Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Calliope considers herself a fairly calm person. Most of the time, she tries to see the logic in situations before panicking or jumping to conclusions

So when Juliette doesn’t show up at her house after school as planned, she is skeptical but generally calm. 

Her girlfriend gets incredibly distracted and probably just ran into someone she knew or found a cute dog on the side of the road. Or her lesson may have even ran late. 

So Calliope doesn’t pay it much thought, and instead directs her attention to her homework book. She makes it through an entire page of equations, and still no sign of Juliette.

There is no text announcing she might be running late or can’t come at all, which is what makes Calliope begin to worry. It isn’t out of character for Juliette to get preoccupied and be late, but every time she does so - she always rings or texts. 

Perhaps her phone had ran out, she wasn’t the best at remembering to charge it, Calliope thinks and returns to her homework.

An hour passes and still no sign of Juliette. Calliope shuts her book with a slam and pulls out her phone, dialling her girlfriends number.

No response. This didn’t exactly help with the theory that the phone might be dead, but the lack of contact was beginning to worry Calliope.

The situation between monsters and humans had settled down in Savannah but it didn’t mean that something couldn’t go wrong.

She texts a classmate, and hopes that it was just the lesson that ran over.  

“Hey Cal” Apollo leans against her doorframe smiling. She sighs heavily, and he frowns. “What’s up?

”Juliette was supposed to come around almost two hours ago, but she isn’t picking up her phone” 

Apollo raises an eyebrow, he doesn’t look completely worried which eases Calliope’s nerves slightly. Until her phone pings, and the classmate informs her that the lesson did intact finish on time

”You know how Jules gets, she probably got distracted. Or forgot” Apollo offers, but Calliope shakes her head. 

Although forgetful sometimes, Juliette had been the one to make the plans for that evening. 

She was supposed to come around and collect Calliope, and they were meant to catch a movie and get dinner. Typical teen date, Juliette had promised the previous day with a laugh.

“Just give her a bit more time sis” Apollo patted her shoulder reassuringly before leaving to go workout. Cal thought he might be right, Juliette may just be running late.

Just to be on the safe side, she shot Elinor a quick text asking if she had seen her sister in the past few hours. 

Calliope was as far from close to the older vampire as imaginable, but they were amicable enough for Juliette’s sake, hence why she begrudgingly added Elinor as a contact in her phone. 

The reply came several minutes later, and didn’t do much to ease Cal’s growing worry. She hadn’t seen Juliette since the morning, and thought she had already got to Calliope’s house by now

So as much as Calliope considered herself a calm, collected person - all bets were off when it came to protecting her family.

New thoughts ran through her head. Juliette alone. Being chased. Being staked. Silver everywhere.

What if the Guild had found a reason to harm her? Even worse, what if they found a way to kill her? 

Calliope needed to find her girlfriend and bring her back safe and sound. And as much as she wanted to go out, guns blazing and try and find the vampire - she had to be strategic.

She stormed to the weapons cabinet, flinging the door open and rifling carelessly through the cupboard. It had been a few hours passed since Juliette was supposed to arrive, and Calliope had lost all of her cool by this point.

A dagger flew from the cabinet and landed with a loud bang on the floor as Cal dug out a crossbow and sword.

”Hey! What’s all the commotion?” Talia entered the room, staring at the mess which had been made.

But Calliope was too focused to even take in her arrival, and pulled out another dagger from the cabinet. “Calliope I am talking to you” her mother warned

Two daggers. A crossbow. Maybe a spear? Or two? What if it was monsters hunting her? Would she need a stake. Maybe take one to be on the safe side.

”Cal!” Talia grabbed her arm, jerking Calliope from her thoughts. Their eyes met, and Talia stepped back, softening slightly at the look in her daughters eye.

She led them to the table, prying the weapons from Calliope’s grip and setting them down. “Talk to me” she urged.

Calliope took a deep breath. “I think Juliette is in danger” she blurted out. Talia straightened out. “Why? What’s happened?” She asked, on alert

She explained the situation, expressing how it was out of character for Juliette to go completely m.i.a - not just to her, but to all of her family. Especially when they had made plans together.

”Okay” Talia nods, then hands her daughter the weapons from the table. Calliope blinks. “Okay?” She repeats, confused

Talia moves quick, taking more weapons from the cabinet and producing two protective vests. “We will leave in ten. Scan the area then check the Fairmont neighbourhood”

Calliope felt relieved that she wouldn’t have to do this alone, and returned back to productive. She laced up a pair of boots, strapping in a dagger. 

“We’ll find her Cal” her mom promises, and Apollo reappears into the living room

“Wait, still no Juliette?” He looks confused, and more concerned now than he did when Cal last saw him a few hours ago.

Talia nods grimly, and Calliope watches her brother’s expression shift.

Over time, they had grown pretty close, and she knew that Apollo was fond of the vampire. They hung out regularly, and Calliope would often come home to find them partaking in various hobbies together.

He nods, and takes his sword from its place hung onto the wall. “I’ll come with you. Help you find her” and he didn’t phrase it as a question.   

As much as Calliope appreciated the extra help, it didn’t do much to ease her nerves. It was late now, well into the evening and pitch black outside. 

Yes, Juliette was a vampire and could hold her own - but no one knew the state that she was in. She could be hurt, or alone. Or worse. And Cal didn’t want to even think about that.

She pushed the thoughts from her mind as quick as they appeared, and picked up her spear from the table. 

Apollo squeezes her hand as they pile into the car. “We’ll find her Cal”

She gives Elinor another call, who initially sounds irritated but tone shifts to worry when she realises that no one had heard from Juliette since school finished over eight hours ago.

By now, it was nearing midnight. The streets were dark and derelict as the Burns sped through the town. Elinor had promised to look for her sister. She sounded angry. Raged at the thought of anyone touching her baby sister.

Calliope wasn’t angry. Not yet. She was worried. Scared in a way she usually never was. Scared they wouldn’t find Juliette.

But, she was mainly scared they would find Juliette. Find her too late. Unable to help. 

She was terrified that somehow, someone had found a way to finally kill a legacy vampire. There was no logical explanation as to why Juliette had just disappeared like that.

Her classmates remember her being in the last lesson at school, then radio silence. She was gone. And there was no trace.

Calliope tried to focus on the task at hand, and tried to avoid any thoughts of Juliette in danger as the car roared along the street.

Chapter Text

“Try her parents again” Talia tells Calliope as they drive down the road.

Cal had already tried, but no luck. They must of been busy because neither Margot nor Sebastian had answered the phone, and Elinor still heard nothing.

This time though, it only took two rings before her mother had answered. 

“Hi it’s Calliope, have you heard from Juliette?” She asked, before Margot could even say hello in greeting.

”I thought she was with you?” 

So Juliette hadn't come home. Exactly what she feared. 

“She was supposed to come and collect me but she never turned up. Elinor hasn’t heard from her either” Calliope explained.

Margot sucked in a breath down the end of the phone, calling over Sebastian. She sounded worried, and as guilty as Cal felt for causing the feeling - her priority was finding Juliette.

”I’ll speak to Sebastian. Make some calls. Find out if anyone has seen her” then the phone clicks off and Calliope is back to square one.

”No luck?” Apollo offers a sympathetic smile, as Calliope shakes her head. She focuses her attention to the dagger in her hand, tossing it around and trying to distract her mind.

But it was no good. All she could see, all she could think of was Juliette alone somewhere - in danger.

”Go faster” she commands her mother, ignoring how it sounds more like a plea as her voice cracks on the last syllable.

Talia doesn’t reply but complies, driving just the smallest bit quicker. Apollo’s squeezes her hand, and shoots a reassuring smile. She wants to smile back, but can’t bring herself to.

How stupid could she be. To think that they could live a life of happiness, of normalcy without any danger.

At the end of the day, Juliette was a vampire. The Guild hated all monsters, their entire existence was dedicated to wiping them out.

By this point, the whole theory Calliope had about the situation, was the Guild. Despite everything that had happened between them - Elinor was an unlikely suspect. 

The sisters had begun to work through their drama, and built a relationship. Things were still fraught, Cal knew that much. Juliette would complain at how bossy and irritating her big sister was. 

Despite this, the one thing that she would reiterate, is that Elinor cared about her. She didn’t always go about things in the right way, granted. But she wanted to look out for Jules. 

And abduction, definitely not her style.

Oliver was a different story. He did care for Juliette. But he also believed more in the divide between humans and ‘monsters’. 

He had assembled a giant team of various vampires, ghouls and other monsters to wreck havoc on humans. It had been a disaster, but Juliette managed to talk him out of it before too many people got properly hurt.

Things took time, but monsters came out of the foreground of people’s minds. The MAM’s slowed down their campaigns.  

At the end of the day, despite the hate - the last thing people wanted was death. And conspiring against the monsters, only brought about more death.

So for the past year, monsters had lived alongside humans with little drama. Of course it wasn’t all plain sailing. Some MAMs ran mob groups to find monsters but they were often shut down. 

Oliver and Juliette’s relationship was rocky, at least as far as Calliope knew. He didn’t visit the Fairmount house often, and kept a distance from the family.

Yet he had no reason to kidnap Juliette. Personally, Calliope didn’t believe it was him. Similar to Elinor, he had his fair share of problematic traits. 

But he cares for his little sister and just like his twin, everything was a warped way of showing his protection. 

The Guild seemed like the only logical choice. The MAM’s certainly didn’t love monsters, as far from it. They didn’t though Juliette was a vampire though, and regardless - didn’t have the skill set to capture her.

After a few hours of patrolling, Calliope could feel herself slipping further into panic. Their current plan wasn’t working, and was just aggravating her further instead.

Whoever took Juliette must be smart, as naive as her girlfriend can be - she isn’t stupid. Certainly not stupid enough to go with a random stranger. 

More so, she would never just abandon Calliope when they had plans, especially with no contact.

”This isn’t working!” She hissed, banging her hands onto the dashboard with a heavy sigh. Talia shot a worried look, but didn’t turn her attention away from the road.

They had to come up with another idea. It’s not like Juliette would just randomly appear in the middle of the road. “Okay” Her mom nods, then begins to drive towards the Fairmont house.

The drive is much quicker than usual, their car speeding along the road. Every minute is precious, Cal knows this. 

Every minute she isn’t with Juliette, is a minute that someone else is. Someone who can’t have good intentions if she disappears with no trace from school.

In what seems like forever but also just a split second, Talia pulls the car into the driveway of the Fairmount home.

Calliope swallows hard when she spots Juliette’s car gleaming in the driveway. It continues to solidify what she is afraid of - that her girlfriend is in danger.

Part of her hopes that maybe Juliette had just got caught up in something, ran into an old friends snack forget to ring or text. Maybe her phone ran out. 

But as time passes, Calliope feels her hope fading and realisation begin to set in.

”There you are” Margot strides out of the house, her face a picture of worry. The Burns leave the car in the driveway, and join Margot on the doorstep.

She doesn’t even bother with a greeting, turning straight away to Calliope - questioning. “Has she contacted you at all? When did you last hear from my daughter?” 

Cal shakes her head, and tries to calm her bouncing leg as she steps over the threshold into the house. This isn’t how she wanted to be spending her evening, her at the Fairmount house without her girlfriend.

“We had English together this afternoon. Before I left early and she had physics” Calliope explains

”I haven’t seen or heard from her since then”

Margot begins pacing the hallway, fidgeting anxiously until Talia approaches her with a sympathetic smile. Sebastian comes out of the kitchen, on the phone and talking frantically. 

“So you haven’t seen her at all?” He sounds as panicked as Calliope feels. At least Margot, although visibly tense, seems relatively put together. Sebastian in comparison, is a mess.

”Well thank you for nothing!” He all but throws his phone across the hallway and punches the wall with a clenched fist.

”Sebastian” Margot sounds tired as she picks the phone up and puts in on the counter. He looks up and notices the Burns for the first time. 

The atmosphere is tense. Before Apollo finally breaks it, cutting straight to the chase as always. “No one has heard from her. We need to try working out who has taken her because I don’t think Juliette would go missing like this”

”As much as I would hate to admit it, darling Apollo is right”

Everyone looks up, as Elinor slinks down the stairs. She doesn’t look worried at first glance, wearing a deep red dress and face full of impeccable makeup.

But Calliope can see the quiet concern in her eyes. And the anger. Anger at whoever could take Juliette. 

Things were beyond frosty between her brother and Elinor, Cal knew this - grabbing Apollo’s arm. “Don’t” she half hisses, half whispers into his ear.

The last thing they need is an argument or fight. Their families will never get on. Not everyone, not together. But they are all united for a common interest - to find Juliette.

Elinor smiles, wide and brash. Her eyes told a different story though. “Sweet Little is clearly taken. She would never just leave like that”

“So we need to find out who took her” Talia replies. Margot nods in agreement, and if the situation wasn’t so dire than Calliope would be happy that the two families were getting on more than usual.

“Well I vote the fun little establishment dedicated to taking down us ‘monsters’” Elinor throws venom behind the word, hands curling into air quotes at ‘monsters’.

Apollo livens up at this, shaking his head furiously. “No. The Guild wouldn’t. There is a truce, remember?” His eyes are dark and the look he throws Elinor is just as angry 

The vampire doesn’t seem rattled though, batting her eye lashes with a sarcastic grin. “Wouldn’t put it past them” Sebastian murmurs under his breath

Everyone clearly hears him though, and there is a rising tension in the already uncomfortable room. 

The divide between the Fairmounts and Burns is back and Calliope almost wants to run out of the house and find Juliette herself.

”I wouldn’t put it past the Guild” Margot comments, a lot calmer than Elinor’s blasé tone. “I know there is the truce, but maybe it was just a front”

Calliope can’t help herself from jumping in this time. “But it doesn’t make sense to take Juliette” 

And it was true. If the Guild were to target any Fairmount - it would make more sense to go for the twins. 

Both Elinor and Oliver caused trouble, lots of it. Whereas Juliette was less abrasive than her older siblings. 

Then it occurred to her, maybe whoever had taken Jules wanted her for that reason. Elinor was particularly violent and was a clearly better fighter than her younger sister.

Oliver on the other hand, had a witch girlfriend who Calliope learnt, could be summoned. 

“It might be a trap” Talia suggests. “To try and lure out the rest of you” 

Calliope mulls this over. The Fairmounts had stepped down from the public eye, slightly, over the past debacle. Partly for safety but also to avoid any suspicion.

That made more sense too. Starting with Juliette would draw out the rest of the Fairmounts. Everyone was particularly protective of the youngest Fairmount, which Cal could understand.

”I even contacted Oliver. To see if Juliette had visited him for whatever reason” Sebastian adds

Oliver had become more elusive too, and Calliope didn’t have his contact number.  

“He hasn’t heard from her in over a week”

Suddenly the door bell rings, startling everyone who looks to it instantly. Calliope moves instinctively, but not as quick as Elinor who glides to the front door - flinging it open with a flourish.

“Seriously?” Elinor huffs, and stalks dramatically back to the group. Calliope walks over and deflates when she notices Ben standing on the doorstep.

He doesn’t wait to be invited in, pushing past Calliope. “Margot rung me asking if I’ve seen Juliette”

Straight to the point. “She was supposed to be with you Cal! Take you to the movies”

Calliope snaps at this, the exhaustion and stress of the night taken over. “Well she’s not!” Ben steps back, startled at her sudden anger.

”I haven’t seen her. No one has! She hasn’t answered anyone’s calls and no one has seen her since school” 

Ben pulls her into a hug and Calliope collapses into his arms. “Okay. It’s okay” he promises.

They stand at the door for a short while, before Calliope breaks away. As much as she wants to crumble, succumb to her emotions - Juliette needs her to be strong.

Before Cal can leave completely, Ben places his arms on her shoulders. They catch eyes and Calliope takes a deep, shuddering breath, composing herself. 

Then the moment passes and they move to the living room. “Ben” Sebastian greets. “I haven’t heard from her in hours!” He explains

”Well the more the merrier” Elinor retorts.

”I’ll call Jack, see if he’s heard anything strange happening at The Guild” Talia offers, walking off the kitchen when the Fairmounts nod their approval. 

“I’ll contact our friends and classmates. There’s a chance someone could have seen her, or heard anything” 

Then Apollo heads off to the kitchen too, something about looking at the Guild’s plans, to see if there was anything off or suspicious.

This left Calliope and the Fairmounts. Things were tense for a moment as they tried to think and strategise. 

“I’ve already spoke to my contacts” Sebastian tells Calliope. “Nothing. No one has seen Jules. Or even heard about anything going wrong”

Margot tugs on his shoulder. “We’ll ring family and colleagues. See if they know more”

Then they were gone too. Leaving Calliope with Elinor.

”Well well well” She tuts dramatically, Cal wonders if everything is for show. The theatrics always at play even in a situation like this.

Without saying a word, Elinor tugs on a flowing jacket and after some scrutinisation - pockets a shining car key ring. 

She stands at the door, and Calliope furrows her brow in confusion. “Do I need to spell everything out?”

Elinor steps into Cal’s space, grabbing her wrist. Before she can break the contact or fight the vampire off, she is being dragged unceremoniously to the front door.

”There we go” Elinor laughs, patronising. Calliope is confused, and her face must show it.

She signs again. Louder this time.

”You” she jabs a hand against Cal’s chest. “Are going to get in this car and show me where this Guild are based or whatever” 

“Because I hope for their sake, that it wasn’t them who took my baby sister” 

Elinor bares her fangs, and if she wasn’t so focused and preoccupied, Calliope might have been intimidated at the look on the vampire’s face.

They weren’t close. Far from it. Cal didn’t trust Elinor. But they both wanted Juliette back safe, and it was all that mattered.

So against better wishes, she follows her to a sleek Mercedes and climbs into the passenger seat. 

“Let’s get Juliette back”

Chapter Text

“I don’t think they have a HQ. It’s not some sort of undercover spy corporation” Calliope tells Elinor for what seems like the hundredth time.

They were trying to locate the Guild, who both believed had something to do with Juliette’s disappearance. 

Calliope initially suggested giving them a call, but Elinor was against that idea. She thought it would be best to turn up - that way if Juliette was there, they should be able to find her.

The only trouble was that neither of the pair knew where to find The Guild or where they could be hiding Juliette. And Calliope could feel herself growing agitated at Elinor’s insistence nature.

”You must know something” The vampire growled. She seemed different too, more on edge, Cal noticed. Gone was the facade of calmness

Calliope snapped “well I don’t! I don’t know anything about who took her. The only people it could be is the Guild” 

Because it was true. The Guild was the only logical choice. But Calliope didn’t know anything about where they could be based. 

Elinor nods, seeming to accept it. “We’ll find them first. See if they know anything”

Although they are an established organisation, The Guild try and remain unseen, as far as Calliope knows. Most contact is made through telephone calls and the occasional email.

Even when meetings are ran, they are in various locations - usually big buildings that are hard to find, warehouses and derelict houses. 

It’s all very shady, Cal realises it now. When she was younger, things seemed more put together - better organised.

They don’t have any one set location. Or if they did, the Burns definitely don’t know about it. After everything that had happened, their involvement with The Guild was clinging on, barely.

If anything knew anything, it would be those at the top. Calliope didn’t have any contact with those people, neither did her parents.

They were limited to small scale missions, and were extremely careful with what they took.

Cal in particular, steered as far away from vampires as possible - focusing on ghouls or low level monsters.

Then, a realisation occurs to her. Someone who was close with The Guild, was Tess. Losing her parents affected the girl, as expected - and according to Talia, Tess had thrown herself into monster hunting.

She had stayed in her parents house, which happened to be the other side of town. 

As guilty as Calliope felt for what she was about to do, she reminded herself that Juliette was her priority - and she would do whatever it takes to get her back safe. 

“Drive here” Cal pulls up a map on her phone, showing the screen to Elinor who raises an eyebrow. 

“All the way across town” She acknowledges but doesn’t push. It’s the quietest Elinor has been since they got into the car over an hour ago. 

She must be really worried about Juliette because despite the annoyance in her tone, it lacks any usual bite or venom. Elinor looks tired, Calliope notices.  

They drive in silence. Margot texts her an update, or rather lack of one - no one had any luck when contacting family and friends.

Eventually they made it to Tess’ house, parking a few houses down. Before Calliope can plan exactly what she is going to say, Elinor is getting out of the car.

”Hey!” Cal grabs her arm. Elinor snatches it from her grasp throwing her an angry look. 

“We can’t go in there all guns blazing!” She hisses. “You can’t go in there at all. Just wait in the car”

Elinor doesn’t look happy about it, hand still on the door handle. “For Juliette” Cal adds, hoping it’s enough to tide  her over. 

“Fine whatever. Ten minutes. If you’re not back in ten minutes then I’m coming in, and we’re doing this MY way” 

It’s fair, Calliope will give her that. She expected Elinor to come in and threaten Tess. Or worse.

”Ten minutes” Cal nods. She can work with that. “Good luck” Elinor is totally insincere as she reapplies a layer of lipstick in the mirror, not even looking at Calliope as she leaves.

Calliope is unusually nervous as she walks to Tess’ house. They had been friends for awhile, best friends for even longer.

Even during their brief period of being more than friends, she had never felt nervous around Tess. Their dynamic had been friendly and comfortable with each other.

Maybe that’s why they worked better as friends. Things were too comfortable. Too familiar. As much as Calliope did love Tess, in her way - it wasn’t the same way she loved Juliette.

But she was nervous now. Very nervous. They hadn’t spoken in awhile. The trust between the pair had been severed and Calliope didn’t know if it could be repaired.

She blamed her for ratting out her hesitation at killing Juliette, and Tess blamed the Fairmount's for killing her parents. 

Things would never be the same. Cal just hoped that Tess would not ask her to choose - because it was obviously who she would pick.

Before she could back out, Calliope raps at the door a few times then stands back - fidgeting with her hands. 

There was a chance that Tess wouldn’t even let her in, something which Calliope hadn’t actually considered until that time. 

No one answers the door for awhile, and Calliope starts to think this might not be the best idea. Maybe Tess was in on it? Surely not. 

The door swings open and Tess appears. She looks tired, dark circles under her red and puffy eyes. “Cal?” Her voice is sleepy, understandable considering it is gone four am.

She doesn’t look angry to see Calliope which is a bonus. But it could be because of how early it was. 

“Hey” she smiles half heartedly. “Can I come in?” Tess pauses at this, thinking.

”You look terrible” 

Calliope hadn’t looked in a mirror recently, obviously being distracted. If she looked as bad as she felt, Cal thought she must seem a mess.

Things were still frosty, but Tess stands to the side and let’s her in. They walk to the living room and take a seat on the couch.

”You need to hurry up Calliope. I’m tired” 

“I’m sorry for busting in like this. So late. I’m sorry I haven’t contacted you recently either” Tess laughs at this, a sound so unlike her that Calliope rears back. 

She shakes her head, insistent. “You’re not sorry, Cal. You chose that monster, the same monster whose family killed my parents” her words are bitter, and Calliope has to bite her tongue.

There are things she wants to say. To tell Tess that maybe if they hadn’t targeted the Fairmount’s then none of this would have happened.

That wouldn’t help though. It wouldn’t ease the gap between the two. More importantly, it wouldn’t bring Juliette back.

”I’m not here to talk about Juliette” Tess holds a hand up, pressing it to Calliope’s chest as a warning. “Don’t” she spits out. “Don’t you dare say her name”

It takes all that she has not to react, to push back and argue. Instead Cal swallows hard and pushes Tess’ arm away.

“Don’t start any of this fake bullshit with me” 

Tess is a passionate person. She always has been, and probably always will be. This sometimes translated to anger, which made her such a good hunter.

But Calliope had never been the target of such anger, and if she wasn’t so worried about Juliette - she would have been sad at how their years strong friendship had turned out.

Then things change in an instance. 

“Worried about your missing girlfriend?”

Calliope is usually composed. Calm. Traits that make a good hunter, her father used to always comment proudly. 

She has a temper though, and certain things set her off. 

In that moment, Calliope forgets everything. She forgets years of friendship. Of the nights where they used to share everything. Their hopes, dreams and thoughts.

All she can see is Juliette. Lost, alone, scared. And she sees red.

“What do you know?” She yells to Tess. The Guild must be involved, there’s no way that she could know about Juliette.

Their friendship groups don’t even mix, so there was no way that Tess could hear about her disappearance through any school mates. 

Plus, the malice in her eyes. Tess knew something. Calliope could just tell.

“That monster is going to get what comes to her”

Then before Calliope can even blink, a figure flashes across the living room and straight for Tess.

She grabs her shoulders and slams the girl against the wall. “Oh you got it wrong” she purrs, anger in her voice. “You want a monster, this is a monster”

Her fangs hang out, and Calliope can only just stand there and watch. 

“Stay the hell away from me” Tess tries shoving at Elinor’s shoulders but she is no match for the vampire strength, especially with no silver or any protection.

Before things can escalate, Calliope grabs Elinor’s shoulder to get her attention. “She knows something about Juliette”

Elinor scoffs. “You think I don’t know that? Why else would I be here? Vampire hearing” she taps her ear mockingly. She turns back to Tess, ignoring Calliope as she trails a hand across the hunter’s jaw.

”Now you have one chance to tell me where my baby sister is” her hand trailed lower, squeezing around her neck. She leaned in, lips to Tess’ ear. “Or else I’ll tear out your throat”

Tess didn’t seem fazed though. “That monster will burn in hell” she spat.

Elinor nodded, calm and collected now. Then she refocuses on Calliope, her eyes unreadable. “Get back in the car”

She leaves no room for negotiation, the words said as a command. But Cal is as desperate to find Juliette as her big sister and meets Elinor’s stare with her own steely gaze.

”This is for your own sake” her fangs elongate and everything feels hazy. Calliope doesn’t remember deciding to walk back to the car, her legs moving instinctively. 

She doesn’t remember opening the car door, or stepping in and hitting on the child lock. The world feels blurry, as though she had taken something. Calliope feels dizzy, out of her body in an indescribable way.

The moment lasts several minutes until she finally snaps out of the haze when Elinor gets into the driver’s seat.

”What did you do to me?” She demands

Elinor doesn’t reply at first, that’s when Calliope takes a better look at the vampire.

Blood is smeared around her face. Her eyes are wilder. Much more so than usual. She seems crazed, energised beyond belief.

Calliope isn’t stupid. She realises what has happened, realises why Elinor looks so rejuvenated with blood dripping down her jaw.

The look is not too far from the expression she had seen on Juliette’s face. Firstly when she had protected them from Cooke. 

But also other times. Intimate times. Times where Calliope had let her feed. 

It was an interesting concept, feeding. It could be something so violent, like Elinor now - smirking proudly with her mouth coated in blood.

It wasn’t like that with Juliette. Not always. Not like this. Feeding was something they had finally worked up to. At first, Jules had sustained herself with a mixture of blood bags and pills.

Of course it hadn’t lasted long, and she crashed whilst at Cal’s house.  That’s how she found her girlfriend, laying pale with blood tracks down her cheeks. 

Feeding didn’t seem so daunting then, it was a means to an end. A way to protect Juliette, to help as much as possible from the painful symptoms of bloodlust.

Since then, Calliope paid rapt attention to the vampire’s symptoms. Even if she begun looking a bit pale, or complained of a headache - Cal would offer her wrist.

It was a system that worked, and also strengthened their bond even closer. Juliette had once confessed she felt closest to Calliope whilst feeding and immediately after, which was understandable - the moments were intimate. 

There was two sides to feeding. The pleasure yet necessity  of it, she had seen with Juliette. But there was also the power, and violence that Elinor was exhibiting. 

Calliope wasn’t stupid. She knew what went on, but something in her craved the details. “What happened? What did you do to me?” She demanded.

Elinor pats her cheek condescendingly, laughing as she bats it away. “You know what happened”

And she does. Maybe Cal needs Elinor to confirm it. She doesn’t get the answers she hoped for though. 

“The Guild have her”

This distracts her. Calliope can’t think of herself, or Tess. All that matters if finding Juliette. She nods, her throat feeling too rough to speak. 

That’s what they expected, it shouldn’t feel like a surprise. It was one of the only logical explanations. But hearing it confirmed makes her heart skip a beat. 

Because, as illogical as it may be, part of Calliope hoped that maybe it was just a rogue MAM or someone harmless, someone that Juliette would take.

But there must be a reason that the Guild had taken her, a big reason. The thought was worrying, and Calliope couldn’t let herself think too much into it. 

Instead she clipped on her seatbelt, swivelling in her chair to face Elinor. “Do you know where she is?”

”I don’t” she acknowledged. “But I know who might”

That wasn’t enough. Though it would have to do, for now. It was better than nothing. 

“Then what are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Calliope had no idea where they were actually going. It had been over an hour since they left Tess’ house, and they were still speeding down the roads.

Elinor had refused to tell her, focusing her attention on driving as quick as possible apparently. 

This made sense though, as it was almost morning - which would be a disaster to drive in. The roads would be busy with people for work and school, so Elinor was insistent on getting wherever they were going, as soon as possible. 

The buzz of her phone drew Calliope out of her thoughts and she sat up in her seat, answering it when the screen displayed ‘Mom’.

”Hey sweetheart, no luck here. We’ve been calling and looking” Talia sounded exhausted, she had been awake the whole night presumably

Just like Calliope and the Fairmounts (who were faring better, considering they didn’t actually need sleep to function). 

“Okay mom” She paused and tried to think of a way to word what she was about to reveal.

Tess being somehow part of this, wasn’t entirely a shock. Her hatred for monsters, specifically the Fairmounts was profound so Calliope wasn’t surprised she knew about Juliette’s disappearance.

It still hurt though, knowing that her former best friend was involved with the abduction of the girl she loved. But Cal couldn’t dwell on her emotions, she needed to keep a clear head to focus.

Talia had grown fond of Tess too, Calliope didn’t have many friends growing up - especially those who stuck around when she moved. 

Elinor didn’t say what she had done to Tess, if she was left alive or not. Calliope didn’t want to know. She didn’t know how to feel about it, to feel guilty or relieved. Or both.

”Tess knew” is what she manages to finally reveal. Her mom is silent on the phone, and for a moment Cal thinks that perhaps she didn’t hear her.

”Oh Cal”

She doesn’t elaborate, trusting that Talia knows what she means. The sympathy in her voice reassured that she does, so Calliope continues.

“The Guild are involved” she adds, and begins to explain how Elinor was leading them somewhere. 

“Stay safe, I’ll let you know if I hear anything else” 

They hang up, just as Elinor pulls into an abandoned car park. There’s a few cars around, but no people. The area is compeletely silent, and Calliope doesn’t like it one bit.

”This is sketchy” she tells Elinor as they get out of the car, not forgetting grab her dagger and stick it down the waistband of her shorts.

The action pangs at her chest, giving dejavu at the worst possible time. She needs to be on her game, as focused as ever - not lamenting on memories, thinking about another time.

But the motion of slipping the dagger down her shorts reminds Calliope of that night in the pantry, and the memories come flushing back so vividly.

How one night could change everything. Alter the entire trajectory of her life, her feelings and thoughts.

Things were so much simpler back then. More black and white. Calliope accepted the Guilds words. How monsters were bad, and humans were good.

Meeting Juliette changed everything. Not all ‘monsters’ were bad. And not all non humans were monsters. 

Killing her, had been an easy decision at the time. Calliope was so desperate for her first kill, a chance to prove herself finally to her family, that she hadn’t actually thought of the consequences.

The whole thing was poorly planned out, and she had succumbed to her desires in the pantry. Okay, Juliette had bit her first - but she was the one who had planned to kill.

As she begun to get lost in her head, Elinor grabbed her around the shoulders - giving them a rough shake. “Focus” she snapped.

Then she strode off, walking fast and with a purpose. Despite her training meaning she was in good physical shape, Calliope could barely keep up.

Elinor was moving so fast, almost a run. She led them across the car park, and down towards what seemed like an alleyway.

It was even more sketchy now, and Calliope briefly thought, what if it was a set up. 

Yes, she heard Tess admit to knowing about Juliette’s disappearance, but Elinor was alone with her in the end, so she could have said anything. 

She stops and Elinor doesn’t seem to notice as she heads down the alleyway. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Cal finally blurts out.

Elinor stops walking, turning around to face her. The look on her face is incredulous. She is irritated as she steps back into Calliope’s space.

”This could all be a trap!” Cal continues, gesturing around her to the dark, poorly lit streets. “How do I know that you are not just going to kill me”

Elinor moves like a predator stalking her prey. She looks angry, but not in a furious way. Her eyes scream fury, but she moves with a calm grace.

”If I wanted you dead, you would be” she starts, and Calliope glares at this. But she doesn’t seem angry at her, not really. Her eyes drop the shield and become softer, more vulnerable for a moment.

”If I kill you, or even hurt you - she would never forgive me” It shouldn’t feel sentimental, that she was only alive because of Juliette’s love.

Calliope knows the underlying meaning to Elinor’s words though. 

“We’ll find her” Elinor says, breaking the silence. Everyone had been saying that since Juliette had gone missing, her mom, Apollo, Ben. 

So it’s a shock to even Calliope when the only person she fully trusts, fully believes will help her bring Juliette home - is Elinor.

“I know” Calliope replies, and Elinor looks at her. Not just a brief glance, or passing look - she watches her intently. 

“She could be stuck with worse I guess” 

Then she walks off without looking back, not giving Calliope a chance to reply.

They walk down the long alley way, and there still seems to be no sign of any life. 

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Cal asks, looking around - surveying her surroundings. The alleyway is barely lit, and doesn’t seem like the kinda place where the Guild would stay.

Elinor laughs. “We aren’t trying to find the Guild’s base or whatever”. It was creepy, sometimes Cal wondered if Elinor actually read her mind. 

The thought almost made her shudder. She really hoped the vampire didn’t. Especially when Juliette was around. Some of the thoughts she had ... were not sister friendly.

”So Tess just told you where Juliette was? Just like that?” She was sceptical. Even with, whatever Elinor had done, Tess wasn’t the kind of person to spill all of the Guild’s secrets.

She had proven her loyalty to them when she ratted Calliope out, effectively severing their friendship, or at least fracturing it.

“I have my ways” 

Then Calliope remembered what Juliette had mentioned about her big sister, when discussing the vampiric powers. She knew Elinor could do some sort of mind control, but didn’t know if it stretched to actually reading minds.

”Couldn’t you have read her mind? Found out where Jules was, that way?”

Elinor hummed as they continued to make their way through the long, winding alleyway. “It’s not as fun that way” she retorts

They come to the end of the alleyway, to find nothing there. “Fuck” Calliope curses, looking around to see if she had missed anything.

Elinor crouched down, feeling around near the base of a wall. “What are you doing?” Cal asked

”What does it look like? Just come and help. Feel around for a lever of sorts” Elinor instructs. 

This is for Juliette, Calliope reminds herself to get past the annoyance of being bossed around by the eldest Fairmont sister. 

She joins Elinor, feeling around the wall blindly in the dark, which is a hard task especially running off zero sleep, adrenaline only.

”Aha!” Elinor grabs what Cal can only assume is the aforementioned lever and pulls it triumphantly.

She doesn’t know what to expect, half anticipating the floor giving out below them like one of the bad action movies Apollo and Theo make her watch.

That doesn’t happen, obviously not Calliope thinks to herself. Instead, Elinor walks over to a door near the wall which had been hidden with the shadows.

She gives it an experimental push and it swings open. “After you” she holds it open for Calliope with a flourish.

Cal isn’t sure what she expects walking in the door, part of her hopes this would be the easy bit - that Juliette would be laying there and they could just turn around and leave.

The logical part told her that was almost impossible. Whoever took Juliette wouldn’t just leave her unguarded, which meant they would have a fight on their hand.

Most of the weapons had been left at the Fairmont house. They were particularly aimed at fighting monsters, things like a silver stake wouldn’t have much of an impact on a human.

Calliope favoured their chances though. She had been training intensely for her entire life, perks of being born into a monster hunting family. 

And Elinor was a vampire of course. Not just any, she could be especially violent and cruel - so it wasn’t their fighting chance that she was worried about.

It was Juliette. Calliope didn’t know what state she might be in, if she was even there. She could be hurt bad, or even worse. 

What they found, was none of those things. The door let to a small room which was completely empty. Elinor growled, kicking at a nearby trash can as she lost all composure.

”What if it’s a trap?” Calliope tried to keep her voice low incase there was anyone nearby. 

“She didn’t exactly tell me to come here willingly” the implication behind the words made Calliope shiver involuntarily. 

They searched the room again, but no luck. Calliope pulled out her phone to see if her mom or the Fairmonts had any luck.

No service.

It was weird. They weren’t deep underground, sure they had gone down a few stairs whilst crossing though the alleyway.

But the lack of cell service didn’t make sense for a room that wasn’t far from the surface.  

She showed Elinor her phone. “No service. Weird right?” 

Before the vampire could reply, Calliope shook her head and made her way to the door. 

“I don’t trust it here. Something feels off”

Why would Tess tell them to go to this location? Calliope thought of two ideas. Either Juliette was here, somewhere - or someone who knew something was nearby.

It could also be a trap, despite Elinor’s insistence that there’s no way Tess would have told them a fake location or let them into a trap.

”She’s here” 

Calliope wasn’t sure why she was so adamant. It would have seemed more logical for Elinor to be sceptical, after all - she must have some sort of vampire senses.

”How do you know that for sure?”

Elinor is hiding something. Calliope is sure if it. Her eyes are darting around the room, like she expects someone or something to pop out at any moment.

”She wouldn’t tell me anything” Elinor begun. “So then i brought out the big guns” she flashes her fangs in explanation.

“But even then, she just wouldn’t give up” 

Elinor rolls up her jacket sleeve, and that’s when Calliope notices the wound. It’s not that big, only around the size of a coin. 

It’s bloody and raw, layered of the flesh meshed together. She winces at the sight of it, and Elinor prods the corner of it. 

“Apparently our dear Hunter friend carries a silver dagger. Very smart of her”

Calliope doesn’t explain that it’s a common thing for the Guild, almost verging on ritual. 

She also doesn’t mention how she has the exact same dagger, ironically enough part of a matching pair - a Christmas gift from Tess’ parents five years ago.

It must have been why Elinor had been so angry when she came out of the house, so especially violent. 

“She is here. I had to get the information out of her. She didn’t want to tell me” 

Calliope understands more now, why Elinor is certain that Juliette is here. She nods. “Okay”

Over the past few hours, Calliope has felt her relationship with Elinor shifting. She still doesn’t like the woman, finds her unnecessarily violent and cruel.

But one thing she admires is her dedication, her instinct to protect Juliette. It’s something they both have in common, a mutual shared goal which united them in this twisted mission of sorts.

Its the only reason why they would both be standing there, in a dark and abandoned building - in the middle of nowhere at five am on a Tuesday morning.

To find Juliette and get her back safe, they needed to work together Calliope realised, and as hesitant as she was to do that - all that mattered was finding Juliette.

They both search the room again, and as all hope seems to be lost, Calliope finds a particularly lose floorboard. “Come here, this is it” she calls to Elinor, and together they pry the wood up and throw it to the side.

”Good job, for a human” Elinor drawls, pulling up what seems to be a trapdoor.

It leads down what looks like a set of stairs, Calliope has to get her phone out and turn on the flashlight in an attempt to see what is actually there.

Even with the phone’s brightness, the staircase is dark. But it’s their only lead, their only chance in finding her girlfriend - so Calliope ignores all warning signs, and climbs down the staircase.

She stumbles almost immediately, losing her footing in the dark. Elinor grabs her arm, sharp nails digging into the skin.

“Be careful. Last thing we need is you tumbling down the stairs and snapping your neck. I don’t have the time or energy to drag out your body” she hisses into Cal’s ear.

She walks down more carefully after that, the lack of handrail making the steps more calculated. Elinor, as brash as she is, was right - an injury or even worse, could not be risked. 

Eventually they both make it to the bottom, faced with a set of wide, wooden double doors. “If we’ve been sent on a wild scavenger hunt...” Elinor trails off

Together, they push the doors open.

The room isn’t empty. But there isn’t any sign of Juliette. of anyone. 

On the floor in the corner, lays a discarded silver chain. What churns Calliope’s stomach is the thick blood staining the links.

She rushes over, and takes the chain into her hands. The blood is drying but fresh enough to tell it had come from someone recently.

What worries Calliope though, is the broken remains of a silver stake laying next to the chain. Her heart is racing faster than it ever had before as she examines it with shaking hands.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out what happened, and as much as she wants to hope for the best - Cal has always been a realist, not a dreamer, an idealist. 

Nearby, sits a small puddle of blood. “She was here” Elinor says, confirming Calliope’s fears.

The only thing that comforted her, was the amount of blood. 

There was enough to warrant an injury, but Calliope tried to not think about that - there wasn’t lots of it which should mean that Juliette must still be alive.

She didn’t want to think about Juliette hurt. In pain. All alone. Probably wondering where her family was. Where Cal was.

”She’s gone. They’ve moved her” Elinor continues, searching the room again for anything else. “Or..”

”Stop” Calliope interrupts. “Stop” she takes a deep, shaky breath and wobbles on her feet.

”They must want her to get to the rest of you. The other legacy vampires”

Elinor takes in her words, nodding. She still looks furious, the concern hidden for now behind all of the anger at who could have possibly hurt her little sister. 

“So she’s alive, they have to keep her alive”

They were back to square one though. Elinor recognises the scent of the blood, knowing it was Juliette’s. She had been there, in the room. Maybe even just hours before.

Calliope tried her best to ignore the rising feeling of guilt. If she would have acted sooner, thought quicker than maybe she could have protected Juliette, got to her before things were worse.

Elinor seems to notice her conflicting feelings. “We know it’s the Guild. Your family have their contact right? They can’t be far”

“We have to move fast” Calliope replies, wanting to leave the room as soon as possible. The sight of the blood, knowing Juliette had been in pain, was beginning to make her feel queasy. 

The lack of sleep was also beginning to catch up to her. They needed to go back home, and try and find Juliette soon. 

“Then let’s get out of this hell hole”

Chapter Text

Calliope feels a lot better back in the car. Her hands are  still shaking though at the thought of Juliette’s blood, and a drop must have transferred across from the chains.

She wipes it furiously, scrubbing her skin with a bottle of water from her backpack. 

“We need to go back to the house” Elinor starts the car. She is on edge, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel.

Together they had formulated a plan. Calliope couldn’t contact the Guild herself, it would seem too obvious. Likewise the Fairmonts, or even Apollo.

The only family member who still had a strong standing with the organisation was her father. Their relationship had grown rocky.

He didn’t trust Calliope. Not the same way he used to. They had always been close, but after everything - Jack never saw his daughter in the same light.

It was hard. At first Cal felt like she had to choose between her father and Juliette. He never liked the vampire, still saw her as a monster.

Things were tense. Most of the time they hung out was either outside, neutral locations or when Jack was out. 

Occasionally Calliope would sneak Juliette through her window.

Over time, it gradually improved. Jack still never liked Juliette though, not really. They had a distance between them that was different to her girlfriend’s relationship with the rest of the Burns family.

Jack was the only one who stayed fully committed to the Guild, approving of their treatment of ‘monsters’. 

So, he was their only choice.

As exhausted as she was, Calliope knew she didn’t have time to go home. 

Seeing the blood on the floor was a wake up call - it showed the severity of the situation, reminding her of how much danger Juliette was in.

Instead, she took out her phone and dialled her father’s number. 

It took a few rings before he finally picked up. 

“Calliope?”

He sounded tired, Cal noticed. And distracted. 

Being away for a mission would do that to you, and Jack had been throwing himself into monster hunting, spending longer out for raids than at home. 

But he answered the phone, and that was something.

“Cal?”

”Yeah sorry. Hi dad” Calliope is nervous to say the least.

This had been Elinor’s plan, and as much as she doesn’t agree with some of it, it’s the only solution - the only way to get Juliette back.

“How are you doing?”

Calliope cuts him off, unable to stick entirely to the plan. “Dad. Do you know if the Guild are planning something with the legacy vampires?”

Elinor lunges at her, reaching for the phone. Usually, she’d easily be able to over power her, using her vampire strength. But Calliope is determined as she wrenches away, pressing the phone closer to her ear. “Dad?”

This wasn’t the plan. Elinor didn’t trust Jack at all. Cal did though. Not as much as she did as a child, but she loved her father enough to hope that he would help. 

Jack is quiet and Calliope thinks that she may have made a mistake. There’s a reason why Elinor is the one who makes the plans, not her. Perhaps she had been right, this was not the way to go. 

“Come home Cal” he warns and her stomach lurches at the words. 

“They have Jules, dad” Calliope croaks out, her voice cracking. 

She used to think being strong meant being stoic, growing up as part of a family who prioritised hunting meant that Calliope wanted to be as strong as possible.   

In particular, she arrived to look stronger in front of her dad. She idolised him, and wanted him to be proud. All of this was gone now, the facade.

The events of the past day took its toll on Calliope, she tries to suppress the sob. 

“You’ll be in danger” He finally replies. Progress. Elinor perks up at the words, looking a lot less angry. 

“I can’t let anything happen to her”

Jack is thinking, Calliope can imagine him debating what to do. His distain for monsters. Trust for the Guild. Love for his family. 

He couldn’t have it all, Cal knew this. Her father knew it too. He must do. 

“I don’t know the specifics Cal. I don’t even know if it’s about her. All I know is the Guild have been planning something. Something big”

It must be Juliette. There is no other thing the Guild could be planning to that extent, they must be targeting the legacy vampires - specifically the Fairmonts. 

“Jojo mentioned something the other day, about a big plan. She didn’t give me any details but I would assume she knows what is happening to ...”

Jack trails away. Elinor snatches the phone from Calliope, switching the phone to mute.

”How do you know he’s telling the truth?” She demands

Its a valid point. Jack could be lying. He could be part of it, involved somehow. Calliope doesn’t want to think about this. Can’t think about it.

“Cal listen, I’m at home. Come talk about this at home okay? Before you do anything rash”

Then the call clicks off. 

Calliope doesn’t know what to do, what to think. She wants to believe her dad - wants to trust his word.

But a thought comes to mind, she imagines going home - finding the house surrounded by Guild. 

Elinor, as brash as she can be, is always honest. And she made a good point. 

How can they trust Jack? 

Even though he is her father, he still hates monsters - still dislikes the Fairmonts. Even dislikes is an understatement.

He tolerates Juliette, but Calliope knows that’s only because she wouldn’t give up her girlfriend - not for her dad, not for anybody. 

She had already tried that once with the severing. It didn’t work. Of course it didn’t. Their love had transcended beyond the link.

When Juliette first bit her, it had created the bond. But as Calliope begun to learn, they sustained the connection through their love. 

It wasn’t all down to fate and destiny. Cal liked to think she had a choice. It wasn’t easy, and came with its challenges but she chose to love Juliette. 

The situation was draining. Calliope had never felt so conflicted before. As a child, she had always trusted her father. But things were different. 

Maybe he was working with the Guild, maybe not. Cal was exhausted from all of this, her mind was swimming. 

“It’s not a trap” she attempts to tell the vampire, but Elinor looks unconvinced. “He wouldn’t hurt me. Not really. I trust him”

Calliope tries a different approach. She knows that Elinor doesn’t like her not really. But like and respect are two different things.

”You don’t like me” she states, and Elinor doesn’t deny it. “But you have to trust me. For Juliette”

Because at the end of the day, that was their common goal. To find Juliette. It wasn’t a matter of who was right or wrong. They needed to be able to trust each other. 

“Fine but if you’re wrong ...” Elinor flashes a dark grin, overall she gives in quicker than Calliope expected.

”I’ll drive over now, but you need to get some sleep. You won’t be any good to anyone sleep deprived”

Calliope doesn’t argue. She’s exhausted completely, and coming up to nine am, so she leans against the window and shut her eyes. 

The drive flies past quickly, and what feels like seconds later - Elinor is roughly shaking her shoulder, startling her awake.

Her eyes widen and she looks around on impulse. They have infact arrived, Elinor had parked the car two blocks away from the Burns house.

”Game time, little Hunter” 

They leave the car parked at the street and begin the walk. 

“It could be a trap so keep an eye out” she warns, Calliope nods, taking out a spear from her bag and gripping it tightly.

They walk over together, slowly at first - eyes darting around the streets. The roads are thankfully empty, which is a relief because the last thing they needed was to be spotted.

It didn’t seem like a trap. There were no cars on the drive except for her parents and Apollo’s.

Elinor goes in first, alert as usual. But there aren’t as Guild members waiting to attack. Instead, her parents sit in a heated debate at the dining table.

Calliope sinks into her mom’s embrace, head buried against her shoulder. They stand like that until Elinor coughs loudly. 

“So it’s not a trap. Excellent” she claps her hands together, in mock glee. 

”A trap?” 

Her mom looks confused. Calliope ignore’s her dad’s pointed look as she admits that they suspected a possible trap.

”You really think I’d put you in danger like that?”

Jack looks hurt, and it makes Cal feel even worse. But then she remembers her father’s hatred for vampires and grows angry.

”You could have been part of this whole mess! You work with the people who have tortured my girlfriend” 

“You work with them too Cal” Jack warns.

Calliope flinches hard. Because he’s right. Even after the entire mess that had happened, she still sometimes assisted the Guild. Never again though, clearly. 

She ignores Elinor, whose eyes watch her with laser precision focus. 

“Not the way that you do! You know that!” 

Jack sits down at the table, sighing. “I don’t like her. You know that” he admits 

Elinor looks all ready to tear his head clean from his shoulders. He shoots her a look too, mumbling something incoherent under his breath.

”I don’t want her to die though. That would destroy you”

Her dad was many things, a liar wasn’t one of them. When Cal looked into his eyes, she knew that he was telling the truth.

”We need to contact the Guild. Try and find out where they took her. I just got off the phone to Margot and she’s been searching everywhere. Obviously no luck” Talia adds

”They won’t just tell us where she is” Calliope replies. It would be wishful thinking. 

The Guild were meticulous, each mission had been planned and thought out so carefully. There was no way that they would slip up and reveal any information.

And Tess. She wasn’t directly part of whatever sick plan was happening, but she was involved too. 

What if the Guild found out that she was .... indisposed. Or whatever Elinor did to her. Cal didn’t want to know. She couldn’t afford to get distracted.

”She had been there, in this abandoned place” Calliope catches her parents up to speed.

Elinor took over, with a practised ease and candor when her voice stuttered and caught as she got to the part of finding the blood. 

They didn’t explain about Tess, not properly. Calliope saw the confliction in her mom’s eyes. As much as she had grown to dare say, like Juliette - she had been family friends with Tess’ parents for awhile so had a bond with the girl.

“I can ring the Guild, pretend I want in on the plan?” Jack suggested. He looked hesitant about the whole situation, but Talia was adamant on helping Juliette so he reluctantly went along with it.

Calliope can see the looks her mom sends him. 

”No, no that won’t work. They won’t buy it” Calliope wracked her mind to think of anything that would work. 

She checked her phone as she contemplated to see if there may be any updates. Ben was driving around seeing if he could find Juliette. 

It was unlikely, but Cal knew that her girlfriend would want her best friend as far away from the danger as possible. 

Although he was human like Calliope, he was definitely not trained nor skilled. He could barely throw a bunch, so as much as he wanted to find Juliette - it was safer to keep a distance.

Apollo had taken it hard too. He had become close to Juliette in a way that Callioe definitely didn’t expect. They were much closer than herself and any of Juliette’s siblings at least.

Her mom explained that he was also out looking, seeing if he could find any trace of the young vampire.

He sent a text, informing Calliope that so far, no luck. No sightings, so he was coming back home.

”We give them what they want” 

Ellinor smirked as all of the Burns turned to look. “What?” Calliope was confused, the vampire talking in riddles as always - never clear or upfront with what she meant.

”What do they want?”

She tutted loudly, then slowed her speech down as though speaking to a child. “They don’t want Jules. Not really. They went for her because she’s the smallest”

Somehow Cal knows that she isn’t referring to her sister’s size. Elinor was very protective of her ‘little’ sister.

They just have all still looked confused because Elinor sighs again - louder this time. “It’s like talking to a group of children”

”Whatever they have planned, it’s more than Juliette. They clearly want the rest of us. If they knew how to kill is, then Jules would be dead by now”

The weight of the words settled. Calliope knew in her gut that Elinor was right. The Guild must have a purpose for Juliette, a role significant enough that keeping her alive (as far as they were aware) was important.

She must be alive. Calliope wouldn’t even entertain the idea that she may not be. 

Elinor continued. “They need the rest of us. Clearly they’re obsessed with our family so it wouldn’t make any sense just to take her”

That was also true. Legacy vampires were a hot topic for the Guild. Calliope still remembers (as much as she tries to forget) the joy in everyone’s face when it was revealed that Juliette was a legacy.

The thought alone made her feel disgusted. Ashamed. How happy everyone had been at the concept of killing the legacy vampires.

How times had changed. Exactly what brought her family joy, is now what they were trying desperately to prevent from happening.

Both Calliope and Juliette didn’t know of any ways to kill a legacy vampire. It was something that was never actually discovered - but as much as she hoped it was impossible, realistically Cal knew there must be some way to do so. 

Her last words to Juliette before their first breakup flashed back. Promising to dedicate her life to finding a way to kill all legacy vampires.

How the tables turn. Now, Calliope thought with a bitter laugh - she would GIVE her entire life to stop anyone from finding a way to kill legacy vampires.

They had reconciled though.  And Calliope was going to get her back. She promised to protect Juliette, and had to honour that promise.

”So here’s the plan”

Elinor was good at plans. Calliope would give her that. She was remarkably calculated. 

”I’m going to turn myself in to the Guild”

Chapter Text

Two hours later, Calliope finds herself waiting. She hates waiting. She feels useless, waiting in the back of her parents car like a child.

They had driven to a “neutral location” Elinor had demanded, to avoid anyone seeing them

But it wasn’t as simple as Elinor just walking into the Guild and handing herself over - as much as she initially wanted to do so.

Calliope knew that would draw too much suspicion, make it obvious. They had to find another alternative way to turn Elinor into the Guild.

”So there are no places where the Guild meet?” She asked her parents, trying to think of any alternative ideas. “Anywhere we can take Elinor to?”

”Its not as simple as that” Jack shook his head. “The Guild change their meeting spot regularly. They don’t exactly trust me much after everything that happened”

The atmosphere was tense. At first, Jack was skeptical to let Elinor in their car - he didn’t like Juliette but his distain towards Elinor was stronger. 

She was everything that he hated, violence personified. It was Talia that talked him out of it, reminding him that their focus was to get Juliette back.

Calliope was surprised to the extent of which her parents were helping. It wasn’t even that long ago that they were the ones attacking the Fairmonts - engaged in the conflict.

Staying at the house wouldn’t work either, the neighbours would surely see the Guild collect Elinor and the last thing anyone needed was more drama.

But this was the only plan they had, and staying at the Burns house put a target on the house. So they had driven far away, whilst trying to sort out what to do. 

“You need to eat” Elinor shoved a cereal bar in Calliope’s direction, not taking no for an answer. 

She wasn’t hungry, but ate the bar nevertheless. It was important to keep energy levels up, before she collapsed. 

Calliope’s phone rung, startling her. Every time it rung, she hoped it might be Juliette, as illogical and irrational that may be. 

“Hey Cal”

It was Apollo. As much as Calliope loved her brother, she wasn’t in the mood to chat.

”Hey, have you heard anything?” She asks immediately, not skipping a beat. He sighs down the end of the phone, sympathetic. 

“Nothing Cal. I’ve just been down to see Theo - he hasn’t heard anything either”

She hadn’t expected anything - the Guild were smart, wherever they were holding Juliette, wouldn’t be anywhere public or easy to find.

It was still disappointing though, and concerning that no one could find her.

Then inspiration struck.

”Apollo, do you still keep in contact with the Guild?”

She gripped the phone tighter in anticipation, ignoring the questioning looks sent by both her parents and Elinor.

”Sometimes.. we aren’t on the best terms but it could be worse. Why you asking Cal?” Apollo seemed confused too, it was a random enough question. 

But a plan begun to formulate in Calliope’s mind.

It was well known by most people that Apollo still disliked Elinor. After everything that happened with Theo, things got worse between the two.

Most of the time, they could barely be in the same room. Elinor liked to wind him up, as she did with most people, annoying him to the point where Apollo would snap.

For that reason, they stayed as far apart as always. Their conflict could be utilised though, Calliope thought. 

“I’ve got an idea” she told her brother, and explained the plan.

It wasn’t foolproof but it was the best thing that they had. Apollo was going to ring the Guild, and explain how he found Elinor and weakened her with silver.

Then, if things went to plan - The Guild would and collect Elinor, leaving her hopefully in the same place to try and find Juliette.

This part of the plan wasn’t exactly structured, and Calliope wasn’t sure how Elinor would be able to find her sister - probably something to do with her mind reading abilities. 

That was something that the vampire had kept a secret from the Guild, the only reason that Calliope even knew about Elinor’s abilities was because Juliette had revealed it one day.

It was a powerful ability - so Calliope trusted Elinor. It seemed simple enough, for her to get caught then use the ability to find out where Juliette was.

It seemed more believable to everyone, that Apollo would give Elinor up. 

In reality, Calliope wouldn’t be totally shocked if her brother would. Apollo hated Elinor ever since the incident in the bathroom. 

At the same time, she knew he wouldn’t risk Juliette’s safety. Not only for Calliope’s sake, but he had grown closer to the vampire himself.

”I’m game” Apollo instantly replied, which was a relief to Cal, that someone else approved of the plan.

She had expected Apollo to agree though - he was a lover for crazy plans. He was also as desperate as Calliope to find Juliette. 

Elinor seemed unfazed when Cal explained the the plan, shrugging carelessly. “Sounds like a plan to me”.

“What if they realise that Apollo is in on the plan? That he’s part of it?” Talia questions.

Its a true point. There’s a chance that the Guild would see right through Apollo. Calliope just hopes they’ll take his word for it.

”Just send me your location and I’ll give them a call now then head to you guys” Apollo finally says.

She ends the call, and sinks back into the seat. Elinor is reapplying her lipstick, she doesn’t look concerned about what’s about the happen - and Cal admires her confidence.

”So what do we do now?” Jack grumbles, tapping the steering wheel impatiently. 

She was a lot like her father in that way, Cal hated waiting too. And now, it was just a waiting game, until Apollo arrived.

”We wait” Talia responded calmly. 

Whilst they waited, they went over the basics of the plan. Apollo would arrive then take Elinor and drop her off the a location, handing her to the Guild.

Elinor was insistent she would handle the rest, and return Juliette safely. Calliope didn’t know what she would do, unsure if she could just wait for Elinor to try and rescue Juliette by herself.

Time seemed to drag. Cal wanted to give the Fairmonts a call to let them know about the situation but Elinor refused, claiming it would just worry then even more.  

She tried to distract herself, thinking about all of the possible outcomes of the plan. 

Eventually, another car pulls into the lot and Calliope recognises the roar of the engine. 

She gets out the car and greets her brother, letting Apollo lift her into a big hug. It feels safe, the embrace - Cal forgets everything else for a second, comforted by her big brother.

They break apart too soon and return back to the Burns car. 

“Hey honey” Talia hugs her son, and Jack offers an awkward pat on the shoulder. Elinor glares his way, surprisingly not even saying a word.

”I thought it would be better to call them here, incase I say the wrong thing”

Apollo often spoke without thinking, a habit which wouldn’t be good in the situation.

They don’t leave it any longer to call. Juliette had already been gone for almost a day, so time was important.

Apollo rings their contact for the Guild - Jojo. Calliope doesn’t know if she is part of Juliette’s abduction. But she wouldn’t be able to turn down a captured Elinor. 

She doesn’t answer at first. Cal can feel her heart racing with anticipation. Every moment that goes past with no answer makes her feel even more worried.

”Apollo?”

“Hey! Hey!” Apollo replies too quickly, too enthusiastic. 

Calliope glares at him, and he holds his hands up in apology. 

“Look Jojo I didn’t know how to call” he begins the (heavily rehearsed) speech. “I just found her...”

He is freakishly good at this, Calliope thinks. She never knew her brother was so good at acting, but he is playing the role to almost perfection.

”Who did you find Apollo?” Jojo is curious. Cal knows the woman well enough to understand the intrigue in her voice.

So far, things were going to plan. 

“That vampire” Apollo shudders down the phone, and Calliope feels sick at the relief and giddiness in the women’s voice. 

“Which one?”

Apollo paused, as though for dramatic effect. “The legacy. Elinor”

He continues. “Look I know we should be living in harmony  with them, but they ruined my family Jojo. Those vampires, they need to be stopped. I had a chance and I took it. She needs to be kept off the streets”

Jojo is silent on the line, and Calliope wonders if they went too far with the act, if Apollo pushed things too much, went overboard with the - hating vampires - act.

It was worrying to think that not too long ago, it hadn’t been an act. They had actually felt such hatred towards vampires. How times changed. 

“You’ve done well Apollo” Jojo praised, and Calliope burned with anger at the words. 

She doesn’t know what she would do if she came into contact with the Guild again. All she knows for certain is that she’ll never work with them again. Never. 

“We pretend to live with them but they’re dangerous” Jojo continues and Calliope clenches her fist. Talia puts a hand on her shoulder “relax Cal” she whispers, voice low.

”You did the right thing” She continues and Apollo pretends to voice his agreement.

Elinor looks bored, picking at her nails in the backseat next to Calliope. She’s been unusually quiet, and behind her calm facade - Cal can see the worry in her eyes.

”I don’t know what to do with her...” Apollo trailed away, and Jojo is talking before he even finishes.

”Bring her to me. I’ll make sure she never hurts anyone again” 

Elinor can barely contain her snort at this, at Jojo talking like she would be able to take her down.

”Sure, okay”

Its what they hoped for. She hadn’t questioned Apollo and things were going well so far. Calliope just hoped she hadn’t realised it was a trap.

”I’ll text you the location” 

A brief pause. “You done well Apollo” she praised, and Cal cringes at the words. Before she can dwell on it anymore, the phone clicks off. 

Calliope releases a breath she didn’t realise that she held in. “Well I don’t think she’s my biggest fan” Elinor laughed, but no one responds to that and the atmosphere grows tense again. 

The phone dings, breaking the silence. Everyone rushes forward, Elinor snatching the phone out of Apollo’s grasp, ignoring his annoyed protests.

Calliope eats another cereal bar, chugging down a bottle of water from her backpack.  

She reads out the location. Not far from where they were located. But far away enough from town. 

“Now we split” Elinor got out of the car, turning to Calliope. “You. walk with me”

She doesn’t give a chance for a response, striding off across the car park. Calliope moves quickly, not wanting to waste a moment.

When they far enough away, Elinor stops. “I’ll bring her back” the words are a warning as much as a promise.

Calliope believes her. She never liked the older vampire, but in that moment - she trusts that Elinor will do everything she can to bring back Juliette.

”I know” she replies. “Give me a few hours. If I’m not back with her, that’s when you get involved”

Then she’s gone, back to the car and grabbing Apollo.

It was too risky to stay together, if Jojo saw the rest of the Burns she would start suspecting.

So it made more sense to split. Apollo was taking his car and driving Elinor to the location.

Whereas they would give some distance before turning up at the location. Calliope wanted to give the plan a chance before they stormed the location.

As much as she wanted to update the Fairmonts too, they would most likely turn up at the drop off point. That would alert Jojo and make the situation worse.

”Give it an hour then we’ll head over” Talia told Calliope, which made sense. 

More waiting.

Cal felt useless. She wanted to join Apollo and Elinor, to do her part and try to find her girlfriend. But she had to suppress these feelings. It wasn’t the right thing to do. 

They had to play the long game, to trust that Elinor would be able to utilise her abilities in order to locate Juliette. 

It was hard, to put the trust in someone else’s hands. Calliope was a very involved person.

She liked to do things herself, sort out her own problems. This was no different. Juliette was her girlfriend. She wanted to be the one to find her, to protect her.

”Elinor can take care of herself” Talia hugged Calliope into her shoulder, reassuring.

Logically, she knew her mom was right. If there was anyone who could hold their own against The Guild, Cal trusted it would be Elinor.

An hour creeps by, and Talia starts the car. Calliope checks her phone again. No texts. No calls.

if Elinor had any problems, she probably wouldn’t call her anyway, Cal thinks. She would handle it herself.

The drive was uncomfortable. The stress of the past day was finally beginning to catch up with Calliope. So she gulps back another bottle of water.

Her parents are unusually quiet as they follow the sat nav to the location. “What if it’s a trap?” She asks.

”We wait and hear from Elinor. If it’s no luck then we go in. Juliette should be there” Jack states, matter of fact. 

It’s not enough to fully reassure her, but it’s the best she will get so Calliope takes it - sitting back in her seat.

Her phone rings again and Cal answers it straight away, without even checking who is calling.

”I think they brought it” Apollo. “She took her into this kinda abandoned building thing. Super sketchy sis. I think they’re keeping Juliette there. It seems like the sort of place they’d take someone”

Calliope is beyond relieved to hear her brother’s voice. “Good. That’s good” 

She relays Apollo’s message to her parents who look as equally relieved that nothing had gone wrong yet. 

“I’ll meet you where we agreed” Apollo adds and hangs up. 

It takes awhile, but a few hours pass and the Burns car finally stops. They don’t want to make it obvious, so park nearby.

Apollo gets out of his car, parked inconspicuously behind a dumpster. “Hey” he tightens Calliope into another hug, briefer this time, patting her back solidly before embracing their mom next.

”All went well?” Jack asks, Apollo nods. “All fine. She took Elinor and seemed pretty relieved to have ‘another legacy’ weird wording, right?”

That was weird wording. It implied they already had Juliette which, as worrying as it was, showed that at least they had an idea where to find her.

Its disconcerting, realising she is so close to where Juliette might be kept. It’s against all of her instincts, to stay waiting patiently whilst Juliette is hurt.

They needed to stick to the plan though. 

Another hour passes and Calliope grows restless. “Maybe we should go in there? It just feels useless waiting her” she snaps.

”Cool it” Jack sends her a look. “We can’t go in, Cal. That would be putting them both in danger” 

Her mom, the voice of reason as always.

”Maybe we could...”

They all spring from their seats as a figure emerges from the building. Calliope squints.

It’s unmistakably Elinor, hunched back. Then she looks properly. Elinor is moving, walking further away from the building. 

Then she stops. And drops to the ground. She’s cradling someone or something. So Calliope looks again, looks closer.

And everything stops. Nothing else matters.

Calliope swings the car door open, ignoring her parents demands to stay inside and be careful, she sprints as fast as possible - but it doesn’t feel quick enough.

Her lungs burn. She moves faster. And faster.

Because what Elinor is cradling against her chest, is Juliette. Covered in blood and unconscious. 

Chapter Text

Calliope reaches the pair in what seems like record time. She has always liked running. At first it became part of training, and later - a tool to clear her head. 

Jogs around the neighbourhood, sprinting laps of the woods. It was a way to forget everything. To focus on the pump of blood around her body instead of the thoughts clouding her mind.  

It came in handy at that moment, and she nearly tumbled over Elinor in anticipation. 

“Is she okay? Is she hurt?”

Even as a hunter, Calliope wasn’t a big fan of blood. She could deal with it in small amounts, barely. 

This was different though. Knowing that it was Juliette’s blood. There wasn’t just a bit of blood either. It was everywhere.

Calliope scanned her from head to toe, trying to assess the severity of the wounds. But it was hard to tell. The blood seemed to be everywhere.

The wounds were bad too. She couldn’t even entertain the idea that it might not be Juliette’s blood. As much as she hoped it was the blood of the Guild, the open wounds scattered around her body showed what she was afraid of.

Her head seemed to take the brunt of the trauma. A large gash visible across her forehead. It took all of Cal’s self control and logic not to touch it, she felt herself tremble. 

It wasn’t hard to work out some of the injuries. Large burn marks covered her arms and Calliope flinched at the sight of them. Silver. 

The skin was an angry red, blistered in a way that only pure silver could do. She briefly remembered the chains they had found and wondered if that might have caused it.

The superficial wounds looked bad. Very bad. They were most likely the cause for all of the blood too.

Calliope had killed her fair share of monsters over her years as a hunter. She had seen blood. Lots of it. Nothing seemed to compare to this, though.

The concrete of the road was a deep red, the boood almost staining it completely. There was so much of it, too much of it.

Elinor had her hands pressed to the back of Juliette’s head, where Cal assumed another wound was. This is where most of the blood was coming from, staining her hands a deep crimson.

Then her eyes flitted down, and Calliope saw what seemed like the remains of a stake protruding out of Juliette’s chest.

Out of all of the injuries, this hit her the hardest. It was like a sick joke, a twisted game of dejavu. The last time she had seen a stake sticking from Juliette like that, was when she was the one to do so. 

This looked like more than just a regular stake, just below the base of the handle, a small part stuck out and Calliope’s stomach turned when she recognised the silver.

Not just any stake, a silver stake. It wasn’t enough to kill a legacy vampire as far as she was aware - but she remembered the pain that the regular stake had caused.

Judging by the blood heavily pumping from the wound, it had did some heavy damage despite not being fatal.

Calliope tried to keep a tally, a list of the injuries in her head. Assessing the severity of each one. Some of the burns seemed to be painful, but not lasting. 

It was the head wound and the stake sticking from Jules’ chest which worried her most. 

Vampires weren’t as pale as the stories had said. True, Cal saw how sickly Juliette looked whilst in the deep throes of bloodlust - her skin a lighter shade than usual.

But in general, it was a myth. A story. Vampires weren’t porcelain white. Their skin was a lot more subtle than these stories had explained.

Now Juliette was as white as a sheet. Her skin almost looked translucent, barely visible under the puddles of blood flowing from the wounds.

As quick as it seemed to dry, more blood came from the cuts and various burns that seemed to cover Juliette’s entire body.

Calliope felt helpless. She felt utterly useless. It was one of the only times that being a human worked against her, a weakness. 

It made things worse, because she wanted to push Elinor aside and take her girlfriend into her arms - but even in the worried state, she remembered how Juliette’s blood was paralysing for humans.

“We need to get her out of here. it’s not over, they’re coming” Elinor replied, her voice shaky and unstable. She looked the least composed that Calliope had ever seen.

”I can’t touch her” Cal replied frantically. Then she tried to take a deep breath and control her thoughts. 

Elinor wasn’t looking good either, she noticed. She had a few wounds, mainly burns that Calliope assumed were because of silver.

Her wrists were red raw, the skin almost completely burnt off. Although she didn’t look in such a bad state as Juliette - she didn’t look able to carry her sister to the car.

”Come on let’s go!” Talia urges, who had got out of the car and appeared by her side. 

“No mom” she grabs her arm quickly as Talia reaches to grab Juliette from Elinor’s grasp.

Not everyone was aware that legacy blood was paralytic to humans. Calliope didn’t even know if that was a general trait for legacies or just a Juliette thing.

She didn’t even know if it was paralytic for certain people or applied to all humans - but didn’t want to take any chances.

”Her blood paralyses” 

Her mom nods quickly, understanding as she retracts her hand. “Okay. Okay” shes good in tough situations, Calliope admired that about her. 

As a child, when things used to go wrong - Cal always went to her mom. She knew how to solve problems, or at least formulate the best plan to try. 

“Elinor if Jack brings the car closer, can you lift her in?” She turned to the vampire.

Through a grimace, Elinor nodded and shifted to a standing position, arms cradling Juliette in a lose grip against her chest.

She groaned at the weight but didn’t protest and begun to drag them both towards the car. 

Calliope moved quickly, flinging open the back seat and clearing it of any mess. It was thankfully a big car, with enough room to slide herself into the backseat, with some distance to avoid coming into contact with any blood.  

It was a hard task, manoeuvring the pair into the car. Calliope couldn’t help, much to her frustration. The blood has covered Juliette’s body entirely, there wasn’t a part she could touch without touching blood. 

Elinor managed to push Juliette into the backseat, climbing in next to her. She was quiet, oddly quiet. Cal had never heard Elinor so quiet.

Juliette had often complained how loud her sister was. Always making comments, usually brash and unnecessarily rude.

The silence was disconcerting. It reminded Calliope how dire the situation was. They had Juliette back, but the whole nightmare was far from over.

She hasn’t moved once. Her eyes still shut and body rigid. If it wasn’t for the slow move of her chest with slight breaths, Calliope would question if she was actually still alive.

It was reassuring to watch. To see her chest move with breaths. Juliette was alive, clinging onto life despite whatever had happened.

”I’ve managed to subdue them but not for long. Hurry up before they catch up with us” Elinor barked at Jack who obliged.

Calliope slipped into the car, pushing herself as close as possible to the door. Elinor sat almost as a barrier, stopping the heavy flow of blood from transferring across.

Her own wounds were less severe and had mostly healed from what Cal could see. There was less blood on the older vampire which made it safer to sit close.

What was worrying, is that none of Juliette’s wounds were healing. Calliope pushed that thought to the back of her mind, and smoothed a hand across her girlfriend’s hair, the only part that wasn’t smeared with blood.

It was gesture more to calm herself, to remember that at least Juliette is alive and safe back with her family, with the people that love her.

”Where are we going?” Jack asks, pulling away from the building and screeching the car down the road.

They all think for a moment. It would be too obvious to go back to the Fairmont house, it’s one of the first places that the Guild would suspect.

Their house was out of the question too. The Guild would most likely realise that she would be keeping the vampires there, Calliope thought.

It didn’t leave many options. A public place was also a no go - because of witnesses. They needed somewhere private, to lay low and assess the severity of Juliette’s injuries.

”I have a safe house” Elinor proclaimed after the beat of silence, and Calliope released a sigh of relief. 

That’s exactly what they needed. Somewhere where the Guild hopefully wouldn't find them. 

But they would come looking. Calliope wasn’t naive enough to think this was over. Whatever they had done to Juliette, there was a reason. 

The Guild hated vampires, she knew that much. Even so, it was unlikely to go through all of that trouble just to to torture one. There had to be a hidden agenda. 

Elinor relayed the location, and Cal sent Apollo a quick text informing him of what was happening. He had brought his car so was driving separately.

Logistically, it would make sense for Calliope to have joined him. But she couldn’t leave Juliette. Wouldn’t. Not even for a second.

The safe house was just under an hour away. It seemed too long. She didn’t know how to last that amount of time. Not with Juliette laying unconscious in a puddle of her own blood.

The smell of it was thick in the air, Jack had to open all of the car windows. It hit Calliope in the back of her throat, choking her.

Even the seats were stained a deep red. It wouldn’t come out. They would need a new car, she thinks.

As they drove, Cal turned her attention back to Juliette. She wanted to question Elinor as to what actually happened, but it was more important to see how injured her girlfriend was.

”There was lots of silver”

Elinor didn’t elaborate. She didn’t need to. Calliope understood. The burns clearly showed this, littering all across Juliette’s body.

Her eyes caught a small burn mark, angry red at the corner of Juliette’s mouth. It didn’t look entirely painful, just red with irritated skin. 

It angered Calliope beyond words. How cruel they must have been. It wasn’t just a standard Guild torture. They enjoyed this. 

She shuddered at the thought and distracted herself by checking on the progress of the thin, stripy wounds down Juliette’s left arm. 

They weren’t healing. And Elinor had soaked her jacket from attempting to staunch the blood. It was caked in it, Cal couldn’t even look.

She was antsy on the car drive, her emotions heightened. Talia had taken the task of ringing the Fairmonts. 

Calliope was too anxious to even utter a word. She also didn’t want to be the one to say how bad of a condition their daughter was. 

“It’ll be okay” she promised Juliette, squeezing her hand where Elinor had managed to clean some blood away with a spare bottle of water.

They would definitely need a new car. It looked like someone had been slaughtered. Calliope had never seen so much blood closed into such a tiny space before.

Elinor pulled out a bag she had stashed in the car, and sighed in relief. She produced a blood bag, gulping it back without a second thought.

”Not as good as the real thing but it’ll do” she grumbled, attacking the next one with a frenzied vigour.

”Does she need blood? Would it help?” Jack asked from the front seat, and Elinor scoffed clearly coming back to herself.

”She can’t even open her eyes let alone swallow”

Calliope flinches at the words, reminded of how badly hurt Juliette actually is. Blood would help, she knew that. It would speed up the healing process. 

Elinor was right though. Juliette was still unconscious, and they didn’t know how seriously injured she might be.

”Your parents are on their way. They’ll know how to help” Talia tried to be confident, but Elinor didn’t look convinced. She looked defeated, and concerned.

Eventually they arrived at the house. It wasn’t what Calliope expected, knowing Elinor’s extravagant taste.

It was hidden well, somewhere in the woods deep between the trees. It was a wooden cabin of sorts, with a rustic vibe. 

Elinor shrugged when Calliope sent her a look. “What? I didn’t want to buy an obviously house! I needed the element of surprise”

Another engine roared behind them, and everyone sunk in relief when Jack confirmed it was definitely Apollo.

Elinor handed Talia the keys, taking Juliette into her arms once again. She was stronger this time, clearly rejuvenated by the blood.

The first port of coal was washing away any visible blood from her body. It would be easier for Calliope, who was as stressed as possible not being able to touch her girlfriend.

This wasn’t an easy task considering most of the wounds were open and the flow of blood was considerably heavy. 

Elinor finally returned with Juliette to the largest bedroom and set her on the bed. “We’ll need a doctor. Specifically legacy doctor. Someone who can touch her blood without anything happening”

She looked so small. Curled on the bed. Even with as much of the blood cleaned away as possible, Juliette looked in bad condition.

Most of the superficial injuries were easier to see now. They mainly consisted of various burns from silver presumably, cuts and slices.

One of her arms was bent at an awkward angle; something that worried Calliope when she first saw it until Elinor explained how that would be easily healed when she woke up.

If she woke up.

Cal didn’t want to even think about it, but the amount of injuries wasn’t good. There was no movement either. No progress.

Nothing was healing. If anything, some injuries looked to be getting worse. The gash on her forehead was still flowing with blood, heavier and faster now.

Elinor had pressed a thick bandage against the cut. Which worked - momentarily. It wasn’t long before the material was soaked and she had to replace it.

Calliope didn’t leave her side. Not for a moment. They didn’t know what to do with the stake. Like most things, it would cause more damage if pulled out.

It felt wrong. To leave such a bulky weapon trapped inside of her chest. Cal wanted nothing more than to rip it out, to throw it aside and hold Juliette as tight as possible.

She couldn’t do that though. All she could do, is watch her. Check the bandages and wounds for any sign of healing. Or, of deterioration. 

“Any difference?” Elinor emerged from the bathroom where she had quickly showered to get rid of the blood staining her skin.

Calliope shook her head, her eyes not leaving Juliette. She watched her chest. Up. Down. Up down. It was the only comfort she could find, the only reassurance that her girlfriend was alive.

She could vaguely hear her parents talking. Mentioning how they would have to eventually track down the Guild - find out what it is they wanted with the Fairmonts, to stop it.

But that was the last thing on Calliope’s mind. She tuned their voices out, and checked Juliette’s bandages again. 

They were running out. Fast. Apollo had done a supply run earlier, returning with a variety of medical supplies and bottles of water. 

Even that was not enough. Juliette was soaking through the bandages, the blood seeping onto the bed sheet below. 

Calliope felt useless. This was a task she couldn’t assist with. It was the only time she ever felt inferior was a human. She felt weak, unable to help Juliette.

Instead Elinor was the only one who could help, lifting Jules on her side to add a clean towel underneath her body.

She was losing too much blood to be able to change the sheets regular. Elinor would change them, but it wouldn’t take long before they would be soaked with blood again.

This seemed even worse than Cal had expected. She knew that Juliette would be hurt. That was evident when they found the silver chains covered in blood.

The helplessness she felt was something unlike anything else. It hurt enough to see her girlfriend in so much pain, but having to limit her physical touch was a new type of pain.

Calliope hoped that the doctor, a family friend of the Fairmonts would be able to help.

Now, it was just a waiting game.

Chapter Text

Juliette doesn’t improve over the next two hours. Calliope rings the Fairmonts and rings again. It becomes a routine, methodical in the way that she alternates between checking on Jules’, and dialling Margot’s number. 

She even tries Sebastian, whose number she only has for emergencies. Juliette had explained he never often used his mobile, so Cal didn’t expect a response. 

Neither answer the phone, which leads her down a spiral of thoughts she doesn’t even want to entertain. 

“Cal, stop” her mom appears, prying the phone from her grip with a practised force. She slides it in her pocket before Calliope can argue, not like she has the energy to, anyway.

“She’s not getting better. Why isn’t she getting better?” 

Talia didn’t respond, she didn’t know why. No one did. One of the perks of being a vampire was rapid healing. It was one of the only things Calliope envied, how quick a legacy could recover from an injury. 

Elinor returned from the living room, where she was laden with more bandages and a small kitchen knife. 

“She needs blood”

It was something they didn’t want to mess with at first. Even Elinor admitted that she didn’t know the extent of her sister’s injuries.

Her throat was covered in bruises. Some looked vaguely like a hand mark which angered Calliope more than anything - at how the Guild thought they had the right to hurt her girlfriend.

There was a chance that her throat might have been damaged, and their first priority had been getting her to safety, then cleaning away the growing pools of blood. 

“We can’t just wait” Elinor continued, she was moving with more confidence now and seemed less panicked about the whole situation. 

Calliope didn’t feel the same. She was relieved that Juliette was back and alive, but there was no sign of healing nor improvement which worried her.

Blood did help heal. It energised vampires, especially legacies. One time, Juliette had explained the whole concept of feeding, and the impact it had on a vampire.

A while ago, that sort of conversation would disgust her. The thought of some monster consuming human blood had repulsed Calliope.

Meeting and falling for Jules had changed her perception. Feeding was a necessity, she knew that much. It was something that, when gone too long without, caused vampires immense pain and discomfort. 

There was also the pleasure side to feeding. This wasn’t something Juliette partook in, at the early stages of their reconciled relationship.

At the moment, all Calliope could think about was the healing aspect to feeding - how it boosted a vampire’s health and feelings.

She doesn’t hesitate, snatching the knife from Elinor before anyone could protest. 

The slice of the blade against her wrist was sharp and any other time - Calliope might have winced at the pain. Now, the adrenaline blocks it out, all she can focus on is Juliette’s pain.

The wound throbs though. Crimson drops spill from the open cut and she vaguely hears Elinor moan. She ignores the older vampire, crouching to Juliette’s level.

Two hours later, the blood is beginning to dry. The wounds aren’t as heavy flowing as they were earlier, but a good portion of Juliette’s body is still caked in blood.

Calliope redirects her attention to Elinor, who is panting with dark eyes as she looks anywhere but the blood dripping from the cut. 

“Help me sit her up” she demands, trying to move quick before any of the blood spills. 

Elinor blinks quick at her words, but straightens up - snapping out of whatever trance she was in, at the sight of the fresh human blood.

She slides behind Juliette, dragging her into a slight crouch and propping their bodies close together.

Her head lolls to the side, barely supported by Elinor’s body weight. She looks so small and fragile, tucked against her big sister. 

Calliope carefully tilts Juliette’s head closer, trying to avoid  the blood steadily running from a laceration on her cheek. 

When she’s upright, Cal doesn’t hesitate and presses her bleeding wrist to the vampire’s lips. 

Nothing happens at first. Calliope longs to feel the sharp indent of fangs, the heavy pressure of drinking or any signal that her blood is helping.

She pulls her wrist away and Elinor helps, closing Juliette’s jaw with her finger, trying to avoid the blood collecting at the corner of her mouth.

“Drink, you stubborn baby” Elinor brushes a strand of Juliette’s hair away from her forehead, tilting her head back effectively forcing the blood down her throat.

Calliope hopes it does the trick. Even though she isn’t able to consciously swallow - the blood seems to have gone down properly as none spills. 

Usually, vampire venom was enough to seal the wounds caused by a bite. When she fed, Juliette would easily lick the marks created by her fangs, and that would close them shut.

This couldn’t happen now, as Juliette was still unconscious.

Calliope wrapped a thick layer of gauze around her wrist, wincing as she tightened a bandage on top. The sting was nothing compared to what Jules must be feeling though.

”How long until we see any changes?”

Elinor contemplated her response. “Minutes? Hours? It depends vampire to vampire”

That was reassuring. Hopefully the blood would do it’s job and even begin to help Juliette.

Apollo and their parents had regrouped in the living room, trying to plan where the Guild might be - and what they wanted with Juliette.

Elinor eased her sister back down, tucking a blanket around her shoulder. Calliope watched her, with a pang in her chest at the softness of the moment. 

From what Juliette told her, Elinor was far from the perfect sister. They argued, and she could be malicious, Cal saw that first hand.

But moments like this reminded her how much she loved her baby sister. Elinor was gentle in a way that she was with no one else.

”The doctor will know how to help her”

Elinor was confident, assured. It should relax Calliope, but she finds herself as worried as ever. 

“What if they can’t? What if they found a way to hurt her, worse this time”

The work of the Guild was ever evolving. They were becoming more violent, more calculated. By this point, hunting monsters became a hobby - a sport.

Now, the thought of it made Calliope feel sick. Looking at Juliette worsened this feeling, at how anyone could hurt her girlfriend who did nothing wrong. 

Elinor doesn’t reply and the silence is oddly welcoming. 

Another hour passes. 

There’s still no sign of the Fairmonts, which is becoming an increasing concern. Elinor however, is still adamant that they will be there, apparently the safe house is a long drive from their home. 

Calliope goes to check on Juliette again, leaving her family to continue their theories and strategise on how to attack back against the Guild.

She was relieved to see her parents care, for them to take her side. Realistically, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Jack turned his back on her relationship.

He never liked vampires, so it was a surprise to see him so determined to help.

They liked to move quick, to sort problems out with little time to think over things. Hunting had always been like that in the Burns household - act first, think later.

Now that they found Juliette, their next port of call was to find the Guild - to work out what it is they wanted with the youngest legacy.

Calliope didn’t always feel like this. Sometimes she wanted to slow down. To think things properly through, and consider what might happen.

She knew the Guild must be stopped. It wasn’t the last they were going to see of the organisation, and likely not the last time that their joint families would be in danger.

But Carl’s priority wasn’t revenge. Perhaps it may have been, a year or two ago. But now, love changed her. 

At her core, she was still the same person. Love made her see the world in a different place.

Violence and hunting had been an integral part of her life even from a young age. This hadn’t changed.

Falling for Juliette made Calliope see the beauty in loving another person. She was an independent person, not really focused on forming bonds when moving schools so frequently.

Now, Cal thought she would do anything to ensure that Juliette is safe and well. She didn’t want to draw up plans with her family. All she wanted - was to make sure her girlfriend was safe and healing.

Thankfully, the blood seemed to do the trick. Juliette still didn’t look well. Her skin was a sickly white, as before. But the wounds look less severe.

The cuts are visible, but not as deep. The swelling around her rib cage seemed to have gone down too, which was a relief as Calliope had been particularly concerned when Elinor brought up the possibility of internal bleeding.

The burns were fading too. From an angry, raw red to a lighter, pink. They looked painful though, and some would most likely scar. 

Cal traced shapes on Juliette’s palm. An action to calm them both. The skin was mostly unmarked, with the arms taken the brunt of the aggression.

The cuts there, looked some of the worse. Even with the blood helping, they looked deep and painful. Calliope wondered if vampires could get infections, and cleaned the area as carefully as possible with a damp towel.

Elinor had left briefly to run a lap of the house, looking out for any potential danger. With her family in the living room, Cal briefly noticed that she was finally alone with Juliette.

Her scientific and medical knowledge was very limited. English was a much more enjoyable subject than biology.

Calliope didn’t know if Juliette could hear her from the throes of unconsciousness. Regardless, she spoke anyway.

”You’ll be okay” 

The words seem empty, a promise that she can’t guarantee. Especially because the Guild are so wild and unpredictable. 

They could be many reasons that they want the legacy vampires. There might be a way to kill them, that is out of Calliope’s control.

So she readjusts her words. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect you”.

Its a threat to the Guild as much as it’s a promise. It’s one that she intends to keep, to honour with everything and anything possible.

She squeezes Juliette’s hand tight, more to reassure herself than anything. 

The voices of her parents and Apollo travel through the thin walls, and she hears them discuss the possibility of the Guild finding the safe house.

”It’s only a matter of time! They could have chipped her or anything!”

Apollo is loud. He always is. His voice travels far. He doesn’t address Elinor by name, but everyone seems to know who he means.

”We can’t move again. Juliette needs to heal” her mom argues back.

They go back and forth, with Jack occasionally chipping in. He’s oddly quiet, usually eager to speak up and share his thoughts when strategising a plan.

Calliope tunes their voices out after awhile, replacing Juliette’s bandages with practised ease.

Its easier now. The blood must have sped up the healing for most wounds, as the bandages are in a lot better condition when she peels them away, than they were earlier.

The blood is drying quicker too, sticking to Juliette’s skin. Calliope wants to clean the wounds, but knows it’s not wise to make any contact with the blood - fresh or dry.

Replacing the bandages is a much easier task when Juliette isn’t bleeding as profusely as she was when they initially rescued her. They don’t stick to the skin as much. 

Cal tries to keep herself busy. She doesn’t want to leave her girlfriend to join her family in the living room. Elinor is still gone, checking the woods around the house. 

The sound of tyres screeching against the gravel driveway cause the Burns to spring into action. Apollo is on his feet, spear in arms and hidden behind the front door before Calliope can blink. 

Her parents abandon their pages of notes, weapons drawn and ready. 

Cal is conflicted. The last thing she wants to do is leave Juliette, but she just promised to do anything to protect her - so she grabs her dagger and goes to the living room.

They move as a family wordlessly. Apollo takes centre position, waiting behind the door. Calliope joins him, pressed back to back - ready to fight.

Her parents stand in the doorway between the living room and bedroom, faces dark with anticipation.

Its effortless, the way that they plan, prepare and fight as a family. 

Though someone is missing, and Theo’s lack of presence is undeniable. 

After everything that happened, he maintained a steady distance from the family. His relationship with Jack had been hit the hardest, who didn’t accept him properly as his son after being turned.

They still hadn’t reunited as a family together, things still tense.

Cal missed her big brother. She missed how they’d fight as a family. How they knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

He spent most of his time away, rarely seeing the Burns. Calliope had spoke to her brother and things were awkwardly okay.

They could be better. They could be worse.

Theo didn’t visit, not often. Despite how things were resolved, things couldn’t change. Their relationships were never going to be the same.

Fighting alongside her parents and brother was common to Calliope. Hunting was a big part of her childhood.  

Although they hadn’t hunted as a family together in awhile. The instincts were still there though, evident as the Burns moved as a cohesive unit.

Before anyone could act though, the front doors swings open. Apollo moves first, ready to hit out. When he spots whoever has come in the house, he stops - spear coming to a stop midair.

He’s quiet. Unusually quiet. Apollo is a lot of things, but Cal would not use quiet to describe him. Never, until now.

She moves from behind her brother, and almost drops her dagger in relief.

It isn’t the Guild standing at the door like they had expected. There wouldn’t be a big showdown, not now, not yet.

But it isn’t the Fairmonts either, still no sign of Margot, Sebastian and the doctor who Elinor had promised would be able to help Juliette. 

In the living room stands Oliver. His eyes are flushed with a fury unlike anything that Calliope had ever seen from the vampire. 

But he’s not alone, a larger figure joins him, stepping over the threshold to the house.

Calliope doesn’t see who it is at first, too distracted by the anger in the legacy vampire’s eyes. It’s dark. Cold. 

Then her mom gasps.

”Theo?”

Chapter Text

Theo doesn’t reply, and Oliver moves first, crossing the living room with haste. 

“Where’s Juliette?”

He sounds calm enough, ignoring the weapons pointed his way. His eyes dart around the living room expectingly.

Cal puts down the dagger, relieved it isn’t the Guild standing in the living room. 

But as much as she hates them for hurting Juliette, the last thing on her mind is fighting. Her focus instead, is getting Jules conscious and healthy.

She gestures to the bedroom and leads Oliver there wordlessly. 

His expression breaks at the sight of Juliette, small and wrapped in bandages.

The giant bed dwarfs her, and the bandages emphasise how vulnerable she actually is, regardless of being a legacy vampire.

“Oh Jules” Oliver murmurs, sitting on the edge of the bed. Theo stands awkwardly at the door, and Calliope catches his eye.

”Hey sis” he smiles.

After everything that happened, he’s still her big brother. So Calliope almost runs across the room, collapsing into his arms.

“It’ll be okay” he soothes, hand rubbing against her back in firm circles.

She missed this, the closeness. Growing up, Calliope had always been close to her two big brothers. Theo especially, they had a tight bond.

Everything had changed though, and she hadn’t felt this close to him in months.

He holds her tighter for another moment, patting her back again before releasing his tight grip.

Turning back, Calliope sees Oliver crouched over Juliette talking in a low, soft voice. 

It is close and intimate -  and she feels guilty for intruding so ushers Theo back into the living room to give the vampire a moment alone with his sister.

Their relationship too was strange, from what Juliette had told her. Like Elinor, Oliver had always pushed the narrative that he wanted to protect her.

He didn’t always go the right way about it, and like Elinor - didn’t deny his vampirism in the same way that Juliette initially did.

They spoke occasionally and met up less frequently but Cal knew that Juliette did love her brother. He clearly felt the same judging by the tenderness she just saw.

Talia was hugging Theo when she returned to the living room and Elinor had finally returned.

She didn’t look happy at the mention of Oliver, fangs baring involuntarily. Things were always tense between them, according to Juliette.

They had a mutual distain, a sibling bond broken since children - she had once explained. 

But it didn’t matter now, family was more important. Although they far from got on, it was undeniable that both Fairmont twins deeply cared for their younger sister.

Oliver returned back to the living room, and Calliope could feel Elinor practically seething.

”What is he doing here?” She snapped

Then the tension was back. Oliver scoffed. “She’s my sister as much as she’s yours Elinor. If anything, I have more right to be here than you considering all of the trouble you caused”

He shoots a look at Theo, and Apollo gets up from his seat on the couch. “Keep my brother out of this” he warns.

Talia sighs loudly, clapping her hands together.

”Stop this now, all of you” 

Elinor begins to reply but there’s no stopping her mom, Cal knows this.

”Put everything behind you. The only thing that matters is making sure Juliette is okay”

They shut up at this, seemingly absorbing her words. It’s the most quiet that Calliope has ever seen the twins whilst in the same room.

”I came here, to of course see how Jules is doing”

Oliver began, sitting on an armchair. 

“But not just that. We can help” he gestures to Theo who nods in agreement.

Calliope frowns, confused. “How can Theo help?”

It didn’t make any initial sense. Theo still had no special vampiric abilities, to her knowledge. There wasn’t anything he could do like specialised healing, or any way to improve Juliette’s condition.

“When Juliette ...” Oliver trailed away, looking away from the Burns as he continued. “Turned Theo”

Jack flinches at the words. He had the hardest time with the whole situation, and at some point - Calliope thought her family might have been broken forever.

The father and son reconciled, although not with the same bond they once had. Things were rocky, and Theo never came around the house but at least Jack didn’t want to kill his son anymore. 

Talia had an easier time understanding and learning that not all vampires were monsters. She had explained that seeing Theo turned, actually helped her own relationship with Juliette.

“They created a bond” Oliver added, and an uneasy silence fell over the group.

This was something that Juliette had spoke about in passing. Calliope knew the relationship between a legacy and the newly turned vampire was unique.

There wasn’t much research into the topic though. It had been considered taboo, for a legacy to turn a human.

Juliette explained how the only turned vampire she knew - was her own father. Most vampires were born, not made like she had done to Theo.

Turning a human was a long, complicated process. It wasn’t as simple as the media portrayed, draining a human almost completely of blood. 

Instead, a legacy could only turn a human with love. The concept seemed very much magical fairytale esque but it was true.Margot turned Sebastian with her love for him.

It was a different process for Juliette, whose love for Calliope is what turned Theo from human to vampire.

She had been so worried, and done as much as she thought was right - to help.

This usually meant there was a love established been legacy and their newly turned vampire. 

No one really knew what was capable, and the extent of the bond. Margot and Sebastian were closely bonded and in love anyway, so there wasn’t many examples to take reference from.

All Juliette had explained, was something that now tied her and Theo together because, through her love for Calliope, she had turned him.

”But how can that help?”

Then Theo spoke up, and begun to explain the situation.

“Carmen found out more information about the bond between the legacy and their vampire”

Their vampire. Calliope was stuck on those words. The feeling was strange, realising that Juliette was bonded to Theo.

She had moved past the initial anger, and mostly shock at the absurdity of it all. Sitting down and discussing the situation with Juliette made Cal realise her intentions weren’t bad. She only wanted to help Theo, not hurt him.

These feelings were ... new. Hearing Theo acknowledge himself as Juliette’s, stirred something in Calliope that she didn’t recognise. 

She was being stupid and ridiculous, Cal knew that. But even despite the situation, her brother’s words burned with a sensation almost akin to jealously.

Juliette was hers. She was Juliette’s. They had a bond, a connection.

After that night, regardless of their break-up - the connection stayed in place.

Calliope would dream, and dream. She thought of Juliette, and pressed the feelings away until they were gone from the surface.

It took different methods to finally crack, and she even tried sleep deprivation to escape the dreams.

Their connection, despite the numerous servings - was too strong to break. 

Now that things were going well between them, Calliope took pride in their connection. She grew to enjoy the shared dreams, and how sometimes she would feel Juliette’s emotions.

The relief the vampire felt when feeding was palpable. Cal felt it across their bond, like some sort of cosmic energy.

It wasn’t something that occurred all of the time, but most of the time their emotions were well tuned in to each other’s.

“She did some research, and apparently the blood of a turned vampire can be beneficial to a legacy”

Oliver lays a stack of books on the table, flicking through the pages until he finds a section outlined as “Legacy sires”.

There isn’t much information, just a few pages - most likely due to lack of human turnings by legacies.

He points to a section highlighted with a dark marker pen and reads -

“The blood of the turned, contains antibodies passed from their sire and strengthened by their bond” 

Calliope wrinkles her nose. “Sire”

“That’s what the vampire who turns the human is called” Cal knows what it is, Oliver didn’t need to explain. The word is strange though, she doesn’t like it.

”If Juliette feeds from Theo, their bond should produce antibodies in his blood - which can speed up her healing process until the doctor arrives”

The words are encouraging, and Calliope becomes grateful instead of jealous, for the bond shared between her girlfriend and brother.

”Will it work?” Apollo looks sceptical, still fiercely protective over his brother.

Although he got close to Juliette - the feelings aren’t extended to the rest of the Fairmonts.

Elinor snatches the book, reading it intently. “If there’s a chance to help Juliette, we take it”

Apollo looks more reluctant.

“How do we know it won’t hurt Theo?”

As much as Calliope loves her brother, she is desperate to help Juliette, who is still bleeding profusely through the stack of bandages she is wrapped tightly in.

”We have to try” Theo replies, smiling at Cal - clearly sensing her discomfort at the whole situation.

Talia swallows but nods. “Juliette’s unconscious, it’s not like she can get carried away feeding”

Jack looks uncertain too, making no move to follow the group into the bedroom when everyone decides to give the plan a try. 

Calliope reaches Juliette first, rubbing her jaw in a comforting action. 

Elinor moves with precision, sitting against the headboard of the bed and pulling Juliette against her body carefully.

Her touches are gentle, the reserved kind that Calliope has only ever seen the vampire show with her younger sister.

Its reassuring in a way, to see that Elinor isn’t all teeth and anger - that she has a vulnerable side.   

Talia stands at the door, and Calliope notices she holds a stake at her waist.

”Mom!” She hisses. But Talia doesn’t back down. “We need to be prepared for anything”.

She is too tired to argue, instead focusing as Theo rolls up his sleeve and sits on the bed.

Elinor takes Juliette’s jaw in her hand, opening her mouth and tilting her head upright. 

“Here goes nothing” Theo offers his sister a reassuring smile, then Elinor grazes her fangs against the soft skin.

”What the hell?” Apollo growls and she giggles. “We needed the skin broke and I just wanted a small taste” she licks the blood from her lips then tugs Theo’s bleeding arm against Juliette’s mouth.

The appeal of vampire blood didn’t have the same affect for both twins as human blood. Elinor didn’t look as hungry as she did when Calliope had fed Juliette from her wrist.

She watches the blood fall, staining Jules’ mouth a bright red. If the action is painful, Theo doesn’t show it.

He holds him arm to Juliette for a lot longer than Calliope had done. Eventually, he pulls away licking the wound across his wrist.

Elinor sits, keeping the pair upright to ensure no blood is spilt. 

Calliope doesn’t expect any changes - not yet, not so soon. She still hopes though.

Apollo leaves first, returning back to the living room to continue with planning revenge on the Guild. Talia follows shortly after, patting Calliope’s shoulder with a smile.

Theo leaves next, he doesn’t give a reason - but she assumes it’s to rejuvenate with a blood bag. He’s shy about the whole thing, as though he didn’t just feed Carl’s girlfriend, directly from the source. 

A half hour passes, and Calliope sits with Juliette monitoring for any change. Elinor still holds her on the bed, and Oliver sits nearby on a chair - watching.

No one speaks but the atmosphere isn’t as tense as Cal would have expected. There’s a quiet intimacy in the room, everyone brought together by their love of Juliette which trumped the sustain and hatred. 

“For someone who didn’t even want to be a vampire, she always gets herself involved in the most predicaments” Elinor muses, hand running by through her sister’s hair.

Oliver laughs at this, shifting to look at Cal. “Even when she was a kid, she’d always get involved in the weirdest situations. Like that time she found that hedgehog and tried keeping it as a pet”

It sounded like Juliette. One of the things Calliope loved most about her girlfriend, was the way that she loved things.

Her appreciation for nature and animals was interesting to see. Even the smallest creature, like the bee on her shoulder during their first encounter at school. 

“A hedgehog?” 

Elinor perked up at this. “Then she tried bringing it home with that little friend of hers. Ben. He pricked his finger on the hedgehog though. We had to put the animal back in the street the next night. She wouldn’t stop crying” 

Though the story was entertaining, it also reminded Cal how far from a monster she actually was.

She couldn’t take her words back, the same way that Juliette couldn’t take her actions back. But Calliope still feels regret at how she dismissed the vampire as a violent monster. 

The story solidified what she already knew, Juliette had always been a caring, gentle person. The thought made her smile.

As horrible as the situation was, Cal felt bonded at that moment. Not the same way she had bonded to Juliette through her bite - but connected to the Fairmont twins.

They were three completely different individuals, with different moral standards and beliefs about how things should happen.

But they had one thing in common. Their love for Juliette. And their need to protect her, keep her safe. 

“Mom and dad are coming” Elinor addressed Oliver. “I’m not sure if you should be there when they arrive, they’re not your biggest fan. No offence”

And the moment is broken. The tension is back. Calliope sighs to herself under her breath. Nothing good ever lasts. 

“And leave Juliette with you?” He laughs sarcastically, and Cal wants to bang their heads together. “No chance”.

”How far away are they?” Calliope asked Elinor, trying to distract her from arguing. 

Elinor checks her phone again, thinking. “They were collecting our family doctor, so I assume within the next few hours”

They needed to hurry up. Even with Calliope and Theo’s blood to help her heal - Juliette was still in a bad way. No one knew the extent of her injuries too. 

Despite how bad they looked, there could be more internal damage. More permanent problems that needed looking at, as soon as possible. 

Calliope was beginning to grow impatient. The bandages wouldn’t help forever, and if Juliette had any lasting damage - it needed to be looked at, and worked on soon. 

The twins begun to bicker, arguing about it Oliver was going to stay. Cal doesn’t involve herself, she is so exhausted - both mentally and physically, and couldn’t bring herself to stop their petty, childish back and forth.

Suddenly, Juliette convulses in Elinor’s arms and the twins stop talking immediately. 

Calliope towards her girlfriend, and Oliver moves too, using his vampire speed to get there in a flash. 

She shakes left to right, body rocking wildly. “Jules!” 

It was scary to see Juliette lying so still and motionless covered in bandages but it’s even worse like this.

Calliope feels helpless. Elinor is tapping her cheek, trying to wake her up or get her to stop.

But Juliette’s body thrashes and thrashes frantically around the bed. Her eyes are still shut, and she’s shaking ferociously.

”Do something” Callioe snaps to the twins, desperate. “What can we do?” Oliver shouts back, just as panicked and rattled.

She hadn’t seen him like this before, even angry - he was always calm and composed. 

Now, his eyes were wide as he tried grabbing Juliette’s arms in an attempt to pin her to the bed.

Calliope heard footsteps and voices that she recognised as her parents - but didn’t turn away from Juliette who still shook violently atop the bed.

Then she stopped. Cal assumed the worse at that point. The way Juliette had shook, it wasn’t good. Something was clearly wrong, very wrong.

She ran through all of the possibilities in her mind. A stroke? Seizure? Something most likely caused by blood loss or severe internal injuries. 

The thoughts were jarring. 

A muscle twitched, and everyone tensed, anticipating more movement. Oliver stretched over, ready to restrain Juliette to the bed to avoid any further injuries. 

But, what no one, (certainly not Calliope) expected - was Juliette’s eyes to open.

Chapter Text

Calliope forgets about everything else, nothing else matters in that moment.

She almost knocks Oliver off the bed in her desperate attempt to reach Juliette.

”Hey, hey” tears spring in her eyes as she crawls onto the bed, taking the smaller girl into her arms. 

Her movements are instinct, and she can feel the familiar sensation of the blood transferring across to her hands as she cradled Juliette’s face. 

She ignores the burn of the temporary paralysis radiating in her hand, instead focusing on wide blue eyes that meet her own. 

Relief is the first emotion, crashing through her mind and body. Juliette is alive. The steady rise and fall of her chest was barely enough to reassure Calliope of this. 

But she is conscious, although her eyes are hazy and look around the room - blinking a few times. 

Elinor grips her sister tighter in relief, hand squeezing the uninjured part of her arm.

Oliver is less touchy-feely, more reserved. Cal notices the relief in his expression though, in the way that he looks as Juliette with a quiet fondness. 

Calliope steadies Juliette against her lap, careful to avoid jostling her still healing body. Most of the wounds look better, and the ones that still look red and raw - aren’t dripping with as much blood.

”Hey” she repeats. Her hand is still like lead, from the amount of blood that managed to transfer from the vampire. 

It doesn’t matter though, not to Cal. She would take the paralysis for as long as possible if it meant that Juliette would stay awake. 

“Cal?”

Her voice was scratchy, and rough. A lot rougher than Calliope had ever heard it before. 

“I’m here” she reassured. At the commotion, she heard footsteps and looked up to see the rest of her family standing at the doorway.

”You’re awake” Apollo grinned, and Juliette’s eyes glanced at him - leaning against the door frame.

She didn’t respond, clearly exhausted and full of pain then winced, fist tightening at where it sat on her lap, and Calliope frowned at her evident pain.

“Where am I?” 

The room was unfamiliar, although Elinor kept it bare. She had explained briefly to Cal, earlier on, how this place was kept minimalistic.

As much as she loved the finer things in life, it was only to be used as an escape - somewhere to recuperate, not hide (Elinor’s words, not hers). 

“My safe house” Elinor murmured, keeping her voice low not to startle Juliette. The last thing they wanted to do was overcrowd her, especially since the injuries weren’t fully healed yet.

Juliette nods, laying her head back against Calliope’s chest. Their eyes meet again, and Cal feels a rush of emotion.

Fear at how close she came to losing her, as well as relief that - despite the serious injuries, Jules is alive and conscious. 

“Everything hurts” she groaned, and Elinor pats her back reassuringly. “The doctor is on his way, he’ll be able to assess your injuries. But the blood helped with it”

Juliette looked from Calliope to Theo. “The blood? Whose blood?” 

Cal laughs awkwardly at the tension. “Both of ours?”

Her eyes flutter shut again, but before anyone can panic - Juliette speaks quietly. “You didn’t need to let me feed, you could have got hurt”

She was always considerate, always worrying about other people - even now, covered in blood and wounds, wrapped in bandages like some sort of mummy.

Calliope nearly laughs at the absurdity of it all. How Juliette is worried for her well-being.

“Me? Don’t worry about me. I’m fine” the words aren’t exactly true. Although physically fine, her emotions have skyrocketed and amplified. 

In her entire life, Cal has never felt so scared. So helpless. But so angry. The closest she’d ever come - was the blind rage at when Theo was turned.

This was different. The pure anger at the Guild was only barely suppressed by her worry and concern for Juliette. 

Now that she was definitely alive and conscious, the feelings towards her former organisation begun to resurface. 

Cal was a mess, barely able to hold herself together through this entire disaster. 

A small smile crosses Juliette’s face, but her eyes stay shut. “Do you feel okay to feed again?” Calliope asks her girlfriend, who is quiet. Even more so than usual. 

At first, she thinks maybe Juliette has fallen back to sleep, drifted away to escape the pain of her injuries.

”Is that okay?” Her voice is small, small and delicate. One of the things that Calliope loves about her, is her gentleness. 

For someone with such powerful abilities, and from a brash, overconfident family - Juliette is different. She’s caring and gentle, kind. Selfless in a way that Calliope admires.

Cal rolls up her sleeve, then turns to the Fairmont siblings. “Can we have some time alone?”

Elinor raises her eyebrow conspiratorially. “She’s barely been conscious ten minutes, Hunter”

Oliver laughs at this, loud and brash, and Calliope groans. “Not like that”

She seems reluctant to leave her sister, so Juliette takes her hand. “Please, El”

Elinor sighs loudly, but presses a messy kiss to her cheek and dismounts elegantly from the bed. “Get your own way, fine. I’ll be back in five minutes, not a second more”

She leaves the room without a backwards glance, and the rest follow.

Juliette opens her eyes again, offering Calliope a tired smile. “Hi there” she croaks.

Its the first time they’ve had properly alone since this nightmare started. Although relieved, Cal wishes it had been under better circumstances. Like not being covered in wounds and blood.

”Your parents are on their way” she informs, and Juliette nods. She seems relieved at the statement. 

“Everything hurts” her voice drops lower, like she’s embarrassed. Cal thinks about how she too, wanted the pair to be left alone and takes Juliette’s hand, happy to find the paralysis has worn off her own. 

“I know, I know Jules” she soothes, running her thumb carefully over the marked skin. 

She’s desperate to know exactly what the monsters did, to find out every bit of information so she can track them down and inflict the same pain. 

The desperation for violence, for revenge is almost a shock to her system. Fighting has been in Calliope’s blood, something consistent throughout her life.

Usually it was a job though. A necessity. So ingrained in the Burns family routine, that it became as much of a staple as family dinners.

It wasn’t personal. Not always. She had never felt the red hot desire to attack another human before. But when she found out who exactly hurt Juliette, and her girlfriend’s health had improved - she would not go easy on them. 

“Where hurts the worst?” She asks, checking over the injuries again, always being cautious of the blood. 

“My head, and chest” 

As expected. The head wound looked nasty, and most likely came with a concussion. This, Calliope hoped, had caused the unconsciousness. 

It’s better than the alternative. Any internal injuries or lasting damage.

Her chest. That’s what Calliope was most worried about. Even with the blood and it’s healing abilities - the wound hadn’t full closed.

It looked nasty - open and raw. But it served as a reminder to Cal. She had done the same thing to Juliette only months ago. The thought nearly gave a phantom pain to her own chest.

”I’ll get Theo” she abruptly decided, nearly sliding off the bed in her guilty haste. “His blood will help more”

”Cal” Juliette pleaded, hands weakly grasping around her wrist. “Please. I want you”.

This stops Calliope right in her tracks. Theo’s blood would likely be more beneficial to Juliette, the bond clearly creating antibodies which healed the legacy fast.

The selfish part of her, felt relieved. Juliette wanted her. She chose her. They chose each other, regardless of the hardships they had faced. 

She returned to the bed, because despite her own emotions - Calliope could never deny Juliette anything. Ever.

“You won’t need a stake or anything. Just probably shove me and that’ll make me stop if I get carried away” 

She was joking, Cal knew that, but the words cut deep. The implication that maybe she still saw Juliette as a monster. 

“You won’t hurt me” she was certain. Never once from feeding had Juliette got carried away. She had never needed to use a stake, or silver - or anything. 

Control was something Juliette had learnt, she knew how to feed and when was enough to keep herself fully sustained until next time.

”You won’t” she repeated, and Juliette nodded. “Okay”

She helps prop them up against the headboard of the bed, shifting their positions so Juliette sits behind Calliope. 

“Tell me if you need to lie down” she demands, and Juliette laughs lightly. “So bossy” she breathes out, and they smile at each other.

Calliope missed this. Their softness. The intimacy they have created despite all of the problems and issues faced.

Their relationship is strong, filled with love and trust as they worked through their problems - together.

She wants to offer her neck, knowing that the blood there was more “potent”, Jules had once described.

Maybe it was more of a desire thing, she was always drawn to Cal’s neck when feeding, especially during other .. activities. 

It even became a running joke at one point, how Juliette craved feeding from Calliope’s neck during intimate moments.

Although Cal trusted herself, and Juliette did look better - she didn’t want to risk putting any weight near her body, because they still didn’t know how seriously injured she was.

Instead, she rolled up her sleeve up to her elbow and tilts her wrist towards Juliette’s mouth.

Her eyes seek assurance, consent - and when Calliope nods, Juliette unsheathes her fangs and scrapes them against the soft flesh.  

Usually, she looks so alive when feeding. Cal loves to watch her. Her eyes get dark, full of need, want, desire. She gulps back the blood, and just watching - is a feeling like no other.

Juliette looks tired as she drinks. The swallows are smaller, the usual strong pressure as she feeds, isn’t there. Calliope presses her wrist tighter against the vampires mouth, coaxing her to drink more, harder.

Eventually she pulls away with a gasp, head lolling back. “Jules?” Cal pats her shoulder, trying to be as gently firm as possible.

”’m good” she slurs, eyes lazy and unfocused. “Promise” she adds, voice shaky. 

“Just feeling...she trails away, and a drop of blood spills from her mouth. Calliope wipes it away. 

“Dizzy” Juliette decides. “I feel dizzy” she closes her eyes again, fangs retracting as she licks the wound across Cal’s wrist.

Calliope moved quickly, slipping out of her grip and gently pushing Juliette backwards onto the bed. “Steady” she warns, hands wrapping around her waist as she stumbles.

”So protective” she slurs, and god - she looks drunk Cal thinks. Blood drunk, probably - from the exhaustion of her injuries. 

“Lie back” Calliope readjusts the blankets, laying a fresh sheet across her chest and tucking the material down.

Juliette watches her the whole time. She looks lucid, out of it. But she doesn’t seem in pain. The blood must have clearly helped.

When Cal looks up, Juliette’s eyes are still trained on her. She has a crooked smile, “you’re pretty” she grins.

Calliope holds back a chuckle. This version of Juliette, she can cope with. Blood drunk and all, at least she isn’t in any pain.

Blood must help, they hadn’t seen the real impact of it whilst Juliette was conscious. 

“Thank you Jules, you’re pretty too” Cal is distracted, unwrapping a bandage and quickly replacing it with a clean one before the blood can fall.

”So pretty” she can hear Juliette mumble, more to herself than anything. 

The door opened, and Elinor walked in. “Ten minutes! You had double the allotted time” she informed Calliope.

”Helloooo” Juliette slurred at her sister, almost toppling off the bed in her attempt to wave at Elinor, who didn’t look happy.

”Did you somehow drug my baby sister?” She hissed

Calliope shook her head back equally as frantic. “No! It’s the blood, probably” Juliette didn’t seem to hear them, playing with the hem of the bed sheet.

”I took some pain killers earlier so they might have somehow transferred to Juliette? Maybe she’s just exhausted”

Elinor seemed to accept this, nodding resolutely. “Cal?” Juliette piped up, a lot less enthusiastically this time.

Calliope returned her attention, “what’s up?

Her eyes were flickering shut, “I feel sleepy” she informed with a yawn.

Now that she was alive and reasonably healing - Cal felt more reassured. “Take a nap Jules, when you wake up again your parents and the doctor should be here”

Juliette nods with bleary eyes. “Good plan”

Elinor chuckled, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “Sweet dreams, Little” she touches her sister’s cheek. 

Juliette is out like a light, the minute her eyes shut - her chest evens out with heavy sleep.

”Well that didn’t last long” Elinor proclaims, Calliope shakes her head. 

“She needs rest” 

The statement was true. It had been much more of a worry when Juliette unconscious, no one knew if she would have woken up.

Now, a nap seems important, giving her a chance to recover incase the Guild came back. Although it would be more a question of when they came back.

Calliope gives it a few minutes, watching her girlfriend sleep what seems to be a peaceful sleep. She dismounts the bed, letting Elinor take her place on watch.

”How is she doing?” Her mom asks when she sits in the living room, taking a sandwich that Apollo offers. 

“Better” she gulps back a Gatorade, trying to gain back any energy lost from feeding.

”She’s asleep now, but I think the blood helped with the pain”

Her parents are still working on the plan, marking down on a map their location and the distance to the building where they found Juliette.

”Elinor explained a few details about what happened back there” Talia explains, and Calliope braces herself for the worse. 

“It’s the Guild, a few members - not too many but a sizeable group”

Cal takes in the words, as her mom continues. “They have a new plan, Elinor heard. Something to do with silver, a weapon of sorts? They didn’t reveal entirely. But they want to eliminate the legacies”

She flinches. Eliminate. Such a harsh word. The thought that they want to rid the world of all legacies is horrifying. 

Margot and Sebastian should be here soon, and Calliope doesn’t want to be the one to tell them that the Guild plan to wipe out their entire family, their bloodline.

It is scarier to think that it wasn’t just a random attack, a kidnapping to show their hatred of vampires.

Instead it’s a thought out, meticulous plan. She knew the way that the Guild worked, they thought about everything, to the smallest detail.

Maybe they anticipated Elinor’s move? Maybe this was part of the plan, lulling the Fairmonts into a false sense of security. Making them feel safe before they all attack.

Calliope just didn’t trust that everything was over, that Juliette was safe. The Guild were too smart to let them get away.

”We can’t leave yet” Cal decided, shaking her head. Jack stood up from his seat, arms crossed.

”Cal, I know she’s your girlfriend. But you need to let the adults handle this, okay?” His tone was stern, final. A warning not to push things.

She always respected her father growing up. He was a voice of reason, and specifically - good at what he does.

This, though, was different. It wasn’t just some mission gone awry, a typical Burns hunting trip.

It was Juliette. The love of Calliope’s life. Not just her, but her family too. 

She promised to protect Jules. Leaving now and potentially putting the vampires in more danger - would be doing the exact opposite. 

So Cal stood her ground. She hated going against her parents, giving the oddest sensation of dejavu again, a reminder of the early days meeting Juliette and changing their lives forever.

”I can’t let you do that” she bursts out, and both parents are quiet, stunned at her outburst. “Shit” Apollo mutters to himself from the kitchen, cleaning the sandwich supplies.

”Excuse me?” Jack glares when he finally gets over the initial shock of Calliope’s disobedience.

Oliver shook his head. “This is all about to go down” he noted, almost sounding entertained.

”If we leave now, then the Guild might find Jules before she’s healed” Calliope explains, hoping that her parents will see the truth behind the words.

Jack, however is insistent. “No Cal. We leave now, get to the Guild first”

”This isn’t all about revenge!” Calliope shouts back, becoming angrier at the whole situation. “We can sort out the Guild when Juliette is healed”

“What if she doesn’t heal?” Jack fires back. Calliope falters. 

Talia steps in, winding an arm around her waist. “Enough Jack” but Cal wrenches herself away, her anger releasing from where she suppressed it deep.

”We need to protect our own, if we stay here then it will put us in danger. We rescued Juliette, now we go after the Guild” 

The words angered Calliope even further. After everything that has happened, her dad still saw the divide between the vampires and humans.

This time however, she wasn’t as willing to give in and submit to his demands.

”I’m not leaving”

Her mom frowns. “Cal...”

”No mom. I’m not just leaving here and wait for the Guild to attack. All I care about is making sure Juliette is healthy and safe. I’m not stepping one foot outside this building until after the doctor arrives”

Then, Calliope turns her back on her family again. She hears Apollo call out for her, but ignores him.

The house isn’t exactly massive, being only one bedroom. There isn’t many places she can go to escape from her family.

So Cal returns to the bedroom, pulling up a chair by Juliette’s bedside.

”Family domestics, I miss them” Elinor smiled gleefully, and Calliope wanted to slap the smug grin from the vampires face.

She was too exhausted to do so, and instead settled for shooting the meanest glare she could muster. 

“Will the doctor know how to help her?” 

Elinor hummed, thinking about the question. 

“He should. If he knows what’s good for him” Calliope flinches involuntarily at the threat.

They don’t talk after that. And the silence is much appreciated. Cal watches Juliette sleep, and tucks herself against the chair.

She shuts her eyes then drifts off into a nap, comforted by knowing that Juliette is alive and safe. For now.  

Chapter Text

Calliope sleeps for what feels like seconds. It’s a restless sleep, and she startles awake several times.

At least there are no nightmares though. She was half expecting to see Juliette in her dreams, and their absence is as much of a relief as a disappointment. 

Seeing Jules hurt in such a way was bad enough, repeating the terrifying memories would have just upset Cal even more. 

These days, it was rare to get a full night of dreamless, uninterrupted sleep. Sometimes she would have nightmares: of Theo turning, of her family attacking the Fairmont house. Staking Juliette. 

Often the dreams were just replayed memories. But sometimes they expanded upon what actually happened.

Like the vivid nightmare where legacy vampires could die from being staked. It felt so real, watching Juliette crumble into ash in front of her eyes.

Calliope could usually distinguish dream from reality, however that dream shook her up, and it took Juliette sneaking over to her house at 3AM to finally calm her down.

As much as she would have liked to seen the vampire appear in her dreams - Cal knew it was important for Juliette to rest instead.

So she welcomed the peace that came with a dreamless sleep. And there was only so much adrenaline her body could run off before she collapsed with exhaustion. 

The sleep was a relaxing reprieve, but it wasn’t long before a hand lightly shaking her shoulder startled Calliope awake with a jump.

Her mom stood over the chair, with a sympathetic grimace. “Sorry” she laid a hand on her shoulder, and Cal relaxed into the touch. 

Juliette was still sleeping peacefully on the bed, much to her relief. Calliope watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, a reassurance that she was alive and okay.

Elinor or someone must have been regularly changing her bandages, because they looked a lot better, less blood staining the fabric.

That was also a testament to the increased healing that must be happening. The blood clearly worked, as the visible wounds were healing as far as Calliope could tell.  

She stands up from the chair, stretching and wincing at the crack of joints. A chair was definitely not the best place to sleep.

“How long was I out?” She accepts the bottle of water held out by Apollo, who joins them in the bedroom - taking a seat on a chair. 

“A few hours. Which is good, you looked dreadful sis” her brother replies, cracking a grin. The familiarity of their banter is reassuring, it distracts Calliope from everything that is happening. 

But then she looks properly at Apollo, and deduces that he doesn’t look much better - with dark shadows below his eyes. 

He must be worried too. Calliope knows they are close; Apollo and Juliette. Bonded by both their abilities to make a joke from seemingly anything. 

They had more in common than anyone had initially thought. Juliette often made jokes, most of them were dreadful but she had a wacky sense of humour.

Apollo was the same, always making comments and jokes about various things. It’s not that surprisingly after all, how they became close.

Calliope feels guilty in that moment. She didn’t stop to really think about how Juliette’s abduction and injuries affected anyone else.

She saw the impact on the Fairmont twins, but didn’t consider beyond that how her own family felt. 

Although her dad didn’t like the vampire, her mom and brothers had built a relationship with Jules. It was understandable that  they would be worried too.

”Margot called, she’s an hour away. They got held up because the doctor was out of town or something” Talia drew Cal from her thoughts, and she nodded - processing the words.

It was even more reassuring, to hear that the doctor was arriving soon. Although the wounds were clearly healing, no one knew if their was any internal damage that they couldn’t see. 

Calliope took a shower whilst she waited, finding herself antsy. The quicker that Juliette healed, meant the quicker they could find the Guild and put an end to this. 

The vampire was still unconscious on the bed when Cal finished her shower and changed into a new set of clothes placed in the bathroom, presumably by her mom.

She didn’t have the time, or energy to pack. The stress and worry of the pass forty eight hours meant that she had been running off adrenaline, so the clothes must have either been brought from the store or left by Elinor in the house.

They were cheap fabric, and very flimsy. Must have been from the store, Elinor wouldn’t be caught dead in these - Calliope thought to herself as she tugged on the maroon sleeveless t shirt.

Not that she was complaining, although the last thing on her mind was wardrobe choices - her jumper had begun to smell odd, like a doctors surgery with the heavy scent of blood lingering to the material.

Everyone rejoined in the living room, except Elinor who stayed by Juliette’s side. She was quiet, more so than usual despite continuing with her snarky comments.

She didn’t want to leave her sister, glued to her side almost as often as Calliope had been. It was something they had in common, a shared desire to monitor Juliette and make sure she was safe.

Things were awkward, especially between Calliope and her father, who didn’t even acknowledge her. Good, she wasn’t backing down, and did not want to argue neither. Maybe silence was the best option. 

Oliver and Theo talked quietly between themselves. They had been a strange pairing too, after Talia had taken her son to Oliver and Carmen’s house.

They spent a fair amount of time together, and connected in a way that Calliope didn’t entirely understand. She was still sceptical of Oliver, and his monster vs humans outlook.

Then Cal heard the familiar sound of tyres across gravel. She tensed, although the were expecting the Fairmonts - there was still a chance that the Guild could have somehow found them.

Wordlessly, Theo picks up on her apprehension. She isn’t sure if it’s his brother or vampiric instincts. He seems more attuned to her emotions now, recognising when something is off.

He peeks at the window, pressing himself against the wall - out of view. Then he nods to Cal, opening the front door.

Margot and Sebastian stride into the living room. They look ruffled, and worried.

They weren’t the best parents, Calliope knows this. She remembers all of the times when Juliette would complain at how her mom was focused on tradition. 

For someone who betrayed her family marrying and turning a human, Margot wanted the Fairmonts in line. She had been insistent for Juliette to make her first kill.

Whereas her father was more compassionate. Juliette thought it most likely came down to him previously being human. 

However, blending in was just as important to Sebastian too. No matter the cost.

But they both look worried at the prospect of losing Juliette, Calliope can see it all over both of their faces.

Margot doesn’t bother with niceties, addressing Talia the moment she enters the room. “Where’s Juliette?”

Talia doesn’t seem offended, Calliope wonders how her mom would have reacted if the situation was reversed. She remembered the panic when Theo was turned, and assumed it would be a lot less composed then how Margot was keeping herself together.

Sebastian, on the other hand, less so. His eyes were red, and bloodshot. 

“In here” Talia led the parents into the bedroom, and Calliope notices a small, balding man carrying a large suitcase follow them.

He must be the doctor. She wondered if he was a vampire too. Surely, if he knew so much about the health and biology of the legacies.

”Hello” he nods politely. Calliope returns a small smile, and notices Oliver is gone. Things were still tense in the Fairmont family, so he probably didn’t want a confrontation with his parents.

She shook the thoughts away trying to focus, and returned back to the bedroom.

Margot and Sebastian sat on the edge of the bed. They both held each of Juliette’s hands and were talking between themselves in low voices.

”Let me take a look at her” the doctor wasted no time, placing his suitcase on the table and swinging it open.

It was filled with supplies that Calliope didn’t think she would be able to name. Various monitors and machines. A mix of small boxes, presumably containing medication.

”How are you? Did they hurt you?” Sebastian shifts his focus, giving Elinor a once over.

She scoffs and shakes her head. “I’m fine. It’s Sweet Little who needs all of that” she shakes her hands around dramatically “compassion”

”Let’s give the doctor some space” Talia suggests, which makes sense considering how small the bedroom is. 

Calliope is hesitant to leave though, she wants to see exactly what is happening, how injured Juliette is. 

“Cal, give the doctor some room” her mom is firm. “Come sit in the living room and he will get us when he’s finished his examination”

She walks off, leaving no room for argument. And Calliope follows her mom reluctantly. The Fairmonts stay, and she wants to protest, but that won’t help Juliette. It’ll just make things even more tense than they already are.

”Sit” Talia nudges her onto the couch. It’s almost comical, the way that the Burns sit, lined up on the giant couch waiting for news.

Calliope bounces her leg, and makes it about twenty minutes before she checks for an update.

The doctor is deep in focus, drawing a vial of blood from Juliette with a large pointed needle. He doesn’t look up from his work, dismissing Cal with the promise of “just another half hour”.

She rejoins her family on the couch, back to waiting. 

This is the first time that everyone is together. A mind boggling thought. Both households united, all of her family and Juliette’s too - in one place.

That is what it takes though, to get everyone together - violence.  The violence of the Guild hurting someone that they loved.

Jack was only helping on Calliope’s behalf. Maybe he knew that she would never forgive him if he didn’t at least try to protect Juliette.

But Talia and her brothers, they genuinely cared for the vampire. Theo especially, courtesy of his bond as a result of the turning.

”I’m confident there are no life threatening injuries” 

Calliope breathes a heavy sigh of relief at the doctor’s words. He’s blunt, straight to the point - and she respects that. 

He doesn’t start with listing off the (probably extensive) injuries Juliette had acquired, instead informing them that it’s unlikely she will have any permanent damage from the pain inflicted. 

It’s the good news, Cal knows it won’t all be good though. ”As for the injuries...” he begins, and consults his notes.

“Juliette was injected with silver, that’s why her body is taking longer to heal”

Calliope feels a blind rage towards the Guild. That they could do that. She didn’t even know how they managed to abduct Jules in the first place. 

Truth be told, a selfish part of her didn’t even want to know. The thought was stomach churning, how they must have incapacitated her with silver before injecting the silver.

The doctor continues after giving a brief pause to allow his words to sink in. “The most serious injury is the stake, which I’m sure you all gathered”

Calliope shudders at the reminder. The wound was taking the longest to heal, a big bloody gap in Juliette’s chest. Not too far from the position where she stabbed her own stake, months ago.

“Well it was a silver stake, and must have been pushed in with some force. It splintered and left some traces of silver behind, so I will need to do surgery”

Calliope butts in before she can even think. “Won’t it just heal on it’s own? What if you make it worse?”

”I’m sure the doctor knows what he’s doing” Jack retorts, and Talia glares at both of them. “Stop” she warns. “Now”.

”It’s slowing the healing process down, the quicker I remove it - the quicker Juliette will heal” he explained 

Elinor reappears from the bedroom. “Then what are you waiting for?” 

The doctor doesn’t seem offended at the sharp tone, clearly he’s used to Elinor’s brashness. 

“I have the necessary equipment but I wanted to give you all an update on how she’s doing before I start”

Then, he lists the rest of Juliette’s injuries. As a whole, it’s not fatal. Cal knows things could be worse. Nevertheless, it’s not nice to hear the different ways that the Guild inflicted pain on her girlfriend.

A broken arm, which is taking longer to heal because of the silver. A nasty break, but not permanent, and hopefully when the silver is removed completely, it will improve. 

Many skin burns, to varying degrees. The doctor doesn’t elaborate but Cal understands, because of direct contact to pure silver.

A concussion, with slight head trauma. Now that was worrying. The doctor ruled out amnesia but suggested Juliette might be the most part of unconscious for the foreseeable future until she can properly heal. 

He seemed particularly concerned about the burns too,  noting how they typically don’t scarr, except when they don’t heal properly.

Calliope hopes for both her, and Juliette’s sake that they don’t. The last thing that the vampire needs is a physical reminder of all the pain she went through.

The brunt of all the issues, was the silver imbedded in her chest through the stake. It was hand crafted, presumably for this exact mission. 

Whoever staked Juliette, would have applied a large amount of pressure - looking at how the stake split, with fragments still inside the wound on her chest.

When the doctor finished explaining, he went back to the car to retrieve more supplies. Calliope didn’t even think it was possible to carry about all of the equipment needed to conduct, what seemed like a very delicate and risky surgery.

At the end of the day, she was not a doctor. So couldn’t question his decision. Also, it made sense how the silver still stuck was causing such damage. 

Although it had been injected too, human blood counteracted this. By feeding from Calliope, Juliette’s body was also ridding itself from the silver.

But what’s left of the stake needed to be removed, as it still has a physical source of silver pumping into Jules’ bloodstream - stopping the antibodies in her blood from doing their job of healing.

The Fairmonts consented to the surgery, and were all ushered out of the room to let the doctor do this work.

”Is it professional just to do it here?” Apollo thought out loud. Elinor wrinkled her nose.

”Some people are actually skilled” she looked the Hunter up and down, who begun arguing back.

Usually Cal would be frustrated at their antics, but this time found herself comforted by their childish bickering.

It was a welcome distraction from thinking about the doctor slicing Juliette open and trying to remove the stake next door. 

She wasn’t entirely squeamish, though the thought of his hand rattling around inside flesh and blood, trying to fish out the silver shards - was nauseating.

”Now, we wait”

Chapter Text

The surgery takes approximately two hours, but to Cal - it might as well have taken two years.

Times drags impossibly slow, in a way that she associates with the anxiety and stress of the past few days.Calliope couldn’t wait for this mess to be over, her blood pressure was probably sky high. 

She spent the majority of the two hours pacing around the room. It was a bad habit, and usually her mom would have something to say.

Talia was quiet, and she looked worried too, tapping her fingers against the sofa impatiently. 

They were all crammed like sardines into the small living room, the doctor needed the bedroom clear to focus.

Cal was sandwiched between Elinor and Apollo - who had taken a break from their mutual dislike, and were almost eerily quiet. 

Everything was too quiet. There should be at least some noise with the amount of people, big personalities too, in one room. 

Calliope nearly wished that Elinor and Apollo would argue, at least it would distract her from the looming thoughts about Juliette and the surgery happening only a few metres away.

It shouldn’t even be possible that a surgery could be carried out on a tiny twin bed, in a small bedroom, at Elinor’s secret safe house in the middle of nowhere.

How did a doctor manage to carry all of the tools needed to complete the “complex” surgery anyway?

Cal didn’t know, she wasn’t a doctor - and by the way that doctor went, she wanted to keep it that way. 

He finally appeared in the living room, and Calliope winced at the sight of fresh blood coating his blue latex gloves. She had seen enough blood in the past few days to last a life time.

”The surgery was a success” the doctor informed, and Cal nearly collapsed with relief. Apollo slung his arm around her shoulders, bringing her in for a hug and she all but sunk into his embrace. 

“I managed to get rid of all leftover stake shards, and there doesn’t seem to be much silver left in Juliette’s bloodstream”

It was a relief to find out that the stake was finally gone, and hopefully the giant hole in Jules’ chest would begin to heal. 

It was a nasty wound to look at, Calliope couldn’t even imagine how painful it must be. Especially when it hadn’t been healing properly.

Silver was a dangerous thing. This was something the Guild taught, the importance of ‘protecting yourself’ with a silver weapon.

If only Cal knew growing up, how it was used to attack innocent vampires rather than protect against the monsters she was taught to hate. 

“When will she heal completely?” Elinor butted in, straight to the point. 

The doctor sighed, contemplating for a moment. “I don’t know exactly”

That wasn’t good news. Selfishly, Calliope had hoped Juliette would heal soon. For her girlfriend’s well-being but also because she couldn’t stand to see the vampire in pain for another second. 

It was a strange feeling, to be so helpless. Seeing someone she loved in pain and knowing there was little to do which would help. That’s why Cal was quick enough to volunteer her blood. If it helped, even just a bit - it was worth it.

”Give her body a chance to heal. Although I removed the stake, she took a lot of damage. The best thing you can do, is monitor Juliette. It shouldn’t be too long until she heals up, hopefully”

Hope. Calliope was clinging to it, by a thread. Hope was a powerful thing. Too much, or too little - was dangerous. 

“Thank you Mark” Margot smiled gratefully at the doctor who nodded, a man of little words apparently - and returned back to the bedroom, gathering up the rest of his supplies.

The atmosphere in the room seemed lighter after his news that Juliette, although still injured - would be okay.

The group dispersed, Talia and Jack returned to their map where they tried to the pinpoint the location of the Guild.

Theo joined Oliver in light discussion by the door, both of their voices low. Elinor left immediately to check on Juliette and Calliope appreciated her dedication. 

This left Cal, and Apollo who sat close by the sofa. The news was still sinking in, and Calliope tried to settle her thoughts before going to check on Juliette

“Well that’s good news” Apollo squeezed her shoulder, and she sighed. “Hey, I thought you’d be happy. She’ll be okay Cal”

His words are truthful, Calliope knew she should be more relieved. The doctor didn’t seem too worried, and was confident that when the effects of silver wore off - Juliette would begin the process to fully heal.

But truth be told, she was still worried and anxious. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the doctor, but enough had happened to the pair which meant Calliope knew nothing is ever easy. 

It would be wishful thinking to assume Juliette would heal, then they’d take down the Guild and live happy ever after. Life was more complex than that. There were so many things that could go wrong.

Apollo could sense her distress, and tightened their embrace. Calliope didn’t reply, instead hurrying her face in his hoodie. 

Eventually, she pulled away, offering a weak smile. “I know, I know. It’s just been a rough couple of days”.

After getting the initial emotions out of the way, Calliope stood up and returned back to the bedroom - giving Apollo another smile to reassure her brother that she was okay. 

Elinor was sitting on the bed, carefully to avoid jostling her sister. She didn’t look up from Juliette when Cal entered the room, nor offer a greeting.

It wasn’t out of rudeness though. Through this time together, Calliope was beginning to understand Elinor more - learning that perhaps she was not a nice person, but she definitely cared about Juliette. And that was enough. 

“He made a mess of her” Elinor tuts, a light hand ghosting over the patchwork stitches holding together the skin around the wound from the stake. 

Calliope could barely look at it. The surgery was necessary to remove what was left of the stake, she knew that. But the process left the wound almost in a worse state than before.

It would heal, he had explained. Only after the silver is completely flushed from Juliette’s blood. However long that may take.

To stop her from losing anymore blood, the wound has been partially closed and the stitch work wasn’t pretty to look at.

It was more practical than anything, used temporarily to close the wound until Juliette healed and her body took over the job.

Yet, it was a nasty sight. The gaping hole was large and dripping with blood, barely held together by uneven stitched lines. 

Calliope didn’t like looking at it for too long, instead focusing on Juliette’s face. 

Most of the injuries had left her face alone. Except for the silver burn, which - although healing, didn’t look great either.

Regardless, the sight was a lot better than the messy wound covering the majority of Juliette’s chest. 

“I know”

Elinor looks surprised momentarily, like she had expected Calliope would be more relived at the work of the doctor. 

“She’ll wake up soon” It sounded like a statement. Not a promise, nor a dream or hope. Elinor always sounded confident, and this was no different. 

Calliope strangely found herself believing the vampire over the actual doctor - nodding along instinctively. 

If anyone knew Juliette (apart from herself, of course), it would be Elinor. Not some family doctor.

”Was it bad. When you found her?” Cal didn’t want to know, at the same time - she needed to know. 

Elinor wouldn’t spare her any sympathy. Or lie for her benefit. She was honest, Calliope respected that. 

“Yes” 

She’s quiet then, and Cal half expects her not to continue. It must have been bad, if Elinor seemed reluctant to elaborate. 

“How?” she pressed.

”She was tied up with these silver chains. The stake still stuck in her chest. She was ... conscious at this point, when she saw me. And there was just so much blood”

Calliope absorbs the information. There’s nothing to say in response to that. Nothing that will make any of this better. Elinor wouldn’t appreciate the false promises either.

”The Guild, whatever they were planning. It was more than just some torture and a silver stake” Elinor reveals.

It makes sense. The Guild did have a penance for complex plans, Cal remembered. Most likely, this would be no different. 

She could imagine them, recuperating and deciding what will happen next.

”We can’t just hide and wait for them to somehow find us” 

They didn’t know the location of the safe house, no one did - Elinor revealed. None of the Fairmonts even knew she had a safe house.

It was a smart move. Cal expected no less from Elinor, who proved herself as remarkably calculated and thoughtful.

But she wouldn’t put it past the Guild to find them, sooner rather than later. They might have put a tracker on either vampire, or anything. 

Calliope didn’t feel safe at the house. It was only a matter of time before things escalated. Currently though, her first priority was making sure Juliette was healed.

As though sensing they were discussing her, the vampire twitched and groaned in her sleep, shifting slightly. 

Her eyes flickered open again, gradually this time. Calliope sat on the edge of the bed, relieved Juliette was finally waking up again. 

“Hey” she smiled, trying to seem happier and more assured than she actually felt.

Juliette smiled back, although half a wince. “Hi there” she croaked, voice still scratchy and rough through her delirium.

“How you feeling, rockstar?” Elinor teased, eliciting another smile from her sister. “Better” she replied.

They briefly explained the surgery, relaying the doctor’s message to take it easy and hopefully the healing process would speed up.

Juliette looked relieved to hear that none of the injuries would be fatal or long lasting.

By the end of it, Elinor reluctantly stands. She gives some excuse about needing exercise. Cal recognises it’s a ploy, giving the couple a chance for some time alone - as hesitant as she is to leave her sister.

She presses a kiss to Juliette’s forehead, gives Calliope a warning look - then leaves with a smile and wave. 

“Can you help me sit up?” Jules asked Calliope, who obliged - sliding her arms carefully around her waist, pulling her body to a sitting position, supporting by the bed frame. 

Juliette did look better, not as pale and sickly as when Elinor had brought her in. Some of the lighter superficial wounds were healing, turning from an angry bright red, to a softer pink.

There was less blood too, thankfully, Cal thought. The blood was a major problem, because it limited the physical contact to vampires only.

And she felt useless not being able to comfort her girlfriend through fears of paralysis. 

Some of the burns looked bad though, the silver staining the skin a puffy red. Hopefully, they would heal when the silver was gone completely. 

Juliette looked frantic though, when she managed to catch her breath. “It’s not over. They want everyone, the whole family” 

It’s what they expected, the Guild never left a job half finished. And they certainly didn’t go though all of that trouble just to inflict pain to one vampire. 

There was a motive, a deeper reason to this. Juliette seemed to have a brief idea as to why that may be. 

“They need us all, Cal. You need to get my parents out of here” 

Calliope shook her head at this. “Jules, they don’t know where we are. We can strategise, you need to heal first”.

Juliette was insistent though, now she had more energy. Her eyes were pleading too, desperate. “We don’t have time! They’ll find us. They had it all set up, all of these silver weapons” she shudders at the thought, panicked completely now 

Cal switches her tactic instantly, her own worries shifting away when she sees how scared Juliette is. “Hey, hey calm down” she envelopes her girlfriend in as safe of a hug as she can manage, without risking any damage to the injuries and wounds. 

Jules sags into the embrace, clutching at the material of Calliope’s t shirt with desperate hands. She’s small, so fragile and frail in the hunters grip.

”You need to trust me” she begs, pulling apart to look Calliope in the eye. It’s more determined now, less worried and scared.

And she does. Trust was something that took time to build. Love was easier. Calliope trusted Juliette with everything. Her heart. Her family. 

She gulps at the thought. Then Theo was turned and everything changed. They moved past it of course, but the memory still hurt. 

The betrayal she felt was real. She trusted Juliette with everything. And at that time, she turned her brother into the thing he grew up hating. 

Trust was the hardest thing to rebuild. The love never went away, as hard as Calliope initially tried. Neither did the attraction.

But she had to work to forgive Juliette, to trust her again. It took time, but now - that’s when it was truly tested. And Calliope knew, she did trust Jules. 

“We don’t know where the Guild are” she tries, Juliette is insistent though. 

“Use me as bait”

Calliope doesn’t even entertain the idea, shaking her head profusely. “No. Nope. Not happening”

Juliette sighs, holding her hand tight. “Cal, if we just wait around, we are giving them the advantage. That won’t help anyone. Not your family, not mine. Not me”

She wants to stand her ground. To lock Juliette away in a room somewhere where no one could ever dream of hurting her, and keep her safe.

But what she is saying, is right. Hiding away like this, is only putting themselves in more danger. 

“You’re still hurt” now Cal is the desperate one, trying everything possible to avoid Juliette putting herself in harms way, again.

”I’m fine!” She raises an eyebrow at this, and Juliette huffs. “Okay. I’m not fine. But if we just wait around, then no one will be fine!”

Its true. Cal hates that it’s true. She hates how it makes sense. Hates how their only logical plan means putting Juliette in danger, again. 

“We need to all talk it out” she demands, and Juliette nods in agreement. “Come to an understanding. Make a plan. A good one”

It’s not what she wants. Calliope wanted Juliette to heal before she even considers how to take the Guild down.

But that would mean giving the Guild the upper hand, giving them a chance to find their location first. They needed to catch them by surprise, to create a solid plan.

”And you need to feed. Regular. I mean it” Juliette is nodding, unusually quiet as she listens to Calliope’s ramblings. 

“If you feel the slightest bit ill, or don’t heal then we’re calling this whole thing off” she threatens, no malice behind the words.

”It’ll be okay” Juliette reaches up with trembling hands, and cups Calliope’s face. “I’ll be fine, Cal”

She tries very hard not to react, not to break. She hasn’t crumbled in front of Juliette during this nightmare, not yet. Now isn’t a good time to start either.

But it’s hard to keep composure when all Calliope wants to do is take Juliette in her arms and lock themselves away from everyone else, from the Guild and anyone who could even think about hurting her vampire.

She embraces the touch, the coolness of Juliette’s hands. There’s no blood on her palms anymore, the small lacerations healing quicker now.

Calliope wants to stay in the moment. To ignore anything else. “This is going to be such a disaster” she can’t help the tear that escapes the corner of her eye.

Juliette laughs, a croakily, throaty laugh. “Such a disaster” she repeats. They laugh together, and it’s the most normal moment of the past seventy two hours.

Not quite ready to break apart yet, Calliope leans impossibly closer into the touch. “I love you” she tells Juliette. 

The vampire smiles, beams - wide and happy despite her pain. “I love you” she replies, simple and not as wordy as always.

They kiss, and it’s much shorter than Calliope wants. She wants to do it again. And again. But if she does it once more, she fears she won’t be able to let Juliette go.

So they break apart, foreheads resting together and eyes locked on each other.

Calliope puts on a brave face, smiling in a way she hopes exhibits more confidence than she feels. “Let’s do this”

Chapter Text

It’s the first time that Juliette has left the bed since they brought her in. It’s also the only time she’s ever been conscious past an hour, and Calliope was watching her like a hawk to see if she was okay.

The surgery seemed to be a success, judging by the much better condition of the wounds. Juliette was less pale too, and was able to sit up with little assistance. 

She sat bundled on the couch with bandages, Cal wasn’t taking any chances - although healing, some of the wounds were still bleeding, so she wanted the best chance for a full recovery.

Jules had protested, saying she felt a lot better but Calliope stuck her ground, and wound a thick layer of bandages around her chest tightly.

Everyone was joined together in the living room. They were all cramped together, which made the space seem a lot smaller, Cal thought. 

Juliette was bundled alongside her, sitting close. And Elinor was pressed against her other side, the trio just managing to fit on the tiny couch.  

Oliver and Theo sat together on dining room chairs pulled into the room, and Apollo sat a small distance away. 

Margot and Sebastian sat on the adjacent couch, turning back to look at their daughter and check on her frequently, still concerned.

Then, ever the planners - her parents were at the dining table, focusing their attention on the giant map they had been working on, trying to pinpoint where the Guild might be. 

There were too many voices, too many loud personalities in the room. At first, it was chaos. Everyone had different opinions, and offered different techniques to draw out the Guild. 

“I say we do what we did last time” Elinor spoke up, Apollo rolling his eyes and muttering “of course she speaks first” loud enough for the whole room to hear.

An awkward silence falls, then Elinor continues as though she wasn’t interrupted. “We just give them a call, they come running. We ambush them. That’s all” she laughed, dusting her hands together.

Apollo sat up in his seat, shaking his head energetically. “We can’t just call them” The vampire glared at him. “Why not?”

”They’ll know it’s a trap” he insisted, and the two begun to bicker. “Stop it” Margot and Talia snapped to their children,  at the same time.

That became the argument. Elinor wanted to deceive the Guild - believing that their best option was to trick the organisation then spring an attack.

Apollo, however, believed in a direct approach. He wanted to call up and negotiate a showdown with the Guild, who would want the same thing.

Both suggestions made sense in their own way. Yet the group were conflicted over what to do, arguing between themselves. 

Juliette looked stressed, Cal noticed. “Hey, we’ll sort it” she hugged the smaller girl into her side, protective instincts flaring up.

”Yeah. Yeah you’re right” she flashed a soft smile, and Calliope wrapped an arm around her waist carefully, pulling them closer together. 

The debating continued, verging on a heated argument until Cal finally had enough - all of the emotions of the past few days collapsing in on each other.

The anger that she suppressed at the Guild for what they done, but also at herself. For not being able to initially help Juliette. 

But also looking at the stake wound, brought back memories of when she staked the vampire herself. She felt guilty, and angry. So angry. 

“Stop!” She yelled, and comically - everyone did, quietening down nearly immediately. All eyes turned to her, and usually Cal would feel awkward under the pressure.

All she could think about, was Juliette - though healing, she was still injured and in a lot of pain, tucked Calliope’s side. 

“We need to stop arguing. Not only is it wasting time, it’s giving the Guild what they want - causing trouble” 

The words she spoke were true, at a time like this - uniting was the most important thing. Together, they would be able to bring down the Guild but they needed to trust and rely on each other to do so.

Her mom smiled, and she looked proud. Calliope returned the smile then continued. “By the time we look for the Guild, they could have recuperated and planned an attack on us”

Then, Calliope has a thought. She looks at her father and remembers all of the things he does for the Guild, his blind devotion and dedication

Growing up, hunting was an important part of the Burns life. However, her father in particular, worshiped the lifestyle of the Guild. He threw himself entirely into his work, and would follow them anywhere.

They knew about his distain for monsters, specifically vampires. Jojo has most likely seen firsthand the way Jack previously hated Juliette. 

Out of the family, he was the only member who hadn’t completely gotten over the whole, monster and human divide. 

Jack accepted Calliope’s relationship with Juliette - understood their love. He wouldn’t be here, if he truly despised the vampire, Cal thought to herself. 

Yet the Guild didn’t know that. They mustn’t have. It was Apollo who dropped off Elinor. The chances that they would make the connection of Jack helping Juliette, weren’t particularly high. 

The plan begun to formulate in Calliope’s head. Use the common knowledge of her dad’s hatred for monsters. Hopefully, the Guild buy into it, and don’t realise that he is actually helping.

”Dad, have you spoken to any Guild recently?” She asks, trying to sort out the logistics of the plan internally. 

Jack wrinkles his nose in confusion. “I don’t think so?” He is confused, understandably so - the question came from nowhere.

Cal reveals her plan, explaining how the Guild always knew how Jack didn’t like vampires, and their viewpoint should still be the same.

The plan was simple enough, eerily similar to the previous one where Apollo took Elinor in. 

Jack was going to make contact with the Guild, preferably Jojo - and offer up Juliette, in exchange for his high standing reputation within the organisation.

It definitely has its faults, but as a whole - the plan seemed solid, well Cal thought so. 

More so, it was believable too. Respect was something that her dad craved, especially from the Guild years back. So she hoped that they would buy the excuse, and agree to the exchange.

There, they would ambush and attack. Hopefully stop whatever plans they had for Juliette and the Fairmonts - and end this disaster. For good.

Then the silver should leave her blood system, and Juliette would completely heal. They could all go home, and back to their normal lives.

Cal wanted it. She wanted it so bad. The end of the nightmare was in sight, and she couldn’t wait to finally be finished with the Guild, for good.

”Jules, what do you think?” She instantly turned to her girlfriend, seeking the approval of the person who mattered most. 

Juliette nodded, still looking weary and sick. “It’s a good plan”.

Everyone agreed, some more reluctant than others. Next came the logistics, working out how to actually conduct the plan in a logical, and realistic way.

They had to move quicker now, no time to dawdle or wait around. For all they knew, the Guild could have a tracker and be on their way to the safe house now.

It was important to strike first. To make the first move in this violent game of chess they were playing.

The only major issue with the plan - was the state of Juliette’s wounds. When the Guild noticed they were helping, it wouldn’t take long before they realised why.

Then there was the entire question of how Jack even came across Juliette in the first place.

The questions didn’t matter in the sense that the group were going to attack the Guild early on when they meet up, before they could further question the statements made. 

However they need to seem logical enough to be believed in the first place. Because they needed a location to meet the Guild at, to ambush.

The plan would crumble if their lies were unbelievable. The worst thing would be if they actually managed to hijack the ambush and take Juliette. 

Calliope pushed the thoughts away just as they appeared, not even wanting to entertain that idea. She would be fine. They would defeat the Guild, and go back to their lives.

 “We need to go far from the house. Put some distance” Jack was explaining as he pulled his boots on.

”I need some silver too...” Calliope cut him off, shaking her head resolutely. “Nope. No way”

”Cal” Juliette laid put a hand on her arm, but Calliope was insistent. “No silver. She’s hurt enough”

”Do you really think the Guild will believe I just picked her up and took her, with no silver or protection?” Jack asked, shaking his head in frustration. 

It didn’t change anything. Juliette was still healing. The last thing she needed was any more silver, anywhere near her fragile body. 

“He’s right” Juliette told her in a small whisper, her voice still cracking and sounding rough. Calliope ignored her, pacing the room anxiously.

”We don’t have time for this Cal!” Jack boomed, looking a lot more irritated. “I know you don’t want to hurt Jules but it needs to be believable” 

Deep down, Calliope knew they were right. Subduing the vampire with silver would make more sense, giving their story more credibility.

Yet all she could think of was the vampires safety and health. Silver was dangerous, that has been proven through the work of the GuildZ 

So Cal would be damned if she put her girlfriend in more danger. “Find another way. Tell them you found her injured that’s why you don’t need restraints. No silver” she leaves the room before anyone can protest.

The energy in the house is strange. Everyone is frantic, tying to get things ready for the mission, weapons scattered all over the place.

At the same time, the atmosphere is tense. Things won’t go plain sailing, even if the Guild actually believe the lies Jack feeds them.

Something is bound to go wrong, Cal thinks as a realist not a pessimist. And she was terrified, truthfully. Scared that the Guild would take Juliette again. Or hurt her, even worse than before.

The vampire was only just healing now, so any injuries - as minor as they may be, will set back her recovery process.

And Calliope was more concerned about Juliette’s safety than extracting revenge. Sure, she hated the Guild for what they did. 

But her concern for Jules was bigger, more powerful than her need for revenge. She was so worried that they would hurt the vampire even more, that she wouldn’t heal this time.

As Jack was preparing to leave, phone at the ready to call Jojo, Calliope made a split decision and tugged Juliette into the bedroom by the hand.

”Hey, I’m just ready to go. What’s up?” She looked better now, more colour in her cheeks and the smile wasn’t as forced. It was a relief to see, and Calliope touched her cheek softly.

She lightly pushed Juliette so she was sitting on the bed. Her expression was adorably confused, eyes bright and round. 

Cal swept her hair behind her shoulder, baring her neck. “You need to feed before you go, get your strength up” it wasn’t a request, she knew feeding was important - especially when Jules was still not 100%.

So the girl didn’t argue, fangs dropping with a casual ease. She presses a kiss against the smooth column of her neck, and Calliope nearly feels giddy at the gentle intimacy. 

Then the fangs graze the skin, plunging deep into the flesh and Juliette is drinking. She drinks fast and hard, gulping back the blood.

Although light headed, Cal is just relieved that she’s gained enough strength back to be able to feed with such vigour.

Maybe she lets Juliette drink more than she needs though, because the room begins to spin and dark spots appear at the corner of her vision.

The door opens, and the vampire startles as Elinor walks in. “Typical” she tuts with no malice, sending her sister a wide grin. “Even in moments like this, you two always manage to sneak away”

Juliette removes her fangs as carefully as possible, licking the wound. Calliope feels dizzy, and remains sitting on the bed, swigging a bottle of Gatorade left on the bedside cabinet. 

Elinor continues “Anyways, I’ve been sent to inform you. It’s go time”

Chapter Text

It takes all of Calliope’s restraint to go against her instincts and let Jack bundle Juliette into the car. 

They had decided against silver cuffs, as much as her father complained how they would make the situation seem more believable.

Cal didn’t want to take any chances, and risk Juliette’s injuries worsening or the healing process slowing down as a result of contact with silver.

The Guild seemed to buy the pan, when Jack had explained how he found the vampire injured on the street.

It sounded nearly too realistic, how he explained the hatred he harboured towards the legacy and felt obliged to deliver her, doing his duty as a member of the Guild.

He rung Jojo, needing to speak to someone with high authority. She sounded gleeful, relieved at the thought of taking Juliette and locking her up somewhere.

Calliope felt sick hearing the entire exchange, bile rising up her throat as she listened to the conversation on speakerphone. 

To his credit, Jack looked entirely uncomfortable with the nonsense he was spouting. Although he did once hate vampires, things had changed. He didn’t hate them that much anymore.

They arranged a meeting point an hour away from the safe house. Somewhere that put enough distance between the location to give the others a safe chance to tail the car.

Cal wanted to ride with her dad and Juliette, but it wasn’t the logical move. They needed to play things smart, to take down the organisation that caused so much damage. 

Still, she couldn’t deny how wrong it felt to help Jules into the car, delivering her to the people who caused so much pain, that hated her with passion and fury.

The surgery worked, her healing wounds showing that the silver clearly left Juliette’s bloodstream. Although not fully improved, her condition was much better than when they found the injured vampire.

Silver was an interesting, dangerous thing. It caused so much damage to all vampires, not just legacies. For a group of people considered un-killable, Calliope saw the damage it caused.

Even just surface contact created nasty burns which seared into the skin, causing an ugly red wound. Cal remembers deliberately leaving her pure silver bracelet (ironically enough, a sixteenth birthday present from the Guild) in the hallway.

At the time, it had been satisfying to watch the way Juliette jumped away from the touch. It was further confirmation that she wasn’t human - giving Cal the chance to rectify her earlier mistake and complete her first kill.

Then Juliette kissed her in the pantry. Her lips were soft, body warm pressed against her front, and she was as far from a monster in that moment than Calliope could dream of.

That all went out of the window when Juliette plunged her fangs into her neck. The stake came out, and Cal remembered her mission, although acting more from instinct than anything.

Times were different now. Juliette was hurt but healing, and would be even better when the silver was gone from her body.

She doesn’t want to let her go. It’s not that she doesn’t trust her father, instead Calliope just wants to wrap her girlfriend up and protect her from all things bad in the world. 

She delays it as much as possible, fiddling with the seatbelt distracted as she clips it around the girl. Who looked more energised, most likely due to the blood - but still exhausted and in pain.

”Hang in there” she promised, clambering into the backseat for a moment. “It’s nearly over, I promise. I love you” 

She doesn’t always say the words. Sometimes it’s easier to express love through actions or contact. But more so, Juliette knows that she loves her. Cal knows that. The words aren’t always needed.

This time, Calliope needs to verbally express how much she loves Juliette. No matter what happens, she needs the vampire to know.

”I love you too” Is the only response she receives, and Juliette looks at her with a soft love in her eyes. 

The expression is almost enough to tear through Calliope‘s resolve. She wants to grab her and run. Run far away from the car. The house. Savannah. The situation.

They can’t. Running won’t help. Not like it did. This isn’t like the time all those months ago. Where they joined hands and ran through the streets of Savannah, away from Sebastian. 

Eventually ending up at school, taking refuge in the familiar school play setting of the, ironical Romeo & Juliette. The parallels were clear even at the time.

Now, families united together - it made Calliope realise that the time for running was over. The Guild would never leave vampires alone. They had to fight and end this, for good.

Feeling tears well up in her eyes, she squeezed Juliette’s hand tight and climbed out of the car - not looking back.

Jack stood, spear slung around his waist as he prepared to get in to drive. Calliope grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. 

“Just ... take care of her dad” it was meant to be a request, a demand. Instead it came out like a plea, and her father understood, eyes softening as he pulled her in for a quick hug.

He didn’t verbally reply, just nodded and got into the car. Calliope couldn’t watch them drive away, knowing it might be the last time she ever saw Juliette.

She got into the front seat of Apollo’s car, wiping away the tears with her sleeve before anyone could notice them.

Her brother got into the drivers seat, and flashed a cocky grin. Good. She needed his confidence right now. “Ready to go?”

They had split, with Calliope, Apollo and Talia in one car, Theo and Oliver in another then Elinor and her parents in the final car.

Driving all together was risky, considering if they were spotted. So it made more sense to split.

Apollo was also as protective of his car as he was towards his family, insistent on driving. 

Jack had showed everyone the location of the meet up point arranged by the Guild, and they planned to all drive there using various routes.

Calliope tried to keep herself busy during the drive, keeping track of her weapons, strapping daggers to her waist and sliding one down her boot.

She had her spear too, which despite being silver tipped to hunt monsters, would cause damage to humans if in close enough proximity. Especially if they didn’t wear protective armour too, which was unlikely. 

It would be difficult to fight the Guild, Cal knew firsthand how much training and preparation members underwent.

But their situation was unique, rarely (if ever) had a group of vampires and humans fought alongside each other, typically because they were the ones with conflict. 

Together, they had a mix of fighting skills and vampiric traits which hopefully would be enough to defeat the Guild.

Calliope tried staying realistic, it wouldn’t be easy at all and the chances of someone getting injured were high.

But Cal's priority was ensuring Juliette didn’t endure any more damage, her body was fragile enough and she didn’t know how much more it would take.

Eventually, Apollo slowed the car down - explaining they were nearing the location and needed to wait for a signal from Jack before intervening.

Going in all guns blazing was the original plan proposed by her parents, surprisingly co-signed by Elinor, who was desperate for revenge and a chance to inflict violence on the Guild, understandably, for what they did to the sisters. 

It was Oliver who mentioned that the Guild might have anticipated that, and their best option instead was to wait and hear from Jack, who was wearing a concealed ear piece.

If the situation wasn’t so dire, Cal would find it hilarious at the details. The way that her father was wearing a small ear piece like something out of a cheesy spy movie.

Apollo, Oliver and Margot respectively also wore an ear piece. It was integral apparently, important to ensure that Jack could mention their code phrase if things went awry.

Alternately, it was also used for Jack to tell the groups when to get involved and attack.Hopefully the Guild wouldn’t notice it, Calliope thought. 

She could feel her rage returning as the heavy emotion of the past few days begun to wear off. 

The concern for Juliette merged into the fury she felt towards the Guild for hurting the person she loved most in the world, and Cal felt ready for a proper fight. 

Hunting was an important part of her life, but she had never fought humans in such manner. No one knew if Jojo was going to bring any reinforcements (likely) and if so, then how many. 

It could be a big fight, but at least it was happening during night so no passerby’s could see, and spark enough wave of panic.

Calliope felt impatient. Most of the time recently had just been waiting. Waiting to hear about Juliette, to get to her, for her to wake up, the silver to leave her body. Too much waiting.

”No heroics, we fight together only to stop the Guild from hurting the Fairmonts” Talia warned from the backseat, aiming her proclamation more towards Apollo.

Cal wasn’t interested in any theatrics. She just wanted this whole mess to be over, to be back at school where Juliette would pretend as though she never spent the entire English lesson ogling her. 

Not that she minded. Or did her fair share of looking. Calliope liked it. She was so used to being invisible, especially moving around different schools.

It was nice to be noticed. To feel Juliette’s intense stare, her ‘heart eyes’ according to Ben, who teased his best friend much to her amusement. 

The memories nearly brought a smile to Cal’s face, and she felt more determined than ever to finish this and return back to her relatively normal teenage life.

”Go, go” Apollo said all of a sudden, springing out his seat brandishing a large spear in one hand, and dagger in the other.

This was where the family felt most comfortable as a unit, fighting together in tandem. The words were barley processed but Calliope knew what to do.

She tumbled out of the car, a lot less gracefully than her older brother and sprinted over to the building as fast as her legs would allow.

It was all pure instinct and adrenaline. If the circumstances were different, less severe, less important - then maybe Calliope could say she enjoyed this.

The ache in her chest as she pushed her body beyond its limits and ran faster. It was something consistent. An action so familiar that she didn’t even need to think about Apollo’s command, body acting on impulse. 

She felt the presence of her family - Apollo and her mom, moving together as they ran effortlessly towards the building directed by Jack.

This, Cal thought, was the easy part. Most people would consider attacking an organisation you grew up part of, as the hardest moment. 

But seeing Juliette so hurt, being physically unable to help due to the amount of blood covered in her small body - that was real pain, real struggle.

This, was infinitely easier. The whole thrill of a hunt, adrenaline pushing bodies faster and harder than ever thought possible.

It doesn’t take long for the trio to reach the building, and through the corner of her eye, Calliope spots the Fairmonts.

Elinor almost looks gleeful, eager in her revenge. They were similar in that way. Now that Juliette was healing, the anger begun to rise from Calliope, burning deep.

She had a twisted grin as she employed her vampiric speed to be the first one approaching their location. No surprise there.

Margot and Sebastian looked more subdued, still angry but clearly not as vengeful or violent as their daughter.

They hadn’t even decided on a fighting strategy or clear plan of what would happen once they infiltrate the trade over.

Calliope was struck with an awful thought. What if this was a trap? What if the Guild had entirely planned this and Juliette was hurt or in danger?

She shook aside the thoughts as quick as they appeared, following her brother rapidly though a series of corridors and doors.

They moved fast, always prepared and trained for moments like this.

Calliope isn’t sure exactly where they are going, she doesn’t think Apollo knows either. Maybe it’s just instinct, intuition guiding him through the building.

She follows him without a doubt. He is the typical annoying big brother, sometimes the bane of her existence. But he’s one of the only people that has grown to love Juliette, to appreciate her beyond a ‘monster’.

Their relationship is a lot better than Calliope’s with either Fairmont sister, although she was warming to Elinor (not that she would ever tell anyone that).

It was more than that too. Cal trusted Apollo. She blindly followed him around the giant maze of corridors because she trusted he would bring them to the Guild. To Juliette.

The early events of what happened in Savannah changed her family completely.

But not necessarily for the bad. It strengthened her bond with Apollo, because when things were resolved - he tried to make an effort with Juliette. And she tried too.

It was endearing to look back on, how they tried to reconcile an amicable agreement - and somehow developed a close relationship.

Even now, it’s easy to trust her big brother because despite his joking behaviour, he was dedicated when it came to hunting but even more so, protecting his family.

Its not long before Apollo is crashing through a door, Calliope following suit - entering a giant room.

Her eyes dart around the room, desperate and determined until Cal finally notices Juliette. She’s leaned against the wall, panting heavily with a fresh wound dripping blood from the corner of her jaw.

Anger flashes tight in her chest, and as much as she wants to stride across the room, pick up the vampire and leave - Calliope knows the wound is non fatal. 

Jack lays in a crumpled, unmoving bundle on the floor near the mass of Guild soldiers. 

For a moment, Cal panics. She wonders if things have been pushed too far. If the Guild worked out entirely what was happening and killed her father. 

Then he groans and shifts, and she expels the air from her lungs with a heavy sigh of relief. So far, things could be going worse. Juliette was alive. Her dad was alive.

Jojo stands at the centre of the soldiers, brandishing a thin steel, silver capped spear. It’s the classic Guild weapon and the thought of her using it on Juliette is enough to make Calliope want to plunge her own spear deep into the woman’s chest.

She doesn’t do that. It won’t help in the long run. Instead would only allow a chance for the soldiers to attack.

They must have had an inkling that all wasn’t right with Jack, considering the amount of armed soldiers who stand glaring at Calliope and her brother.

Talia is nowhere to be seen, so she must be strategising another plan because there is no way her mom would get left behind.

The Fairmonts are gone too. Either meaning they were captured, which Cal hopes not. Or, they are hiding and waiting to attack. That option is a lot more favourable. 

Oliver and Theo aren’t there either, for whatever reason.

This leaves Calliope and Apollo to fight the army of gathered soldiers.

Its not an easy feat. There must be at least twenty soldiers, who are obviously trained to a high level and armed with vicious weapons.

Their training would be the same as the Burns, meaning they wouldn’t hold a tactical advantage despite their entire lives involving fighting skills and preparation.  

Despite their experience of fighting together, the siblings have never tackled a group of hunters before so Cal really hoped the rest of their group were waiting to attack rather than in danger.

As confident as she was in their abilities - being realistic was also important. There was no way they could take down the soldiers together, especially considering that most of them were trained for longer than both siblings combined.

”Ready to fight?” Apollo murmured in her ear, voice low and calm. Calliope was struck with a wave of love for her brother, prepared to fight against the organisation he devoted so much of his life for - to stand alongside Cal, and Juliette.

”Calliope. Apollo. What a disappointment” Jojo boomed across the room, shaking her head.

Both siblings ignored the woman, eyes meeting in an unspoken agreement. Juliette didn’t look well enough to even stand, so Cal didn’t even consider her fighting too. 

“Burns siblings” Apollo raised his fist, and Calliope would roll her eyes at his antics if she wasn’t so preoccupied with the impending danger.

”Cmon sis, don’t leave me hanging” she obliged, knocking their fists with a bang. Apollo cheers loudly, because of course he does.  

Then they extended their weapons, and crossed the room together without a second thought.

Chapter Text

Calliope rushes across the room to meet the flurry of Guild soldiers, spear at hand and Apollo at her side. 

She focuses on the two men approaching, who look to be directing their attack at her. They’re a lot taller, and much broader, their stance wide and threatening.

But Calliope had grown up training, throughout her entire life, so she slides under their joint swinging attack like it was nothing.

The men are clad in protective gear, thick vests strapped around their chests to prevent any serious damage from weapons or even brute force.

It’s standard Guild protection, something Calliope remembers seeing her own father wear during particularly challenging missions.

The material is tough, made out of a heavy fabric so it’s unlikely that her spear or dagger would break through and cause any damage.

However, she has seen the vests enough to recognise their weak spot, and notices how they fit just slightly below the neck.

Cal moves quickly before they can retaliate and strike again, sliding forward to stick a dagger into each of their necks simultaneously.

”Nice one” Apollo calls across the room, ducking under an outstretched spear and plunging his own into the soldiers neck. 

If she wasn’t so preoccupied Cal would laugh at their similarities. 

There isn’t a moment of peace though, and more soldiers approach her with menacing glares and an arsenal of various weapons, some of which she didn’t even recognise. 

This time, there are more attacking at once, and Calliope manages to stun the group by launching a dagger at the face of one.

She just manages to tumble out of the way from a spear being launched through the air - landing on the ground with a thud, the air almost clear from her lungs.

They are relentless though, and the same soldier grabs her by the scruff of the jacket and lifts her clean in the air. She scrambles at the hold, kicking and scratching whilst trying to free a spare dagger from her trouser waistband.

He is laughing, hand closing around her throat with a measured kind of anger. Unlike most of the soldiers she encountered, he clearly has no urge to kill Calliope any time soon. 

”Get off me” she hisses, and can vaguely hear Juliette calling her name weakly. It’s only a moment, less than a minute but Cal thinks it might be the end.

Humans need oxygen to live, and the giant gloved hand gripping her windpipe tightly is stopping that from happening. 

Her head spins, and she feels even dizzier and light headed as he continues to apply pressure - using his gigantic size to avoid her scrabbling attempts to break away.

After everyone that happened, Calliope didn’t even consider the possibility of getting injured, or worse. She has been totally preoccupied with ensuring Juliette was safe and healing.

As good as she is at fighting, natural traits like height and physical, primal brute strength - can’t be taught.

All of her training is out of the window and yet again, for what seems to be the fifth time in the past four days - she feels totally helpless.

Suddenly, the man growls half in anger but also pain - and releases Calliope who falls to the ground, again.

She groans, rubbing at her already bruising throat. “Cmon Stick. Don’t let me have all the fun” Apollo looks concerned, hiding it with a signature wide grin as he extends his hand.

”Jackass” she mutters, letting him pull her to a standing position. The man lays still on the ground, spear buried in the side of his jaw.

It’s brutal, regardless of her hunting background - Cal never got used to seeing a dead body. Monsters, sure enough but it was disconcerting to see another human laying on the floor in that way.

Not that he didn’t deserve it. If Apollo hadn’t stepped in, she wasn’t sure what he would have done, how far he would have gone. 

She shakes the feelings away, they were only a distraction and could be thought about after the situation was dealt with.

They had taken down a few soldiers, the blood spilt all around the floor makes Calliope cringe. So much violence and devastation.

Jack is still unmoving on the floor, and Juliette looks pale too, although at least conscious which is better than what could be said for her father.

The soldiers are still coming at the siblings, relentless - so Cal can’t run over and check on her family like she wants to.

”Cover me” Apollo instructs, leaning down to the soldier’s corpse. Calliope obliges, knocking a dagger away from a large man who sprints forward, using his rapid speed to her advantage.

He crashes into the floor loudly, and she tears away the  vest to press his own dagger firmly into the space between his ribs. 

Another man runs at Apollo, and she only barely manages to shoulder tackle him - knocking their bodies together roughly.

They fall on the ground, just feet apart and he moves quick - fists ready to attack. Calliope anticipates his move though, rolling away and climbing to her feet.

She’s still unsteady and woozy at the oxygen returning to her lungs, but manages to hit him square across the back of his head with the butt of the spear.

Apollo returns, pulling the vest over her head. “Keeping safe” he slaps the material, then dives back into the fray, brandishing a large knife already slick with blood. 

Cal joins him straight away, dodging hits and managing to somehow stay alive the entire time.

Then things start to go wrong. 

Just as she is fighting off a particularly ruthless soldier holding out a thin blade, a jab from someone behind throws her off.

The solider lunges and the corner of the blade catches her shoulder. She flinches at the sharp pain, blood beading at the surface and dripping down her arm.

Calliope pulls the knife free, flinging it back at the soldier - satisfied as he collapses into a motionless heap. But the soldiers keep coming, and as trained as they are - there is no way the pair can hold their own.

Apollo shoots her a worried look, and she’s not used to seeing her big brother without his cocky, assured bravado.

They don’t need to speak, understanding the situation. The odds are looking unlikely, and aren’t in their favour judging by the amount of violent Guild members still left standing.

Surrending though, is not an option. If they do go out, it will be by fighting till the end, and at each other’s side as always.

Before they continue the fight - a blur of colour flashes through the room.

Calliope blinks a few times, then a smirk crosses her face when the figure stops and realisation occurs.

It was Elinor, standing over the body of two soldiers with what looks like a waterfall of blood gushing down her chin.

She looks angry, furious but especially dangerous. Cal has never seen her like this, only the bite and fury of a typically irritating older sister.

This must be what Juliette meant when she explained how her sister became bloodthirsty, and in tune with her vampiric abilities.

Calliope isn’t worried. The sight is intimidating but the main feeling she is experiencing is relief. And an odd sense of pride, at Elinor’s strength.

Apollo looks ... impressed by the sight. Cal doesn’t even want to dissect that look he is sending her.

Their families are intertwined enough as things were, the last thing anyone needed was her brother drooling over Elinor in the middle of a gigantic showdown. 

She slapped the back of his arm, “dude focus” and he shook his head, dazed. “Right sorry” yet the smirk read anything but sorry.

The atmosphere grew tense again, and Elinor looked around to spot Juliette. She stood, torn from where she was fangs deep in the neck of a Guild solider. 

Calliope understood how she felt. They needed to keep fighting before checking on Juliette and Jack though, and Elinor seemed to understand this, ripping her fangs out and snapping the man’s neck cleanly.

They fought in an unspoken cohesion. Elinor took half of the group, utilising her speed to rapidly approach a soldier, then typically tear him apart using her fangs.

The anger was palpable. But there was a part of her that was enjoying this, Cal could tell. The sick smile across her face as she drained a soldier completely.

As concerned as she had been for Juliette, it was clear that this was Elinor’s comfort zone. 

She was secure in her identity as a vampire, Jules had explained that to Calliope numerous times. In ways that the younger girl would never be. It was both a gift and a curse. 

Juliette still had a hard time accepting who she was. Sometimes she had vivid nightmares, waking up sobbing tears of blood.

Calliope didn’t know what to do in times like that. It wasn’t as if she could take her girlfriend into her arms and comfort her like she wanted to.

Instead she whispered reassuring words. That she was safe. They both were. Things were okay. (Until they    weren’t ).

Then she’d guide Juliette to the bathroom, sit her on the edge of her bath and wipe away the blood with a (thick) damp cloth.

Satisfied the blood was gone, they’d return to bed and Calliope would hold Juliette tightly, always staying awake until the vampire drifted off.

Once she explained that she felt safest in Cal’s arms, that it was the only place she felt comfortable enough to return back to sleep and potentially the nightmares. 

She was coming to terms with what it meant to be a vampire. The first step was feeding. Juliette had a hard time accepting her need for blood to live.

Draining Cook had felt euphoric, she explained that. It still didn’t erase the years of internalised torture at how the act was wrong and violent.

She only helped her through it by allowing Juliette to drink from her. That way, it resolved her from the violence of the act, since most of the time Calliope was the one to suggest feeding. Therefore, the act was never violent or unwarranted - like the first time Juliette ever fed. 

Things weren’t perfect. The Fairmonts struggled to reconcile as a family, each member having their own difficulties and struggles.

But Juliette was trying to accept and embrace her role within the family. She didn’t deny her powers anymore, even just from small steps like drinking fresh blood instead of taking the capsules.

Calliope herself had long too accepted vampirism as a part of her girlfriend. It wasn’t some monstrous thing that needed to be eradicated. Instead just made Juliette who she was.

Thats why she embraced the act of feeding. It was something basic - a necessity. Although it was also used in more .. suggestive contexts. 

Offering herself up to Juliette was a better alternative than starving herself with pills, or trying to find someone else to feed from.

There were many opportunities for this, but the vampire was reluctant to try any - so letting her feed was the only logical thing Cal could come up with.

And it worked for them. Juliette never got starving anymore. Or suffered the horrible side effects of the blood pills.

Calliope and Apollo fought together now. This was something they had experience in, and knew how the other worked.

They blocked attack attempts, ducking under the dagger quickly and knocking it from the grasp of the Solider. 

At least the Guild were good for something, their high standards preparing the siblings for such extensive fighting.

Calliope wielded variously weapons, typically a dagger or spear as she fought back against the members of the organisation her family were once part of.  

With The vampire’s help, they worked a lot faster. No major issues were sustained when the trio cleared the room of Guild soldiers.

The room was littered with dead bodies, some at the hands of Elinor’s violent vampirism but many with various dagger and spear wounds.

It was a violent sight. So much death in one room. Calliope wasn’t guilty though. It could have easily been them laying still instead.

“They're gone” Apollo called out desperately. Through all of the commotion, Jojo and a few guards had left with Juliette and Jack. 

“Fuck” Cal cursed, swinging out at the wall in frustration. They had been too focused on fighting the guards that no one had noticed the escape. 

All hope was not lost though, there was no sign of the remaining Fairmonts & Burns so Calliope hoped they would be nearby and ready to intervene.

Surely they must be planning something, the thought was more comforting than imagining her family hurt or dead in some corridor at the hands of the organisation they all valued so much.

The blood from the attack is still running freely down her arm and Elinor eyes the wound carefully. She grabs Calliope, and before Apollo can wrestle her away - pulls the injured arm to her mouth.  

She has learnt to trust the vampire, not fully but a lot more than she ever did.

Their relationship wasn’t as close as Juliette’s with either of Calliope’s own siblings but she was no longer angry or uncomfortable in her presence. 

She understood that although Elinor may not always go about things the right way, she was incredibly protective and fierce when it came down to protecting the ones she loved.

Out of everyone, she matched her intensity to bring Juliette back safe and from harm. Calliope respected her for this, the way that she cared about her little sister. 

None of this did anything to calm her worries though. Briefly, she wondered if the vampire had succumbed to bloodlust - let out that violent and aggressive side that she watched her unleash to the (deserving) guards.

Juliette once explained the dangers of bloodlust and the even darker side to vampirism. Sometimes, the taste of blood could be so addictive, like a drug - that the vampire would need more. And more. No matter how they got it, or who from. 

That’s why it was important to try and stay restrained when feeding. Juliette fed from Calliope, and only her. 

They did it often enough that she remained full and sated but at the same time, never too much where she lost control. 

It became like a routine, a ritual of sorts. Juliette would beg her to keep a stake or something silver on hand at all times incase she ever got carried away.

Things never went that far. It was always her girlfriend who pulled away first, stopping when she had enough blood to satisfy her hunger.

Calliope trusted her. She didn’t think the silver nor stake was necessary. Juliette was insistent on it, and for that reason she obliged.

So Cal never saw Jules’ overtaken with bloodlust and craving more. Feeding, something she once considered daunting, had become normalised into their relationship.

This made it hard to actually understand Elinor’s expression as she sealed her mouth around Calliope’s wrist.

But she didn’t drink. Instead she licked over the wound, sealing it shut. Then dropped Cal’s wrist back to her side and pointedly wiped the excess blood from her mouth using a jacket sleeve.

”Oh” Apollo murmured. Elinor wasn’t actually trying to hurt Calliope, instead the opposite - she healed her wound.

Before she could even thank the other woman, Elinor had already turned away and was scanning the room. 

”Let’s go, we don’t have time for this”

Elinor strode out of the hall, to where Jojo and the Guild must have retreated to, and the Burns siblings wordlessly followed her lead.

Chapter Text

The building is deceptively large. It feels like they are running through the halls for hours when it must only be minutes. 

Calliope is thankful for Elinor’s vampire abilities because she is the only one out of the trio who has a vague idea where they are going.

She runs fast enough to get to where they need to go - but slow enough that the Burns siblings can keep up and know where to go.

There is still no sign of everyone else which is becoming an increasing worry. Cal hopes no one is in any danger as she sprints down another long corridor. 

“How do you know where we are going?” Apollo calls, panting heavy from exertion. 

“Intuition” Elinor curtly replies, not even slowing to a jog. There’s nothing to say to that, so they group continue to follow the winding hallway.

They must be going in the right place, because Calliope can hear louder voices than the eerie silence from earlier.

It could be a trap. Jojo might have called in reinforcements and may be waiting behind the large mahogany door that the trio reached.

Elinor bursts through the door, fangs elongating and stretching out even further. They’re smeared with blood, and sharpened to a point. 

The wood splinters like it was made from nothing, cracking and spraying shards everywhere. Calliope flinches at the sound it makes, but doesn’t hesitate to follow the vampire through.

A small group of soldiers stand crowded in the corner of the room, talking in low hushed voices. They’re crouched over something, working frantically.

”Where is my sister?” Elinor booms, her loud voice echoing off the walls. 

The men don’t speak, instead sharing anxious looks. Elinor bares her fangs viciously, approaching them with a long stride and making it across the room before Calliope can even blink.

Her hands curl around the closest man’s neck, fingers flexing as she squeezes him tight. He lets out a breathy gasp, and next minute - is being lifted several feet high into the air.

”Whoa” Apollo murmurs, and Calliope hums in affirmation. The power display is impressive, showcasing the extent to a vampire’s physical ability.

At first, Cal was jealous at how vampires were born with such strength. She had trained and pushed her body as hard as it would go, growing up. 

Then vampires wouldn’t even have to try, they possessed such strength naturally.

They wouldn’t know the struggles of lifting weight after weight. Of hitting a punch bag until your knuckles felt like they would explode. Running the streets with burning legs and breathless lungs. 

Now though, Calliope was instead proud. She worked hard to be this strong, agile and disciplined. Her body was in such good shape because of her own hard work and dedication. This was something to take pride in, instead of being bitter.

”I don’t know! I don’t know!” The man choked out, spluttering breathlessly. The other soldiers moved forward, as though to take action against Elinor - so Apollo and Calliope joined the vampire.

The odds were a lot more likely this time. The group was small, perhaps around seven or eight men. They were a lot scrawnier and evidently less trained than the soldiers previously faced

As much as Cal wanted to set Elinor lose on the stuttering, bumbling group of men - they might know something. And Calliope needed answers. She needed to find her girlfriend, Jack too.

Elinor sighed loudly, making a show. She sticks her fangs into the side of the mans neck, chuckling against the wound as he moans in pain.

The other soldiers watch in horror as she sucks mouthful after mouthful of blood from the dangling man. He is loud. Obnoxiously so, whining and crying as the vampire drains what seems to be the majority of his blood.

She is powerful in a way Calliope has never seen. Blood must have a very strong affect on vampires because the amount of humans drained is the only explanation for the speed and increased strength Elinor had exhibited.

Cal sees how her body responds to the excessive feeding. She lifted the stocky man with ease, and when finally has enough of blood - snaps his neck, making it look as easy as breaking a twig. 

The action clearly requires little effort, and she lazily throws his body across the room. It would be intimidating if Calliope hadn’t learned to trust the vampire by now.

Apollo still looked wary. His relationship with Elinor was fraught to say the least and the trust was never there between the two. Regardless, Cal knows he trusts her - his sister, and that’s all that matters.

”Now, now” Elinor grins, and the blood spreads across her lips, to her jaw till it coats the lower half of her face. She wears it like battle paint, not even bothering to wipe it away. 

In that moment, Calliope is struck with a memory. When Juliette feeds, it’s often ends up looking not dis-similar to the scene in front of her now.

She teases her girlfriend often for being a ‘messy eater’ (Ben’s terrible phrasing, not her own). Almost every time she drinks from Cal, the blood ends up on her face in some way, shape or form.

Usually it’s not even from greediness, rather a mix of her enthusiasm and lack of coordination. Calliope would dampen a cloth, and wipe the wet blood away before it dries. 

The sight is endearing, reminding her of the playful, almost innocent side to vampirism. It shows how feeding isn’t a barbaric violent act, and can be something soft and gentle.

But the visuals remind Cal of Juliette - in the same way Elinor wears a face full of blood like it is make-up. 

The Fairmont sisters are both similar and completely different. Juliette bares a resemblance to her older sister, but is soft in the ways that Elinor is hard. 

Personality wise - they can be polar opposites. Juliette so uncomfortable in her own skin, awkward and bumbling. Then Elinor, so confidence and brash. Violent and capable as a vampire.

Seeing the vampire with blood smeared across her mouth reminded Calliope of how similar they actually look. 

Although the circumstances are different, the violence of Elinor’s drinking compared to Jules’ playful mess - they are undeniably sisters and this is clear in that moment. 

The blonde looks across the line of Guild soldiers, watching them with what seemed like a casual ease. “Who would like to go next?”

They are soldiers, fighting for what they believe is right and spending their whole life training. So it isn’t a surprise to anyone when they launch themselves at the group.

Calliope gets her bearings together quickly, side stepping a flailing knife. She stabs her spear into the corner of his jaw, and he falls like a log - thud onto the concrete floor. 

She yanks out the spear shortly after, wincing at the squelching sound it makes, as well as the stream of blood saturating her hands.

Apollo holds his own against two soldiers, slamming their heads together roughly and pressing twin daggers into their chests.

Then Elinor, who is specifically ruthless, vicious in a way Calliope hadn’t seen from any vampire before. She drinks enough to satisfy her hunger rather than actually kill, then snaps bones. 

The men refuse to talk though, and Cal fears they might not actually know where to find Juliette and Jack. Elinor makes short work of the soldiers, leaving a pile of discarded, mutilated bodies leaking blood onto the concrete.

There is just one man left. Who is particularly angry, instead of fearful like he should be. Elinor is far gone by this point, completely energised by the amount of blood consumed.

Her eyes have darkened till the pupils bleed into the iris. The anger radiates from her, and she grips the man tight enough to tear his body to shreds.

”I will ask you once, and once only before I rip you to pieces and leave you to bleed out here alone” it’s not even a threat, it’s a promise that Cal knows she will uphold. ”Where is my sister, and what are their plans for her”

Silence. Elinor snaps a bone in his arm, and he screeches loudly. It’s a miracle that no one has actually heard all of the commotion and called for more Guild soldiers.

She tilts her head, mockingly. “No? What about the other one?” And grips his arm tightly preparing to twist the bone. 

“She’s in the basement” the man gasps, spitting out a mouthful of thick blood onto the concrete between heavy gasps.

”Theyre developing a venom for legacies using silver, but they need their blood. Let me go” he pants, and Elinor nods satisfied.

Calliope expects the sound, but still flinches at the cracking sensation. His body lays twisted at Elinor’s feet, and she dusts her hands off - managing to smear more blood across her body.

”Let’s go” she tells the Burns, who follow the steps to where the basement must be.

A pair of arms grab Calliope around the waist, startling her enough to release a loud scream. She twists, ready to fight whoever captured her, but sighs with relief to notice it’s Theo.

”Hey. Hey. It’s me” he explains. “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you” 

When the initial fear wears off, Cal is beyond happy to see her brother. He clutches her in a tight but brief embrace, and she notices Oliver by his side.

”Hello there” he greets briefly, barely acknowledging the siblings. Instead turning to look at his sister. “Oh dear Elinor, I think you made a mess”

The vampire rolls her eyes, picking at a spot of dried blood on her hands. “You know how it is, I was too hungry” she licks a drop of blood from sharp fangs, and shrugs.

Calliope looks at the duo, and sees the blood splattered all over their clothes. Theo catches her eye and briefly explains how they encountered a group of Guild soldiers before actually making it onto the premises.

Like them, they had been informed that Jojo was holding Juliette and Jack in the basement, presumably to conduct their ‘experiment’ on the vampire, Theo suggested.

Neither of the pair looked hurt, to which Cal was thankful for. They had more numbers too, this would be important when fighting Jojo who would most likely be guarded with higher trained soldiers than the ones fought already.

”Is it a wise idea for you both to come?” Apollo stopped abruptly looking at the Fairmont twins who simultaneously raised an eyebrow, creepy Cal thought.

”Considering their whole plan is to wipe out legacies, and you’re both ...” he paused, hands shaking around in emphasis “legacies”. 

Valid point. It may be a trap, and they would be hand delivering two vampires to Jojo regardless. However complete the venom was, it could still be used on the twins.

Elinor didn’t seem to care. “I can’t just leave the fate of my baby sister down to some humans. No offence” she directs the last part to Calliope. ”Offence taken” Apollo mutters. 

“Our baby sister” Oliver corrects, standing up straight to face his twin. “She’s our sister Elinor” he glared. Elinor laughs in his face. “She is, when it suits you” 

Calliope steps between the two, which is probably a terrible move. As much as she has learnt to trust Elinor, Oliver is still a wild card. 

She never trusted the man. At least Elinor was upfront about her distain towards humans, and only targeted those who had caused damage.

Oliver on the other hand, was deceitful. He never explained his true intentions, and did malicious things for no apparent reason.

’Smashley’ was an example of this. Okay, Elinor was violent and bloodthirsty. But her actions were calculated, and purposeful. Oliver and Carmen just killed the girl to be cruel. 

So Calliope didn’t trust him not to throw her under the bus if need be. He knew how much Juliette loved her, but his actions were reckless and he was not as caring as he liked to make himself out to be.

As far as she knows, the only people he truly cared about was Juliette, and Carmen. Regardless, he wouldn’t stop at hurting others to get exactly what he wanted and for that reason - Cal didn’t trust him at all. 

“Stop, both of you” she snaps angrily at the pair. They had always been like this, Juliette had mentioned - at each other’s throats even as children.

Twins had a weird relationship. Cal could never understand it. It wasn’t just like siblings either. Apparently Oliver had been fiercely protective over Juliette as children. Elinor too. 

But the protectiveness didn’t extend to each other. Elinor would play tricks on her brother, who would get angry and lash out. The conflict was apparent, and nowadays - nothing had changed. Cal could see that herself.

There was a time and place for arguing though, and as trained as the Burns siblings were - they needed the power and vampiric abilities of the Fairmonts to help retrieve her father and Juliette.

So the twins needed to bury whatever nonsense they were sprouting, and refocus their attention to saving Juliette. She told them as much, and it seemed to work because they both quieted down.

”I’ll take my chances with the venom” Elinor announced after an awkward, uneasy silence fell over the group. Before Calliope could protest, she continues. “I need to rescue Juliette”.

Oliver nods in agreement. “I think us Fairmonts can handle a little venom” he laughs, the sound bitter and humourless. “I’m not standing aside, waiting for something to happen”.

Theo claps his hands together, trying to join Calliope as peacemaker. “Okay, let’s carry on”.

There are no more arguments as the group head down the hallway, reaching another flight of stairs. The building is ginormous, her mom and the Fairmonts could be anywhere.

Eventually they make it to a thick metal door and Apollo kicks it with frustration. “Today is really not our day” he grumbles, and Cal might have laughed if she wasn’t too focused on rescuing her family.

Oliver and Elinor join together, pushing at the door with grunts until the metal finally crashes and the doors fall open.

They scramble into the room, and Calliope nearly trips to the ground with relief. Juliette lays strapped to a gurney, eyes shut but chest moving up and down. She is still alive, still okay. 

Jojo stands over her, thick injection in hand - and the relief fades away when Cal realises what is about to happen.

Chapter Text

“Jojo!” Calliope yells, and the woman’s grip on the injection falters. She looks up from where Juliette’s unconscious on the gurney. 

“Great, you’re all here” the Guild member doesn’t seem surprised at their arrival, refocusing her attention and testing the plunger and the needle.

Elinor glares daggers at the woman, looking prepared to sprint across the room and tear her throat out. The only thing stopping her, is Cal’s tight grip on her wrist.

As much as she wants to let the vampire exact her revenge, to unleash her rage - she was still holding the injection.

Elinor was powerful, granted. Probably one of the most powerful beings Calliope thinks she had ever met, and that’s on a regular day too. 

With the amount of human blood consumed in the past few days, her strength must be off the charts. 

Regardless of how much Cal trusted Elinor’s ability to protect herself, they didn’t know how dangerous the venom actually was.

Even silver was deadly for vampires, specifically legacies. Calliope saw that with the impact it had on Juliette. She was still recovering, her body fighting hard to expel the effects of silver in the blood.

So if the venom didn’t kill Elinor, it would definitely hurt her at the least and her skills were imperative for rescuing Juliette then making it out safe. As the building would most likely be on some sort of lockdown, and heavily guarded. 

“The first two serums didn’t work” Jojo carried on as though no one was even there. Apollo started forward, as though he was about to attack - and a guard levelled up a large, menacing crossbow at his face.

”Apollo!” Cal panicked, grabbing his arm and tugging him closer back towards the door. This was worse, so much worse. Unlike the other guards, these were clearly highly trained and armed. It wouldn’t be as easy to attack them. 

She tried to formulate a new plan. Their odds were looking a lot less likely. There was only one door in the small basement room, and that was where the group had entered through. Meaning there was one exit. 

And no sign of Margot and Sebastian. Calliope hoped they were somewhere safe, coming up with a plan of their own to rescue their daughter. 

“Take one step closer and I will bury a bolt right there” the guard taps the side of his forehead. It’s not an empty promise, Cal thinks.

“Fun and games are over” Jojo tells the group, pressing the tip of the needle at Juliette’s wrist. Calliope doesn’t even think. She’s usually a rational person, always trying to think of a plan with the best solution. 

Nothing else matters in that moment. Her girlfriend barely survived the first attack. Every time Cal closed her eyes, she remembered how small the vampire looked tucked into the bed at Elinor’s safe house.

One of the things she loved most about her girlfriend, was her larger than life personality. For someone so small, she was always making herself heard.

Sometimes Calliope would come home from school and hear Juliette before she saw her. When she hung out with Apollo particularly, their personalities bounced off each other and the loudness usually vibrated around the house.

Talia would pretend to complain, huffing about how she was trying to focus on her television show. But Cal saw the twinkle in her eye as Apollo attempted to teach Juliette how to perform a spinning high kick.

It had been a disaster. A hot mess. Talia ended up mad in the end, because Jules had crashed through their table like it weighed nothing.

Of course there was no injuries. The table was glass, thankfully not silver. The same couldn’t be said for the furniture though. On her way down, Juliette had somehow pulled down a vase too.

In hindsight, it was funny to think about. But at the time, she had been paranoid that Talia would ban home visits and invitations to family dinners. 

So Calliope didn’t even consider what was happening. She never let emotion rule her actions. This time was different. Everything was different. 

The white hot fear of losing Juliette propelled Cal forwards. And before she even realised what happened - she was tackling Jojo to the ground.

All hell broke loose. 

The guard fired his crossbow at Calliope, but the sting of a bolt never came. Oliver stood in front, blood dripping from his arm. He wrenched it out, firing it back against the man’s throat. 

Other guards banded around the group, and everyone launched into attack.

Elinor made quick work of some soldiers, snapping their bodies till they crumpled to a distorted pile on the ground. She didn’t even bother with feeding, the sounds of crunching bones filling the air.

Theo and Apollo fought together. If calliope hadn’t been distracted with wrestling Jojo angrily, then she would have smiled at the sight - the Burns brothers United, fighting as a team.

They were matched fairly evenly to the soldiers, some even brandishing large swords. Theo gruntled loudly as an especially violent guard slashed his stomach with his weapon.

Calliope used the element of surprise to roll the older woman onto her back, arms pinning her down roughly. She didn’t even know her own endgame. 

Things just got carried away.The sight of the needle so close to Juliette had spurred her into action. Jojo gurgled as Cal smashed an elbow into her jaw. Again. Then again.

It should be satisfying, the blood dripping across the woman’s face. But she didn’t look especially upset or defeated. 

“Stop!” Calliope yelled to the guards, sliding a dagger from her waist. The action is quick, from years of experience and training to prove herself to her Burns family growing up. 

She presses the flat of the blade against Jojo’s throat, enough to draw a thin line of blood but not cause any lasting damage. 

“Let everyone go right now. Or I’ll slit her throat” she threatened. Although the words were full of anger, it wasn’t an empty promise.

The devotion and sense of fulfilment she once felt with the Guild was completely gone. Jojo was considered part of her family at some point.

It was ironic. How the entire point of the severing was to break the bond between Cal and Juliette. Yet it never worked. Of course it didn’t work.

Their connection was more than a linking because of a bite. Magic, prayers, rituals - nothing could severe it. Calliope thinks maybe because she never wanted it to.

Even during the breakup, their dreams were still linked together. Evidence that the bond wasn’t in fact gone. And now, Cal felt their connection closer than ever. 

She expected at least some fear from the woman under the blade. Regardless of how familiar someone could be with violence and death, it was still disconcerting to be faced with death.

So Calliope expected Jojo to show more emotion at the promise of her demise. She must have expected it. Cal would never let her get away with hurting Jules. 

She didn’t cry. Or scream. Or even look mildly worried at the knife drawing blood from her neck. No, Jojo laughed.

Cal frowned, then the woman spoke rasping against the pressure of the blade. “If you kill me then you’ll never be able to stop it”

She stopped. Nearly stopping the knife to the ground. No one else heard, everyone too busy fighting.

Through the sounds of bones crunching and weapons clanging together - all Calliope could hear was the heavy thud of her own chest.”Stop what?”

Jojo laughed again, and she wanted to dig the blade in deeper to erase the sound. She gestures across the room where two figures lay unconscious on the ground.

”Mom?” 

Apollo stops mid battle with a soldier, spinning around with wide, panicked eyes at the mention of their mom. His expression must be similar to her own, Cal thinks.

Not only is she unmoving, but a large solider stands guard with a gun aimed at her head. It’s a clear shot. No distractions. And they wouldn’t get there in time to stop it. 

They should have stuck together. Splitting apart was a dangerous plan and clearly had worked to the Guild’s advantage. 

As tough as Talia was, there was only so much fighting she could do - more so alone. Cal was struck with a sudden wave of guilt. It was her fault. She had dragged everyone into this mess

Juliette was her girlfriend. She needed to rescue her. Too many people had been hurt. “If I stay with you then let everyone go” 

Calliope ignores her brothers protests. The fighting had died down now, everyone focusing on the conversation instead.

”Oh but I don’t want you” Jojo grins and Cal hates the woman. More than she ever hated anyone. “Now, let me go or else I will order my men to shoot” 

Its the last thing she wants to do but the chances of her mom getting hit by a bullet are almost guaranteed if she doesn’t comply. 

Reluctantly she rolls off the woman, and immediately is grabbed by a guild solider. More begin to pool into the room, and the distraction gives one the chance to hit both Fairmont siblings with a silver bolt.

It isn’t enough to kill them as far as Cal knows. But seeing the pair drop to the ground like stones is frightening enough. She yells out, and receives a punch at her abdomen by the solider gripping her roughly. 

“You see, I need the rest of the Fairmonts. Your parents here are just the insurance” Jojo dusts herself off, picking up the needle and patting it carefully.

”This isn’t enough to kill them, just weakens their body” she explains, jerking her head towards Juliette who lays pale but alive.

The relief at knowing the injection wouldn’t kill her girlfriend is short lived as Jojo continues. “Do you know what kills those monsters Calliope?”

It’s a genuine question. One that Cal doesn’t even want to think about let alone answer. “You’re the real monster! Not Jules. Not the Fairmonts.

Jojo laughs again, and the sound vibrates through the room. “Don’t you want to know?” She teases, producing a vial from a cabinet.

Calliope doesn’t give her the satisfaction of a reply, and the woman signs with frustration loudly. “You have so much potential” she muses. ”Such good training. So dedicated to the cause” 

This riles her up even further, the reminder that she once sidled with the Guild - once believed and trusted their values. The thought is sickening.

How could she not see the truth. The vampires. They weren’t the monsters. The Guild were. They were the ones targeting innocent beings. Who were just trying to live their lives, play the cards they had been dealt.

”I’ll never join you” she hisses back, venom lacing the words. Jojo is silent, taking in her statement. “Legacy blood. That’s what kills a vampire”

Calliope doesn’t know what she’s expecting. The so next side of things never interested her. She is always a logical person, but never wanted to understand the biology of how things worked.

There wasn’t a known way to kill a legacy vampire. The Guild had reiterated that over. And over. Cal wasn’t stupid though. She knew there was no way Juliette was totally immortal.

It was only a matter of time before someone discovered the way to actually kill a legacy. She didn’t understand what it might be. Theorised at most, it probably had something to do with silver.  

Never in a million years, did she expect this. Jojo, sensing her confusion, elaborated. “Not just the blood though. That would be too simple of course. You see, we’ve been spending a lot more time than you would ever realise, working out how to eliminate these monsters from society”

”Then you. You dropped them right into the palm of our hand”

“Don’t let her get into your head, Cal” Apollo called out, bringing Calliope away from her thoughts. “I don’t understand” she whispered quietly - trying (and failing) to process.

Julirtte groaned from the ground, shifting solidly as she came to consciousness. Cal pushed against the arms of the solider to no avail, wanting nothing more then to embrace the girl. But a digger pressed against her rib cage, a warning.

”Just in time for the big reveal” Jojo announced, leaning forward and snapping a pair of silver cuffs around the vampire’s wrists. 

Vaguely, Cal noticed Elinor and Oliver were also restrained with silver. Theo and Apollo were held at bay by a flurry of armed guns. They were talented fighters, but there was only so much that could be done with guns pointed at your forehead. 

“Cal?” Juliette whispered, and her heart broke at the pain in her voice. “Not again” she mumbled, and Calliope laughed at how much she sounded like Elinor.

”Hey. Gotta stop meeting like this. I think I would just rather have watched the movie” Cal tries to distract the girl, relieved when it seems to work - smiling at her laugh despite the situation. 

“I was just telling Calliope about how to finally kill your kind” Jojo explains, crossing her arms as though she were just discussing something as trivial as the weather.

Juliette’s brow furrows, and she tries to sit up. “What?”

”Its a deadly mix. Silver. And the blood of every Fairmont in the immediate family” 

Calliope hopes she is lying. Because that’s a plausible way for the Guild to actually kill the Fairmonts. They don’t need anything extremely hard to source. 

All of the siblings were already captured. When they had Margot and Sebastian, they would have everything necessary to kill Juliette. To kill her entire family.

Cal spiralled. She launched at Jojo, screaming and scratching with rage. Everything went red. Rage and fury flooded her veins and her heart pounded harder than it ever had.

This was it. She was going to lose Juliette. Despite every thing that had happened in the past few days, this was the closest she had come to actually losing the girl.

The guard tightened his grip on her waist, burly arms stopping her from making any move closer to Jojo. The woman looked nonplussed by her anger, watching her intently instead. 

She didn’t even want to look at Juliette. To see the terror and fear in the girls eyes. It made Calliope feel nauseous. At how easy it actually was to kill a legacy. How close the Guild had come.

Things still didn’t add up though. Why had they locked up both of her parents. How could they not have found Margot and Sebastian? 

When Cal thinks the situation couldn’t get possibly any worse. Jojo sighs, and drops the theatrics. “Enough of these games now. I thought you might have decided to join us - I had high hopes for you Calliope. You could have gone far”

”I hope you rot in hell” she spits at the woman, who just nods almost understandably at her rage. It isn’t enough to stop any of it though, as angry as Cal may be.

Jojo joins the solider guarding her parents, talking to him in a low hushed voice before facing Calliope again. Her expression is hard, but not emotionless. The hatred for legacies is written all over her face.

”I am going to give you a choice Calliope” she chooses her words carefully, speaking slow to let them settle. When Cal doesn’t react with anger, she nods as though impressed and continues. 

“Either, you help me find Margot and Sebastian - lure them to me. Hunt them down yourself. I don’t care how you do it. Bring them to me”

Calliope interrupts her. “Like hell I will”

Becuase not only is she putting Juliette’s family in danger (something she won’t do) - it’s giving the Guild the opportunity to actually kill the vampire. 

Cal would rather offer herself up again. But as much as they don’t like her anymore - she isn’t the target. The Fairmonts are.

Jojo tuts, the same way she did when Calliope was a misbehaving child, trying to roughhouse with her older brothers and wreak havoc. 

“Or, if you decide to decline my very reasonable offer” she nods at the guard and he loads the gun, pressing it impossibly closer to her mom.

”I kill both parents. Your choice”

Chapter Text

Times slows to a near stop. Calliope can’t say anything, her mouth feels stuck together, and as dry as sandpaper. 

This was even worse than she could have hoped. No matter what the outcome, someone she loved was going to get hurt.

Ignoring Jojo wasn’t an option either. The woman would clearly make the decision for Cal if she couldn’t choose. But how could she expect her to make that choice.

It feels like a worse version of events in the past. She vaguely remembers telling Juliette months ago in what probably was a dream - that she chose her family above the girl.

Despite the burgeoning feelings of attraction, love starting to blossom - the decision wasn’t as difficult back then as it is now. 

Things with Juliette were good, yet complicated. She hadn’t known the vampire properly at the time. So choosing her family came naturally.

Family came first. It was uttered so frequently by her parents growing up, that Calliope adopted it as a motto, a mantra she repeated during tough times.

The only difference between that day, months ago - and the current moment, is that it wasn’t choosing between her family and some random girl she was falling for.

Juliette was family. Cal had nearly lost her several times and each time seemed to strike home just how much she loved her. 

This was by far the hardest decision, and the fear of the situation was deeply overwhelming and nauseating. It was too consuming that she didn’t even think about her anger towards Jojo and the Guild for forcing her to decide. 

If she didn’t reply, they would most likely shoot her parents. Then find the Fairmonts, and take their blood too.

Both Oliver and Elinor were out for the count, and her own brothers were struggling against the restraints of heavily armed guards with no luck.

There was no one who could, no one to stop Jojo or the Guild from making Calliope contribute towards hurting someone she loved.

It was an impossible choice. To spare her parents brutal death, would mean the end of not only Juliette - but her family too.

And they had fought so hard to get their relationship to the place it was. All of the family discussions, dinners and talks to try to get the Burns and Fairmonts amicable.

She needed to protect Juliette, who had been through enough trauma in the past few days. She had promised to protect her too, and Cal didn’t want to let the girl down. 

The responsibility behind the fates of her own family, and the Fairmonts - was enough to make her head spin. She tried to think rationally, to even consider if there was any way around it.

But Jojo was getting impatient, and bent down - pressing the tip of the injection against Juliette’s neck. She was barely conscious, panting on the floor, eyes red and unfocused. 

”Cal” she slurred, shaking her head trying to focus as she coughed loudly, spluttering up a pool of thick blood.

Calliope wanted to reassure her. To lean down and promise  everything will be okay. That they’ll both be safe. That no one will ever hurt them. The words got stuck in her throat, and she released a sound akin to a wounded animal.

”If you don’t choose, I’ll order him to pull the trigger. Then we’ll find the Fairmonts either way. And whilst we are looking, this one won’t have the best time” she nudges Juliette with the corner of her boot who writhes and groans.

”Fine, fine! I’ll choose” Cal frantically exclaims. No matter what happens, who she decides - there will be someone who will never forgive her.

Choosing her parents would effectively kill off the entire Fairmonts. Ending the powerful family line. A complete history of family, gone.

Not to mention losing the one person she feels a deeper connection with, more than anyone else in the world. She promised to protect Juliette, and this was her chance.

But who was to say that Jojo would honour her promises. If she chose Juliette, then it’s unlikely they’d just release the Fairmonts. Killing off the family had been the entire plan of the Guild. They wouldn’t let them go, so easily - Cal knew that much. 

“Cal” Jules repeats, croakier this time as she bleeds from the reopened wound across her forehead. The blood is slick and messy, making her look even more small and vulnerable.

She isn’t a monster. Barely looks like a vampire. All Calliope can see - is a scared girl. Her girl. She can’t let Juliette die.

”You need to choose them Cal” 

The words catch Calliope off guard. They are said with steely determination, no nonsense. Juliette isn’t suggesting - she’s demanding.

”No. no. I can’t” Cal shook her head, trying to push away the thoughts of a world without Juliette. 

“It’s okay” she smiles weakly, and it hits her squarely in the chest. The pain is unlike anything physical she had ever experienced, a burning sensation that makes her nearly double over. 

“I can’t” she whispers. Because she can’t just condemn Juliette to death. She can’t let her parents die for nothing either - Jojo wouldn’t let her go, regardless of whatever decision she makes.

Apollo and Theo are causing a ruckus, yelling across to Cal. She ignores them. As much as they care for Juliette, they wouldn’t want to see their parents die - so she disregards whatever they may think.  

“I’m not getting out of here Cal” Juliette whispers, and the finality of her tone settles in the room. She’s resigned, accepted her fate. More defeated than Calliope had ever seen. Ever known possible.

“Don’t kill her” Cal shuts her eyes tight. She knows Jojo won’t let the vampire go. 

Trust me.

Calliope startles. The words aren’t spoke aloud, and no one else seems to show any indication of hearing them. She frowns, confused - then they are repeated.

Just trust me.

It takes a moment before Cal realises what is happening. She locks eyes with Juliette, who still looks terrible on the floor in a pool of her own blood.

Yet there is only one person in the entire world that she can communicate with telepathically. One person whose thoughts are so deeply connected, that their communication defies the bounds and restrictions of human contact. 

It isn’t something they can switch on and off, or control. The dreaming is easier, more frequent and something they share. 

But this, seems a lot more like a Juliette thing. No one knows the extent to her power, or what ability she actually has - as a Fairmont.

Sometimes thoughts would pop in her head, or Jules admitted she could hear, and understand things about Cal. Things inside her mind.

The time where she was captured by Cook springs to mind. She had screamed internally, her brain panicking at the situation. 

Her mouth was taped by the man, so there was no way to make any verbal sounds. But Juliette came running, a knight in shining armour - saving the day.

She hadn’t heard Cal screaming out loud, it was impossible. Instead, hearing her internal pleas for help.

It was unmistakeable, and no other reasonable explanation for the voices. It wasn’t a figment of her imagination either, Calliope knew. 

Their eyes don’t break contact, and Juliette shoots Cal a pointed look. 

Do it

There was only explanation. One thing she could possibly be referring to. Calliope wasn’t stupid, she understood what the vampire was trying to suggest.

Swallowing hard, she nodded to Jojo. “You win” she whispered, not meeting the woman’s likely triumphant gaze. “Jules, I’m so sorry. I love you. I’m sorry” she blurts out

“It’s okay, Cal. It’s okay” the girl soothes, as though she wasn’t the one about to be sent to her death. 

Calliope straightens out, and reluctantly meets Jojo’s gaze trying to show how heartbroken she feels at the situation. “I’ll help you find the Fairmonts. I love her. I do. But I can’t lose my parents”

The words are bitter in her mouth, and she practically has to spit them out to sound as genuine as possible. Jojo grins, and has the audacity to pat her shoulder.

”Good choice, Cal” she praises, and Calliope is too emotionally exhausted to fight her off. The solider removes the gun from her mom’s head, and she releases a breath.

”Now, we need to get this one ready for transport” Jojo crouches back down to Juliette, uncapping the needle and raising her arm ready to stick it into the vampire’s neck.

Then, as quick as a flash of light - Juliette rises up and smashes her mouth against Jojo’ face. The sound of fangs tearing into skin, flesh and muscle isn’t pretty. 

Calliope stands unmoving in shock. Her girlfriend moves rapidly, kicking the needle far away and ripping her fangs away from the flesh.

The sight is bloody and macabre. Juliette’s entire mouth is coated in thick red blood and flesh, dripping down her jaw and across her neck in a heavy stream.

Jojo is screaming in agony, hand coming to her face where half of her jaw is missing. The wound is bloody as the flesh is exposed, skin torn away completely and blood pooling on the floor heavily.

Calliope isn’t frightened though, she’s relieved. Juliette heads towards the soldiers surrounding the Burns parents, she flings the gun far away and digs her fangs into a soldier’s neck hungrily.

It doesn’t last long and she releases the man quickly to the ground, where he lays - bleeding out. Their eyes meet again, and Cal realises what’s happening.

It was an act. Juliette wasn’t as hurt as she was pretending in the past few minutes to Jojo. She was buying herself time to recover, and readying an attack on the Guild.

She was never going to let Cal choose. Never going to put her in that position. The small smile she sends her way confirms that.

Then Calliope joins her, swinging her spear at the soldiers quickly approaching her girlfriend. They make short work of the three men, then return to where Apollo and Theo are fighting their restraints.

Juliette is brutal. She uses her fangs, ripping a hole in one of the men’s chests easily. He releases Apollo with a shout, and she kicks the man down - his head cracking against the floor loudly.  

“Nice work” Apollo grins at Juliette, pride and almost awe gracing his gestures. She smirks back, “I learnt from the best”.

The Fairmonts are still unconscious on the floor, most likely due to the effects of silver. Juliette’s hand trembles as she skims over her sister’s face.

A loud buzzing sound begins to flood the room, like an alarm of sorts. Calliope deduces it must be a panic button, or warning to sent for more guards.

Her theory proves correct where she hears the telltale sound of more footsteps approaching. “We need to go” Apollo shouts, grabbing both girls’ arms.

”We can’t just leave them” Juliette responds, pointing towards the twins, but also Talia and Jack at the other side of the room - still unconscious.

”If we stay here, it’s a Suicide mission” Apollo argues. “They’d want us to escape!”

”We have to split up” Cal finally decided. “Jules, they need all of you for the serum to work” she explained “If they don’t have your entire family then you have the advantage”

”I still don’t know where Mom and dad are” Juliette wipes away a bead of blood running down her face and sighs with exhaustion.

Cal touches her shoulder. Then Theo picks up a gun. “You Both go. Find your parents” he addresses Juliette, then focuses back to his sister. “We’ll protect mom and dad, right Apollo?” 

The man nods and they fist bump. “Burns brothers for life” they recite, and Calliope rubs her eyes furiously - pulling both brothers in for a brief hug.

They pat her back, comforting before she releases the grip - slipping her fingers through Juliette’s. “Cmon Jules” she shares a brief smile with Apollo and Theo, then they run towards the door and don’t look back.

Chapter Text

“That was stupid” Cal blurts out as she staggers up the stairs, high off adrenaline. She doesn’t mean to sound as admonishing as the words appear to be.

But every time she closes her eyes, even just to blink - she sees the look on Jojo’s face when she was about to poison the vampire with silver.

How willing her girlfriend was to put herself in danger (again) to stop Cal from making the hardest, most difficult decision of her entire life.

She felt nauseous just thinking about it. How close they came to disaster. But although out of immediate danger, they weren’t out of the woods yet.

As relieved as she was that Jojo couldn’t follow through on her threat, it didn’t do anything to change her feelings. 

She wasn’t necessarily angry at the girl. Rather the situation. And maybe a little at how easily she disregards her own life to put everyone else before her. 

She was self sacrificial like that. Which showed her love, and compassion. But In times like this, Cal hated the trait as much as she admired it. Things were too close to chaos and death. Next time, they might not be so lucky. Not to mention how the girl always managed to get herself in danger and sticky situations. 

Calliope was relieved she didn’t have to make the choice. And was happy that her family remained alive and intact for the time being.

Family was a difficult word to define. Growing up, family had been the Burns and the Guild. Two separate, but overlapping and interconnecting families.

This was something that changed with meeting Juliette. Falling for the vampire made her reconsider everything.

Then, as her love grew stronger and more powerful - she became part of her family. And integrated nicely into the Burns family. Apollo and Theo loved the girl, as did Talia. Jack was uncertain yet not as hating as he used to be.

Calliope felt less certain where she stood with the Fairmonts. She respected both Sebastian and Margot, and they didn’t seem to hate her, so she was getting on with the parents well enough.

Oliver was a different story. He still creeped her out to be honest. Then Elinor. They were United not only with their love for Juliette but their desire to protect the girl.

So she is happy that everyone is still alive and within reasonable health. But it doesn’t make her any less mad at how easy the vampire would have sacrificed herself for family. 

Juliette falters at her words, almost tripping and tumbling back down the stairs - Calliope grabs her waist, steadying them. “Careful” she whispers, and could of swore that she saw her shiver. 

“It was necessary” Jules replies, her voice distant and faraway yet unwavering. She didn’t regret the actions. Cal did not even need to ask, it was all over her face. 

There was nothing that could be done now. She couldn’t dwell on the past.They had to move forward. To find the Fairmonts, then return for the rest of their family.

Their family.

The parameters between the Burns and Fairmonts were beginning to blur and overlap. Truth be told, Cal wasn’t sure where her family ended and Jules’ begun.

There was animosity in the group. Theo and Elinor would never get on. And Jack would never trust the Fairmonts completely. Maybe Juliette but that was as far as he’d go.

Yet the vampire was especially close to her own brothers - Theo through their bond then Apollo as a result of all the time spent bonding and finding more in common than anyone would expect. 

Calliope and Elinor was a new development. They weren’t best friends. Far from it. However there was a mutual respect of sorts, that arose from the situation they found themselves in. 

Talia had always had a soft spot for Juliette. She tried suppressing it but Cal could see she cared for the girl. And the Fairmonts didn’t mind her, which was all she could expect really.

There wasn’t going to be leaving anyone behind. They were going to work together and not leave the building until the Burns and Fairmonts are safe. 

It didn’t take long for the pair to follow the corridors back towards what looked like the main section of the building. Trying to find her parents was taking on Juliette, she hadn’t fed for awhile so was beginning to look paler and less focused than she had been during the earlier attack.

”Wait, wait” she stops, leaning heavily on the wall and breathing fast. “I need to try and trigger my senses” she points sporadically at her nose, continuing. “But everything is hazy”

Calliope nods, thinking. “Okay”. There’s only one solution, one way to give her girlfriend enough energy to gain back some more strength and focus.

She rolls up her sleeve, thrusting her arm desperately near Juliette’s face. “Just drink” it’s not a request, rather a demand and Juliette doesn’t protest - fangs sinking into the skin with ease.

It’s a lot less intimate than they’re both used to. Feeding became something of a ritual between the pair. A habit in sync. 

This time, Juliette is exhausted and hungry - so she drinks a few greedy gulps before sighing in relief, retracting her fangs and licking the wound so it heals.

”Thanks” she whispers, rolling back Cal’s sleeve back down her harm. The action is thoughtful and soft, and she murmurs back in affirmation.  

The blood did the trick, and it isn’t long before Juliette takes off, jogging down the hall. Calliope follows, breaking into a light sprint to keep up with the vampiric speed.

The scent ability isn’t guaranteed or else it would have been a skill they could have employed earlier. It only gives a vague idea as to where the person might be.

”Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Cal calls down the hall, where Juliette has a strong lead - moving faster than she had ever seen before.

”Just trust me” she calls back, and the familiar words send another pang to Calliope’s chest. They bring back memories of the events that just occurred and she pushes them into the back of her mind forcefully. She did trust Juliette. With her life. “Okay”.

Then before Cal can even register what is happening, her girlfriend crashes into something. Or someone. She stumbles wildly, with her terrible coordination - ironic for someone with a host of various vampiric abilities.  

Her first thought is to protect. To attack. The dagger is already on hand, and she’s moving across the corridor faster than she ever ran before.

It could be another soldier. Or anyone trying to get their hands on the vampire. Someone prepared to hurt her girlfriend again. And Cal was not going to let that happen.

But it wasn’t a solider, no one from the Guild ready to unleash more pain. Instead, it was Margot Fairmont.

”Mom” Juliette murmurs, voice trembling. She looks surprised, and emotional. Margot doesn’t look much better when she notices who got in her path.

”Juliette” she replies, taking her daughter’s face in hand. They stare for a moment, locked in eye contact where they wear their emotions so openly.

Juliette had once explained sometimes she saw Elinor in her mom - traits that both women share. Sometimes she could be selfish. Cruel in a way perhaps not as extreme as her daughter, but not as empathetic as Jules wanted her to be.

Their relationship could be rocky. They had spoke about it during the many nights where Juliette would scale back down her bedroom window (she could use the window but liked to opt for the ‘dangerous option’ - her words) and watch the stars.

It was peaceful. Only the couple, the dark sky and stars. So many stars. They’d talk for hours, about anything and everything that came to mind.

Juliette would often describe how she used to feel inadequate compared to the females in her family. Both Elinor and Margot were similar in their confidence and acceptance of who they were.

Things were harder for the youngest girl. She didn’t feel as though she fit in - not at school where she was the only (known) vampire and not at home where she lacked the self assured ness that both her mom and sister possessed.

But then they had a talk. Margot had a lot more in common with Juliette than she initially thought. Her relationship with Sebastian paralleled Jules’ with Cal. The same initial rejection from the families and choosing their partner over all else.

At the time, Margot didn’t understand how Juliette was just rebelling against her family not to cause trouble, for love. Just like she had done all of those years ago. 

Things improved after that, and Juliette was fond of her mother - Cal knew that. So seeing the pair reunite, regardless of the circumstances - brought a brief smile to her face.

It had to be brief though, with the severity of everything going on - and Margot released her tight hug to hold Juliette’s face for a moment.

She looked past her daughter and smiled at Calliope. “Hey Cal” she greeted. Before she could reply, someone else appeared from the corridor.

”Oh thank god” Sebastian breathed out in relief, grabbing Juliette, pulling her close for a tight hug. “Where were you?” She asked, voice muffled against the material of her father’s jacket.

”We needed to get rid of all the guards on the bottom floor” Margot explained. “It was too guarded so we needed to ensure the majority of them are gone, to make a getaway”

She scans her daughter to check for any injuries, frowning at the laceration on her forehead which reopened (most likely courtesy of Jojo).

“What happened? Where’s everyone else?” Sebastian asks when he finally lets Juliette go and pats Cal on the shoulder. 

The couple frown at each other, trying to think how to word the events of the past few hours. Juliette wrings her hands together in that nervous habit she usually does.

Cal is more used to seeing it when she’s preparing for a text, or during the early stages of her relationship when about to hide from Talia and Jack. 

They fill the Fairmonts in on what happened, both parents looking annoyed at the events. Margot cuts Calliope off mid sentence, straight to the point as always. “We need to go back for them”

Sebastian nods in agreement. But Juliette looks concerned. “If we go back, then that’s putting our family in one space. And she mentioned how all of our blood is needed for the serum that can apparently kill off our bloodline”.

It was a valid point. Returning the family back to the torture basement seemed like a terrible idea the more Cal thought about it. All it would take is one guard to just collect enough blood from the family and somehow get it to the lab.

They didn’t know if Jojo was telling the truth, if the serum actually existed let alone required everyone’s blood. Calliope didn’t want to risk it though.

Juliette had been through enough trauma and damage. They needed to keep the family separated until the building was miles and miles away.

Margot tossed Cal a pair of keys, and a determined expression crossed her features. “This is what’s going to happen” she begun, voice low and calm.

”You’re both going to go back upstairs, get in my car and leave this place” she put a hand up to silence Juliette who begun to complain in protest.

”I can’t just leave everyone behind!” Juliette exclaimed, hands flailing by around the air dramatically. “They’ll get hurt” she looks as upset as she is annoyed, Cal pulls her in for what she hopes is a reassuring hug, patting her back before breaking the embrace.

Margot is insistent though. “You’re putting the entire family in danger of you come with us Jules” it’s a low blow, and Calliope watches her girlfriend flinch at the roughness of the words.

The idea does make sense. As much as she doesn’t want to admit it, the last thing they need to do is return back downstairs all guns blazing and be caught off guard.

The Guild were targeting the Fairmonts because of their hatred towards vampires and all monsters alike. Yet they wouldn’t just let the Burns leave either.

Their families were intertwined together, through the bond between both girls. And the only way they would get out of this without the Fairmont bloodline trying to be killed off / was thinking logically.

”She has a point Jules” Calliope tells the vampire, hand settling on her arm in a comforting gesture. Juliette doesn’t look ready to give in though, still protesting.

”How many guards are down there?” Sebastian deviates the conversation, asking Cal. “Half a dozen maybe. Heavily armed though”

He nods then swallows. “How about ... Elinor. And Oliver. Where are they” 

She omitted that part of the story. The parents had been through enough and didn’t need to hear that their two other children are laying unconscious, most likely with silver pumping through their veins too.

“They’re alive” Cal decides on, not elaborating. Both Fairmonts acknowledge the statement but thankfully don’t press her on the topic.

They return to the plan, Margot confident that she’ll be able to take down the remaining guards with the help of the Burns brothers.

Between the four, they would be able to get Talia and Jack, then Elinor and Oliver - out alive. The task wouldn’t be easy but it wasn’t entirely impossible either.

Calliope felt useless again. Juliette had come around to the idea of taking a backseat by leaving. It made more sense to get her away from the place considering the amount of injuries and pain inflicted by the Guild.

She didn’t like it. Cal had become an expert at reading the vampire over their relationship. It was more than their  bond - not just a connection tethering them together.

The girl wore her feelings openly, and Calliope liked to see how she was feeling her arms were crossed and face twisted into a frown. 

They both had shared feelings of guilt, of hopelessness. Like Cal, Juliette didn’t want to resign to the car and drive off - leaving her family to fight the battle.

She wanted to help and play her part in bringing down the organisations demise. Yet she was logical too, as much as she was emotional. 

Going back downstairs would potentially put her entire family in danger and Juliette knew this, it was the reason why she reluctantly agreed to Margot’s plan.

It wasn’t even a decision for Calliope on what she would do. There’s no way she’d abandon her girlfriend again - and the girl (although improving) still didn’t look well enough to drive.

She was also painfully terrible at it. But Cal didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so didn’t bring up the idea that if Jules drove the car away - they would probably be in more danger than facing the entirety of the Guild. 

They had been stuck together like glue ever since Calliope found and reunited with Juliette. She wasn’t going to let her go anywhere anytime soon - so was adamant to accompany the girl out of the building.

The plan was simple enough. Juliette and Calliope would escape the building, leading any guards their way - drawing the attention from the escape downstairs.

Hopefully most of the guards would be obliterated by the Burns and Fairmonts - or the couple as they leave the building. Then, they will drive far away and wait for the rest of their families to join them.

There couldn’t be too many guards part of the plan, left stationing the rooms. A lot of blood had been shed, and many had been slaughtered - most at the hands (or dare say fangs) of Elinor’s bloodthirsty rage.

The plan had its flaws. They could get jumped by more guards on exit and be returned to the basement. But Cal promised herself she’d stay vigilant and let Juliette escape no matter what. 

Killing as many of the guards possible would also ensure their safety, so Margot and Sebastian promised to not hold back.

Time was precious, and they barely had any to lose. The alarm was still blaring and it was a surprise they hadn’t yet ran into anyone.

Margot and Sebastian embraced their daughter together, shocking Cal by pulling her into the hug too. But it’s over nearly as quick as it started - and the pairs are splitting up and going down opposite ends of the corridor a moment later.

Calliope slipped her hand into Juliette’s - squeezing tightly as they begin to race out of the building, hoping they can make it out without causing any more damage.

Chapter Text

“I don’t they're going to let us just walk out of here” Juliette called over the increasingly louder alarm siren.

Calliope ignored the statement, pushing it away and squeezing her hand tighter as they continued to weave through the maze of corridors.

The building wasn’t straight forward, it was cleverly crafted by the Guild, most likely used for experiments and tortures considering the amount of rooms hidden by the long, narrow corridors.

Cal didn’t have a clue where she was going. Even if she could have remembered the route they took to find Juliette in the first place, it would be near impossible to try and locate it - the rooms all looked the same.

And regardless, she had been too distracted to remember which corridors to turn down, to go left or right - by the fear of losing her girlfriend. 

Juliette used her vampiric abilities and that seemed to be working because they hadn’t met any dead ends or turned back to the basement opening yet.

The alarm was growing louder and louder in pitch, Cal pressed a hand to her head and groaned at the sound of it piercing her skull with its vibrations.

It showed how prepared the Guild actually were for emergencies, Juliette’s escape probably being one. They just have invested a lot of time, money and lives on capturing the Fairmonts and subsequently executing them. 

They ran for what seemed like forever. The building was deceptively large. Eventually, Juliette stopped, pushing herself and Cal flat against the wall.

Before she could question what was happening, Jules pressed her finger to her lip in a silencing motion. Cal obeyed, slowing her breathing and trying to listen out for anything.

She could hear the chatter between guards and felt a flush of relief that they hadn’t rushed out ready to leave. There was no telling how many guards were surrounding the exit. It could be three, or it could be several dozen. They needed to make a plan, not just take their chances. 

Juliette moved forward an inch, leaning to the side and peering down the hallway carefully, with a precision Calliope had never seen before. 

She must be coming more into her abilities, honing them in a way she had usually rejected. Elinor had completely embraced her vampirism in comparison, but Jules had a harder time - Cal knew. She didn’t entirely embrace who she was, which gave her a harder time controlling her abilities. 

This was changing though. The skills were necessary in their escape, Juliette knew this. So she was starting to embrace the parts she once denied - and Cal was just relieved she showed such strength and power.

She returns back to the wall and instead of talking, Calliope feels the words travel across her mind in a powerful way that the vampire has only recently learnt to master.

”Five guards. Armed. But we should be able to take them”

The words appear with a level of confidence that Juliette rarely exhibits. She is adamant to get out safe and not let any harm come to the Burns and Fairmonts - their families.

In place of the worried girl, came this new stronger woman. She hadn’t changed, not at her core - but Calliope recognised how Juliette had become stronger in face of the trauma she had endured. 

She didn’t know how to speak via their bond. The only time she communicated that way, was the scream whilst being captured by Cook - and that was done unconsciously, without even realising that Juliette could hear her.

So Cal didn’t know how to respond to her girlfriend instead offering a brief nod. The guards were most likely highly skilled and trained, the fight wouldn’t be easy. But they couldn’t just wait in the corridor to be caught.

Juliette bared her fangs, they elongated and hung dangerously from her mouth. It was interesting (and perhaps a little disconcerting) for Cal to see them used in such context.

At first she associated them with violence, being her first encounter was feeling an uncomfortable sharp bite into her neck in the pantry. 

Then getting to know Juliette helped her realise that the vampire didn’t use her fangs for violence. Even seeing her tear Cook apart reinforced these feelings. She was protecting Calliope, not aimlessly killing for the fun of it.

Through rebuilding their relationship post break-up, feeding became an intimate act something the pair shared. Yes, Cal recognised it was a necessity. Her girlfriend couldn’t live off blood pills, they were effectively killing her.

So she let the girl feed straight off her blood, and grew to actually enjoy the activity. Juliette learnt her body too, recognised when she had drained enough blood, the tell tale signs that Cal was beginning to grow light headed - and always pulled away before things got carried away.

Even now, Juliette wasn’t enjoying the act of killing the guards. She didn’t like violence, Cal knew that. She was a kind person, and didn’t like to resort to using her vampiric abilities for such measures.

One of the only times she ever justified using her fangs for violence, was to protect her family. And the only exception to this in her entire life - was the time where she bit Calliope in the pantry.

Ever since then, her fangs were only used for feeding from Cal, or in times like this - to protect her family from any harm.

Their eyes met and communicated without anything needing to be said. Calliope pulled out her spear, and aimed it at a nearby soldier’s neck - launching it effortlessly through the air.

They waited, pressed still against the wall until the man groaned loudly and fell to the ground with a loud, unmistakeable thud. Juliette nodded, and moved from the safety of the wall diving straight into the fray.

The guards yelled, surprised at their sudden movement. Juliette approached the nearest one, fangs pressed and buried deep into his neck quicker than he could scream. 

She didn’t drink though, a surprised amount of restraint allowing the girl to tear her fangs from his neck and drop him onto the ground.

He gasped in pain, the fangs tearing a large hole in the skin of his throat. Unlike Elinor, Juliette had no desire to drink his blood. Instead, she let him bleed out on the floor.

Another guard was disposed by Cal’s spear - landing straight into the flesh of his throat. The blood was heavy and flowing on the ground, but Calliope moved onto the next guard quickly.

They fought together managing to dispose the majority of the Guild members. 

Then the last guard went to grab the vampire around the waist, silver stake at hand. Cal panicked at the sight, but tried to keep calm as she launched herself at the man.

They tumbled to the ground, and Calliope blocked a few punches. One caught her off guard, a heavy jab to her mid section and she moaned at the contact - panting, winded.

He lifted up the stake, changing target and brandishing it over Cal. It’s not the silver that would cause her any damage, she wasn’t the intended target for a stake but the force of a heavy weapon would cause clear damage even death.

She fought against his arms, where he sat pinning her down - stake raised high in the air. “You’re disgusting” he spat, with a level of venom that Cal didn’t expect.

They hated the vampires, she knew that much. Most of the Guild harboured a vicious hatred towards all monsters of any kind. She didn’t expect the guard to hate her as much though.

“You’re a traitor to your kind” he continued, eyes ablaze with a kind of fury synonymous to the Guild. “The Guild gave you everything, they ..”

Snap. 

Calliope had heard a variety of sounds during the week. Screams, moans, wails of agony. The whistle a spear makes when spinning through the air. The thud it makes when hitting target. 

The different kind of thud a body makes when slumping to the ground, weight free-falling and landing with a loud bang. 

Surprisingly the sound of fangs sticking into skin is eerily quiet. The noise comes from the combination of pained groans, and heavy gulping when a vampire decides to feed from the wound.

The crack of bones, being snapped and twisted into different shapes was something Cal had heard before. But regardless, she still found it disconcerting.

The action was so quick that the guard didn’t even have time to scream. Or maybe he was so stunned, he physically couldn’t. The only sound he made was that familiar thump as his body tumbled backwards and he fell onto the ground.

Calliope laid still on the floor, trying to catch her breath. Where the guard once stood, Juliette took his place. Her eyes were blown wide, dark and angry. Angrier than Cal had ever seen before.

She was breathing heavy, the sound vibrating through the meanwhile quiet room. There was a splatter of blood covering her face, from an altercation with a guard most likely.

Calliope found herself strangely intrigued by the sight (and other emotions that she didn’t even want to acknowledge and unpack at a time like this) 

Juliette was darkly silent, and looked furious. The sight shouldn’t be so ... Cal couldn’t define it. A twisted part of her, deep down - liked the look in the vampire’s eye.

She was furious at the man and killed him so easily. Her strength was far from trained, an innate vampire ability that was repressed from a lack of use.

Yet she had cracked his bones with such ease. Regardless of her years of extensive training - Calliope knew she didn’t possess such strength herself.

Seeing her girlfriend display strength, especially to protect her - was a feeling that she needed to suppress or else she would end up losing sight of their mission, 

Then as quick as it appeared, Juliette snapped out of it. Her fangs retracted, back into her gums. Her eyes softened and turned back to their original colour - all traces of fury and anger dissipating.

”Are you okay?” Her voice was gentle, concerned. Despite her appearance, at the violence of the actions - it was so familiarly Juliette that Cal was struck with the urge to cry.

She nodded and let the vampire pull her up to her feet. Before they could leave, Cal wrapped the girl into a tight embrace.

She was glad they were okay. It wasn’t anywhere near the end of this mess, they were still stuck in the building and likely to encounter more Guild soldiers.

But they were alive. And safe. For the time being. 

Calliope pulled the edge of her sleeve down, and wiped the blood off Juliette’s face before it could dry. 

They needed to be quick to escape the building, but the action seemed important - to rid her girlfriend from the blood of the man that was so prepared to kill the pair without a second thought. 

He was happy about it too, Cal remembered the glint in his eye under the anger. How easily he would have buried the stake into her chest if Juliette hadn’t stopped him first. 

Juliette didn’t protest or move. She let Cal wipe away the blood and flashed a small smile when it was all gone. She looked tired, Calliope noticed, with the adrenaline gone.

She stroked her cheek, hand lingering. Juliette leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering shut. They made eye contact again after the brief moment of peace, and locked hands - leaving the room together.

This time, it didn’t take long to finally climb the mountain of stairs. Juliette heaved against a giant steel door, pushing it open with admirable strength. Before Cal let her thoughts wander, the door was opened and daylight shining into the room.

Time was a warped sense during the past week. Calliope was too preoccupied with protecting Juliette and her family to even realise how the hours were passing.

It was strange to see the bright daylight outside when she had become acclimated to the darkness, the gloom of the building.

Juliette squinted at the sight, hand coming across her eyes. At first Cal wonders if she is injured enough for her body to grow sensitive to sunlight.

”Haven’t seen it so bright for while” she explains. It makes sense. For the majority of the week, Juliette was either hidden, tortured in one of the Guilds rooms. Or asleep on the bed of Elinor’s safe house. Then back again to the Guilds torture rooms. 

No matter where she was, it was always inside - in some sort of dark room with no direct sunlight.

”When we get out of this, we’ll go to the beach or something. Lots of sun. No darkness” Calliope promised, determined and unwavering. Juliette nods, with a faraway look that suggests she doesn’t believe the finality of Cal’s words. 

They head a few streets away, rushing hand in hand, and find where Talia had parked the car. Juliette slips into the passenger seat, as Cal starts the car.

She’s struck with a feeling of guilt. As relieved as she is to take Jules away from the Guild after all they did to her, she isn’t happy to leave the rest of her family.

But it makes sense. It’s the only logical plan they had. Splitting up the Fairmonts was imperative. Together, they posed more of a danger. A chance for the Guild to finally eliminate the family. 

Juliette wasn’t fully recovered too. The wounds were healing, but the silver was still roaming around her bloodstream. She needed time. Time to heal. Time away from the Guild. The constant torture was just reopening wounds, forcing them to stop the healing process.

So Juliette needed to be as far away from the Guild as possible. That was the only thing she knew for certain needed to happen.

At the same time, Cal didn’t even entertain the idea of leaving Jules alone. As much as the others could need her help, Juliette needed her more. 

Anyways, they were together. Between the Fairmonts and Burns, they could hold their own against the Guild. As strong as she was, Cal didn’t want to leave Juliette all on her own. 

She couldn’t let her down. She needed to drive her far, far away, for safety. To watch her heal with her own eyes. More importantly than that - blood sped up the healing process too.

Granted, Juliette could get any blood. Not from hurting anyone, but many places offered a feeding service. Selfishly, Cal wanted the only blood she ever drunk to be hers. 

She didn’t know what caused these thoughts but it was perhaps a possessive desire. To know that the only blood she consumed came directly from her own body - did things to Calliope.

She liked knowing that her own blood contributed to her girlfriends survival. Juliette had explained on numerous occasions that she liked specifically the taste of her blood more than anything else.

Okay, she didn’t have much to compare it to. Only Cook and a handful of others. But she liked knowing how the taste made her feel, it made Cal want the only blood that Juliette ever drunk going forward - to be hers.

So she needed to keep the girl with her, giving her enough blood and time to heal. She trusted their families to get out safe and bring down the Guild.

For now, her priority was making sure Juliette was healthy and safety. 

“Where are we going?” The vampire asked from the front seat. Calliope mulled over her question, then screeched the car out of the car park.

”Far away from here”

Chapter Text

Driving feels cathartic but also like a cop out. Calliope is relieved to get both herself and Juliette was far away from the Guild as possible. 

She was furious at them for harbouring such a hateful, unnecessary anger at the Fairmonts. But the protection and love for her girlfriend outweighed any feelings of fury so leaving the area was more important than getting revenge.

At the same time, she couldn’t shake the guilt at leaving everyone behind. Although it did make more sense to get Juliette away from the Guild - for her safety too, it still meant leaving the rest of her family at the building.

She tried to bury those feelings. Theo and Apollo were trained and had plenty of experience fighting so she knew her brothers could hold their own. 

Margot and Sebastian had powers beyond anything the Guild could actually do. Together, it would be fine. And if they managed to rouse Elinor and Oliver - then it was game over for the Guild.

“Where exactly are we going” Juliette asked after a prolonged moment of silence. Cal had pulled away from the building and drove aimlessly, as fast as she could manage without being pulled over; for the past twenty minutes. 

That was a good point. She didn’t trust the safe house. Going to the same location on two different occasions didn’t seem like a smart idea. They needed to go somewhere new. Somewhere the Guild wouldn’t expect.

Both of the family houses were out of the question too. One of the first places the organisation would look, is their homes so as much as Cal wanted to return to the safety of the Burns house - it wasn’t a sensible decision.

”Somewhere quiet, off the grid” She finally decided, taking one hand of the wheel to give Juliette a reassuring squeeze on her knee. “It’ll be okay. We’ll be okay. Just heal and it won’t be long till our families are pestering us again”

The response elicited a laugh from her girlfriend, lightening up the somber mood. “Yeah, I almost wish Elinor and Apollo would be arguing right now” she burrows deeper into the seat. “I’d even take your dad’s passive aggressive stares at me during dinner”.

That was a development that Cal hoped would stop soon. Things would be sometimes awkward when Jack would look over at the vampire during the Burns family meals. It didn’t happen as often as when they got back together and Juliette started coming around to the house regularly. 

But it happened enough that it was beginning to irritate Calliope. She didn’t want her girlfriend to feel uncomfortable in the house. If the whole situation didn’t happen she probably would have confronted her dad about how the gesture was making her feel. 

Of course Juliette hadn’t complained or said anything about it. She was polite, painfully so at times. It was also something to do with her self proclaimed ‘social awkwardness’ and instead she just liked to ignore the pointed looks over the lasagne.

”He needs to stop that” Cal murmurs, hand tapping against the wheel. Juliette doesn’t reply to that, only smiling back weakly. 

Calliope doesn’t have a plan in mind. She knows the safe house isn’t smart, or returning to either family home. Friends or relatives isn’t a good idea either.

She drives for another ten minutes, trying to put as much distance between the pair and the Guild as possible. The car screeches fast along the road, the driving bumpy and definitely not her best work.

They are most likely occupied with the Fairmonts and Burns so aren’t looking for Juliette or Cal, at least not at the moment. However they need the vampire in order to kill the rest of the legacies so it’s inevitable that they will attempt to track them down.

Calliope just hopes their families will be able to kill the rest of the soldiers to stop them from attempting to hunt down Juliette and bringing her back to that gloomy building of death.

Instead of driving in a straight line, she takes a bunch of side roads and twists and turns. The driving is hectic, Cal knows that - Juliette is gripping her leg like her life depends on it.

In an odd way, perhaps it does. Their decisions now, Cal’s decision on where to hide out and wait for their families - will determine what actually happens to the pair. If found by the Guild, they will most likely be returned and killed. The pressure was on. 

A sign for a cheap motel pops up and strikes Calliope with inspiration. Without saying a word, she swerves the car and pulls in to park.

”And I thought my driving was bad” Juliette quips, hand fanning the air dramatically. She looks pale, Cal notes - but her skin wasn't entirely as sickly as the previous week. It had more colour and the wounds, although bad, weren’t as open and blood oozing.

She would need to feed soon. Cal could tell, it hadn’t been too long since she last fed but the blood helped speed up the healing process to it was important to drink consistently. 

Juliette wouldn't ask about it. Not out of pride but concern. She never wanted to take too much, to get carried away. So it was always Cal who would initiate feeding, she could tell when her girlfriend needed more blood. And this time was no different.

”A motel?” She raised an eyebrow curiously but didn’t protest. Cal parked the car and did a once over to check there was no one watching them when they climbed out.

”Somewhere they wouldn’t expect, there’s a bunch of motels around. It would take them awhile to search each one” She explained.

It was true. Motels were scattered all around the nearby roads. If the Guild realised where they had decided to stay, there was plenty of other closer motels that they might check - buying the couple more time. 

It wasn’t anything special, run down and dirty. Definitely not somewhere Cal would want to spend her evening. Judging by the emptiness of the car park, most people had the same idea.

But it would do the trick, and was cheap enough that the amount of ten dollar bills she kept for emergencies in her wallet would cover a night. Then, they would decide what to do after that.

Juliette let Calliope do all of the talking when they reached the front desk. An initial concern would be their lack of ID, something needed to check in - both as proof of who you were but also age verification.

The young woman at the desk didn’t look bothered, barely sparing the pair a second glance over the glaring screen of her iPhone as she took the bills and shoved over a rusted pair of keys.

Their room was on the seventh floor, and Cal watched out for any emergency exits if a dangerous situation arose. Juliette was less vigilante, she looked more tired and rundown. Although legacy vampires didn’t need sleep always, it was different when they were hurt. She needed a feed then a nap, Cal decided. 

“This is ... something” the vampire commented pushing open the door and surveying the small room. It wasn’t much, and didn’t look in the best shape, clearly justifying the twenty dollar cost.

It consisted of a small bed that looked more like a single than the double promised by the large glowing neon (broken) sign. There was a wardrobe sporting a giant crack down the side, and a singular chair.

The bedsheets were stained and the walls coated with a thick mould. Cal didn’t even want to think about the shower and how disgusting it would most likely be. 

“Something alright” she acknowledges, dropping her backpack onto the bed. It wasn’t full of the most supplies, only a few bottles of water and granola bars. No clean set of clothes which were desperately needed. 

Juliette sits tentatively on the corner of the bed, hands crossed as she contemplates. A loud squeak interrupts the silence and she shoots daggers at the protruding spring sticking out of the mattress. 

Calliope wants to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. How they ended up in a tiny, rundown motel hiding, and waiting for their families to return in one peace.

She is exhausted too though, only managing a few hours sleep in the past several days. Most of her time had been spend worrying about Juliette or working out how to fight back against the Guild. 

This alongside all of her physical exertion meant that when Cal sat next to Jules on the bed, she almost collapsed onto the mattress, into a deep sleep.

Instead she forced herself to focus, and gulped down a granola bar. It didn’t taste good but she needed the nutrients.

“You need to feed” she tells the vampire gently but insistent and rolls up her sleeve. Juliette doesn’t argue, shifting so she rests her head almost entirely in Cal’s lap.

Its soft, back to the intimacy they created through the routine of feeding just alone. There, in the dingy motel room with its broken and filthy furniture, Calliope feels the most safe and relieved she’s felt in days. 

She holds her wrist up above the girl’s mouth, always giving her the choice to lean forward and bite into the skin. Although she knows Juliette needs to feed, she also recognises the importance of giving her the choice to make the first move in starting the process.

Feeding needed to be a choice. Juliette bit and drunk occasionally from necessity - to protect her loved ones. So in this space they created together, Cal always gave her the opportunity to take things at her own pace.

She licked over Calliope’s wrist, a slow and deliberate gesture, maintaining full eye contact. Oh. Like a switch flipping, a familiar want stirred in her stomach. 

“Again” she whispered, voice low and husky. Juliette repeated the motion, slower this time. At the end, instead of pulling away - she let her fangs drop down slightly and graze over the sensitive skin.

This wasn’t enough to break it open, but the action caused a shiver to run down Cal’s spine. It was possibly the worst time to feel these kind of emotions. But truth be told, she had missed Juliette. So much. First she was gone, then returned but in such pain and in a bad way.

Yet she was alive. And healing. This was their first time together alone since all of the mess started. No families lurking in the next room, ready to step in if Juliette fell unconscious for too long again or a wound didn’t heal the way it should.

Calliope was satisfied the girl was healing, and took solace in the short term safety of their shared motel room. So she indulged in her emotions, knowing there was nothing more to do for their families without putting themselves in more danger. 

She pushed forward and crashed their lips together. Juliette let out a surprised sigh at the unexpected movement but kissed back a moment later.

Things grew hotter almost immediately as Cal released her pent up emotions. She missed Juliette. Kissing her. Holding her. Feeling the vampire safe and alive in her arms.

A sharp sensation dug against the flesh of her mouth and she groaned at the slight pain. Juliette watched her, fang grazing her lip carefully. Calliope nodded her consent and moaned even louder as both fangs sunk fully into her lip.

Juliette drunk, not enough to even begin to satiate her hunger or aid the healing process but enough for Cal to feel a deep pulsing feeling across her mouth. Then she released her lip with a pop, licking a stray drop of blood away.

Her mouth was stained, Calliope noticed. Not enough to cause a mess but a few drops of runaway blood caught the corner of her jaw. Then her tongue darted out, collected the blood and swallowed it with a gulp.

Fuck, Cal thought. That shouldn’t be as hot as it was. They watched each other, eyes blown wide. Then Juliette moved first, climbing into Calliope’s lap, arms steadying around her neck.

She swept the hair away, tilting her neck to get it in the position she wanted. Satisfied, she bent down and grazed the skin slowly with blood coated fangs. 

Cal swore again, louder at the touch. And the lack of it. She wanted more. Needed it. Craved it. Juliette pulled back and smirked. 

God, she was so cocky. Full of life now apparently, with a mischievous glint in her eye. It was enough to make Cal forget about everything that was happening. Usually when she looked at the girl so brazen and confident - nothing else mattered. 

“That’s mean” she murmured and the girl laughed. It was the first proper laugh in days, carefree and happy. “Be patient” Juliette focused back on her neck, mouth attaching to the skin easily.

“Can I drink?” She mumbled against her throat, pressing a light kiss. Calliope was sensitive there, but Jules knew that. Probably the reason she targeted that area. She knew what the answer would be, but asked anyway - liking to hear her acknowledge it. Cal moaned in agreement, and felt the familiar piercing of fangs again.

It still hurt every time, just not as bad or for as long. The pleasure was always higher than the pain too. And the burn always disappeared when she begun drinking.

She started with heavy gulps, swallowing down the blood as though she were parched. At the same time, a hand crawled down and shimmied open the waistband of her sweatpants. 

Calliope bucked against the touch, tilting her head further back to give the girl more access. It didn’t take long until she reached her peak, at the same time Juliette begun drinking more frantically.

Blood was spilling easily now, dripping from her mouth down her face and if Cal wasn’t too focused on the throes of her own pleasure she might have felt dizzy at the  amount of blood being drained. 

Then after things topple over the edge, Juliette detaches her fangs and they retract back above her canines. She licks the excess blood staining her mouth, and rolls off Calliope with a satisfied grunt. 

Although exhausted even more so now, Cal is high off feeling. She is happy, deliriously so - their actions serving as a reminder that Juliette is alive and okay. 

Perhaps it hadn’t been the right time to partake in such ... strenuous activities. But Jules looked fine, no signs of any wounds reopening. 

And she had fed too, which must be speeding up her recovery. If anything their rendezvous seems to rejuvenate the vampire, especially the feeding which gave her a new flash of energy. 

“Do you want me to ....” she cuts her own words off with a large yawn that feels like it’s going to snap her jaw clean off. Juliette laughs, a remarkably loud sound coming from such a small figure and relaxes further against the mattress.

”No it’s okay. You’re tired, you need to rest” not that Cal needs reminding, she feels exhausted beyond recognition, her body coming off from the high. So as much as she wants to continue things, to return the favour - she isn’t sure that her body would be physically able to, despite how much her mind wants it. 

She finds enough strength to sit to a crouch, pulling off her clothes which stick to her body now like a second skin and throw them to the corner of the room, wincing when her aim misses and her shirt curled around the wardrobe. 

“Are you okay?” She asks, one last thing before she falls into a sleep. “Me, I’m fantastic” Juliette slurs her words, near delirious by this point, blood drunk. 

Cal takes another look at the vampire through tired eyes. Her mouth is still bright red, but spread into a a giant grin. Although her fangs are retracted, the blood transferred across the rest of her mouth - painting her teeth a bright red. She looks pleased with herself, eyes wide and dazed. 

She wipes her mouth with her hand in an attempt to clean it, but the uncoordinated actions do a worse job and smear the blood around her face messily. 

Calliope laughs at this, then shuts her eyes. “Me too” she adds and realises that she actually means it - regardless of everything going on.

She sits up, wiping the fresh blood away quickly with her thumb before it dries. Juliette flashes an appreciative smile, leaning up on her elbows.

The exhaustion catches up to Calliope and she lays back down on her back looking up at the ceiling. Her eyes flicker shut and she feels Juliette roll and shift, curling against her front with her back pressed flush against Cal's chest. 

They’re both naked and as much as she wants to take advantage of that - the exhaustion wins and she yawns again loudly. 

A protective yet careful arm encircles the girl’s waist and Cal buries her face into Juliette’s hair. Things feel right again. The world doesn’t seem as scary with her girlfriend back in her arms, where she belongs.

She trusts their families will find their way back and fight against the Guild. They are strong and prepared, they’ll hold their own against the guards and give them hell A what they deserve.

Keeping Juliette far away from the Guild is how she helps them, and it’s paramount to ensure her girlfriend won’t suffer any more at the hands of the organisation she was once a devoted part of.

Its only then that she closes her eyes and lets herself fall into a peaceful dream - comforted by the steady weight and warmth of Juliette pressed close to her body.

Calliope didn’t know what the future would hold but everything was better when they were together. So whatever they faced, they would do it - together.

Chapter Text

Sleep comes easy and it only feels like minutes later, not hours when Calliope finally wakes up. She’s laying flat on her back and Juliette is fast asleep, head on her chest. 

She looks at the girl with a fond smile, before examining her wounds, which don’t seem to be leaking blood anymore. Some are worse than others, and the chest injury in particular is red with a jagged mark.

All things considered though, the blood was helping and Juliette’s body was healing - which is exactly what she hoped for. So far, so good.

As much as she wanted to stay in bed, in the comfort of knowing they were both safe - Calliope knew it wasn’t realistic. They had to face the world at some point, leaving the sanctuary of their tiny motel bed. 

She checked the time on her phone, which was something that she was unsure about bringing to the motel incase the Guild could somehow track it. But they had other methods for finding people, not tracking mobile phones. 

Plus it was important to keep on hand incase any of their families rung. The time was just fine seven am, earlier than she would have liked to get up. It was too easy just to stay asleep, warm and comfortable under the sheet. 

Cal checked her phone for any messages, any indication that someone had made it out. She didn’t want to make any calls too, incase it distracted her family or caught the attention of a guard.

Instead she set the phone back down on the floor and refocused her attention Juliette. She didn’t want to wake the girl up, she looked peaceful in her dreams away from the violence of the real world. 

Another half an hour, Cal decided resolutely and extracted herself from her girlfriends tight embrace carefully.

She ran a hand through her hair and winced at how greasy it felt, which made sense considering how long it had been since she’d properly showered. Or slept. Eaten too, her diet consisted almost entirely of granola bars for the past week. 

Most of the past few days was spent trying to find Juliette, then keeping her safe and fighting with her family against the Guild.

Confident that Jules was asleep and healing properly, she headed off to the bathroom where the condition was just as poor as the small, dirty motel room.

Mould was creeping up the walls, which would be disgusting if there wasn’t more pressing matters at hand. The shower was rusted and cracked, Cal would have given it a miss if she didn’t need to clean so desperately. 

Even the tiles were dirty and several broke. The toiled fared in better shape, but was still yellowed and old. There was no toilet paper either which seemed abysmal. A small lopsided rail hanging off the wall held up only one tiny, torn towel. She grimaced, but it would have to do. 

The water ran when Cal turned the dial, which was something she supposed. It was cold to the touch and the two minute shower she had was necessary but not a pleasant experience.

She stepped out quickly, wrapping the towel around her body and returning back to the bedroom, where it wasn’t as dirty. 

To her surprise, Juliette sat upright on the bed - eyes open and looking around the room. She looked slightly panicked, her expression changing to relief when she noticed Cal standing in the bathroom doorway.

”Hey you’re up” she smiled at the vampire and begun to collect her clothes from where they were left scattered across the room. 

“Yeah I just woke up before and you weren’t there. I didn’t think...” Juliette fidgeted with her hands, trailing off as she kept her eyes trained on Calliope. She gulped, then Cal realised she was still only clad in a very small towel. 

As much as she wanted to continue what they started last night, it wasn’t the time for it now. So she offered a rueful grin, and pulled back on her clothes from the previous night.

”Just had a shower. Wouldn’t recommend, honestly it’s so nasty back there” Calliope almost shuddered at the thought. It’s a wonder how such places can stay open.

Juliette looked thoughtful as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “I think I need a shower too but I don’t want to risk it with me whole...” the pointed to the wounds littering her body.

Water would probably aggravate the cuts and stop the healing process, especially for the larger injuries like the wound in her chest. But Cal sympathised for her girlfriend, she hadn’t had a chance to properly clean since before she was taken. 

Then an idea formulated. She extended a hand with a playful smile. “Come on. Up” Juliette took the hand and pulled herself up, her brow furrowed in confusion. 

She let Cal lead her into the bathroom, and winced at the sight of it. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s bad in here. Won’t be leaving any five star reviews”.

Calliope laughed at the joke, not necessarily because it was funny but it showed that Juliette was starting to feel herself again.

She started the shower again, the water running as cold as it had minutes ago. “So we can’t get your body in the shower” Juliette nodded, “but you want to wash your hair so let’s do that”

It was something simple, a want and a basic need. But it also served as a reminder of another thing that the Guild had took from her - the ability to just take a shower. Cal would be damned if she let them take anything else from her girlfriend.

She returned back to the bedroom and dragged the small chair into the shower. Juliette looked skeptical about the situation, but she was smiling broadly so Cal took this as a good thing and manoeuvred the chair just outside the firing line of the shower head.

This way, Juliette would still get the shower that she wanted just without the hassle of getting her wounds aggravated by the water and potentially hindering the healing process.

The vampire took a seat on the chair, frowning as one of the cheap wooden legs swayed. Calliope stood behind the chair, turning on the water and washing her hair gently.

It was a quietly intimate moment. They never usually showered together or anything. Most of their close contact times were laying in bed wraps in each other’s embrace, or sitting on the couch watching a movie.

Washing her girlfriend’s hair seemed oddly intimate and domestic to Cal. It was something Juliette couldn’t do herself in the way that she wanted because of her injuries - because of the Guild - which gave the Hunter another reason to hate the organisation.

Eventually she washed the suds away, turning off the shower and guiding the pair back to the bedroom. The room didn’t have a hair dryer, which was to be suspected. Instead, Cal dried it softly with the damp towel.

”Better?” She asked as Juliette slipped back into her clothes, assisting the girl and being mindful of the wounds. “Yes, lots. Thank you” she smiled widely.

Cal checked her phone again but received no calls or texts from her family. The only messages were concerned friends asking if Juliette was okay. She flinched reading Ben’s name. She hadn’t kept him much in the loop. 

“I should let Ben know what’s happening, he’s been really worried about you” Cal explains when Juliette picks up on her worried look.

“I’ll give him a call” Juliette insists, “Let him know what’s happening and that I’m doing okay” Calliope nodded her agreement and handed the phone over.

She didn’t want to ease drop on the pairs conversation so took the soggy towel back into the bathroom and tried to keep herself busy tidying the small amenities.

Even in the other room, she could hear Ben’s worried and frantic discussion through the end of the phone and Juliette’s attempts to reassure him that she was alive and healing.

She returned to the room and sat on the edge of the bed, Resting a hand on Juliette’s back, comforting.

“I’m not telling you where I am!” The vampire exclaimed, almost jumping from the bed. “Ben, Ben. You need to listen. It’s for your safety. The Guild will kill you, they don’t care you are human. They’re willing to hurt anyone to get to my family”

Cal knows it’s true. The Guild are beyond separating humans from monsters, they just want their hands on the Fairmonts and will do anything possible to kill the family. 

It’s clear they prioritise killing monsters over actually protecting humans. Involving Ben more would put him in danger and that’s the last thing that anyone wants. 

But Cal saw it from his side too. Ben just wanted to do his part and try and protect his best friend. She had felt helpless too, whilst waiting for Elinor to rescue her sister. 

He needed to take a step back because putting himself in danger wouldn’t help anyone and would instead just make the situation even more worse.

“I’m here with Cal” Juliette continued, pressing the phone so close to her ear that it looked ready to merge into the skin. “Yes, I don’t think we were followed” she pauses, nodding along to whatever he was saying.

”We’ll keep you updated Ben but there isn’t much we can do. We can’t go back to that building because they need all of my family for the serum to work”

It was a waiting game by this point. Calliope hating waiting. She felt useless held up in the motel, whilst her family were fighting against the Guild. But keeping Juliette safe was important. So she’d wait as long as she needed to.

”Ill call you when all of this is over and we’ll meet up” Jules promised, her voice nearly cracking at the sincerity of the words. 

She sounded sad, for someone out of harms way. Cal knew she must be thinking about her family, how close the Guild came to wiping them all out. How she needed to stay away from them for the time being to keep them safe. 

It reminded Calliope of when she first saw Juliette, when Elinor returned her from the Guild’s clutches. She had been covered in blood, wounds littering her entire body.

She had wanted nothing more than to take the girl into her arms and hold her as tight as possible. But her blood as paralytic so that couldn’t happen. Instead she had to watch from the sidelines and wait for the wounds to heal enough for the blood to dry before touching her girlfriend.

Touching Juliette was the one thing she had wanted to do, but apart from paralyse herself - there was also a chance that she might accidentally make the injuries worse. 

At the time, there was no way to tell how injured she actually was. They didn’t know the severity of the wounds and touching Juliette would probably make things worse. 

This situation felt similar. Calliope felt for the girl who needed her family in a time like this. But keeping the Fairmonts together would be detrimental to their safety.

The only way Juliette could help her family - was staying away until they defeated the rest of the Guild and could reunite safely with no chance of their blood being used to kill them off.

Although there was no guarantee that they were actually telling the truth that legacy blood mixed with silver is what would kill the Fairmont's - Cal didn’t want to even risk it. 

Juliette said goodbye to Ben a few minutes later and hung up the phone sighing to herself as she handed it back to Cal. She missed him, Calliope could see it in her face. But she didn’t want to make the girl anymore upset so didn’t press the topic.

”I feel useless just waiting around for something to happen” Jules admitted, barely taking a breath before she continued. “They could be hurt. Or worse. And I’m sitting here doing nothing”

She looked verging on tears, emotions crashing from the past few days. Calliope took her hand and pulled her in close, rubbing her back. “They’re strong Jules, they’ll be okay. We just have to wait. I hate it too, but it’s the best way to keep everyone safe”

“You’re right” she murmured against her t shirt, voice small. They broke apart and Calliope nodded to her chest. “I’ll check this, see how it’s getting on”

The wound wasn’t nice to look at. After the surgery, it was still healing but the skin was puckered and red, a bright shiny red that looked painful. There didn’t seem to be any signs of infection though which was what Cal hoped for.

”It hurts but not as bad as it did earlier” Juliette explained, and Cal absorbed the words. It was healing. Everything was going to plan.

She drunk back another bottle of water before offering the vampire her wrist again. Feeding was clearly speeding up the recovery, so she wanted to do it as much as possible to get Juliette back to full health.

Admittedly she’d never fed so often. They never had a set schedule, but Calliope tried to incorporate their feeding routine at least twice a week when back home. Sometimes more or less depending on how Juliette was feeling.

This situation was different though, and offering up her blood was one of the only ways that Cal didn’t feel totally useless. She kept an eye on her own health and well-being but felt fine enough to continue letting her feed.

Juliette was hesitant to feed again, not wanting to cause any damage to Calliope. Yet she was insistent, demanding almost. The antibodies in her blood were essential in healing the many wounds.

She didn’t take long to cave in, and soon had her fangs buried deep into Cal’s forearm. She drunk slowly, more reserved instead of controlled by her emotions. Only seconds later, she released her grip and licked over the skin, sealing it with a thank you smile. 

Calliope felt the familiar sensation of dizziness and took a seat back on the bed, swigging another bottle of water. She wanted to get some snacks and more drinks from the vending machine - a store was too risky, but didn’t want to chance seeing anyone that could potentially implicate their situation.

The sugar would have helped bring down the dizziness, like it usually did. Cal kept a bottle of Gatorade usually on hand for moments like this.

She didn’t talk much about feeding to her family. Although they were comfortable with Juliette’s presence - not only in her life but their home, Calliope knew they wouldn’t like the idea of the vampire feeding from her regularly.

They kept the process usually confined to their respective rooms. There was one time where they had been getting carried away on the couch in the Burns home, one thing led to another and Juliette was straddling her lap, mouth against her neck hungry and pleading.

She was about to let the girl drink and drink, until she heard the familiar sound of keys rattling in the door and the pair had to play it off as a casual make out session caught out by her mom. 

So she didn’t need to explain the physical affects of feeding to anyone really. She kept it to herself and usually just took things easy until her body got back to normal often hours later. 

It became easier to manage, the after affects of being drunk from. The thought was disconcerting at first, how blood was easily leaving her body. But the more she thought about it, as their relationship grew - Cal liked the symbolism. 

How they almost shared Calliope’s blood. She obviously needed it to survive but Juliette was beginning to become reliant on it too. Of course it was just blood she needed in general, but Cal liked to think it was her specific blood which made more of an impact. 

It also satisfied that possessive part of her buried beneath the surface. She liked knowing Juliette thrived off her blood - and hers only. That she didn’t want anyone else’s, that a part of herself could actually heal the vampire.

All of these thoughts helped to cope with the minimal physical impact that feeding left on her body. It didn’t leave a permanent affect - she googled it one evening.

People regularly donated blood to drives often and this didn’t impact their health at all. Cal liked to think this was similar, but better in ways. She wasn’t donating her blood to any random stranger - her girlfriend was drinking it directly from the source and it was helping her body heal. 

So she would happily cope with the slight aches and dizziness that the process left her body with. It was always temporary and never lasted longer than a few hours at most.

Calliope was willing to bear it because she knew the pain Juliette would feel going without blood was a lot worse and could even push her out of control completely. It was an easy decision to make.

Blood was an interesting thing. She almost took it for granted, when Juliette went into hunger verging on blood lust - it reminded Cal how important it actually was especially for vampires. 

In times of beef, she was just glad that she was able to help Juliette through letting the vampire feed as much as possible to release the antibodies into her bloodstream and let the wounds heal. 

Before she could further contemplate whether it would be too risky to make a quick snack and drinks trip, her phone buzzed - sending the pair up and off the bed into motion.

Cal grabbed it and unlocked the screen in a hurry, fingers tapping quicker than they ever had before. First, she checks that it isn’t any more friends (or most accurately people in their class)  wishing their best regards and hoping Juliette would be found. 

She double checked the message and who send it, then with trembling fingers gave the phone number a call.

Chapter Text

“Hello? Mom?” Cal breathes down the phone, quickly clicking the setting to speaker so Juliette can hear the conversation too.

”Calliope. Are you okay?” Talia questions as soon as she speaks, and Cal breathes out a heavy sigh of relief at hearing her voice - showing she is alive. 

“I’m fine mom. We’re safe. We’re okay. It just made more sense to leave because...” she trailed off, not knowing if anyone had actually explained to her how the serum to kill the legacies worked. 

It was a cruel twist of fate how the one thing that could tear the family apart and put an end to the near indestructible vampires was each other. 

Not any kind of fancy killing method, just the combination of each legacy’s blood mixed with some silver and that would be enough to fatally poison the vampire who is injected.

She wasn’t sure how the Guild even found out the method to kill the family - most likely extensive research and some experiments that she didn’t even want to think of. 

Hopefully they hadn’t noted down the method or spread the word, so when their families would fight the organisation and leave - it would end the conflict and no one else would know how to kill legacy vampires.

”Margot explained to me about the serum” Talia explained, drawing Calliope back to reality and away from her wandering thoughts. “You did the right thing keeping Juliette away. Keeping her safe, you both safe” 

Cal doesn’t necessarily need her mother’s approval. The decision was logical, but beyond that - there was no way she could have just left Jules at the hands of the people who caused so much harm.

The choice made wasn’t only to keep the rest of the family safe - it was more personal. She couldn’t even fathom the idea of letting the Guild cause more damage to the vampire, and wanted to keep her as far away as possible.

Regardless, she’s still relieved that Talia agrees with the plan. It means less conflict that her mom realises the choice to temporarily split up the Fairmonts makes more sense for ensuring the families safety until the Guild were taken care of. 

If they were taken care of. She almost doesn’t want to ask incase things never went to plan. If the Guild were still mostly alive and preparing to attack back against their group.

”Where are you mom?” She pressed depserately, linking her fingers with Juliette’s in an attempt to ground herself. “Are you okay? Are the others with you? What’s happening?”

She didn’t exactly want to grill Talia who probably hadn’t had the best of time - unconscious and captured by the Guild but Cal needed to know what was happening - if they were safe, what their next move was. 

There was only so long she could stay cooped up in the motel, unsure about what would happen next. 

“We’re fine Cal. We’re all here. Everyone is safe” she chokes out a sob that feels like a giant weight being removed from her chest and almost collapses into Juliette who holds her tight and steady.

”The Fairmonts are okay” Talia continues, and Cal feels her girlfriend relax further into the embrace with relief. “It wasn’t pretty but we managed to defeat what’s left of the guards”

She let out a throaty laugh. “I say we but I wasn’t awake for most of it. Which is a shame. You know I love a good fight” Calliope laughs at the words, it’s true - her mom is a fighter through and through. 

 “It was mainly your brothers and Juliette’s parents who did most of the work”

Cal rolls her eyes with a laugh at this. Of course it would be her brothers who played a significant role in their fight and escape. They had always trained together, fought together. 

Even their stupid mantra that she continually teased them about - the Burns brothers for life - showed this, how much they valued working as a team. It must have paid off though, considering that she’s talking to her mom who is alive and safe.

Then a terrible thought runs through her mind. What if she actually isn’t safe? For all Cal knew, the words could just be reassurance - her mom might still be stuck at the Guild compound.

”Where are you mom?”

“We just left the building now, it’s taking awhile Cal because Elinor and Oliver are still unconscious” Juliette frowned at this, she must have been preoccupied with attacking Jojo to realise that her siblings were hurt.

Then a flurry of voices sounded over the telephone and it was Jules’ turn to nearly break as she heard her mom’s voice. “Juliette? Are you there”

She all but snatched the phone from its position on the bed and clutched it to her ear. “Mom?” 

Margot sighed with relief audibly down the phone, and Cal heard it loud even from where it was pressed tightly to Juliette’s face. “Yes sweetheart, it’s me mom. Everything’s okay. You’re safe. We finished off those monsters, they won’t hurt you”

It nearly doesn’t feel real, that this nightmare is over. That they actually managed to escape from the building whilst taking out most of the guards on the way. 

Though things aren’t completely finished. Juliette is better but still injured, and Cal is giving as much blood as her body allows - to speed up the healing process. It’s working, just slowly as her body recovers. 

“We’re all here” Margot continues, “we got all of them. As many as we found, we’re just in the car park now” Practical and straight to the point. Cal was relieved to hear the familiar swoosh of outside air, showing that the words were true.

Not that she doubted Margot, just found it hard to trust the situation. After the events of the past week, Calliope didn’t think things would ever be over and their families would be safe. 

She heard the familiar buzz of engine, and described their location over the phone. The plan was for the group to drive over, carefully incase they were somehow still monitored - split up into different cars and taking different routes for safety measures.

The Guild base was almost two hours from the motel, through the various lanes and back roads that Calliope had drove through to avoid being caught and making the route as difficult as possible for the Guild to track.

It would most likely take longer for their families to arrive, opting to take confusing long windy routes. But Cal was just glad they were coming - and soon everyone would be reunited and able to return to their normal life.

Things wouldn’t be the same though. The last week had changed them all. Hunting monsters wasn’t as easy for Calliope as it had been for her entire life. 

That was one of the most difficult things, accepting that something she considered normal and part of day to day life - wasn’t as easy and morally good as she had grown up believing it had been. 

Of course the boundaries being monster hunting and being in a relationship with a ‘monster’ had begun to blur even before Juliette was taken. 

Cal wasn’t stupid. She knew at some point that she would have to choose between continuing to hunt and her relationship. It was always something that she pushed to the back of her mind - insisting to herself that the two could coexist.

Being a Hunter for the Guild and dating a legacy vampire were two things that could not exist alongside each other. Now, the choice was too easy that it wasn’t even that - a choice. 

The moment when Juliette was hurt, taken and gone - no one had any sight of her - was terrifying. It really put into Perspective not only how much she loved the vampire but also how scared she had been to lose her.

Knowing Juliette was immortal and could not be killed was annoying at first especially during their breakup. Cal didn’t actually want to kill the girl but grew angry at how despite everything - she couldn’t be killed. 

Anger drove these feelings, and as they reconciled their relationship - she realised that being unable to kill legacies  (as far as they were aware) was a good thing. It meant Juliette was safe.

When this was threatened, everything was amped up times a thousand. Her anger, protective instincts and worry. Cal was a chilled person most of the time, she didn’t like to overthink things. 

Coming close to losing her girlfriend changed this perspective. All she felt for the first few days was a white hot fear that after everything they endured together - things would go too far and she would finally lose Juliette, not too long after she actually got her back.

They keep the phone call as brief as possible, wanting the group to focus on driving and keeping safe. Besides, they could talk when the families arrived at the motel. 

Juliette said goodbye to her parents and returned the phone to Cal, who muttered a choked ‘bye’ to her mom and tried to stop the onslaught of tears dripping down her cheeks.

It was overwhelming, the combination of feelings. Relief at how they made it. Happiness that she’d finally get to be with Juliette and her family.

But anger too. So much anger. At how the Guild could even dream of hurting Juliette let alone torturing the girl and keeping her locked away, covered in various injurious and more hurt than anyone had ever seen her. 

Even when Cal staked the vampire herself - not that she ever wanted to think back to that aspect of their first kiss in the pantry.

She tried to block the violence of her own actions from her memory, at how the stake felt heavy in her hands as she buried it deep in Juliette’s chest. The look of shock in the girls eyes and the blood. So much blood.

It was the most she had ever seen - until days ago when Elinor had found Juliette and returned her. The silver encrusted stake pressed into her chest had caused so much blood that Calliope spent most of that time terrified she wouldn’t stop bleeding.

She wasn’t sure if vampires could actually bleed out, if it was another alternative way to kill legacies. But she didn’t want to test it out. 

“So” Juliette broke the silence that fell after they had hung up the phone. Her eyes were red and she looked how Calliope felt. The mixture of relief and worry at the situation, probably with a lot of pain too. She needed to feed soon, to heal better - Cal was sure of it.

“We have...” she checked the non existent watch on her wrist and the action was so in-character, so Juliette - that Calliope laughed a lot louder than she probably should. A deep belly laugh, emotional all over the place. 

“Two hours, maybe three” she finishes through her own giggles, Hand pressed to her chest and nearly hiccuping at the force of her laughing. 

The moment is gleeful, a hopeful beacon in what Cal can confidently classify as one of the worst weeks of her entire life. She keeps reminding herself that it’s almost over, nearly at the end - soon she would be reunited with her family and a bit further into the future - Juliette would be fully healed and okay.

There was nothing to do now but wait. And as much as she usually hated waiting - this time was different. She wasn’t waiting to hear any news, waiting for the possibility that someone she loved was injured. That the plan might go wrong.

Instead she was waiting to be reunited with the other people in her life that she loves and values so deeply. She already has Juliette safe by her side. 

So this waiting wasn’t as bad as all of the other times. Waiting to find Juliette. Waiting for her to become conscious. Waiting to get to the Guild compound. Waiting to hear from her family whilst holed up in the motel.

She could bask in the moment, the quietness. Of having her girlfriend all to herself before everyone else arrived and their attention would inevitably be split by their other family members and people who cared.

It would be her only alone time with Juliette for, well who knows. No doubt their parents will want to keep them close, so Cal decides to enjoy the few hours she has left with the girl in their shared motel room. 

She nearly laughed at the disgust in Margot’s voice when they revealed that their safe space was in fact a budget, dirty Motel somehwere down a random road

In theory it didn’t sound entirely safe and truth be told, it probably wasn’t. But Cal felt safe with Juliette tucked up into the tiny (definitely not) double bed. They were happy, and alive. And together.

”So how do you propose we spend those hours?” Juliette teased, a michesvious glint in her eye. She backed Cal up till her back hit the wall with a slight this.

She laughed, hands coming to rest around her waist. “Good question” she let Jules’ mouth roam, coming to her neck and pressing kisses across the skin.

Then before the vampire could think of a respond or even begin to use her abilities - Cal spun the pair so she was the one pushing Juliette against the wall.

”Very smooth” She laughed, but made no attempt to move, allowing Calliope to capture her lips in a slow kiss. They didn’t talk from that moment, communicating wordlessly through their mutual understanding of each other.

Cal peeled the clothes back off Juliette first, breaking away to take a step back and admire the girl. She would have happily spent the next two hours doing that, but Juliette was demanding and pouted at her until she obliged and pulled off her own clothes. Because she could do many things, but deny her girlfriend anything was not one of them.

She tugged Jules’ hands, leading the girl back across the room and pushed her carefully onto the bed, thighs bracketing her hips gently to avoid any sudden movements which could cause any more damage or worsen her injuries.  

They laughed, and laughed again. Caught up in their mixed emotions and revelling in the chance to spend some time alone without being disturbed by their family. 

In hindsight, it probably would have been smart to set an alarm for two hours on the phone so the pair would have time to stop before everyone arrived at the motel.

Neither Juliette or Calliope were known for being the most logical people. Instead, they just focused on each other. Not only their bodies but just relishing in the fact that they were together, alive and so in love. 

Things wouldn’t always be perfect like they were in that moment, together in the motel room. But things would be always be as bad as they had been during the Guild fiasco. All that mattered, is that they were together.

Chapter Text

Things don’t go back to the way that they used to be. The events of the past week has changed everyone, Cal knows that. It’s also changed the way she viewed her life as a whole and moving forward. 

Although hunting is an important aspect of her life, she wants to focus on being an actual teenager - to relish in the happiness of having her girlfriend and family alive. 

Despite her parents concerns, they both return to school only mere days after the incident. Calliope knows she can’t just forget everything that happened. She wants to move on, to focus on her life beyond conflict and life & death situations.

The doctor was right, Juliette healed from her injuries mostly from the increased intake of blood courtesy of her girlfriend. The process was painfully slow, and it took weeks for the wound in her chest to finally scab over. 

Another thing which changed as a result of the week - was the dynamics between the Burns and Fairmonts. Cal had become closer to them, especially Elinor. They weren’t best friends, but developed a mutual respect for each other.

The families still had issues yet tried to work past them. Things were looking up, and if the situation hadn’t been so terrifying than maybe Calliope would have been grateful for how it changed things.

Ben was beyond relieved to get his best friend back, reuniting with Jules the day after Margot had picked the couple up from the motel. He had been understandably annoyed at being sidelined, but understood it was for his safety.

Apparently the group had destroyed the writings back at the Guild compound, which detailed how to kill legacy vampires. It was near inevitable that the group would join back together with survivors still harbouring the violent message.

But for now, they were safe. And Calliope wasn’t going to take a moment for granted.   

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Hi everyone, just a quick note - the sequel to this has been started and the first chapter is posted! Keep an eye out if you’re interested, it’s called After. Hope you all enjoy!