"Raise the Dead", Rachel Rabin

I heard Amaury enter the apartment.

"Where is he?"

"He is in the guest bedroom. He is healing now."

Amaury sat on the bed and cradled James. We explained what happened and we left them alone together. Amaury spent some time just holding the other man, before taking care of him. He washed him in the bathroom to get rid of the blood, while I was changing the sheets in the bedroom. He got James new clothes that Aidan had prepared and talked to him to comfort him in his agitated state of unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, I watched Aidan who paced the room.

When James was calmer, I heard Amaury stormed out of the apartment. I followed him and stopped him in the hallway.

"Amaury, you are not going on your own," I yelled.

"Let me go. I'm going to destroy this fucking piece of shit."

"You are going to get yourself killed." He stared at me, furious and in pain. I lowered my voice, in an attempt to soothe him. "Darling, we are going to take care of him, together, all of us, okay? But not right now. Right now, James needs you. You do not want him to wake up without you to comfort him."

He closed his eyes and tried to calm down. "You're right. I... I just..."

"I know."

He went back to the bedroom and lay down beside James, resting his head against his, and stroking gently his chest.

When James woke up, he was confused. It took him some time to understand where he was.

"My love, you're safe now. I'm here," Amaury repeated again and again. And James progressively relaxed into his embrace, but he was still very weak and in a lot of pain.

I sat in an armchair next to the door, watching over them, in case they needed anything. Aidan stood in another corner of the room, near the window, his eyes locked on his best friend and a distressed look in his eyes.

I think we spent most of the night like that, bringing regularly some blood to James for him to regain his strength, until he healed enough to be able to talk.

"I'm fine now," he finally said to Amaury, and then to all of us. "I thought he was going to kill me, though. But he didn't. He just likes to play, I guess."

Aidan could not sit down, far too agitated as he was. And he could not look at James.

"A., don't do that," James said, noticing his best friend's behaviour. "Don't blame yourself."

Aidan shook his head, still looking at the floor.

"Aidan," James said louder.

The older vampire lifted up his head and finally looked at him. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." In reaction to Aidan's worry, James was remarkably calm now. He was trying his best to wear an unaffected face to reassure us, even if I could sense how much he was shaken up. "I'm fine," he said again. "Okay? Don't worry."

Aidan nodded.

"You know, at some point," James said, "I spat in his face. He didn't like that. I may have also called him 'Baby' and asked him for more. I think he didn't like that either."

Amaury growled. He was fuming but didn't say anything. And Aidan had a faint smile.

"The guy is pathetic," James continued with his typical grin. "Now, come here, Aidan, and hug me. I don't know if you noticed but I can't walk, asshole."

A brighter smile lightened Aidan's face, as he moved to the bed and leaned towards James to hug him. Then he pulled away and rested his back against the wall, as Amaury took James' hand in his.

"So what's the plan?" The immortal said.