Jonathan Townsend's Story

Aria's alarm went off at 5 o'clock. With a groan she slapped her snooze button and rolled over. "Ms. Washington...we have your medication" Aria groaned again and outstretched her hand swiftly. They placed 4 pills into her hand and she threw all 4 in her mouth and swallowed them dry. "Happy now?" the nurse smiled "Good morning to you too sunshine." the nurses knew she was crabby in the morning "But you told me to make you get up this early today. You have photographs to take for your company...and you SPECIFICALLY said that the lighting at this time of morning was best." Aria shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Why do you have to listen to EVERYTHING I say Margie?" she laughed lightly and rolled out of bed.

She jumped into the shower and got out again after only a few minutes. She wasn't the type to stay in the shower for a half an hour in the morning. she thought it was a waste of time. When she got out a wave of nausea caught her and she ran to the toilet. The nurse was almost immediately at the door with a worried look on her face. "Are you sure you're able to go out today Ms. Washington? There is always tomorrow" "No Margie i'm fine. If I let my sickness keep me from doing things I may as well be dead already." she wiped her mouth with a hand towel and rinsed out her mouth with water before brushing her teeth. What she didn't know is that she threw up all the medication she took only moments earlier. She threw on an outfit, grabbed her keys, and headed over to Cheshire forest. She knew the exact place she wanted to take pictures in, but it was quite a hike. She knew that by the end of the day she would basically collapse from exhaustion but to her it was worth it. The nurse had given her the pills she was supposed to take in the evening so she was set.

About halfway through the trail she began to feel lightheaded, her mouth became incredibly dry, and she it seemed as though every nerve ending in her body was extra sensitive. 'Why is this happening?' she wondered as she leaned against the nearest tree. 'I took my meds this morning' another wave of nausea hit her and she had to throw up again. This time there was blood in her vomit. 'Shit.' she thought. It had occurred to her. 'I threw up my medication this morning. Shit.' she leaned against the tree again as her breathing started becoming uneven. 'I'm already halfway there. Either way I'm screwed." She kept walking forward, this time stopping every few feet to lean against a tree. The path was well lit and it was a beautiful day outside, but Arona could no longer see the beauty. She coughed up blood again. Her breathing ragged now. 'This isn't a normal attack.' she thought. 'I'm getting worse.' She tried to take another step but collapsed. She pulled her camera bag off of her shoulder and put it next to her. The strap wasn't tight but she felt as though it was strangling her. She searched her pockets frantically. Her eyes widened when she realized she had left her cell phone at home. 'I have to turn around' she got up onto her knees and turned herself back the way she came. She tried to stand again but only fell once more. She coughed up blood again and tears started running down her face. 'If i'm going to die I may as well die here. At least it's beautiful' She laid on her back. Blood was dripping off the side of her face but she no longer cared. The world became fuzzy and she blacked out.

Jonathan Townsend

It was around three in the morning when Jonny usually became restless. Almost anxious. He never did get used to the twelve extra hours a day he used to sleep through, and being cooped up was never his thing. This time he decided to go out for a hike, maybe hunt a little for the hell of it, for the chase. Three weeks ago he downed a black bear, letting the poor beast fight until the end. It wouldn't be fun to kill it right away after all. A few hours into the hike, he had yet to see anything interesting, a few deer and other small mammals, but they were no fun. The sun was just above the horizon when he smelt it. Blood; eerily familiar, and sickly sweet. He sped up, the scent growing stronger. He knew that smell, but it was impossible... wasn't it? His mouth was dry with thirst, his mind was racing. He couldn't allow himself the hope.

But then he saw her, a form collapsed on the forest floor, slumped against a tree, hair in her face. Blood was dripping off her chin... the blood he remembered from so long ago... he shook his head. Slowly and silently he approached the woman, then he knelt and pushed her damp hair behind her left ear. He froze, his fingertips still touching the side of her face. He hadn't allowed himself the hope, but it was her. The woman, his lover, that his clan decided to eliminate from his life so long ago. He didn't know what to think...

He did know that she was very sick, and needed help that he wasn't able to provide just then.

Or could he?

He sliced a thick line into his palm, and held the wound over her, just long enough for three fat drops of his blood to fall into her open mouth, which would hopefully keep her alive long enough to get her some help.

Quickly he lifted her into his arms and cradled her as he ran along the path she seemed to have been traveling by. He noticed several puddles of blood tainted sick along the trail and his worry deepened. Soon enough he saw a building, just one, and ran to the door. He laid her gently on the porch and pounded the door until someone called out, "I'm coming, just one moment!" at which point he ran back to the forest and hid just at the treeline. He watched as a kind looking lady answered the door and gasped before running into the house for a moment, she returned a moment later with a phone and dialed a number. Crying the lady seemed to be explaining the situation. Minutes passed after she hung up the phone but she remained kneeling by her side. An ambulance showed up, and he could no longer bear to watch.

He ran back to the place where he found her, and pinned a note to the tree.

"I'm sorry for leaving you. -J.T."

Aria sank in and out of consciousness as she felt herself being picked up off the forest floor. The next thing she knew Margie was in her face crying and she was heading to the hospital in an ambulance. Her head throbbed but the pain in her body seemed to be subsiding. 'Is...is that possible?' she wondered. She pulled the oxygen mask off her face, but before she could say anything the paramedic put it back on. "You collapsed in the forest and someone brought you to Mrs. Kramer's door." the paramedic said softly. "And Mrs. Kramer also called me" Margie said with tears in her eyes. "I knew I should not have let you leave this morning" she said through sobs. The paramedic injected something into Aria's arm and she didn't wake up again until she was in a hospital bed with multiple tubes and an i.v. sticking out of her arm. Margie was in the chair beside her asleep.

Aria looked around with a dazed expression on her face, but she felt no pain. A doctor walked swiftly past her room and then stopped upon noticing she was awake. "Ah, Ms. Washington. You're awake. How are you feeling?" Aria raised an eyebrow "What did you give me? A miracle cure? I feel great" she said in all honesty. The doctor laughed and assumed she was joking. "That bad huh? I can see if the doctors can up your morphine. You had quite a scare in the woods. Did you remember to take your medication this morning?" Aria rolled her eyes "No i'm not being sarcastic...I really feel fine. Look at my heart monitor, check my blood pressure. I honestly feel fine, I don't know what you did but it worked. And yes I did take my medication this morning...I just threw it up a few minutes later." the doctor gave her a look that told her she never should've gone out if she knew she was sick. "We're going to change your dosage and try to find something to keep the nausea at bay." she said as she checked her vitals. Her eyes widened slightly "You...you ARE fine." she said suddenly.

Over the course of 2 more hours she was checked out by 4 more doctors whom all said the same thing. And about an hour after that they discharged her from the hospital with new anti-nausea medication. 'Great. 5 pills to take in the morning' she thought. Margie helped her into the car and brought her home. Once she was satisfied that Aria was safe and sound she left her room. "You must be exhausted dear. Try to get some sleep", but Aria couldn't sleep. 'Where was I when I passed out?' she wondered. 'I could have sworn it wasn't anywhere near Ms. Kramer's house.' she thought. 'Someone HAD to have carried me, but who? Who would just leave me on her doorstep?' She had to know. She had to know NOW. She pulled on a sweater and slipped out the front door silently. It was almost completely dark outside. 'Must be around....8 o'clock?' she wondered. She was still astonished by the fact that she felt fine. The hike up to her previous point was easy. She found her camera bag and slung it back over her shoulder. But she also noticed something else...a note.
"I'm sorry for leaving you. -J.T."
'Who's JT?' she wondered. She sat back against the tree she figured she blacked out against and stared at the sky. 'Only a few hours ago I thought I was dying. Now here I am.' she thought.

Returning home that morning Jonny went straight to his room, and laid in his bed. He stared up at the ceiling as time crept by. He knew he was being risky with this antisocial behavior, sooner or later someone would get suspicious. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to face the others. That feeling of betrayal he felt when they killed her had snuck back into his heart. What if he couldn't hold his tongue? What if he said it... he could picture himself yelling at them..

"YOU THOUGHT YOU KILLED HER, BUT YOU WERE WRONG! SHE'S BACK AND I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH HER!"

Then he felt a cold, hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. He did nothing to stop them last time, what if it all happened the very same way. What if, even after all of these years, he was too weak to stand up to the others? He couldn't bear the thought. He needed to move. He needed to do something to stop his mind from spiraling out of control.

So he got up and slid out the window. He still didn't want to face the others, especially not his brother. He followed the trail he spent hours on this morning, but was at the spot where he found her in just under fifteen minutes. The note was still there, as was her camera bag. He sat under the tree, the scent of her blood was still heavy in the air, and reached to the camera. He wanted to know as much about her as he could, as indirectly as possible, because the safe thing to do was to stay away.

But before he turned on the camera he heard a noise farther up the path. Someone was coming. He froze and allowed the scent to envelope him.. she was back. He moved, swift and silent, to behind a tree yards away, replacing the camera just as he found it. She took in the scene on her own, she looked confused. She picked up his note and he could see her face morph into something else as she slid down the trunk of the tree to sit on the forest floor. She was so perfect...

He moved from his hiding spot, and said a quiet, "Hello", doing his best not to spook her.

Aria sat against the trunk of the tree with her eyes closed for what seemed like hours. The air was sticky sweet and she felt the need to take in as much as possible, now that she felt fine. 'Who knows how long it's going to last.' she thought. She suddenly heard a light crunch near her and opened her eyes. She had to readjust her eyes but she saw a figure of a man a few feet away from her. "Hello" the man said softly. She knew she should feel fearful but she wasn't. Something about his voice was eerily familiar but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She was silent for a few moments as she stared at the man.

"Were you the one who took me to Mrs. Kramer's house?" she asked simply. She knew she should've been polite and said hello back but her mind was still racing with the events of the day. "What's your name?" she asked, hoping his name would help her realize why he was so familiar. "Will you step closer please I can barely see you." she said softly. 'Are you REALLY beckoning a stranger to you?' she thought.

Jonathan approached cautiously, squatting just in front of her, "I'm Jonny." He could picture her as she was before, in his arms. He realized he was probably too close for a stranger. He stood once more before sitting with his back against the tree to the left of her.

"Yeah, I'm the one who brought you to...uh..." he couldn't remember the name of the home owner, but he moved on, "I'm, look, I'm really sorry for leaving you.. it was wrong of me. It's just that..." what could he say? It's just that I used to love you in a past life and I couldn't stand seeing you in such pain? Or maybe, you are the reincarnation of my only lover who my family killed maliciously and I'd lost my mind upon seeing you again? He shook his head.

"Sorry" he muttered again, with a sigh. "I've never actually seen you before.." he began, hoping to learn a bit of history about this girl.

'Jonny...' she thought. The name didn't ring a bell for her as she hoped it would. "I'm Aria." she said slowly. "Yeah, I'm the one who brought you to...uh..." he said rather nervously. "Well...thank you for getting me some help. I suppose I should tell you that I don't normally collapse in the forest." a soft smile lit her face. "I have a rare form of leukemia and well...to put it bluntly...it's killing me slowly. I thought I was dead yesterday...so thank you. Even if you left me, you knew i'd get help so thank you for that. I probably WOULD'VE died if it weren't for you." it was weird to talk about death when she felt so normal. She watched his facial expressions as he spoke. He looked like he was conflicted or confused. "It's just that what?" she asked.

"I've never actually seen you before.." he said softly. It struck Aria as a bit odd that he had to state that he hadn't seen her before.

Jonathan Townsend

Jonny sat silently for a minute, letting all that she said roll over him; all that Aria had said. Even her name was the same as before. It was almost too much. Too good to be true, maybe that's why she was sick. "I'm sorry, Aria. I'll be sure to help you out if I ever come across you collapsed here again. Hopefully it won't happen though.." he was rambling and he knew it. He wanted so badly to help her, to heal her. He could. But how would she react to him telling her that the magical cure she needed was in his blood? She would look at him like he was insane and get away as fast as possible. In time, he thought.
"I came back, because I remembered you'd dropped your bag. I wanted to maybe return it to you.. do you take many pictures?"


(O.O.C I had leukemia as a child, just thought I'd share..)

Aria smirked "Well thank you, but I do not plan on collapsing in the middle of the forrest by myself anymore. A girl only has to learn that lesson once" she laughed. They sat in a silence that was almost awkward until he spoke again. "I came back because I remembered you'd dropped your bag. I wanted to maybe return it to you..do you take many pictures?" Aria pulled out her camera and handed it to him. When her skin touched his a black and white image of fire flashed before her eyes. She pulled her hand back quickly and raised an eyebrow. 'What was that?' she thought.

She realized he had asked her a question. "Yeah. I've been taking pictures since I was 10 but I recently got a job with and advertising firm and they have me going various places for whatever they need" she said. "Tell me something about yourself. All I know is that your name is Jonny." she smiled, honestly wondering who her stereotypical 'Knight in shining armor' really was.

[[OOC: Oh my! I'm sorry!]]

Jonathen Townsend

Jonny noticed how she flinched when their skin touched, but to him it was like a warm memory. "Are you okay?" He clicked through her pictures considering what to tell her. "You have very nice work.." he said, and he meant it. His heart sank, her company sends her wherever they need her to be, so who knows how long they might have together. Then he knew what he could tell her, "I'd like to see you again, Aria, if that's okay with you?" He was no longer looking at her cameras screen, but instead directly at her face, his eyes gently but with a tinge of sadness.

(O.O.C it's fine, I can better relate to Aria now :) )

Aria nodded. "Yeah i'm fine." she smiled unconvincingly. She watched as he flipped through the pictures on her camera and tried to measure his facial expressions. Did he like them? Did it matter if he liked them or not? "Thank you" a soft smile lit her face. She was glad he liked them, it was something she was passionate about. For a moment she thought she saw a flash of sadness on his face.

She hesitated when he asked her to meet with him again. "Yeah. I'd like that" she said finally. Part of her meant it whole heartedly, but she didn't understand why. When she looked up her eyes connected with his. The sadness was apparent now. "What's wrong?" she asked softly. "You look distraught." she was genuinely concerned. She took her camera from him gently and put it back into her case.

Jonathan Townsend

Jonny smiled, "I'm glad you'll meet with me again. And no, I'm not distraught, my family is just on my mind.... we don't always see eye to eye.." he shrugged but didn't want to waste the precious time they had together complaining. He honestly was worried only about what the others would do if they found out about Aria. "When is good for you?"

"Oh" she said softly, not wanting to push the subject any further. After all, she didn't REALLY know who he was. "I'm actually free anytime. My job is on-call so I don't really have a work schedule." 'What was that rule about pretending you're busy?' she thought 'I'm fairly certain that only works in movies.' the thought amused her. She had no desire to play hard to get. Something inside of her wanted to get to know him as fast as possible. "Do you live out here?" she asked curiously. 'Is that how he got to me so quickly?' she wondered.

Suddenly she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye. It looked to be a man in dark clothing with an odd expression on his face. She pointed toward the man but before she could get Jonny's attention he was gone. 'Maybe I was just imagining it.' she thought. But she could've sworn someone was standing there about 30 feet from them. "Sorry" she said quickly, putting her arm down. "I thought I saw something" she laughed lightly "But I suppose that comes with the territory out here."

Jonathan Townsend

Jonny smiled, even before Aria was always incredibly laid back. Most girls would have played hard to get, but she would have thought it was a waste of time. It seemed like she still thought it was a waste of time. He didn't exactly know what he should do for their... date? Was it a date? Regardless, he would need a day or two to decide. There were so many options.. he could take her out on one of the yachts, or to a gourmet restaurant... but if she was anything like her old self, which seemed to be the case, she would just feel really uncomfortable.

"How about tomorrow night? I can pick you up at six?" He had an idea where to take her... "You might want to bring your camera," he said with a coy smile. He tilted his head roughly in the direction of their manor, "Yeah, back that way.. but it's not like we're one of those mountain families that never leave the forest and live off the land," he smiled at the irony. Not a mountain man, just a vampire. "There are, you know, actual roads, and a supermarket.. there's just a lot of forest too. I was going for a, uh, walk when I found you here..."

He stopped talking, he had hear the man.. he knew who it was too. Great. He hesitated before answering her, "Uhm, I'm not sure.. maybe we should get you home though, it's getting pretty late?" He said it like a question, not a statement. He wasn't the kind of guy to force a girl into doing what he thinks is best. She could speak for herself.

(O.O.C Sorry for the delay! My internet was down!)

Aria never knew when her attacks would start again but she said yes anyway. "Yeah, sure." she smiled "Tomorrow night is great. I live on 1012 Knox Path." 'Telling your address to a perfect stranger now?' she thought. She wondered what they could possibly be doing that she'd need her camera.

"Yeah, back that way.. but it's not like we're on of those mountain families that never leave the forest and lie off the land, there are, you know, actual roads, and a supermarket.. there's just a lot of forest too. I was going for a, uh, walk when I found you here..." She laughed lightly but the tail end of what he said rang in her ears "I was going for a, uh, walk when I found you here" he seemed unsure of what he was saying and it made Aria feel a bit uneasy. "Still, mountain man or not, I appreciate you getting me some help" she said awkwardly.

"I suppose it IS getting late. If Margie hasn't realized i'm gone yet maybe i'll be able to sneak back in" she said, more to herself than to him. "You don't have to walk me home, I can find my way back myself" she said with a reassuring smile. But she heard the same noise again and looked to her left. Again she could've sworn she saw someone. 'Am I hallucinating now too?' she thought.

Jonathan Townsend

Jonathan tensed imperceptibly, sensing the other hadn't left them completely alone. "I don't mind walking you," he smiled, "It would get me more time to talk with you." He stood up and reached his hand out to Aria in order to help her up.

(O.O.C Who is it, exactly, that's creeping on us? I'm just playing along haha)

Aria sighed and laughed. "I suppose we should talk some more...I mean...I don't REALLY know you" She grabbed his hand and got up swiftly. As they walked she noted how the air smelled and how the trees casted ominous looking shadows. Part of her wanted to take pictures because it had an odd beauty to it, but she figured it would be rude to just start taking pictures while walking with someone she barely knew.

When they finally arrived at her front door Margie flung it open and immediately started reprimanding. "Margie. Slow down i'm fine and i'm not 5 years old anymore, I AM free to come and go as I wish now." Margie persed her lips and nodded. Then her attention was caught by Jonny. Part of her got the heeby jeebies from him and she wondered why Aria was with him. "Oh. Margie, this is Jonny. He was the one that brought me to Mrs. Kramer's house today after my episode" Margie's face immediately lit up. "Well then, many thanks go to you Jonny. All of us around here would miss her if she were gone." Aria rolled her eyes and gave her a look that told her to go back inside. she mouthed 'okay' and went back in and closed the door. "Sorry about that. I live with a nursing staff and they get over protective..."

[[OOC: I was thinking it would just be a scout for your character's clan. Nothing TOO serious lol]]

Jonathan Townsend

Jonathan was on high alert. If Max had scoped them out, he would have told Lucius or Nathaniel at the first chance available. The only saving grace was that Max was too young to recognize Aria as she was in her past life, and therefore the situation would be much less urgent to him. Jonny smiled, 'I don't REALLY know you.' The irony was overwhelming, "And I don't really know you either."

Jonny had to try hard not to laugh at the greeting Aria received by her nurse, it was as if she was a 17 year old sneaking of to meet her boyfriend in the middle of the night and she'd just gotten caught. He smiled warmly, "A pleasure to meet you, Margie. Anyone would have done the same." Except most would have stayed until they were sure she was safe, he thought bitterly toward himself. He waved bye to Margie as she retreated back into the house. "Don't apologize, I'm glad to know there's always someone here to take care of you... just in case." He wanted so bad to give her a kiss goodbye but then he remembered; you don't kiss the girls you just met a few hours ago. It scares them off. "I'm really glad we had a chance to talk, Aria. I'll see you tomorrow evening? Six?"

As soon as he was back in his room, Jonny took his phone from his back pocket and sent a text to Nathaniel and Lucius: Are we doing anything tomorrow, around 6?

(O.O.C Max is just a name I pulled for the scout)

Aria wondered why he seemed so protective of her. "Don't apologize, I'm glad to know there's always someone here to take care of you...just in case". 'He helped me in the forest...he pointed out that he's glad to know that there's always someone to take care of me...' then she stopped the thought 'Maybe he's just genuinely concerned. That's okay right?' she questioned herself. "Yeah" she smiled "Though I don't really have a choice. My parents built this house and pay the staff just for me. I can't say I like it. I don't like things handed to me on a silver plate. I want to be able to work hard for the things I have but...well...obviously I can't do much physical work because of my condition." she said softly, slightly annoyed with herself for saying it out loud.

"I'm really glad we had a chance to talk, Aria. I'll see you tomorrow evening? Six?" Aria nodded "Six it is. I will be waiting." she smiled, gave him a quick peck on the cheek and walked inside. Before shutting the door she gave him one last gleaming smile and said goodnight.

Lucius picked up his phone and skimmed through the message before punching out a quick reply: Nothing that demands attention, just usual dailies to my knowledge, got a huge pile of forms on my desk to cover though so I could be wrong.

It was strange for Jonathon to text him like that, since they'd told him of some other clan killing his love he'd been a bit anti-social of late, maybe he'd finally moved on. Lucius shrugged off dark thoughts in his head before they could form, so long as whatever going on didn't threaten the clan it wasn't too much of a concern. "All right let's ship off," Isis had already opened the main door so he only had to start the engine and ease the boat out to deeper waters.

"So want to stay relatively close or go further out," he asked Isis when they got to a point where he could go full throttle. If she wanted to go further out, he'd have her hold on to him and go out at full speed. He knew that her holding onto him wasn't necessary but he figured she'd be safest within arms reach, if not in his arms.