Ode to the past (Julian)

[Tristan Holt]

Victoria

Rebeckah

Each of these women had held a piece of his heart at one time or another, each had stood by his side as his wife and equal in every respect. They were his lovers, friends and closest allies but much had changed since then. Victoria, killed by hunters and Rebeckah well she left of her own accord, lost in her own world no longer able to be salvaged from the cold grip of insanity.

Each relationship had burned hot, one had burnt out quickly whilst the other flicked in the breeze, never truly going out. His heart still longed for his sweet Victoria but alas she was no more, long departed from this world and from his side, where she belonged. His thoughts had driven him from the comfort for his cold, crept of a room to the open, almost relaxing roof.

This place was unlike any room within his coven, devoid of life of any kind with only the twinkling lights shining high above as company. It was a place where Tristan could truly think, without holding back for fear of being discovered, discovered that he possess a heart, a heart that had blackened and grown colder over the last few decades.

The betrayal of Rebeckah was the last nail in the coffin.

One could simply wonder, why. Rebeckah had always been a free spirit, the stolen bride of another but at the time that did not even phase him in the slightest. Now? He questioned his own motives, the very same motives which had resulted in his youngest, his weapon. The one who hated him as much as his eldest often expressed one way or another but never verbally. No that could possible threaten his position as heir of this coven and the very city of New York. Julian had never held back, never held his tongue when in the presence of his father. Oh, how Tristan was daily reminded of his lycan bride when his youngest was present.

A smile slowly spread across his face, his head raised to the inky black, night sky. His eyes danced from one star to the next, taking in the light, the beauty of such a natural phenomenon. He, on the other hand was most unnatural in every sense of the word, a vampire a creature of existed but never took a breath. He was wholly dead but somehow alive at the same time. Never before had he questioned his own existence, maybe loneliness was starting to eat away at his black heart that stood in place of a heart, within his cavern of a chest. His guard in this moment of solitude had dropped, but only slightly.

Tristan would not be easily caught off guard but the moment anyone wandered into his memory palace, then his mask would slid back into place. He still had a reputation to uphold as master vampire within this mighty coven.

[Julian Holt]

Frustrated Julian kicked the door to his room open not caring not even realizing that Selena could be in there sleeping. Luckily when he finally stormed through the threshold he found the place to be empty. Half growling the young hybrid threw the jacket he had been wearing into the floor before tearing at the blood stained shirt on his body. He ripped the fabric off tossing it to the floor before pulling the arrow that was lodged into his chest out quickly. It hurt like a bitch to get the sucker out but he knew soon enough he would heal and the wound would no longer be visible. Right now he wasn’t even thinking about that. Instead he was simply letting his anger control him as he created an even bigger mess on the floor of his room. Having been a bachelor for a good century it would really be had for him to break certain habits. Trashing his room was one of those habits it seemed. He knew that there would be a servant along later on to clean the mess he left behind anyways. It was behind him the moment he left his blood soaked pants fall throwing the belt onto the bed before he pushed his fingers through his already messy hair.

Tonight had not gone as expected. He had been out searching for another stray vampire who he had managed to track to the warehouse district. Turns out that he hadn’t been the only one tracking the fucker because the moment he stepped out of the shadows someone launched an arrow into his chest. Not being particular found of having holes in his body that weren’t needed the hybrid had taken his anger and rage out on the hunter instead. Not that the bastard had been keen on letting him simply walk off now that he was on his radar. It didn’t seem like the guy even cared at who he was shooting at instead he just picked fights with anyone. Well one thing’s for sure the guy wouldn’t be picking anymore fights anytime soon. Julian had left the guy in a state that if he wasn’t already dead there wouldn’t be much of a chance of him actually surviving. It was survival of the fittest out there and Julian just proved he wasn’t going down easy.

Rubbing his face, he looked around wondering where Selena was given that it was night and most vampires were wondering around the mansion awake right now. Hopping into the shower first, the young man washed the remaining blood off his body before redressing. Throwing on a fresh pair of tattered jean’s and a t-shirt, Julian sniffed around wondering where his mate could be. Given that it was night, his first thought was that she might have taken to the roof again. Stuffing his hands into his jean pockets, he headed up to the roof. Having been there many times before, the route was already imprinted into his mind. Sensing someone nearby, Julian walked along the roof to where he felt someone hoping it would be Selena and he could lose himself and his anger in simply being around the young woman.

“Luna your obsession with that moon is really…” he stopped noticing that it wasn’t Selena but Tristan instead standing there on the roof. Rolling his eyes, Julian sighed crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive manner. “It’s a shame pushing you off the roof isn’t lethal for you.” he muttered turning to head back the way he had just come wanting to be far far away from the man that was supposed to be his father.

[Tristan Holt]

Of all the people within these four walls, why did it have to be his youngest to come up onto the roof at this very moment in time? Julian was the thorn in his side, the rebellious spirit similar to that his mother to wander into his place of silence and thought. The roof was his door way into his mind, into his memory palace. It brought time to relax and reflect on both past and present decisions.

The good and bad were brought together, thought over in detail. Nothing escaped his analysis, everything was pulled apart and understood once more, his eyes remained fixed upon the night sky over head as his son addressed him most harshly, but that was to be excepted. Their relationship had always been brittle and thorny but that was his fault, at the same time the fault lay also in the lap of his son. Communication was stunted, anger and venom dripped from his son’s words. It was the product of his life so far, the training, the jobs he had sent Julian on over the last decade or two.

The product of a life spent as a weapon and tool of his father, not the son of the vampire lord and master. Night like this one, made Tristan think and at times, reject his actions for a moment. Everything happened for a reason, his son’s birth was no different. It had been planned from the moment, he had laid eyes upon Rebeckah’s beautiful, almost ethereal form.

“I came up here to think, nothing more” He vaguely answered, bored with very idea that he, the master vampire was obsessed with the moon. He only found that white mass in the darkness, a reminder of what had been, a reminder of Rebeckah and what came after. The madness, the chaos and her disrespect of his status within the city. She often forget her place but then she ran back to her past, back to that blasted island.

“Why do you bother to open your mouth, when only hatred and anger seep out” He coldly replied to his son’s statement. Hiding the pain of the distance of between himself and his son, it was growing with each day, with each sun rise and sun set. Nothing could repair the years of distrust between them, not now.

[Julian Holt]

Julian was cursing at all the different powers of be out there as he found himself on the roof with the last person in the world he wanted to be around. Yes there was no denying it that this man was the sperm that had created him but to classify him as a father wasn’t something Julian would go as far to do. The term did not fit Tristan at all and Julian wasn’t going to be sending him any father of the year awards. The only thing that he was grateful for was that the door to the mansion wasn’t closed to him. At least not yet thankfully he still could come back and see the people he liked that resided here. Julian knew that once Tristan stepped down or was overthrown, Logan would be out for his head and he wouldn’t be stepping foot in New York again. Until then, he would make do with the small pleasures he did have for now.

Listening to Tristan explaining that he had come up there to think had Julian rolling his eyes as he looked around to make sure Selena really wasn’t up here. Seeing the Master Vampire up here only made him more suspicious that he might have fun into his mate and done something just to piss him off. “Think about what? How many more kids you can kidnap and use as pets?” he asked coldly before rubbing at his face as he continued scanning the roof. Recently he had cut all tires he had with Anna because she was far too different then she had been a year ago when she first came to the mansion before he left.

“You made sure that every word that comes out of my mouth is nothing but anger and hatred. Don’t blame me when you don’t like what you’ve created.” he threw back looking at the man that was supposed to be his father. At least Beckah came back once in a while to see him. Having found out that she hadn’t seen her first son since she first left him, Julian had always taken comfort in knowing that she might zip off somewhere half the time, but she always came back to see him whether or not she needed to come up with an insane reason for it. Usually the woman would plot something completely Looney before she sought Julian out to help her with it. Tristan on the other hand didn’t seem to show any reason to keep Julian around aside from him being a hybrid. All it took was another lycan for him to make more.

Seeing how content the elder was on the roof, Julian made a mental note to tell Selena to not come up on the roof at night. He really did not need her to run into Tristan up here alone. Granted if she could keep him out in the sun long enough. That thought came with others as he tracked all the way to their new quest who was asking far too many questions. With Dawn around looking for her Ambassador, it was bound to come out that something happened and for some reason, Julian knew Tristan was behind it. ”What lie are you going to be feeding the Queen of the lycans about her Ambassador?” he asked offended.

[Tristan Holt]

Julian, the constant thorn in his side was starting to chip away at his icy cold heart. The boy was still his son, even if he rarely acted as such. Tristan could not remember a time when he referred to him as father, it had always been his first name. This was not the time for bridges to rebuilt, such things were impossible as that built had been set fire and destroyed long ago. His relationship with Julian on days like this one, felt like a lost cause, a battle that was simply not worth fighting as it would not change anything, it was too late for the two of them.

The moon still held his attention, it was only constancy in his life these past few decades. Both of his son were hardly attended council meetings, with their updated reports. No lover frequented his bed or chambers since the late 2130’s. It was not that he did not find any female vampire attractive, oh no there were many who caught his eye but it was not the most important part of his eternal existence, this very moment in time. He had countless years ahead of him to find an appeasing lover in and out of the bedroom.

The thought of an heir was something that popped up every decade or two, presently Logan was his only, the one to succeed him if he choose to step down or if just so happened to be forced out of his throne. However the thought of having two heirs, dividing New York into territories seemed more of an ideal situation. It was something that was becoming a common occurrence in his more than daily musing. Selena was the only problem with this idea, a human in any vampiric seat of power felt wrong, she was not cut out of the responsibility in his opinion.

“Leave Anna out of this” Tristan would always defend Anna, she was his human, his responsibility. Julian was now getting close to a line that he should not cross, if he did then Tristan would not be held accountable for his actions towards his son. “My actions in the days leading up to abduction of Anna was driven completely by vengeance of the death of my only human lover. Her ancestor was the one who murdered her, I felt her family needed to be held to be accountable” he explained, even though there was no reason to explain his actions to his son. “I might regret what happened but I do not regret my decision not to keep her safe from various other sadist, malicious members of this coven”

None of those who knew him, had ever seen with a human. Humans had always been viewed as beneath him but she and Anna were the exception to that view. His words cut at him, another piece of his frozen heart fell away. Julian spoke the truth, it was a regret that could not be reversed now, his son was filled with hatred and anger for him, his very existence caused tension to quickly arise. It was not that he did not like what he created, that was an understatement. Tristan did love his son, even if he did not show it.

“Who says I don’t like what I have created Julian” He added, knowing that it was more about the opposing ideals. Julian reminded him of himself in the years after the death of his first love and then again after the death of his beloved mate Victoria. He had been hurt and consumed by his hatred and anger but his was targeted at the humans who caused their deaths. Julian was aimed straight at him. “I just don’t like what you have become, by my hand, by my actions” He replied sadly “Now that is something I wholeheartedly regret, believe what you want about me but this is the truth”

“I have no intentions of feeding Dawn any lies, the fate of Quentin alludes me but I will offer my assistance to help uncover the truth” It was strange for him to be this content in the presence of his youngest, usually he felt enraged, frustrated and bitterly disappointment but this particular evening this was not the case.

[Julian Holt]

Listening to Tristan defending Anna again had Julian sighing. He used to defend the child himself at one point having felt sorry for her. However, since his return to the mansion, Julian found him Anna to not be the same person he knew before. She had changed within the short time he had been gone. It seemed that the people roaming around the mansion had influenced her to a point where she was like them now. Julian wanted nothing to do with the spoiled child anymore. It was just getting too much of a hassle to care about someone who he had lost respect for. There had been a time he would have helped her but now, now he didn’t care what happened to the child.

Not only that but she had made it clear that she didn’t want anything to do with him either. They seemed to be on the same page. Tristan defending the girl only made Julian realizes that she had turned into him during the time he had been away. It wasn’t a great change in Julian’s eyes. ”You’ve grown far too attached to her. It won’t end well if something were to happen to your little Anna.” he pointed out. Getting attached was one of the many ‘lessons’ that Julian remembered being drilled into his head as a child. He didn’t really listen to half of them but it always gave him some satisfaction to throw them back into the older vampires face.

It wasn’t until after that Julian realized Tristan had mentioned he once had a human lover. This threw Julian back slightly in surprise as he finally registered that little bit of information the older man had just thrown him. ”Wait a minute. Since when have you had a human lover? Hell since when were you even capable of love or any sort of affection?” he asked in a curious manner. After knowing the man for his whole existence, Julian had not seen a caring and loving side to the vampire that helped create him. All he had seen was the ruthless coldhearted creature that people insisted was his father. ”Should have just killed her and sent them the head.” he mused while crossing his arms over his chest, staring out into the night.

Despite always coming back to the mansion, Julian did not harbor any need to have Tristan in his life. If the man was gone, he wouldn’t care one way or the other. He would feel more loss if one of the human servants was dead and gone then he would if his own so called blood was gone. It was only like he was going through the motions half the time when it came to Tristan. He was obedient because he needed a place to park his things in, and the mansion was the only place he had found that was accepting of his mixed blood. Other covens weren’t that open whenever Julian came into town.

Tristan’s posed question at him had Julian snorting before he rolled his eyes as the older vampire explained his regrets. ”Save the acting for someone who will buy it. The only thing you regret is not having full control over me like you do with your precious son. Too bad he is incapable of producing an heir. I’ve always wondered if he was going to ever come out of the closet.” he mused again remember the way Logan dealt with women. It really was a wonder the man was able to come out of a room with his dick still attached with how awfully clueless he was around the opposite sex sometimes.

”Your lies are going to start another war. Do you really think you can survive through another massacre? Especially when your enemies might take the war as a moment to strike from within.” he added. It wasn’t a secret that not everyone was happy with Tristan being the Master Vampire but no one was going to be voicing it openly. At least not unless they wanted to meet the sun. However, there was always talk and with Julian’s rebellious nature and hatred for his so called father, some decided to confide in him. ”I personally wouldn’t mind seeing your head on a pike. Might make for an interesting ornament in the foyer.” he added offhanded.