A Bittersweet Reunion

The story concludes when Allen and Genevieve reunite and a deal is made

The late morning spring air was crisp and warm with only a few noticeable plumes of white cloud hanging about in the sky. 

“Looks like heaven does it not, Rutherford?”

Rutherford snorted and bobbed his which made Allen smile. They were crossing by a large grassy area along the trail to his still brand new home. In the back of his carriage were a few more supplies he needed to build a stable next to the small but comfortable home he had purchased to be his new headquarters. He was beginning to receive letters from townspeople and priests asking for his help in the exploits of the undead. His hatred for them continued to build while his personal demons seemed to try and hold his head under water. He continued to drink though mostly at night when he felt the most alone in the world. He would often talk to the void in hopes that his brother Abel would talk back or maybe even Genevieve. When his thoughts would turn to her, he became bitter and sometimes unstable. There were times when he considered returning to Gwen in order to have someone but he was ashamed for not reading any of the letters he sent and when he would sit down to write anything to her, he would just crumble the paper and throw it in the fire. Eventually passing Lake Kingsley and just over a good sized hill, he arrived at his home where His only friend Geoff Wallace was waiting to help him finish the stable. 

“Surprised you’re here on time you old pirate.”

“Surprised you’re not slurring your words yet. I see you got the horse back!”

“Oh Rutherford was never in any real danger of staying in that God forsaken w***e house.”

“I believe it.”

Allen stepped from the wagon and unhitched Rutherford allowing him to graze freely in the surrounding field. They began to unload the supplies and got to work on finishing the stable. 

“Funny thing though. When I arrived in Saint Francis… the Sun had burnt down.”

“Really? You mean it’s gone?”

“Long gone.”

“Huh. What a shame.”

“Shame I didn’t burn it down myself.”

“I believe you would too.”

By dusk the stable was completed and Allen only needed to paint it, which he decided to do the day after. He and Geoff went inside where Allen pulled a bottle of rum from a crate and offered Geoff a drink. He took a swig of it and handed the bottle back to Allen. He stared at it for a moment with a sick feeling in his stomach. He then put the cork back in and gave it back to Geoff.

“This have any meaning behind it, Allen?”

He remained silent and stared blankly at the ceiling. Geoff sighed and he too stared into the void. For what seemed longer than it was, the two just sat there until Geoff decided to speak up.

“You have to silence those demons Allen.”

“That’s why I hunt.”

“Not those demons. The ones that live inside you. You want to end up some old man all alone with nothing to hold your hand but the bottle? I can't stay here and watch you destroy yourself.”

“No one asked you to stay.”

“I think you're right.”

Geoff took the bottle of rum and placed it on the table next to Allen. He touched his shoulder in a concerned friendly gesture but said nothing else as he left. Allen continued to sit there for hours and stared, eventually opening the bottle of rum again and drank it until it was empty. 

“Abel… I failed you again brother. I’m sorry.”

He stood to his feet and left his house, walking straight into the night. The moon was full and the ground was bright with a slight chill from the breeze. The liquor made the world seem like it was falling and Allen wasn’t entirely sure which way he was walking. At points he stumbled and fell to the ground only to quickly pick himself up again. After some time he found himself at the banks of Lake Kingsley where he stood to his feet and looked into his reflection. There stood a man he could no longer recognize, a man with one foot in his grave. He pulled his flask from his coat and opened to take a drink, but couldn’t bring it to his lips. He looked at it with tears beginning to swell. He  then poured out the liquid into the water and threw the flask as far as it could go. He then found a nearby tree and laid down underneath remembering the first night he and Genevieve had confessed their love. His mind began to fill with regret, thinking if he had just let things be, then perhaps she would still be around or had he ignored the letter she had left for originally then he wouldn’t know her or he’d be a drunk with no memories of her. 

“Or I’d be dead. Either way…”

His eyes became heavy and he drifted to sleep under the tree.

He awoke with a slight headache but overall feeling ok. He then shuttered as he noticed he was home in his own bed. There was a warm towel on his forehead and a cup of water beside him. He sat up and let the towel drop as he drank the water in a few big drinks. He then stood up and went to the window to open the drapes. The sun was shining bright like morning and Allen was unsure of how he had made it home.

“I see you haven’t taken my advice about keeping a low profile.”

The voice pierced Allen in a way he hadn’t felt in a long while. He was relieved and angry at once and hesitated to turn around. Despite his slight protest he smiled and closed the drapes. When he turned around, Genevieve was standing in the threshold with her silver hair unbraided and mostly hanging over her left shoulder, wearing the scarlet dress he had seen her in the first morning in her home. 

“My word Allen, have you seen a ghost?”  

“Yes, truly a ghost of the past.”

As he spoke she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Allen succumbed to the moment and held her tightly to him, not wanting to ever let her go. In the slight darkness they stood there holding each other for a long while. It was Genevieve who finally broke the embrace.

“That’s the second time I found you passed out under a tree.”

“We have to stop meeting like that.”

There was a moment of silence as the two looked into each other’s eyes. Allen broke eye contact and began to walk from the room.

“Tea?” Allen spoke with a sense of content.

“As always.”

She followed him and stood in the middle of the living while he heated up a kettle of water. He cut a few slices of lemon and placed them into their cups. Allen handed her the tea and sat on a chair. Again there was silence as both wondered what to say. Genevieve sighed and finally spoke.

“For a long time… I wondered if this moment would ever come. I thought maybe when or if it did, you would play a song for me and I would dance like before. But I don’t think that’s going to happen is it?”

“Well I would say… never say never. But I feel you’re not here to reconcile. Are you?”

“Allen… you know the truth. I can’t keep lying to you with the hope of some kind of happily ever after. We could be together fifty years with much luck, sixty but then you will die and you can’t ask me to endure the idea of watching you die and myself living on after that. For what it’s worth… I hate to see you become this again! To find you passed out under a tree not to mention hearing you had murdered a human.”

“He deserved his fate and did you ever think to find out from me if that's fine?”

“It’s not just about you Allen! You mean the world to me and if we can gain closure on this it would be the least selfish thing we can do for each other.”

Allen stood to his feet sharply.

“Selfish? Don’t talk to me about being selfish. You said yes to my proposal and even then you could have told me but no! You said yes to me, made me think of a wonderful future only to find out you were some blood sucking demon! Closure? To hell with it and with you!”

Genevieve’s eyes became red and instinctively lunged towards Allen baring her fangs and hissing sharply at him. Allen did not so much as flinch at her threat. Her eyes then changed from red to the dark blue and gray that it had been before. She stepped back and covered her mouth in shock. Allen began to regret saying what he had said and turned his face from her.

“How could you say that to me?”

“I… don’t mean it. I swear to you!”

“Allen you have no idea what being with you has already cost me. The pain he put me through… I refuse to relive it. And in the end I never gave away your name.”

Allen turned to her again. He was astounded at how tall she stood, never relenting her strength as she spoke about it. He wondered what torture they must have put her through but for her sake he refused to ask.

“I suppose I should thank you. I admit… to learn of what you were was painful but the thought of losing you cut deeper than any of that and now I feel ashamed because… you likely endured so much more than I ever could. And even now I love you more because of it! I apologize Genevieve, but I can’t stop loving you.”

“You think I’ve stopped loving you? I’ve been alive a long time and you are without a doubt the best thing that has happened in those years! This is not easy for me, in fact it’s been the hardest thing I've ever done, but… it’s the right thing to do.”

“Then where do we go from here?”

“We continue the mission. I will do my best to distribute information you may need. At arm's length of course.”

“There’s nothing I can say to convince you to stay?”

“My decision was made when I wrote the letter. It hurt more than the torture but I will not relent.”

Allen sat on his sofa and put his face in hands feeling like he had been punched in the stomach. He didn’t want to lose her but this could be the only way to keep her near to him. Maybe, he thought, one day she could change her mind. Then he imagined the unthinkable. “If I was immortal too, then they could be together perhaps forever.” He quickly shook the notion from his mind as he sighed.

“Ok. On the condition that you lead me to Demetri.”

“That’s not a condition I am willing to accept. He is still my brother and I love him. I don't think you would give up Abel under that circumstance, would you?”

“Touché.”

“Take this instead. If you do find his whereabouts…  promise me… that you will kill me first.”

“That’s not a condition…

“Allen! I will not see that with my own eyes and I know you will not have the average hunter take my life. If it’s going to be anyone… let it be you. Promise me.”

“Gennie…”

“Promise me!”

He glared at her not knowing what to say. How could he murder his love? He knew what he needed to say but the words felt heavy and his mind struggled to comprehend the idea of seeing her die, even without it being violent. 

“I promise.”

His body felt like it would collapse but he said it and she believed him. He hoped the day would never come when this would be a reality but in all likelihood, it would be sooner than he would ever want it to be. She sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He caressed her hair and for a moment everything in the world seemed to stop. This was all he wanted for a long time and it was soon to end but he enjoyed the moment. Genevieve felt relief from having him next to her again. She considered again the possibility of staying and never returning to Belladonna, but she could not go back on her word. She picked her head up and looked into Allen’s eye’s and a flood of emotion came about her. She leaned in to kiss him one more time but he turned his head.

“Gennie, if I kiss you now then I’ll never be able to let you go.”

She felt upset but understood. She curled up next to him and rested there with him. They talked again for hours, catching up. Allen told her about his exploits while at the Sinking Sun and about Gwen. Genevieve felt a twinge of jealousy knowing he had been in another relationship but was not upset. She told him about the experiences that she had when returning  home and about Samuel’s wedding which ultimately led to her leaving to find him.

“So you’re the one who burnt down the Sun?”

“I rather enjoyed it too.”

“I hate to tell you Genevieve… when I left, they stole the Homicida and when I went back for it… it was gone.”

“Oh yes that reminds me.”

She stepped away for a moment but when she returned, she brought with her the Homicida and handed it to Allen.

“This is your last chance with that.”

“Yes of course. Allow me to give a gift to you as well.”

Allen stepped up and went into the back room. Genevieve sat and wondered what it could be. Then she heard the soft sounds of Allen’s violin playing. It became louder as he stepped into the room again. Genevieve looked at him and began to dance like she had before. The rest of their day was as joyous as it could be. Allen continued to play and Genevieve danced to each song both slow and jovial. When night came she said goodbye to Allen while touching his cheek.

“Adieu.”

“Adieu Gennie.”

She stepped into the night and returned to her home. It would be the last day they would truly spend together. From that point they would have various moments together but there were longer intervals when she decided to teach him their codex. But still those moments could not be counted as anything special. And for a number of years they worked together in hunting where Allen would receive letters from various sources and Genevieve would give him as much information as she could in his efforts. 

7 years later:

The air was getting colder and winter was fast approaching. Allen returned to his home on the carriage that was pulled by Rutherford. In his carriage was a large chest that contained an item that would help on his next hunt. When he arrived he unhitched Rutherford and placed him in the stable. He could feel a presence that he was now familiar with and when he went inside, Genevieve was standing in the living room waiting for him.   

“Allen.”

“Genevieve.”

“Since you’re standing before me and not deceased, I’m assuming you retrieved the asset.”

“It wasn’t easy. Problems arose but were quickly overcome.”

“Well then… I think you’re ready. Remember what I told you about the code and with a lot of hope, everything should be fine.”

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I am truly ready.”

“Of course you know that things may get ugly there. Belladonna is where Demetri’s palace dwells. There is a chance… you may need to keep your promise. You do remember your promise?”

“How could I forget?”

“I’ll meet up with you as soon as it is necessary. Until then… Adieu.”

“Adieu.”

She stepped out of the house and returned to her home. Allen watched as she flew away into the night. He took out his pipe and lit the tobacco within it and fell into deep thought. He knew of all the dangers he faced in Belladonna. Genevieve had packed his things for him so he did not need to work too hard other than loading his chests onto the cart which he would do in the morning. He picked up his most recent letter and reread it.

Dear Mr. Slade

Your reputation has become greatly known amongst men like myself.

 I am Father William of The Church of Belladonna and write to you 

Because I am in need of your services. I have been able to keep the 

creatures at bay for the time being but it seems they are now growing 

Beyond my control. I offer you strong compensation and a stay here on 

The church grounds for however long it takes to rid my city of the beasts.

Please do not hesitate to respond and we will discuss your payment. 

With all due respect Father William

He wondered if it was truly almost time for him to end Genevieve’s life. He wondered if he was strong enough to do it when the time came. When the morning came, he loaded his cart and set off for Belladonna. 

Genevieve had heard of Allen’s arrival. It was a dark cloudy day and she would be able to go out into the open knowing there would be no sunlight. She knew the perfect place to meet him was a place in town called the Glaive Tavern. Allen would not be able to resist having a pint once he noticed it on his way to the cathedral. Her brother had spies who worked in the tavern but she had them paid off more, so she would be able to come in without trouble. At the bar was a timid man named Walter who welcomed her in happily. 

“Good morning Walter! Please bring me a glass of wine if you don’t mind.”

“Of course miss.” 

He brought her a glass and poured her the finest he had.

“I’ll be in the back. If anyone asks for me…”

“Yes I know.”

She headed to the back and waited for Allen to show. Some time went by when she heard his voice exclaim some words. She smiled and opened the door subtly but when she opened it, she was stunned to see her good friend Selene and Allen conversating. She had seen the same look in Allen’s eyes when he had first seen her ten years before. She could sense his heart beating fast and felt that she knew what was to come. She closed the door and stood against it holding her chest. She felt like she wanted to cry but held it back knowing Selene herself would be able to sense her. She then smiled and thought that Selene was the only one in the world she would want Allen to be in love with besides her. She smiled and sighed in relief. 

“Adieu my love.”