The Hyperion, Saturday Morning

[demonbelthazor]

As Bel began to wake up, he realized he was warm. Well, as a demon he was always warm, but when it was a vampire who was in your bed, they tended to leech the heat away. Not only was he warm, but there was more than one body in the bed with him. His memory was foggy enough that he couldn't remember exactly whom he'd slept with last night. Veronica? Lindsey? Tyler? All three? Not that he discriminated much about sharing his bed. Whoever it was, they must've left to feed and returned. Hence the warmth.

He opened his eyes, but it didn't register right away that there was a window in the room, and sunlight was streaming through the curtains. Instead he was staring at the woman curled against him. The other occupant of the bed was forgotten in his shock. It wasn't possible.

"Phoebe!" he said, pulling her into his arms as she made a sleepy noise of protest. She was alive. He didn't understand or care how, but she was alive.


[For the other occupants of the bed. Up early in case I sleep late. In case?]

Comments

[demonbelthazor]

He grabbed hold of her arms and pulled her against him. "You're here right now. So either I'm staying or you're coming back with me."

[sensethevisions]

"And if you take me back with you, what will stop me from becoming very dead again? I'm pretty fond of being alive, love."

[demonbelthazor]

"I won't let anyone hurt you," Bel said fiercely. "Not this time. I won't lose you again, and I'll kill anyone who lays a hand on you."

[sensethevisions]

That sounded so much like her Cole that Phoebe had to fight not to let tears fill her eyes. She hoped that when this was all over, he'd be home safe.

However...

This man was a version of Cole and she had this overwhelming need to take care of all Coles that she came across.

"I love you," she said softly.

[demonbelthazor]

"I love you, too," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her. He might have forgotten that she needed to breathe.

[sensethevisions]

"Cole, sweetheart," she gasped after a moment. "Human. Can't breathe."

[demonbelthazor]

He let up the pressure a little. "Can't you see, Phoebe? This is some sort of gift. I have you back now."

[sensethevisions]

Oh she saw a lot more than she wished she did right now, but she managed to smile at him.

"Oh, I'm a gift huh? I like that thought."

[demonbelthazor]

"Let's go away from here," Bel said. He wanted to put some distance between Phoebe and Veronica for one, or anyone else that might try to come between them. "Somewhere we can be alone together. Just us, no one else."

[sensethevisions]

She knew better than to leave the safety of the Hyperion right now. She really did.

But.

"Where would you like to go?"

Really, Phoebe, where are your brains?

[demonbelthazor]

"I don't care," Bel said. "Anywhere but here. The Underworld. I can keep you safe there." Unless Raynor or the Source found out about her, which would be a problem. But if he claimed he was corrupting her, he could get around that.

[sensethevisions]

Now Phoebe did try to pull back from him a little bit.

"You can't!" She gasped. "We can't!" She did not like the idea of them going down there at all. "Neither one of us is going through that again! I will not watch you get taken over and have to be vanquished again! There are demons down there who want me and you dead after what we did!"

Perhaps she should calm down enough to explain what they did...

[demonbelthazor]

"What are you talking about?" Bel said. "I haven't been vanquished. I'm right here. And down in the Underworld I won't have to worry about Veronica or your sister trying to take you away from me again."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe flailed a little bit.

"Ok, you know how I'm dead in your world? Well, you were killed in this world when we vanquished the Source. It almost killed me to lose you like that. However, I heard you calling me from the Wastelands and I got people to go with me to rescue you! We saved you from that place so we could be together again. Since then, it's not exactly the best place for us to be going."

[demonbelthazor]

"What?" Bel said, not quite understanding how that was even possible. "That's crazy." But so was suddenly waking up with Phoebe years after her death.

[sensethevisions]

"Do you really think I would lie to you about something that painful for me?"

[demonbelthazor]

"Doesn't matter," Bel said. "I'm here now, you're here. That's all that matters."

[sensethevisions]

She nodded. "No Underworld, then? Because I will not go there."

She'd run from him if she had to.

[demonbelthazor]

For now, at least. "I'll figure something out," Bel said. "But we can't stay here." He didn't want Veronica to come back, or the blood whore.

[sensethevisions]

Yeah Veronica or Anders coming back would be very bad and for different reasons.

"I'm sure you can find someplace that we can be alone." Besides the Underworld.

[demonbelthazor]

"What is this place we're in right now?" Bel said. "You called it the Hyperion?"

[sensethevisions]

"Yeah, the Hyperion. Large hotel where we live and work out of."

[demonbelthazor]

"Are the rooms all occupied?" Bel asked. If they weren't, then he could hide Phoebe in another one of them in case her sister or Veronica came looking.

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe shook her head, silly girl. "Only about five or six of them are used."