There was a rather heavy band playing tonight. The screaming mixed with the electric guitar definitely gave Nikolaos a new jolt of energy. She swayed her hips as she stood by the bar, her body catching quite a few glances.

She had taken to dressing in black lately. She just- felt it was edgy. And she was on the edge tonight. Her long slender legs were plastered in leather pants that hugged her body far too tight. They were'nt a second skin. They were her skin. A black tubetop, accented with an intricate design of rhinestones over her right breast compelemented her shape. Her red hair was curled and pulled into a high ponytail. Emerald eyes were dusted with silver shadow and her lips were glossed clear and fresh as her black pumps led her to a stool.

She contemplated sitting down, wineglass in hand. She took a sip of the sweet red liquid, though it was not as sweet as another red liquid. Wonder what that was.
Well, turns out- she couldn't sit down in her leather pants, so she decided to stand, allowing her body to sway with the envigorating sounds of the stage. Fnally she set her glass down and took to the floor, finding a couple young men to dance with. They didn't paw her, rather she entranced them to try, and then pulled away. It was a lovely little game of cat and mouse. She had already fed, but they were still food and she still loved to play.

Vincent was sat in a darkened corner of the club, away from the band. It was acceptable, but a bit noisy for his tastes. He saw the female vampiress sliding around the dance floor.
She looked like Nikolas... He mused, as he laily watched her slip around, entrancing the mortals around her. It was amusing to see them drool.

He pulled on his pipe, he had been hassled about it before, but all it took was some intense intimidation to get the barman to back down. So they left him alone, he wasnt bothering anyone, and he never made a big thing of himself.
Those who wanted to passivly inhale some marijuna were elcome to sit nearby, but they never talked to him, unless they were real stoners, then they did. But Vincent didn't mind.

Nikolaos hadn't felt it until the band took a short break before starting the next song. The drone of chatter in the club crashed over her, leaving a sharp pull of an undertoe upon her dead body. But wait, that wasn't the crowd. That wasn't warmth that pulled at her. It was death, something as dark and as deep as an ocean. For a moment Nikkolaos O'Rourke froze, rooted to the spot as the screaming of the lead singer went into a crescendo. Something cold wrapped itself around her heart and squeezed, but it didn't last for long.

Something hot and angry stirred beneathe her surface as she recognized the feeling- the touch of his power. Her fists clenched and she fought the urge not to look in his direction... the dark corner of the room.

Finding an outlet for her anger, Nikolaos forcefully grabbed one of her dance partners and felt his bones break. He whimpered a little bit, but didn't notice too much. He was too drunk, and now too entranced by Nikki's mind tricks to feel the pain. God, Nikki just wanted to walk up to Vincent and strangle him. She hated him so much right now! And she let that anger spill out into the air, let him feel it, because there was no doubt in her mind that he was Vincent. And she was pissed at him.

Why?

He left her. He left her. He left her. The bastard.

Vincent, although he was no great psychic, felt the shock of pain when the drunk mind of the man regestered the pain from his broken bones.
Nikki knew he was here, possibly time to vacate...

He quickly stood up and meade for the door, feeling a pang of regret, he had been enjoying watching her dance....

He neared the door, and risked a glance back at her one last time....

Nikolaos frowned as he even dared to look at her. She felt it, felt his eyes rest upon her. The bastard had probablly been watching the whole damn time and she never noticed.

Enraged, but outwardly collected and sane- Nikolaos made her way towards the door, before Vincent could get away she was in front of him.
"What the hell are you doing here and how dare you even look at me? How dare you run like a coward away from me? Is that what you're gonna do- avaoid me? Why? Do you think you did something wrong because you sure as hell should feel guilty right now?" Nikolaos shot at him, her voice low but full of a venom that was lethal.

"Why? Why the hell haven't I heard from you?" she asked him, voice turning to a whisper, but her armor hadn't left Nikki's heart. Her eyes burned with something that they usually never burned with. She was like a wounded animal fighting at its attacker, sad but enraged- fighting for its very life.

He was just like everyone else. Why did she even bother to ask him. Why did she even bother to come to him? Why did she bother to put herself through all of this pain? Because she loved him- and love was a little bitch.

Vincent's eyes were cast down, his face looked mournfull.
"I'm sorry Nikolaos." he said, with real feeling in his voice, "I'm so sorry."

He beckoned her toward the door, "Let us go utside, where we can talk easier."

He moved to the door, and held it open for her.

"That's all you can say! That's all you can say to me!" she asked him, voice desperately trying to make some sense of what he was telling her. He didn't understand. He didn't understand that he was under her skin, even now- ripping her apart from the inside out.

"You don't understand what you have done to me" she growled at him. "And all you can muster is an 'I'm sorry." she frowned before stepping outside. "Why the hell should I bother believing you- obviously lies come hand in hand with you."
Nikolaos would have frozen to death without her coat in the icy air. Her tube top was certainly not enough coverage for a night so frigid.

"How is being outside helping us talk easier Vincent? You can't feel the press of heat in the club. They won't hear you if you don't want them too. You can't even worry about a brawl because you can't die. So how the hell is being outside making this discussion any better?"

Oh yeah- this wounded animal was pissed and very eager to make Vincent feel the same way she felt- shredded.

Nikki would not have to try very hard to make VIncent feel the way she did. He was already almost there.

"I meant to stayin contact with you, Nikolas.", He sighed, "I was hunting... Something in CHina... Well, all across the east of asia, to be honest. It took me almost three years to find out where she was, and that's when I left Dematre. I didn;t say anything because there was a good chance I'd not come back. She came very near, at the end, to killing me."
He paused, remembering, "I would have contacted you... But I did't want you to get any false hope... I'm sorry."

"You were hunting!" Nikolaos let out an exasperated sigh and walked back towards the bar, but turned back. "What the hell were you hunting? A she? You were hunting a bitch and she could have killed you. I don't care. It doesn't make any sense! Why the hell would you go off to die without even saying goodbye!" Nikolaos' voice raised in volume as she tried to mask the small whimpers that were threatening to escape her throat. He could have died- and she'd never see him again.
"You thought it fit to make me think that you hated me. And if you died- I'd feel like this forever. God! Vincent how could you even think of doing that to me?" Nikki turned angrily and leaned against the door leading back into the bar.

"God..." What was wrong with him? How could even do this to her? Obviously he didn't love her, didn't give a shit about her if he was willing to go off and risk his life.
Her thoughts became words.
"Obviously you didn't value your life with me very much if you're running off trying to get yourself killed. Why the hell can't you just break up with me or kill me like the regular vampire males!" she accused, looking down, not wanting to meet those eyes that had haunted her for so many nights.

"Nathaniel's dead." Vincent said suddenly, his eyes still distant.
"He sired a vampire in China, when he was fleeing the Russians in the Cold War. Ling Ling, she was mad. She was like him in many ways, driven mad by her hatred for humans and vampires, and being shunned by them. She killed Nathaniel, gutted him and ate most of him. All I found of him was his head, with an L torn in his foredead. After that I went after her. I chased her al across China, Japan, Vietnam, Bhutan, Nepal and Korea... I eventually cornered her, in Tibet. We fought at the Potala... I fell, she threw me down the steps, where I lay broken, and dying. She, in her moment of glroy, screamed and raised her bloody hands high, when she was struck by the first light of dawn... Her face burned first, she kept screaming... For minutes as slowly she died. I would have died to, where it not for the monks. Even though they knew what I was, they always refered to me as Saipeshen... "Sepespian-demon". Yet, they nursed me, brought me blood, helped me heal..."

Vincent finished his story, and turned to NIkolaos, "That is why I didn't want to tell you anything... I didn't expect to survive, it was... Very close. I want you to know, though, I thought of you often, I tried to contact you, but I was too weak, and none of the monks would pass on a message for me. It was never my intention to hurt you."

Nikolaos shook her head. “So you went hunting to avenge Nathanial, let me believe that you hated me, risked everything we had for his honor?” Nikki shook her head. “I just wish you would have told me. I can handle you dying as long as I know you---“

Love me. She thought to herself, but she dared not say it. They weren’t on loving terms right now. They were on… strained terms. "You didn't even want to say goodbye to me? After everything... you couldn't say goodbye. If you thought- you were going to die- Why didn't you-?" Nikolaos' voice faded into silence and and she bit her lower lip until it bled fresh drops of blood.

I won't cry dammit.

Nikolaos looked up at Vincent. Her emerald eyes were still hostile, guarded better than the toughest fortress.
"So what do you want me to do now Vincent? What the hell do you want me to do? Pick up the pieces? I can't keep putting this dead heart back together- you should know that. So- what the hell do you want from me?"

"I will be honest, Nikolaos, I don't know what I want." He paused, he wondered wether he should continue... "I haven't loved anyone since Nathaniel... That's why I couldn't say goodbye, I couldn't bare to leave you... Saying goodbye would have hurt to much... And yet, I loved Nathaniel, and I never hated him. Not even for a second. Only pity. I wanted to avenge him, because I was afraid she would return to stalk me... And you..."

He refilled his pipe and lit it, it was in Tibet that he had really gotten into the stuff... Now he almost needed it, the memories of the hunt still haunted him sometimes.

Nikolaos forwned and walked towards him, taking the pipe out of his hand. Her eyes were softer now, but her spirit was not broken. Nikolaos had always been strong and it showed now more than ever. She stood very close to him now, close enough to kiss, but she wasn't willing to do that. His face was as perfect as she remembered it, carved by God. As she studied his beautiful features she got lost- lost in everythign about him that she loved.
"Vincent, you need to figure out whether you want me or not.... because I can't wait for eternity." she stepped away from him and tossed his pipe back to him.

"As far as I'm concerned, this hurts more than being ripped apart by Ling Ling. This- you not knowing whether you want me or not- hurts more than dying a thousand painful deaths.... and if you can't even--"

Love me. God that's all she wanted from him and she had a horrible feeling in her gut she wasn't going to get it.
"If you can't even--" she tried again, but the words couldn't come out. Nikki shook her head and felt herself loosing her balence. She staggered a little bit but steadied herself soon.
"I just can't believe you can even consider throwing me away..." she whispered, so low and so quiet. She couldn't believe he didn't know whether he wanted her. How could he say such a thing?

Vincent caught the pipe, and inhaled.
"I... I love you Nikolas." Vincent admitted, he had known it for some time, but he had been scared to say it.
"I do, NIkolaos. Thats why I wanted to end Ling Ling. Though every day that I was away I wished I was back here... With you."

Nikolaos bit clean through her lip when he said he loved her. She tried to speak but couldn't. She tried to move but couldn't. She tired to hate him but couldn't, because she loved him too. Nikki forced a shocked blink and took two steps towards him, looking him up and down, scrutinizing him.
Was he lying? She didn't smell a lie? But he could hide things from her. Doubt was written in her eyes as she asked him.

"Do you? Can you possibly? You haven't really shown me that you-- love me Vincent. You haven't shown me that at all. God, I wish you could just understand... what you've done to me. I hate what you've done to me...." A red drop of blood appeared at the corner of her right eye but she brushed it away immeadiately.