One Year Later AU

[echolls_cursed]

After six months in New York, Logan couldn't say he was that thrilled to be back in LA. Not that New York had been fantastic either, though the change of diet had been nice. People out there tasted better. Fresher. Less like fake tan and carrot juice and more like good wine and stake.

He'd only been back a day though, and the fact that he was already bored out of his mind was a bad sign. Sure, he'd upgraded to a better hotel with a bigger room and better staff who could better serve his needs (nothing better than a hotel run by a fellow Vampire to call home), and yeah, after his latest business venture he had more money than he'd need for the next three decades or so... But he was bored. Bored of LA. Bored of everything. Maybe it was time to try somewhere new.

Europe has always been very vamp friendly, or so he'd been told, and he wondered what Italy was like this time of year.

An older man came to stand beside him, leaning against the bar and looking him over. Human, late thirties, good health... and a stake in his coat pocket. Thrill killer. There was always one that snuck into the club, if it wasn't this guy, it would be someone else. When he reached out and stroked Logan's cheek, Logan smirked, tilting his head and playing the role of naive young blood. Five minutes later and they were in one of the back rooms... ten minutes later and Logan was back at the bar, blood on his shirt and the wooden stake sitting next to his beer like a trophy.

Hunters weren't like the rest of LA. They tasted just fine.

Comments

[little_moons]

"You're the host, remember?" I remind him with a smirk, ducking into one of the bedrooms and circling around the huge bed that I'm pretty sure is bigger than my entire fucking bedroom was growing up.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan followed with a snort of laughter. "This was my parents room," he said, watching Neil explore.

[little_moons]

"Was?" I ask, half wondering if he killed 'em himself. I wouldn't be all that surprised.

Sliding a hand around the bedpost, I turn slowly around the corner of the bed, brushing my fingers over the bedspread and then moving over to open one of the drawers in the nightstand.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Mom killed herself a few years back. Jumped off a bridge," Logan replied. "And dad... Dad was murdered. Fitting, seeing how he was a murderer."

He didn't offer up anything more than that. If Neil was interested, he could google it.

[little_moons]

"Fucking Waltons," I mutter dryly, stepping past a big, ornate dresser, pausing for a second when I walk in front of the mirror. It's still shocking as hell every time I pass by one and don't see myself there. I always thought that part of the whole vampire legend thing was really fucking lame.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Looking for anything in particular?" Logan asked curiously.

[little_moons]

"Secrets," I tease, thumbing the one single ring left behind in a porcelain dish on the dresser. It's all weirdly normal, like they never left, when I'm pretty sure part of me though that Logan had to have been spawned from the depths of hell or something.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Sitting down on the bed, Logan shrugged. "We never had any," he said, though that wasn't true, not really.

"Everything we did was recorded on TV and in tabloids..."

[little_moons]

"You know, I'm pretty sure I never even knew your last name," I point out, opening a door, peeking into the closest, big enough to be a bedroom all on it's own, and the few lonely pieces of clothing left behind on the racks.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Echolls," Logan answered simply. "Logan Echolls."

[little_moons]

"Your dad the one that made all those shitty action movies?" I ask, turning around to lean in the closet doorway, lounging carelessly with one hand braced against the frame like I can't quite balance my own weight.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan nodded a bit, looking a little uncomfortable and glancing away.

[little_moons]

Wandering over closer, I don't stop 'til my knee brushes his and then I reach out to tilt his face up with one fingertip on his chin. "Got plenty of secrets," I murmur, just watching him curiously, feeling the faint stir of the bond between us and catching hold of it before it slips away again.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Dunno what you're talking about," Logan snorted quietly, brushing Neil away.

[little_moons]

"You're such a shit liar," I say, huffing out a laugh as I step away, turning around and slipping out the door before he can say anything else.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan sighed heavily, but got up anyway, following Neil reluctantly. He so wasn't in the mood for games.

What were they even doing?

[little_moons]

I'm leaning against the back of the couch when he comes out, arms folded over my chest and a questioning arch to my brow. "So, what'd you bring me here for? We gonna cuddle by the firelight and drink cocoa?"

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Hey man, you said you wanted a change. This is as big a change as you'll get," Logan shrugged, rolling his eyes a little.

[little_moons]

"Aren't you gonna offer me a drink?" I ask, arching a brow and hooking a finger at him, beckoning him closer.

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Depends what you want," Logan said, stepping closer and looking down his nose at Neil. "Beer? Wine maybe? Or are you looking for something a little... richer."

[little_moons]

"Always gotta be so fucking dramatic," I smirk, curling my hand in his shirt and tugging him closer, letting my nose brush long his jaw, "I still remember what you taste like."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

"Oh yeah?" Logan asked, tugging Neil's hand away from his shirt and holding his wrist tight enough to bruise as he yanked the smaller boy closer. "What do I taste like?"

[little_moons]

"Dark. You taste dark. And familiar," I gasp, letting him pull me closer without complaint and tipping my head back to look at him.

"You taste like sex, and pain... Like regret," I say, leaning in and pressing my mouth up close to his ear. "There aren't words for what you taste like."

[echolls-cursed.livejournal.com]

Logan was still for a moment, and then abruptly let go of Neil's wrist. "It's all just blood," he muttered, even though he knew that wasn't true.

No two people tasted exactly alike, and some people... some people tasted like all the things they couldn't hide.

[little_moons]

"Yeah, you know that's a bunch of bullshit, as well as I do," I say, making no move to step away. Maybe even moving a little closer instead and feeling that tug inside my chest... that force dragging us together.