Eyes in the Night

@ Sweet.Persephone
Listening to Charlotte's stuttering and seeing the tears form in her eyes as soon as she looked at him caused Vince to feel like something was going on. They fought before, and she didn't get this emotional. Hell, he felt like the whole Saturday thing wasn't even a big fucking deal, to begin with. Was it really something that she had to cry over? Vince thought not, although seeing the tears... He might have to reconsider things, women were a lot different than men in this regard it seemed. Or at least human women.

Instead of moving towards the table to set it like Charlotte had asked him to, Vince moved towards her. Stopping just behind her, Vince slowly moved his arms around her in a hug from behind. His head moving to rest lightly on her shoulder as he closed his eyes and just breathed in her scent. "If you're upset about Saturday, I'm sorry. Alright?" Vince mumbled quietly, not sure how else to speak to her at this moment. "I'm just not good with new people, especially when they're not my kind." That probably sounded like a terrible excuse. "But I am looking forward to Saturday, I want to see you smiling more Charlotte. I think this will be good for you, for us to do. So just, think about what you want to do Saturday and tell your friend. Whatever you want to do, we'll do it. Alright?"

Once he was done with his terrible job at explaining, Vince slowly stood up straight and released Charlotte. Taking a step back in case she was still mad at him and tried to hit him with the hot frying pan. His eyes glancing over her shoulder at the frying up food before glancing at the girl. "Is everything okay now?" He asked, worried that there could be something else on her mind.

@ FallenHope95

As she felt Vincent's arms wrap around her, Charlotte's grip on Vincent's board of vegetables tightened. She felt a little bad that she had been unable to keep it together for Lucas' sake. After all, she had promised not to involve the boy in this. Though it was clear to her that she was unable to handle the news. Perhaps it was just because it was a horribly depressing story... Perhaps Charlotte was taking it close to heart because she could relate to parts of it. Maybe both, but either way, it was unsettled in her chest.

Charlotte hesitated for a moment before she set the cutting board down on the counter and allowed herself to lean back into Vincent's hug. Though she didn't turn to look at him, instead only reaching up to try and wipe her tears away. All the while, she was listening to his words. She understood why Vincent had no idea what was going on, how could he? But this was about so much more than Saturday.

When Vincent released her, Charlotte was quick to turn around. Her arms wrapped around his body and her face pressed into his chest. It was already too late, he knew that she was upset (how could he not with crying like that). So she might as well hug him hard like she wanted. Though, what was she to say? "I-It's not ab-b-bout Saturday!" Charlotte revealed to him, still sobbing all the way. Although she appreciated what he was providing for her one day of fun out, Charlotte didn't want him to think this was all about something like that. Her fingers pressed into his back, gathering his shirt in her hands. "I-If I-I tell you, C-C-Can you pro-mise not to g-get upset with anyone? O-Or tell an-yone I t-told you?"

@ Sweet.Persephone
Pure confusion just kept rushing over Vince as he listened to the sniffles from the crying girl in front of him. Especially as she turned around in his loosened embrace and wrapped her arms around him. To which, Vincent just rewrapped her into a tight hug. One hand wrapping around her waist while the other gently rested against the back of her head as he held her. His hand on her back started to slowly move up and down in a supposedly comforting motion. At least, it's what Marcus says when he'd held a crying Caden.

A small hum escaped from the Alpha as Charlotte started to stammer out words. His eyes glanced down at the young girl as he arches an eyebrow. "That all depends on what's wrong," Vince told Charlotte, his eyes narrowing slightly. He wasn't sure what Charlotte was getting at. She wasn't ill, she wouldn't be able to tell anyone about what he and the others were. So, what could possibly be upsetting her and causing her to want him to not harm anyone for telling him? "Charlotte," Vince said calmly as he slowly moved his hands down to rest on the girl's side. Holding her in place as he took a couple of steps back so that he could look her in the eyes. His lips frowning slightly as he noticed the tear streaks and the puffy pink eyes.

"If someone here's messing with you..." Vince started and then stopped. No, the guys in the pack weren't the type to bully. Especially not after the shit they've been through. Pursing his lips, Vince wrapped an arm around Charlotte's waist and led her towards the counter where they didn't cut things up. Grabbing onto her hips, Vince lifted Charlotte and placed her onto the counter. One hand on each side of her to cage her in. "Alright, just tell me. I promise not to get mad at anyone or go into a rampage. Alright?" Vince told Charlotte and offered her a small smile.

@ FallenHope95

It didn't make her feel better as Vincent first said that what he did was dependent on what was wrong. All she wanted him to do was agree to her two requests. At this point, the young woman was accepting the fact that she wasn't going to leave this kitchen without telling Vincent what was weighing heavily on her mind but she was still trying to keep her promise to Lucas. She wouldn't feel good knowing that she had broken that.

As held her in place and stepped back, Vincent was staring at her rather intently. And she was quick to shake her head when he mentioned anyone messing with her. No, everyone here was kind enough to her and she didn't want Vincent thinking otherwise. Though she was trying to figure out what to say and how to say it as Vincent started leading her through the kitchen. She thought they were going to be heading out but instead, Vincent grabbed onto her and set her down on the counter. Charlotte leaned back slightly, looking Vincent up in the eyes as he trapped her in by putting his arms on both sides. Now she really wasn't leaving without saying anything.

But now he was agreeing to her request and Charlotte nodded a little. One hand moved up to wipe away some of the tears that was still falling. The other reached out and gently held onto Vincent's forearm. But before she started talking, Charlotte took a few deep breaths to try and even out her talking. Her voice was as low as she could make it as she spoke to him. "I was told that e-everyone in the p-pack was kidnapped and forcibly t-turned into m-." Charlotte tripped over her words for a moment, deciding it was probably best to call them monsters like Lucas had. "wolves. A-A-A-nd then s-s-sold and fo-rced to fight."

Although she had tried to keep it together during the explanation, tears started to flow after on cheeks. "It's ju-st so-o-o-o-o-o sad. A-And it made me t-t-think about..." Charlotte suddenly trailed off as she dropped her head. She knew she should not compare their situations to him. Although there were some similarities, there were huge differences as well. It just cut right into her heart.

@ Sweet.Persephone
As soon as Charlotte opened up that pretty little mouth of hers, Vincent could just feel his heart drop. His eyes closed and he couldn't help but drop his head. She knew, she part of their story at least. His story. A story that he wasn't quite ready to talk about, with anyone and that little brat went along and told Charlotte. Spoke to her about something that was a touchy topic for all of them. What the fuck should he say now, what could he say?

A small sigh escaped from Vince as he slowly stood up straight, removing his hands from the counter and instead of moving them to his hips. Raising his right hand, Vince rubbed his eyes with his pointer finger and thumb. Doing his best to hold in his irritation and tried to figure out what the fuck he should do now. "Yeah, we were." Vince finally said after a moment. Pulling his fingers away from his face, Vince lowered his hand to his side and looked towards Charlotte. "Some of us at least were kidnapped," Vince told her, his lips set into a deep frown.

Walking over towards the counter he had set Charlotte on, Vince leaned his back against the edge next to her. His arms crossing over his chest as he looked up towards the ceiling. "I wasn't kidnapped though. I was born to a hunter father and a wolf shifter mother." Vince slowly lowered his head and looked towards Charlotte. "Well, my grandfather ran the place and my father was to take over. Except, he fell for a beautiful woman who was being kept captive because of what she was." Vince licked his lips nervously. "My father helped my mother escape and they ran, they ran to Hawaii. Where they found a pack to take them in. They kept my father's identity a secret. They trusted him, only for him to turn on them and rat the pack out. It was my grandfather's plan. He had my father seduce my mother, trick her into bringing him to more shifters, and then contact the hunter society to bring them in to capture more wolves." A snort escaped from Vince as he shook his head. "The bastard killed my mother in front of me and Lisa. Then, he had the audacity to tell me to be a good son and help them bring in the other rogues. An when I refused, he freaking shot me."

Smelling the slowly burning meat, Vince stood up straight and started to stir the hamburger so that it didn't burn. "When I woke up, I was in a cage-like the rest of the pack. My shoulder wrapped up, and we were on some sort of plane." Once he was done stirring, Vince turned back towards Charlotte. "My father couldn't bear the sight of me, because of my supposed betrayal he sold me with the lot of us. Lisa was the only one who went to the same place as me. Then slowly, the others here were brought in from different places. I formed a coup and we broke free, but Liza died in the process."
Once everything was said and done, Vince looked away from Charlotte and went to the cupboard to grab the plates and glasses. "We're all fucked up Charlotte, so just bear with us as we try and get used to changes." With that said, Vince left the kitchen's cooking area and went to set the table for them.

@ FallenHope95

Once Vincent was done with his story, Charlotte slowly pushed herself off of the counter and made her way over to Vincent. She had managed to get herself to stop crying a little as he talked, having realized that perhaps it would only upset him more if she was sobbing. Though a couple of tears would fall every now and then before she was able to calm herself back down again. It was just a hard story to hear. She headed over to Vincent from behind and wrapped her arms tightly around him before pressing her face into his back. If he decided to keep setting the table, Charlotte would move with him.

After a few moments though, Charlotte moved so she was in front of Vincent. Her arms loosened around him slightly so she could look up at him. "I'm sorry," Charlotte said softly. Though for what specifically, Charlotte was unsure. She felt bad that Vincent felt like he had to tell her the truth about his life. She felt really bad about having betrayed Lucas. Plus, she knew she didn't exactly make Vincent's life easy... Though he didn't make hers easy either. Charlotte just felt sad, and a little bad.

Charlotte slowly pulled away from him as she felt back to the food that she had been cooking. The meat was a little burnt now. But it was still edible, and Charlotte reckoned that it was still much better than what the others would make. She got everything off of the stove and set it down on the table. Taco meat, refried beans, fried peppers and onions, tortilla shells. And then, lastly, she set down the sour cream and cheese from the fridge. Dinner was done but she was still pretty Hell bent on not joining today.

Though she turned back to Vincent, Charlotte reached out and lightly held onto his wrist. "I know you're pretty upset but please, Vincent, if you figured out who told me, can you please not do anything?" She looked up into his eyes gently. "I was upset and he was there for me. And then I had asked... and I was being pushy until he told me." She lied before continuing on. Her head dropped a little. "I just don't want to get anyone in trouble."

Charlotte turned back into Vincent, hugging him tight as she buried her face into his neck. But it was not long before she could hear people running through the house, probably having smelled dinner. The woman pulled away before pulling her hood over her face. As two men came barreling into the kitchen, Charlotte pressed back against the wall, waiting for them to run past before she hurried her way upstairs.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Whoever thought that being an Alpha, a leader was easy were out of their fucking minds. Vince was torn, between being angry, annoyed, upset, and oddly enough relieved. He wanted to thank and punish Lucas for telling Charlotte. and yes, he knew from the moment Charlotte came into his vicinity that it was him. As the smell of the weed that Lucas smoked was surrounding the girl lightly. As well as the scent of the lake that was nearby.

It was nice whenever Charlotte would wrap her arms around him, but what didn't feel nice though was the fact that she was doing so because she was upset. That she only hugged him when she was upset over something. It's not what Vine wanted. Especially when it led to the young girl running away from him as soon as some of the other pack members started to show up for dinner. Acting like she was too embarrassed to be around everyone and hugging him at the same time. Raising his head with an unreadable expression, Vince watched as Charlotte darted upstairs. His head flipping back and forth for a moment of what to do. On if she should have some space or to go and join her. After all, she had just heard their sob story.

A small groan escaped from Vincent as he stood in the kitchen for a couple of moments. Everyone had already pretty much gathered around the table. Glancing once more between the doorway and towards the table, Vince made up his choice. He walked towards the table and made himself and Charlotte a plate with a couple of tacos before heading towards the upstairs area. An usually, he didn't like anyone eating upstairs. Stating that the kitchen was for eating and bonding, while the bedrooms were just for sleeping. So, the fact that he was breaking his own rules was saying a lot at the moment.

Balancing a plate on his arm, Vince knocked once on his door and then walked inside. His eyes easily finding Charlotte on the bed. "Hey," Vince said quietly, and then closed the door with his foot as he walked into the room. Holding a plate in each of his hands, Vince walked over to the bed and set one of the end tables for Charlotte. "Why are you up here instead of eating with us?" Vince asked, calmly as he went to sit at the end of the bed. "If it's about what you learned, you shouldn't run from it. We're not running from it, we're past it." Vince said as he glanced down at the food on his plate and then back towards Charlotte. "Sometimes, you have to go through something to gain respect for something else." It sounded dumb, but Vince didn't want Charlotte to keep being upset. "I know you hate being locked up, we understand that better than anyone." The corner of Vince's lips twitches, as he held back a snort. "But from our experience, everyone close to us is a target. So, we've developed a system that works for us. We like to look into everyone who's around us. Everyone that's in a town that was adventuring to, we look into each and every person who we may be close to. Coworkers, possible friends, and neighbors. If there's any sort of red flag, we run. Then, you showed up Charlotte. You turned everything upside down. We haven't met a possible mate for any of us before. So, we're all a little frazzled, An I'm sorry, I really am."

A small sigh escaped from Vince as he slowly ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think about what he was freaking saying. "Just, be patient. We're trying. But, if you have anything you want to do. Tell us, and we'll figure out if it's safe before we go and do whatever it is you want to do. Alright?" Vince said, hoping that his little pep sort of talk would make Charlotte feel better.

@ FallenHope95

When Vincent came into the room, Charlotte sat up a bit more than she had been on the bed. Though as he moved about the room and started to talk, Charlotte was still and quiet. It was only after he was done talking did she start to move. She scooted on the bed until she was behind Vincent. Her arms wrapped loosely around his waist and her forehead lightly pressed against Vincent's back. "I did tell you that I wasn't hungry. If I sit down there and not eat any of the food I made, they're going to get suspicious and not eat it. That is if they even have the intention of eating it in the first place." She mumbled to him. Though Charlotte let out a little sigh. "It's just mostly because I am a little sad right now. Being around a lot of people when you're upset is not fun. And I didn't want anyone seeing that I was crying or asking why I am upset, okay?"

Charlotte pulled away from Vincent and shifted on the bed once again. This time moving until she was sitting next to him. Her head rested against his shoulder and her hands were shoved into the hoodie she was wearing. "I am not running away from what I learned, it's just a lot to process. Knowing all of that changes how I see things. This whole time I thought you all were just fucking around in the woods. And it felt like you were being too hard on me, and sometimes the others as well. It just makes more sense now... I mean, don't get me wrong this all still really sucks but I feel a little better about it than I did before."

Reaching up, Charlotte pulled her hood back down so Vincent could fully see her face. Her eyes were still puffy but she seemed a lot calmer than she did before. Charlotte leaned forward and turned so she was looking into Vincent's eyes. A little half-smile moving on her face before she started to tease him. "You're still much too harsh sometimes though. And you certainly don't know how to take a joke. I think someone wound you up too tightly and then let you free on the world." The woman reached up and lightly took his face into her hand before squeezing his cheeks together, forcing his lips out. Her smile grew a bit as she dropped her hand from his face.

"There is something else I should say. The attachment you have to me is still very confusing and I really don't know what it all entails. But it was made clear to me today by someone that the idea of losing me is terrifying to you." As Charlotte spoke, her face softened. Though there was still some confusion swirling in her eyes as she spoke. She didn't understand the whole 'mate' thing but when it came to Vincent, it was becoming clear that this was actually something she needed to think on sometimes. That maybe she needed to be considerate about his connection to her. "I assume this means that whenever I leave the woods, it must stress you out. But I think you also are aware that being stuck in this house is driving me a bit nuts. So, with that in mind, as long as you promise to bring me out of the woods with you sometimes, I promise that I will be more patient with you, Vincent."

Charlotte looked over her face, wondering to how Vincent would react to what she had said. "I understand now that you need time to make sure that both the pack and I am safe when we leave. And I am sure it doesn't help that others are currently after me. It's not that I don't want us to be safe, because I really do. But I think you know why I get antsy to leave."

@ Sweet.Persephone
A small sigh escaped from Vincent as he looked down at Charlotte. His lips stayed in a neutral position as he listened to her. Not daring to allow anything that ran through his mind visible to the young human who was in front of him. She was explaining herself to him, and he really appreciated that fact, yet he wasn't happy that shit was being said because someone else had spoken to her about everything. Let her in on the packs little secret.

Then, once Charlotte was done speaking Vince couldn't help it as he slowly allowed himself to tear his gaze away from hers. Raising his right hand, Vince rubbed tiredly at his eyes with his pointer finger and thumb. Thoughts ran through his mind, allowing for him to confuse himself over the little shit that he wants to have happened, to say to Charlotte now that she was trying to understand him and the others more. To get along better with him and the others. He knew things aren't easy for her right now, but he was learning how hard now.

Releasing a small sigh, Vince then looked back towards Charlotte. Offering her a small tight-lipped smile. "I appreciate your attempts at trying to understand, Charlotte. I apologize for being rough and unsensible at times. From your point of view." He tried to make a small joke at the end of that sentence and even offered a small smile to show it was a joke before putting the grin away and finish speaking to her. "But I agree, and I understand how frustrating things must be for you. So, all I ask is for some patience with me. With the pack, as we make sure that things are safe for everyone before allowing anything to happen. We're being hunted, Charlotte so precautions need to be made sometimes. If someone sees someone who was after us or smells them then we have to hunker down for a bit. We don't want to do that, we like it here."
Slowly, Vince ran his tongue over his lips as he glanced towards her once more. "But I will say, I'll try and take you out more. Alright, just. Be patient, please?" His words grew quiet at the end, hoping that she wouldn't be angry with his small request for her patience.

"I feel like now is a good time to ask, do you have any questions about me? About the pack, about what it entails being one's mate?" Vince asked, leaning back on his bed and crossing his arms behind his head as he relaxed on his bed for the first time since Charlotte arrived at the house.

@ FallenHope95

"I'll be patient," Charlotte said softly. Although she didn't really want to be patient, she would be. It seemed that they were coming to a compromise and Charlotte could handle that.

"I..." Her eyes shifted over to Vincent who was now laying back on the bed. A little sigh escaped her before she fell back, laying down next to him. Her body turned on her side so she could look up at him. "I have a lot of questions. But today has been a lot, I don't think I am ready for more."

---

It was about time for her and Vincent to leave on their double date and Charlotte was excited. She was actually going to be able to see one of her friends! And out in public! It had been too long since she got to do something fun like this and Charlotte was taking this opportunity by the horns.

Once she finished curling her hair, Charlotte looked herself over in the mirror. Her outfit was a two piece dress in a warm yellow. She thought it looked lovely on her and it seemed fitting for what their double date night was going to entail. A picnic at the beach! Charlotte knew it was something that would make her happy and she figured that the beach, which was less busy than a restaurant, movie theater, club or the like, would make Vincent feel better about tonight.

She headed downstairs and hurried into the kitchen, grabbing the picnic basket that she had prepared. Each 'couple' was bringing something. And she was glad to see that none of the men had dug into it. Though she was rather sure that was Vincent's doing.

Charlotte headed out of the house and stopped on the porch where Vincent was, smiling brightly at him. "Are you ready to go? You have my phone right? So we can get the location pin from my friend?"

@ Sweet.Persephone
Standing outside on the porch with his arms crossed, Vince looked around casually. Keeping guard, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He knew that someone else was on patrol, but while Charlotte was inside the house, he wanted to add extra percussion. Especially since they'd be leaving to meet her friend and her date soon. Who knows if they'd be ambushed while leaving? Or if someone was going to try and follow them? Vince wasn't going to take any chances. This was also why he had Lucas patrol the little date spot before he and Charlotte left. The phone in his pocket had dinged twenty minutes ago, so he already knew the location of this date spot.

The sound of the door opening behind him caught Vince's attention. His head turned as he heard Charlotte's beautiful voice. His dark aviator sunglasses keeping his eyes hidden as he quickly checked her out. "I got the pin, set the GPS set up in the car already," Vince said as he looked away towards the driveway once more. "Ready?" He asked, offering Charlotte his hand before leading her towards the car. "You look quite nice, babe," Vince said casually as he held open the door for her and helped Charlotte in before closing the door for her.

Seeing Charlotte dress so nicely made Vince feel a little out of place. Or rather, underdressed. He was just in a plain grey shirt and jeans, as he really had no fucking clue what one would wear then they'd go to the beach for a picnic. Walking towards the driver's side, Vince climbed in and started the car. He pressed a couple of buttons to set the destination and then turned towards Charlotte. "Ready?" He asked, offering her a small smile before he slowly pulled out of the driveway and towards their destination.

@ FallenHope95

"Oh, we're still sticking with babe are we?" Charlotte asked Vincent with a raised eyebrow. Laying her hand onto his, Charlotte took Vincent's help into the car. Once the door was closed, she turned around and set the basket behind her seat before settling down and pulling on her seatbelt.

"I am ready," Charlotte responded with a bright smile. She was beyond excited to go out for an evening. It had been too long since she was able to go out to do what she really wanted. And Helen was sweet as well, so it would be nice to see her.

Leaning back into her seat, Charlotte turned her head to watch the trees fly by as they headed out of the forest. It was not long until they were on the main road and soon enough, they were parking at the beach.

Charlotte quickly headed out of the car and headed to the back, grabbing the basket. She then walked over to Vincent, looking up at him with a warm smile. "It will be fun, I promise. Look, the beach we picked isn't even busy." As she said that, she nodded her head towards the empty beach. "No need to worry okay?"

Seeing that his shirt was slightly twisted, Charlotte reached out and fixed it and smoothed it out. "And Helen is really nice. And you look good. Plus I already promised I would be on my best behavior." She said, trying to reassure Vincent that today was going to be good.

@ Sweet.Persephone
Pulling up to the beach, Vincent couldn't help but slightly narrow his eyes. He didn't like being out in the open, but it's what the girls decided on so he'd deal. Although that didn't mean he wasn't going to be grumpy about it. So, with a small sigh. Vince slowly exited his car. Keeping his gaze on the open beach and a couple of people who littered the area. "You know I'll worry more if you tell me not to, right?" Vince asked as he glanced towards Charlotte as he closed the door.

Making his way to the hood of the car, Vince leaned his ass against the hood. His arms crossing over his broad chest as he scanned the scene in front of him. The water and sand reminded him so much of his youth back in Hawaii. Where he was happy with his parents before things went to shit and caused him to be on the run for the rest of his life.

Lowering his gaze, Vincent watched Charlotte as she approached him and fixed his shirt. Then, he raised his gaze towards her face as he listened to her. Doing his best to fight the small smirk that threatened to escape. "Why don't we play things by ear?" Vince asked as he slowly moved one arm to wrap around Charlotte's waist. His hand resting along Charlotte's side, before slowly pulling him towards him a bit more.

"We're a couple of minutes early," Vince murmured as he leaned down and pressed his nose to Charlotte's hair. Taking in her scent for a couple of moments before pulling away. "Did you want to find a place to set up our stuff or wait for them?"