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"You've got a new story to write. 
And it looks nothing like your past."
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Several months later...

Evan:

"Sleep in with me," I told her. Night had fallen and it was pretty late. 

She slipped under the cover and wrapped her arms around me. I moved closer and placed my head against her soft chest.

"So, I was thinking that I'd pay back whatever you spent to get me out since we've got a good amount from the rented out mansion-"

"Nope. I won't accept it, Evan!" 

"Hey, you need to understand where I'm coming from-"

"I know where you always come from. I don't need to have this discussion with you," She patted my head.

My eyes almost bulged out and my face felt like it was being fried on a pan. I can't believe she just said that- Or did she even say what I thought she said? Stupid, dirty mind!

"Don't overthink it, Pet. Just go to sleep," She placed a kiss on my head.

Get over it, Evan! You need to make this discussion happen.

"No, I'm not sleeping until we talk about this!" I said it rather sternly not ready to accept any bullshit.

She chuckled, "Your moments of bravery does surprise me sometimes."

I rolled my eyes at that, "Only because you're the Vampire here, doesn't mean you always have to provide for me. I can sustain myself and also pay you back."

She sighed, "I will not accept money from you, Evan. You wanted to go to college. You're going to need that money. Just let me take care of you for now."

"I think I have enough money considering all that fortune that they've left behind. You need to stop treating me like a child!" 

She just kept playing with my hair and stayed quiet as if she were lost in deep thought.

"We're not skipping this, Roxanna," I spoke with finality in my voice.

"Fine, I've thought of something... If you really insist, you can pay back the amount that I bribed the officers with. But, that's it. You're not paying back anything else," She spoke as if leaving no argument. But, I had to argue anyway.

"I'm also paying for the groceries from tomorrow," I told her.

"Evan...," a hint of warning in her tone. 

"I won't touch a single meal if you don't allow me to," I knew that I was crossing the line with a dangerous, sexy, and extremely cunning Vampire but I didn't care.

She drew away, turned on the bed-lamp, and looked me in the eyes. Her eyes held irritation as she whispered, "Don't make me punish you, Evan."

I looked back at her daringly, "Stop trying to control me. I am not a possession."

She let out a short sigh and gritted her teeth, "You know exactly how to push my buttons."

"Please, Roxy. You need to let me do this," I told her and placed a peck on her cheek.

She pushed me down and captured my lips in a quick open kiss, "Twenty percent."

I moved my face away from her before she kissed my focus away, "Sixty!"

She literally growled at me and I felt her hanging on the last string of patience. It might be overconfidence but a part of me was very certain that she wouldn't hurt me.

I heard her inhale sharply, "Thirty. Not more."

"Sixty," my stubborn ass just wouldn't give up.

"Go to sleep, Evan. Or I might have to find another way to shut you up," Her eyes were glowing my favorite ruby red.

 I looked her in the eyes and spoke gently, "I'll settle with fifty. Just say yes."

I watched her resolve crumble as she looked into my eyes. I loved how I had this effect on her.

"Okay," She just spoke as if she were in a trance. But then, her gaze hardened, "No more than fifty!" I let out a laugh making her roll her eyes. I just won an argument against Roxanna!

It was probably the cocky grin plastered on my face because she narrowed her eyes dangerously. She let her fangs elongate making me squeak in the most unmanly way and crawl away. Her eyes lit up with amusement.

She pulled me back and kissed me harshly. Her fangs pierced my lip making them bleed lightly. She ran her tongue over my cuts, healing them. Her eyes held so much emotion that it made my heart skip a beat.

"I love you," She whispered.

"I've always loved you more," I told her teasingly.

"Oh, then I must find a way to change that, yes?" She taunted playfully as her eyes began to darken with what I recognized as lust.

It was going to be a long night.

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Morning came and I pulled up a huge bean bag out onto the balcony with loads of blankets. I grabbed a  cup of coffee and snuggled into them. It was a clear sky and thin sheets of snow settled onto the roofs of neighboring houses and the sides of the streets. The deep-green pine forest looked beautiful with a sprinkle of white snow all over. It must've snowed lightly again the night before. 

I tightened the grip on my cup as the delicious aroma of coffee tickled my nose. I sipped on the hot beverage to let it spread a comfortable warmth throughout my body. 

It wasn't extremely cold or unpleasant like the north. I was quite sure the snow might melt away in a few days. It's got something to do with us being closer to the equator and all that geography. It was warmer but we were still lucky enough to see snow for a short while... however short it may be. Of course, it wouldn't snow enough for us to build a snowman or go skiing.

"Move over, Bro." Hallie snuggled in with a mug containing what looked like hot chocolate.

Roxanna walked with a mug of her own. A black one that looked very similar to mine. She pulled in a medium-sized bean bag and settled in. But what I found very peculiar was the pair of shades that covered her eyes.

"What do you have in there?" I asked her.

She sighed and shrugged, "Wine?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. I couldn't believe she was drinking blood from a fucking mug in Hallie's presence! Where did she get it from anyway?

I gritted my jaw, "You had enough last night!"

Hallie chuckled lightly, "Explains why the walls of your room were screaming." 

I felt embarrassment hit me like a tsunami. She just turned twelve a couple of months back for god's sake!

I saw Roxanna stiffen and murmur, "We better soundproof those walls!"

Hallie burst out laughing, "Or you could send me over to Rover's for a sleepover."

Roxanna looked like an overprotective mother when she said, "I'm not sending alone to a boy's house."

"Exactly!" I told her sternly. Hallie just pouted at us.

When we didn't budge, our young lady just rolled her eyes, "Fiiiinnee. I could have a girls' night at Sara's."

"I will be keeping an eye on you. I don't trust that Rover kid," Roxanna just mumbled.

Hallie just grinned and stood up from the bean bag to walk over to Roxy. She was snuggling beside her before I could stop her. I felt a bead of sweat drip down from my forehead. 

But a stiff Roxanna slowly relaxed and got comfortable with Hallie. What I was worried about was the container of blood in her hand.

"May I see your eyes?" Hallie whispered. My heart skipped a beat. What if our little secret fell out?

"You don't want to do that. She's sensitive to light sometimes," I just intervened and told her.

"Is she now?" Hallie challenged me with her eyes. Wait, what did she know? 

I looked at Roxanna for an explanation. She just shrugged again, "She caught me hunting once."

"And you had to keep such vital information away from me?!" I all but yelled at her. "When was this?"

"See? This is why we were supposed to keep this our little secret! Now, my sweet Evan looks so upset," She told Hallie light-heartedly. That had me fuming even more.

Hallie laughed lightly, "That's okay. We should tell him."

Roxanna took off her shades to reveal her ruby red orbs.  Hallie looked at them in awe. I just sat stiffly tapping my foot on the floor waiting for them to explain.

Roxanna proceeded to finish her drink as I cringed lightly. But, Hallie just looked at ease, with her legs draped over Roxy's lap. 

"It so happened that our redhead here tried to bunk the smart classes because they were apparently very boring," Roxanna told me.

I narrowed my eyes at Hallie as she gave me a sheepish smile, "I scored a full on the last test... And I'm not the only one on the wrong. I walked a little too far into the pines only to find her draining some poor elk. This was yesterday. It was quite early at around ten."

I looked at Roxy as I felt my jaw slack out of shock. She looked at me warily as if she's afraid that she might've scared me away or she may have triggered a tantrum. Is it just me or is she more addicted to blood than before or maybe she just needs more? And they had to keep it all away from me. Did they want to escape my scolding? What am I going to do with my girls? They're just way too reckless for their own good.

"You fed on an elk the last day. You fed on me last night. And now... where did you get that from?" I questioned her.

"I kind of stored away some from another elk. Don't worry. It's just the winter making me more thirsty than usual," Her eyes came back to their usual sea-blue crystals. But, it did take longer than usual.

"You can always take some more from me..." I told her with a frown. At this pace, she's going to make the elk population extinct before the warmth comes back.

She just shook her head, "If you're worried about the elk, I didn't kill them. And, don't ask me to take more from you. I'm not willing to make your Christmas a living nightmare."

Hallie just cuddled into Roxanna's arms after placing her empty mug on the ground. I watched in awe as Roxy leaned back and settled in, stroking Hallie's soft red hair. I wondered how Hallie took it all in so easily. For once, I let it go. 

"It's like in those stories... Where a human and a vampire fell in love. It's so surreal. I'm so glad that you helped my bro and me out of our situation. Thank you, Roxy. I'm glad that my brother looked quite appealing to you," Hallie spoke with a smile. Roxanna had her eyes on me the whole time.

"Oh, he always looked appealing," Roxanna said with a smirk. 

So, she didn't know about our initial deal. I felt thankful that she didn't tell her. I smiled warmly at Roxanna and her eyes softened. I finished my coffee, "But, I wonder if I don't look cuddly enough..."

Roxanna grinned and picked up a beaming Hallie. She made her way to me and the three of us snuggled into the blankets on the bean bag.

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Christmas passed. We put up a good number of gifts under the tree for Hallie. But what came as a surprise was Roxanna's and Hallie's gifts to me. 

Of course, after I saw the way she messed up her desk with stationery, I made her a beautiful wooden pen stand with intricate detailing of a design carved onto the wood. I spent so much time trying to hide it from her and she let me hide my gift to not upset me. I also bought a beautiful yet simple teardrop pendant. She seemed genuinely surprised when I gave it to her.

She gave me a beautiful glass paperweight with a sea coral scene frozen inside and it beautifully glows in the dark. She also bought me and Hallie matching outfits saying that she wanted us to match her on new year's morning. She also cooked up a ridiculously massive meal with other savories and desserts that we stored away to binge on the following days.

Hallie gifted me a key-chain with the words, "Best Brother Ever!". She gave Roxy a beautiful bracelet. When we asked her where she got the money, she told us that she sold lemonade with her friends to earn a tiny amount.

We gave Hallie a huge number of gifts that included jewelry, clothes, her favorite sweets, chocolate, and candy. After all, she's a kid and hasn't had a good Christmas in a while.

"I can't walk anymore... Piggy ride?" Hallie put her hands out to us. I chuckled and lifted her onto my back. 

We trekked up the hill for a while. Roxanna offered to take Hallie from me but I wanted to carry my baby sister. This was my first new year with my Angel and I wanted to be close to her. Roxy interlaced her fingers with mine and gently pulled me up the rocky slope. I've been here a few times with Roxy. 

We stood on the top and froze in awe of the scene before us. Hallie slid off my back and looked around with twinkling eyes. 

There before our eyes lay the world. Our little town lit up brightly with Christmas lights. The sun was setting, the sky in hues of yellow, orange, pink, and hints of blue. It was getting dark. The night was close. The wind blew against our faces carrying the fresh smell of the pines... The smell of the forest.

Her eyes watered when she looked at us, "This is so beautiful, Guys. I've never seen anything like this before."

Roxanna:

It dawned upon me that all she ever saw were the four walls of a house all her life... until I rescued her. Until... Evan decided to sign a pact with a Vampire who craved his blood and body. He was truly brave to do so. 

My eyes found Evan staring at Hallie with happiness. This isn't the first time that I brought him here. We wanted to bring Hallie to show her how beautiful the world truly was. 

I smiled at the fact that I was that blood-thirsty Vamp who loved to kill, living like a vagabond all alone. My thoughts rushed to the day I met Evan for the first time. Damn! That handsome face was really something. 

But, I guess it wasn't exactly his looks that drew me in. And, it definitely wasn't his delicious body that made me stop and reconsider my decision. 

It was his wounds and his story... what he was made of. I must say that he was the strongest person that I've ever known.

He still gets nightmares sometimes and other times, he's extremely insecure about his scars. 

During the initial months, he felt the need to self-harm, and worriedly cried out his desperation to me. Other times, he was scared that I might hurt him when I grew angry at something that he did or said. But I wouldn't deny that he'd be extremely brave sometimes. His mood and thoughts always switched without a reason. I could tell that it was because of his memories. You never know what time of the day they choose to come around and haunt you.

So, I had set up appointments with a psychiatrist. Evan yelled and threw objects around the house violently when I informed him about it. I had to take away Hallie to her friend Sara's house as she wept out of fear, at her brother's violence.

When I came back, Evan sat on the floor in the middle of the mess and cried with his arms around his knees. I watched as his hands shook. When I wrapped my arms around him, he cried even more and apologized over and over again. He was afraid that he lost Hallie's trust for good.

The next day, we stood before the building. I waited until he was done with the appointment. I made some pan o s'mores while the siblings made up with each other. Promises and sweet words filled the air as I worked in silence. 

Every appointment followed an amazing dish cooked by me to ease Evan's emotions and to make him feel better. He was healing. I could see it. It made me feel so proud.

I knew that he had come a long way when he argued that he must pay for the groceries. I was merely testing his waters when I told him that I'd punish him. 

Okay! I'll admit that I was genuinely annoyed that he felt as if he owed me and I thought he wouldn't shut up unless I threatened him. It didn't work anyway. That little snitch knows how to use his charms on me.

I'm glad that he came this far. 

I watched him work a fire. The wind blew his dark hair making strands fall on his forehead. The glow from the fire highlighted his sharp jaw and made his lashes cast a shadow on his cheeks as he looked down to check his watch. My sharp vision watched him clench his jaw as he made efforts to save the dwindling fire. 

After a while, he managed to get the fire going. The wind picked up and the flames only got higher. His lips lifted in a gentle smile. He lifted his lashes to look at me. Those orbs of black... The darkest black I've ever seen. But they held stories. Stories that I knew. Stories that the psychiatrist knew. Stories of pain and... love.

No other soul knew about them. And I know that he wants to keep it that way.

Evan:

"What are you thinking about?" I asked Roxy as she stared at me with a faraway look. I poked the fire with a stick. The gentle wind helped the fire blaze up giving us a pleasant warmth. The moon was round and bright in the sky.

"You," she replied softly. The light of the fire illuminated her face and her golden hair. It softly lit up her beautiful ocean eyes.

"What about me?" 

"You've come so far and I'm so proud of you," she said with a gentle smile.

"It's all because of you. I have no idea what I would've done if it wasn't for you. I wouldn't even have had my angel with me," I whispered.

We looked at Hallie who settled herself at a distance from us staring at the constellations in the sky with a Nutella sandwich in her hand. 

I grabbed cups from the bag and poured out some hot chocolate from the thermo-flask. Hallie stood up from her spot and sat down before the fire with us. She grabbed a cup for herself. 

The needle drew closer to twelve. We surprised Hallie with the series of books that she always wanted. She looked very embarrassed, "You didn't have to buy me a gift again... You bought a hall full of gifts on Christmas for me."

"You deserve it, Sweetie," Roxy told her and I agreed.

She seemed to look more embarrassed at that. She was staring at her feet, "You shouldn't spoil me so much. Besides, I didn't really get you guys anything..."

We both laughed lightly and hugged her close. We told her that she didn't have to always buy us something. We love her unconditionally and don't really care about the gifts. She beamed happily after that and accepted the books.

After we withdrew, I checked the watch to have about seven minutes left for the new year.

I gulped nervously as I looked at Roxy, "I got you something."

She nodded, "I got you something too."

"Okay, you go first," I told her.

She shrugged with a playful smile. She unzipped her huge jacket and slipped her fingers inside to fetch something from a pocket. She pulled out a small box and my jaw fell open. She went down on a knee and opened the box.

Her lips parted to say something elaborate and emotional. 

"Be by my side until the end, Evan."

I let out a short laugh at her "elaborate" proposal. But somehow, the sentence struck my heart.

She raised an eyebrow, "Say yes?"

"Yes!" I said. She slipped the ring onto my finger and pressed her lips to mine. I drew away and she let me. It was a silver ring studded with a few black diamonds. I wondered how she got my size so right.

"Before we lose any time," I laughed again and shook my head. The coincidence. 

I pulled out the box that I had and went down on a knee. She looked stunned and cupped her face with her hands for a moment. She was smiling widely when she looked at me. 

I had a whole speech memorized for this moment. But then, most words flew out of my mind. 

The only ones that remained were, "I love you. I want to grow old with you and make memories... Say yes?"

She looked at me with several emotions in her blue orbs, "Yes."

I slipped in her ring and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It was silver with a blue medium-sized studded zircon gemstone in it. The blue matched the color of her eyes. The ring looked slightly loose and I told her that we'll get it tightened later. 

"Do you like it? We can always get a different one," I told her.

"I love it so much! How about you?" she traced her fingers down my jaw.

I grinned, "It's amazingly perfect!"

We both turned to Hallie who was grinning cheekily. Roxy lifted her up and we wrapped our arms around each other. 

The watch ticked twelve.

♡

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The End.

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Author's Note:(3622 words)

Please tell me if you find any mistakes, guys! 

Also, what do you think??

Also, Happy New Year!! This was supposed to come out on New Year but then, I got busy with exams and such...

Love,
Jahnavi...♡