do you know how you washed up here, or how you forgot your memories?” Viktoria asked hesitantly, not wanting to push him if this was a sore subject. “Well, it’s good you found someone who knows something about what you are going through.” Her and Mal and bonded over the tragedy that would forever tie them. “Maybe the universe just doesn’t want us to see each other.” Viktoria teased him, a warm smile on her features. “I think I’d like it a lot more when you came in if you only brought us good news.” She teased him. At his question she pushed the bowl towards him with her chopsticks still in it. “Go ahead and have a bite, it’s called pho. I love it here.” 

He opened the door and before any words could be spoken Viktoria was already moving towards him, holding him close. The werewolf let out a soft sigh and slowly wrapped his arms around her, leaning his head down against the crook of her neck. God knows how long they stood like that, embracing, but Ewan was in no rush to pull away. After a while they both disentangled from one another and he offered a small smile, one that was tinged with sadness. “Thank for you coming, love” the Irishman said, brushing his knuckles against her cheek for a second. “Come on in”. And he stepped aside to let her into his home. 

Viktoria did not wait a single moment, she pushed through the open door and wrapped him up in a tight hug. Instantly, she felt him fall into the hug and Viktoria felt a small moment of relief. He was here, he was whole, but she could feel his entire pain as he buried his face in her neck. Ewan had lost his son and there was nothing Viktoria could say or do that would fix the situation. But, at least she could be here for him to try and lessen the pain a little. They stood like that for a long time, but she made no move to pull away. It felt good to hold him close and support him when he needed her. When they pulled away, Viktoria had never seen that sadness deep in his gaze before and she tried to smile back at him in a comforting manner, his touch feeling comforting in that moment. “Of course. I told you I wanted to be here.” She told him and nodded, stepping into his home and glancing around to see what state he was in. “I’ll stay as long as you need me to, okay?” 

I want to. His lips curved into a small smile for a few seconds after her reply. “Okay” he said softly, relieved. There was silence between them for a while and Ewan wasn’t sure what else to say to her now. It was best to just tell her everything in person, he supposed. “Thanks, Vik” he finally told her as she agreed to come to him, as she told him she was there for him. “I’ll see you then” the werewolf told her and ended the call, letting out a breath that didn’t feel quite so heavy. And he just waited for her to arrive.

He didn’t know what to do with himself as he waited so he just got into the shower, trying to relax a little, trying to get himself to be more composed by the time she showed up. He finished getting dressed and even had time to start cooking some past for dinner in case she wanted something to eat when he finally heard the knock on the door.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she did want to be there for him. She couldn’t imagine what he was going through with losing his son like this, but she could only think it was worse than having his heart ripped from his chest. “I’ll see you soon, Ewan.” She whispered into the phone, wishing she could be there already. He hung up and she quickly called a car to her location, finishing getting dressed by the time they arrived. 

The drive was horrible, she kept bouncing her leg up and down as she silently urged the driver faster. It was taking too long, though she knew they were not hitting many lights. Soon they pulled up to his house and for the first time since the night of the parade, she saw signs of life in his house once more. Getting out of the car, she pulled a stray leaf from her hair she just noticed and knocked on the door. As soon as he opened the door, she pushed through and wrapped him in a deep hug, just knowing that this was the best way to communicate right now that he wasn’t alone.

Date: September 23rd, 2020 Location: Lackadaisy Time: 1:10am Status: Closed @viktoriacalloway

After doing what she could in the commotion down by the Asmodean Shop and checking in with Hal at home, Oona went straight to Lackadaisy to meet up with Vik. In the chaos somehow the two found each other, or more like Vik and Ewan had stumbled upon Oona and the rest of the team taking statements. They’d began funneling people in and out of the area for evac, trying to get those who needed medical attention to hospitals as fast as they could. It was a fucking mess, and despite being four months pregnant, Noah needed everyone on deck. Oona included herself in that. “Hey, you look better than before,” the werewolf comments to the other once the door to Lackadaisy is held out open for her. It was locked, closed up for the parade earlier but now reopened for the women to ‘drink’ their sorrows away. Obviously Oona wouldn’t be drinking, but she could pretend her club soda was a gin and tonic. “What a fucking mess,” Oona breaths into her hands once she’s sat down. Bar stools are harder to get onto with a baby bump, that’s for sure… “I had to calm Hal down and promise him I wouldn’t be running into any fires. I just can’t believe after all this time…no incidences, and now this…how are you holding up?” 

Everything felt like a blur, and the whole time she had been trying to keep her calm. The explosion hadn’t been bad for Ewan and Viktoria as they headed home from the bar. But, the blast had thrown them to the ground, glass shards cutting at them along with other debris. Still, it could have been worse, they had been a safer distance away. No, what had scared Viktoria was the memories that threatened to drag her down to the night her whole pack had been slaughtered. The explosion and the ringing in her ears had triggered something that she was still struggling to push back. Getting a hold of Mal had been hard, but she had and had been with her best friend since parting ways, but Mal had to leave to check on Noyln and her daughter. So, she found herself pacing in the empty Lackadaisy as she texted Ewan and waited for Oona to show up. The second she smelled her friend’s warm scent outside, she breathed out in relief and watched with hungry eyes as she walked in. “What? Oh, right. Yeah, the injuries weren’t too bad and Ewan treated them a little.” Though he hadn’t needed to do much, both of their werewolf bodies would heal their wounds completely in a day or two. She felt out of it as she made Oona her drink that did not contain a single drop of alcohol and watched her like a hawk as she sat down. “Do you know what happened?” She asked, sipping her own glass of whiskey and sitting down beside her friend. The question almost unraveled Vik and she had to bite her tongue to hold back a complete breakdown. “A little shaken up.” She finally managed to get out in a steady voice, and it was half the truth. “How are you?” She asked, eying Oona’s stomach. 

At her teasing, he blushed and his hand snaked down to hold hers in his own monstrous hand. “You’re good at many things, I can tell.” He didn’t want to lie to her and say he was good at reading people, because he honestly had no idea, but he could tell she was a good person. The night they had spent together, he had sort of fallen for her. Not in love, he was nowhere near anything of the sort, it was all casual. 

He pulled his hand back at her words, as if he had been struck in the face. He stopped walking and it took a moment before he nodded. He looked down at his feet. “What are you looking for with me?” Why are we together right now, he wanted to ask.

There was something incredibly endearing about the way that Gage looked at her so sincerely. And it wasn’t just at her, she saw such sincere emotions on his face when looked at anyone. But, it also set off bells in her head when he looked at her that way. Like the way he had looked at her after they fucked in his room more than once a few nights ago. Or like the way he held her hand just now. Viktoria grew a little stiff and looked from his sincere warmth to the hand encircling hers. “You’re a good person. Better than I could ever be.” She murmured, her voice steady as she spoke the truth. 

And she was proved right as he dropped her hand so suddenly like she had just stabbed him in the chest with some night. The happy, light mood they had earlier was gone and Viktoria felt terrible as she watched him. God, why was she hurting him? “I... I’m looking for something casual.” She whispered, looking at the ground too and stepping forward. “Look, I like you Gage, I really like spending time with you and getting to know you. But I’m not looking for anything serious, I’m not ready for a relationship. With you or anyone else.” Viktoria didn’t want to let anyone in like that, at least not yet. And with Gage it was perfect the way it was right now. He had been fantastic the other night, the sex had been amazing. And she liked talking and laughing with him. But was she just being blindly stupid and leading him on? “I’m sorry... I’m so sorry if I led you on to believe this could be something else Gage...” 

Date: Saturday November 14th, 2020 Time: 8:38 pm Location: Ewan’s house

@viktoriacalloway​

Ewan let out a breath as he pressed the screen of his phone to make the call. He lifted it to his ear and waited. There was no response and he couldn’t help but wonder if Viktoria had sent him straight to voice mail. He didn’t blame her. Frankly, he would’ve done it if he was her. “Hi Viktoria” he said in a low tone, already thinking that this was probably not a good idea. “I uh-” he paused. Why the fuck was he calling her? Why was he calling anyone? Other people didn’t need to know about his life, he could deal with his fucking feelings on his own. “I know I sort of dropped off the face of the Earth for a while there…” he went on. It was a bit of an understatement, really, considering the last Vik saw of him was after the chaos of the autumn equinox parade and he hadn’t been taking calls or answering texts since. “I was in San Francisco”. She already knew what had been awaiting him there so he didn’t say anything else about it. “Things didn’t go well. I mean, I knew what to expect, but still…”. Fuck. Just hang up already, he thought. “I dropped by your place earlier today and your friend Mallory said you weren’t there. So, yeah- Let me know if we can talk, or meet, or something”. The werewolf let out a breath. “Hope you’re okay, Vik… Bye”.

Viktoria had been feeling this dull buzzing in the back of her mind for a while now, maybe a few weeks now and she couldn’t figure out what was making her feel the tension. The affairs at the Autumn Equinox had shaken the town and though some had gotten hurt and businesses had been destroyed, those she really cared about had remained safe. She had been with Ewan that night, but after heading home together and recuperating from the explosion, she hadn’t seen him since. The doctor seemed to drop off the face of the planet, her calls and texts to him always went unanswered and no one at the hospital could tell her anything. Life went on though, but she was always worried that Ewan had died somewhere without anyone knowing in the back of her mind, that something bad had happened. Today they had decided to close Lackadaisy, Mal wanted to get some things organized for the upcoming holiday season and Viktoria needed some time to herself. She had headed out to the woods and had spent most of the day wandering around in the vast wilderness in her werewolf form. The sun was finally set when she headed back to her clothes, shifting back to her human form. Checking her phone Vik expected to see a message from Mal or Luke, but was surprised when she saw the name that flashed across the screen. One voicemail from Ewan. Ewan. He was a live. With her heart pounding in her chest, she played the message. Viktoria could hear the pain in his voice and she knew exactly what had happened, Ewan had lost his son. Her heart went out to him and she listened to the voicemail again, and then one more time. Finally, putting the phone on speaker she called him back as she got dressed. When the phone picked up, she could hear a slight intake of breath on the other end. “Ewan?” She breathed out what she had been holding in. “You’re back.” There was warmth in her voice he could probably hear, relief flooded over her. 

viktoriacalloway‌:

Now she was really regretting opening her mouth at all, Ewan had a way of latching on to a certain thing you said and toying with it. Not that she minded at all, in fact it kind of made her feel a little excited to play this game with him. But, he was winning in this moment and he had thrown her off her retort back. “I was eager to see the look on your face thinking you were late. Should have taken a picture.” She told him trying to fight the blush that threatened to spill over. It was hard not to smile around him and she found herself unable to hide the wide grin as she tilted her head up at his much taller frame. “I think the only thing that you take really seriously is your reflection.” Viktoria teased. 

Well, in all honestly, Viktoria had been more impressed when he showed up at the hospital without a shirt on for a moment. However, that was something she would never utter out loud. “The kind of game where I’d like to eat in a public restaurant and that requires you to be wearing a shirt.” She teased him. Truthfully, he might get some extra points if he showed up some other time without a shirt on. Maybe she’d tell him that later, see where the night went. “Really? This is the first I’ve seen of it.” She chuckled, though she had been a little surprised. Sure, her little black book of old dates mostly consisted of those from her pack a while ago, but she couldn’t remember the last time someone had pulled out her chair for her. “I’m genuinely thanking you, it was nice to see.” She grinned as he sat down across from her. Though he was teasing, it did remind her of her curiosity to where he did grow up, clearly it was Ireland but she wanted to know more. Her life had been so restricted to Savannah before the attack. The first time she traveled out had been the night she fled for her life. Mal and her had done a trip across the United States a few months ago, and that really was the first time she had traveled anywhere. To know that he came from a completely different country fascinated her. “Oh, goodie. You scored some points for that one.” Viktoria teased and soon leveled her gaze to his own. He was making it a point of not looking away and she matched him easily. “That’s right I do. I’ll take another glass. And another bottle.” She said to the waiter though her gaze never left Ewan’s. A devilish smirk found its home on her lips. “The lady will be having her own bottle tonight.” 

Ewan clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Why don’t you just admit to were eager to see my reaction to that dress?” he boldly asked. She was a beautiful woman and had worn something that made her look more stunning, which he was sure was no incident but a well thought out choice. With any luck his words would help enhance the blush that had already begun to color her cheeks. “Of course” he quickly admitted without intention to fight her on her assessment of him being narcissistic. “With a reflection such as mine, who wouldn’t?” he rhetorically asked, just to play along. He really wasn’t quite that vain but if she thought he was, why not indulge her thoughts a little.

The werewolf raised his hands, as if surrendering to what she was saying. “Fair enough. It’s a boring game compared to others I know, but to each their own, I suppose”. He couldn’t help but laugh a little when she stated so confidently that this was the first she thought of him having manners. “You can’t think I’m some uneducated brute? And if you do, you really wound me, love” the Irishman told her in response, still laughing a little. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy their little banter and the fact that Viktoria seemed so intent of matching him quip for quip and getting the last word. A smirk crossed her lips as she went ahead to order her own bottle of wine. “The lady seems to be the perfect drinking partner” he teased as their waiter brought a second bottle for her. One full bottle for him, one full bottle for her. What a way to start. Ewan could only hope they’d finish in the same spectacular fashion.