Through Thick and Blood

“Regardless of whether I’m human or not, I’m not an emotionless shell, Kenah,” Xander nearly growled out, staring down at her. “The only thing you have to do is provide your blood, that’s hardly a slave. A slave would be treated much worse, trust me.” He scowled slightly, though he tried to force his anger away. After a moment, he sighed and moved to take her chin in his hand, making her look at him, though his tone was much softer. “I wouldn’t dare hurt you, Kenah. I may drink your blood, but I wouldn’t harm you, haven’t you realized that yet?”

Kaycie kept her face covered as she quickly shook her head to his words. “It’s not petty,” she muttered quietly, “Being used isn’t something that humans like, Aidan. We like not being used as blood banks and not being weak and dizzy all the time. We don’t like being treated like we’re disposable – because that’s exactly what humans are to you vampires.”

Kenah had started crying at some point amidst yelling at him and him retaliating. She didn't believe it - she was much more certain that he was as inhuman as he could be and that was that. He didn't treat her good! She fought his hand on her chin, but his icy grip easily overpowered her and she looked at him with sad, frosty eyes. "Why? No, I haven't realized that because it does feel like you've hurt me. It does!"

Aidan growled a little at his words and combed a hand through his hair. How did he go about this? She was so difficult and it was impossible to know what to say. "Kaycie... Kaycie..." He said softly and then frowned. "I have never hurt you - what in that makes you think that I think of you as disposable. I try to take good care of you. If you need more time to rest between feedings, I can do that. I don't want to hurt you."

Xander frowned slightly to her words, eyeing her carefully. He was fairly gentle with holding her chin, though, even with her trying to pull away. “How does it feel like I’ve hurt you, Kenah? I’ve never once even raised my hand to you – and I’ve even been gentle with feeding from you,” he told her quietly before he let out a sigh, using his other hand to wipe away the tears falling from her eyes. “I’m not a cruel person, Kenah.”

Kaycie shook her head slightly to his words, finding it ridiculous how he was trying to justify himself. “If you didn’t think of me as disposable, you wouldn’t feed from me at all,” she pointed out quietly, “You would have left me at my home and found some other way to make my parents pay you back.”

Kenah cried even harder. Why was he making it impossible to fight him. The way he was holding her - it was too gentle. If she tried to turn away, she feared he would hurt her. He said never would, but he was a vampire. "That's because you're not a 'person'... You're a vampire..." She frowned. "There's no gentle when you feed from someone." She frowned, wanting to pull away.

Aidan growled a little and shook his head, trying to stay calm though it was impossible when she got into certain moods. "Kaycie, I have a given you a good life here - don't you deny it anymore! I'm sorry that I took you away like this... But your parents had a debt to me - and it had to be paid... And I knew I wanted you - for your blood and all. I can't help it. I'm sorry.l

Xander honestly looked a little hurt by her words – and that was the last thing he expect of himself, to be hurt by some human’s words. “Even as a vampire, I’m not emotionless, Kenah,” he murmured quietly, a slight frown tugging at his lips. “Do you think I like hurting you when I feed? I can’t control the pain you feel during things like that, but I try my best to make up for it by being kind to you and protecting you. Would you rather I be the evil vampire that you seem to think of me as?”

His words weren’t making Kaycie feel better. The way he growled again just made tears spring forth again, finding it hard not to be fearful of him when he growled like that. “If my blood is all you want, then why don’t you just drain me and end all the misery you’re putting me through?” she sobbed quietly as she tried to wipe at her eyes, not wanting to cry any longer.

Kenah sighed and turned, looking at him finally. "Why does it matter so much what I think of you? It doesn't even matter!" She said lightly. "I'm nothing special to you - only my blood - and you are my shelter. It doesn't need to matter anything above that, okay?" She asked, shaking her head. She didn't want to continue this.

Aidan frowned and growled, shaking his head. "No! I didn't say that! I didn't mean that... You are making things up... I didn't mean it!" He said lightly. "I ... I care about you - yes, it started out with your blood and all, but I do try to treat you good here, Kaycie. Can't you see that?" It killed him that she couldn't - he was trying so hard to be good to her

Xander shook his head slowly, eyeing her carefully. "It does matter to me, Kenah," he murmured gently, keeping his tone as gentle as he could manage because he didn't want to frighten her. "If I didn't care what you thought of me, if I didn't think you were special, I wouldn't try to make you like it here. I'd just drink your blood and leave it at that, but that's not what I do and you know it."

"You did say it!" Kaycie said quickly when he claimed that she was making it up. He had outright said that he wanted her for her blood. How could he just stand there and call her a liar? "Taking my blood isn't treating me good, Aidan! It's cruel! It hurts! Don't you get that?!"

Kenah looked up at him and shook her head, sighing. "No - don't you dare say that I'm wrong! I know I'm not wrong! You don't try - you might fool yourself with that, but I'm nothing special to you. If it weren't for my parents not paying you, I would never be here anyways."

Aidan growled, and in a split second, he was right in front of her, kneeling on the floor in front of her and shaking his head. "I try to be good to you! If I truly didn't care for you, I would be less gentle - I try to not hurt you! Don't you get that I do it because I need to?! I wish I didn't have to hurt you like that, but I do unfortunately!"

Xander frowned deeply to her words and shook his head quickly. How could he get her to see and understand? "That's not true," he murmured, running his hands through his hair with a frown. "Don't you see? If I didn't care about you at all, I wouldn't have even noticed you gone - but I noticed and I saved you. Don't you understand that?"

Kaycie shifted away from him when she saw how close he was, even if he was kneeling on the floor. "You shouldn't hurt me at all," she said quietly, her voice almost weak and exhausted with this argument. "I just want to go home. I don't want my blood drained for somebody's meal. It's not fair to me."

Kenah sighed and frowned. "I'm here because you're keeping me prisoner... Saving me was something you had to do, otherwise your game was over..." She said and shook her head. "I just want to go home." She whispered softly, starting to cry softly.

Aidan frowned when she started to cry and he shook his head. "Fine... I'll... I'll take you home." He finally said and then got up. "I never get any company - I understand... I'm a monster - I don't deserve company. Grab your things and I'll take you home." He said.

Xander watched her quietly, unsure of what to do. He shook his head, though. "It wasn't something that I had to do, Kenah," he whispered gently, wishing that she would understand. She was human, though; if she could understand his behavior, it would be a miracle. After a few moments, he relented and stood up, a frown on his features. "Is that really what you want? To go home?"

Kaycie glared up at him, clenching her fists. "You don't get to do that! You don't get to guilt trip me with words like I'm a monster, I don't deserve company! It doesn't work that way!" she snapped quickly, though it didn't stop her tears. "You're only a monster because you make yourself that way! And I'm not even company to you, I'm just some walking blood bank!"

Kenah pouted lightly and then looked up at him in confusion. She didn't understand all of this. She just pouted and shook her head. "Yes - of course that's what I want!" She pouted and shivered lightly, wondering what he was thinking right now. "I just don't understand you... I don't understand you at all." She pouted.

Aidan growled at her and shook his head, frowning at her. He was so angry at her right now and he didn't want to be discussing this right now. He didn't want her to go. But she didn't understand. "I said grab your things and let's go - I'm taking you home. I'm sick of this for now. I'm done fighting with you about this - let's go."

Xander stared at her for a long moment, wishing she understood just how much he craved her presence. That didn't seem like it would ever happen, though, so he sighed and nodded as he moved away from her. "Then get what you want and come on," he decided, his voice almost inaudible. "I'll take you home."

Kaycie was quick to stand, trying to ignore the ache in her ankle at the sudden pressure being put on it. Instead of saying anything to him, she did as he said and went ahead to gather what few things she had at the house.

Kenah looked at him and shook her head. She stood and then grabbed her things. "Are you absolutely certain of this?" She asked in amazement. Was he really sending her away? Why? It didn't seem like that was what he wanted, but she didn't know why he wouldn't have what he wanted then.

Aidan sighed and shook his head. "Come on - you ready to go?" He asked her, shaking his head. "You'll be back to your own house in no time. I will have to discuss another payment option with your parents and then you will never see me again." Even though he craved her.

"No, I'm not certain of it," Xander said with a low sigh, turning his attention away from her, a frown on his features. "But, you clearly don't want to be here anymore and I don't feel like arguing the matter." As much as he wanted her to stay, he could tell how miserable he was - and, surprisingly, that actually mattered to him.

---

Kaycie stared at him for a moment before she nodded, shifting her things into her arms as she made her way out, trying to be careful on her ankle. She didn't say anything, noticing that there was a slight awkward tension between them. Plus, she was looking forward to going home too much to really talk to him.

Kenah nodded lightly and smiled. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" She said happily and smiled at him, until she saw his face. "Why.. why are you looking like that? " She asked him softly and ran a hand through her hair, not understanding the look on his face.

Aidan frowned lightly and nodded his head. He looked at her and tried to manage a smile. He couldn't do it though. He just sighed lightly and picked her up so she didn't have to walk on her ankle and balanced her bag with the other hand. "Okay.. going home." He said softly.