home (felicity)

[willow hanna dixon]

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willow dixon

Stepping into Forest Hollow felt like coming home.

It was a peculiar sensation to Willow, seeing as she had never come to the enchanted halfbreed neighborhood before. But each step beneath her heeled boots felt right, the crust of November ice over the snow seeming to sigh the word each time it was punctured. Home, home, home.

Eyes regarded the newcomer carefully, curtains of the cottages peeled back and quickly snapped shut again. Willow couldn’t blame them for that. The dangers of the developing conflict were real now, at least to her. Before her turning she’d been too eager to look the other way in matters of war. She’d lived and lost through one before, and wasn’t keen on repeating the experience, but conflict had sucked her in again. She’d been drafted the fateful day a stranger had so brutally attacked her, her number had come up, but she was being pulled by both sides.

Adjusting to vampirism alone was difficult enough, but the magnetic pull to Death had frightened Willow, loath as she was to admit it. She didn’t want to give into it, but was resistance any better? It seemed Death got what it wanted in the end, but she was desperate for something to hope for. That spark, that desire for hope, was what had directed Alessandro to point her in this direction. To Felicity Morrow. The name hadn’t meant anything to her before today, but it joined the cadence of home, home, home, in the back of her mind. It felt warm, like belonging. Willow found her at the village center, cloak drawn as if against the cold their kind no longer felt.

She took a deep, unnecessary breath, expelling it in a slow steady stream, visible on the crisp night air like a drag off a cigarette. “Felicity?” Willow queried, bright emerald gaze upon the beautiful stranger.

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[felicity mariah morrow]

reckless behavior is looking at a man like he's a savior

❝

An odd sensation had been tugging at her lately. Felicity would have mistaken it for her Sight, had she not recognized a familiarity to it. It felt very similar to the bond she had shared with the vampire that had Turned her. The one that she had killed because he started to exert his will on her, trying to force her into visions. It was a horrific, excruciating experience to endure, severing that bond between them. All the more reason that this feeling did not exactly spark joy in her. She had lived free of those ties for nearly eight centuries. Feeling the tug of something did not make sense.

It had been easy enough to ignore until that day. The sensation grew to an odd tension, directing her. A suggestion, more than a direction. She could choose to ignore it. Felicity guessed that based on how it felt. It was not forcing her to comply, but urging her to. Curiosity won out over fear. She had to know why this feeling was happening now. She’d been careful to not create fledglings. Her own turning bonds were long since shattered. And this was certainly different from that.

She stepped out from her home in the night, when the feeling could no longer be ignored by its sheer intensity. Fel stopped in the square of Forest Hollow, examining each house for any signs of what could be happening.

Felicity?

The vampire turned around when she heard her name, and that was when she felt the full intensity of the bond jolt through her. She gasped, raising a hand to press against her abdomen, shock registering on her face. One look at the woman, and Felicity just knew.

Her mate.

All this time, so many years, so many lifetimes, and Felicity had been more than content to not have one. She had known that they existed, but that not every vampire had one. She had presumed that, given her gift, she would have known.

But this had taken her entirely by surprise.

“Yes,” she answered a little meekly, finally seeing the immortal woman for the first time. A stunning brunette, an angular face, bright green eyes. Her mate was nothing short of breathtaking, had Felicity the need for breath. But it wasn’t that which made her so discombobulated.

She had not exactly wanted a mate. But it was too late for that matter.

“Forgive me, I am a little…out of sorts,” she added after a moment, clearing her throat and trying to straighten her posture, shaking her head a little. So this had been the feeling. “What can I do for you?”

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[willow hanna dixon]

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willow dixon

Fuck, she was beautiful.

Willow had long since prided herself on bucking the useless lesbian trope, she was cool, she was confident, she was a goddamn rockstar. It wasn’t like her to be rendered speechless, no matter how hot she found a woman. Willow was smooth and accomplished and a reckless flirt. Getting tongue-tied was not something that happened to her. Felicity seemed similarly taken aback, one of her hands going to her core as if she’d been struck there. Was it normal then? Approaching one of their kind and feeling like this? Willow was all questions about her newfound immortality, and it seemed there was very little in the way of answers.

“Yes,”

The single word was warm, smooth as honey, Willow almost wished she could wrap herself in that voice. When had she gotten so mushy? She shoved the thought away, nodding, accepting Felicity’s affirmation. She was again unsure of what to say as the silence settled, so Willow lingered in it, watching the elder vampiress attempt to collect her thoughts. Alessandro hadn’t known too much about the leader of the Children, only that she was ageless, centuries of experience. It was intimidating almost, if someone who had lingered on this earth so long was also fighting for words. What was happening here?

“Forgive me, I am a little… Out of sorts. What can I do for you?”

Willow wasn’t even sure where to start. A small frown of concentration creased across her features for a moment as she searched for the right words. “My friend Alessandro sent me your way,” Willow began, figuring it was as good a place to start as any, “he said you might be able to help me.” She tried not to cringe at the admission. The fact of the matter was, Willow did need it. Other fledglings, ones Turned deliberately, had guidance in their new lives. Willow was entirely in the dark, left alone by an assailant who likely hadn’t intended her to survive his attack. She was terrified of what she’d become, of the longings pulling her in all directions. Alessandro had been a start, Willow had reached out to him in a blind panic when she’d grown so weak from thirst she could scarcely stand.

She’d vowed no human blood would pass her lips after the violent beginning to her new life- but hadn’t known there was any alternative until Alessandro had shown her.

But the way it called to her, it was overwhelming, Willow wasn’t sure how she had refrained thus far- she got the urge to tear into her human bandmates, even, but she hadn’t acted out of pure stubbornness alone. Willow might be many things, but she was not a killer. Never a killer.

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[felicity mariah morrow]

reckless behavior is looking at a man like he's a savior

❝

She tried to quiet her mind, center herself. But thought after thought continued to pile up, and most of them were filled with dread. It wasn’t fair, and she knew it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t this woman’s fault that Felicity hadn’t wanted a mate. It also wasn’t her fault that she happened to be Felicity’s mate. It was all circumstantial, and yet with reality literally staring her in the face, she felt queasy.

There was a mutual nervousness between them, even if it seemed to be for different reasons. Felicity could tell by the aura of this vampire that she was uncertain. That, beyond anything else, had clung to her. Willow Dixon - Felicity was old, but not ignorant - had a rockstar persona, and anxiety usually didn’t fit that picture. But she was riddled with it in that moment.

Did she know? Had she realized the bond they shared? It was selfish to hope she hadn’t, to let Felicity continue to live in her blissful ignorance.

My friend Alessandro sent me your way. He said you might be able to help me.

Fel blinked for a moment before the memory appeared. Alessandro Carminati. A name she knew from the Children, but also a fellow vampire. A good connection - and, to her relief, it meant that perhaps the mating bond was not yet recognized.

“Help you,” Felicity repeated slowly, but far more gently than her astonished, tight question before. “Because you’re new to this life. This body that is both yours and not at the same time.”

She hadn’t needed her Sight to guess as much - but it had helped fill in some of the blanks where her befuddled mind was still fixated elsewhere. This…this was Children business, she told herself, clearing her thoughts and managing to find herself on more even footing. It was more than that, obviously, but she needed that moment of reassurance, a place to focus her attention.

“Come,” she said, extending her hand with a smile. “It is scary, but he did send you to the right place. We’ll discuss this at my cottage.”

It wasn’t Felicity’s best idea, but she could think of no other location to have it. Besides, she had reserves of animal blood, stored like the mortals did with wine. Thirst was painful, especially in the first few years.

“I know this is…difficult to talk about,” Felicity began when they had settled into the little house in Copper Cove, “but how long ago were you Turned? The beginning is never easy.”

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[willow hanna dixon]

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willow dixon

Hell this was awkward.

Willow stood uncomfortably in the weight of her admission. She’d always been on the more bullheaded side of things, determined to figure her life out on her own terms, carve her own path for success. Vampirism had thrown the biggest possible wrench into everything, she hated feeling so helpless, driven by impulses not of her own creation, but something rather more animalistic deep, deep down in her core. Willow had been far too content to stay out of the unfolding war, stick her head in the metaphoric sand and continue being a rockstar without a care in the world- but now she did care, and had no choice in the matter.

The concept of servitude to Death left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she was inexplicably drawn to it all the same. Willow, however, simply couldn’t see a future led by that thing that would benefit anyone. But when had she ever been noble? Maybe it was selfishness that made her want to cling to the light, there would be no adoring fans, no fun, no joy in a world ruled by darkness.

Or maybe it was something more.

“Help you. Because you’re new to this life. This body that is both yours and not at the same time.”

Nail meet hammer.

Willow swallowed to clear her throat, but didn’t know what to say this time, only that the sound of Felicity’s voice was the most soothing thing she’d ever heard. She wanted to crawl into her arms, let the sound of it comfort her. The impulse was alarming. Willow wasn’t a mushy person like that, never had been. She nodded, not finding words to reply, Felicity’s correctness was enough.

“Come. It is scary, but he did send you to the right place. We’ll discuss this at my cottage.”

She accepted the extended hand without question, without hesitation, settling into pace beside Felicity as they trudged through the snow. Everything about this interaction was peculiar, nothing more so than the warmth that spread through her hand from the contact, how right it felt, like the last few pieces being placed into a puzzle. The walk wasn’t far before the women had settled in Felicity’s cottage, a quaint, cozy place. It felt like home though she’d never been. Felicity settled them near the hearth.

“... but how long ago were you Turned? The beginning is never easy.”

A small sigh passed her lips. She didn’t remember much, but the bits and pieces that remained were pain, agony more like, and fear. “Four months,” Willow said, her voice uncharacteristically small. She loosened her scarf, revealing a few of the numerous scars from the event. “I was attacked, I don’t think he meant me to survive, or… maybe he just didn’t care.”

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MADE BY VEL OF GS

[felicity mariah morrow]

reckless behavior is looking at a man like he's a savior

❝

She had to force herself to almost…detach in this instance. To separate herself from her emotions. Felicity liked to think that being so attuned to them, to her Sight, helped her be a better leader for the Children, but in this instance, being a good leader and being emotional were not things that would work in harmony. Not when she knew of her mate being the one in need of help. Not when she had wanted nothing to do with a mate, and had thought herself safe from one after nearly seven centuries.

She would have to process that later, when she was alone.

Four months.

As terrible as it was to hear, it made Felicity better able to relax. This young woman, this fledgling, was so new to this life. So abruptly altered, expected to carry on, with no clue how to bridge the gap between her old life and this new immortal one.

I was attacked, I don’t think he meant me to survive, or…maybe he just didn’t care.

There were too many stories like hers, and they were multiplying by the day as the vampires grew bolder, more empowered, and harder to win against as Death bolstered them.

“Alessandro guided you well in leading you to me,” Felicity remarked, hoping that would calm some of the frightened colors in Willow’s aura. Already, the fledgling seemed much more settled, much more at ease, but Fel knew, in the back of her mind, that the unknown mating bond was likely tempering much of that fear.

“I have been alive over seven hundred years, and yet I still remember the franticness of those first few. ‘The Burning’, I called them. It was…the hardest period of my life,” she confessed, shaking her head slightly as she made the recollections. She kept most of her early stages of vampirism to herself typically, and for now, Willow was no exception - mate or not. But the memories were still painful.

“For now, it seems, your Sire is out of the picture. So we can worry less about that and focus more on making sure you’re well fed. I myself prefer to dine from animals, but there are ways to consume human blood that don’t require…” Felicity hesitated, unsure of how exactly she could phrase it without being so vulgar, “a human,” she settled. Especially for a woman attacked so violently and Turned so hostilely, she didn’t imagine that feeding from a mortal was appealing to Willow. Yet, the decision was not her own to make, and it would be unfair if she steered the youngling down the path of animal blood if it would not fully satisfy her.

“The early thirst can be quite demanding,” she explained. “Animal blood requires more frequent feeding to help. It’s natural to crave human blood.” As natural as it could be, given the circumstances. “And I work at St. Mungo’s, as a healer, I can always make sure to get some for you.”

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[willow hanna dixon]

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willow dixon

“Alessandro guided you well in leading you to me,”

Willow nodded, accepting the statement without further reply. She could have surmised so much on her own, Felicity had been able to put her at ease by hardly saying anything at all. It was curious, though lost on Willow as to why that was. For now she was content to be somewhere that felt safe, somewhere that the nagging pull in the back of her mind was quieter. It was unlike Willow to be so immediately trusting, to be made so small in the presence of someone else. She was a fucking rockstar, she was used to commanding the room, being the one everyone looked to when it was time to get the party started. But there was no party here, only Felicity, and Willow practically a scared little girl by comparison.

“I have been alive over seven hundred years, and yet I still remember the franticness of those first few. ‘The Burning’, I called them. It was…the hardest period of my life,”

Her eyes widened briefly. Willow had yet to become fully acclimated to the concept of immortality, of forever. She had known when she joined the band that Alessandro had more than a couple centuries under his belt, but hadn’t fully grasped just what that meant until her own Turning. Forever. Her human bandmates would grow old and die, her mother, her sister. But she herself would remain, largely unchanged by the passage of time. Willow swallowed, hand absently going to massage the ghost of an old wound at her throat. She listened in silence, enraptured by Felicity, wanting to know and hear more.

Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the mention of feeding from humans. Willow could scarcely imagine putting anyone through the terror she’d experienced, and didn’t trust herself to not get carried away. Abstaining was difficult, the way people’s pulses perfumed the air with the scent of their blood was enough to drive her mad with desire- but evidently thirst had met its match in stubbornness. Her recollection of begging for Alessandro’s help was still fresh in her mind. She’d gone too long, had gotten so severely weak…

“... And I work at St. Mungo’s, as a healer, I can always make sure to get some for you.”

Willow shook her head, supposing that she should be grateful for the offer, but was unable to release her revulsion. “Thank you, but I… I just can’t,” Willow stammered, hands now going to rake through her hair, she looked up at Felicity again, her eyes heavy with pain and sorrow of words unspoken. She’d seen more than her fair share of death and pain than someone her age ought to have, she couldn’t, wouldn’t, be the cause of more.

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