Twisted and Broken Things

Rarely did Brendon keep track of time. For one thing, he didn't need to. Immortality made time seem like a fickle, unnecessary bother. But usually he could look at the windows, even though they were shaded by heavy drapes, and tell what time it was by the amount of light that his hyper sensitive eyes could perceive.

He had started reading at about eleven o'clock the previous night. After the encounter that he and Hayden had experienced in town, he had been compelled by the sudden urge to know about her. And of course, he didn't need to bother getting to know her personally when the internet was at his finger tips. When it had first developed, Brendon had written it off as a silly human creation, but in the past couple of years, Ryan had insisted that they invest in something called wifi, so Brendon had indulged him.

His eyes had been glued to the glowing screen of his laptop from eleven to nearly nine o'clock the next morning. It was ridiculous the amount of things you could find on the internet. Every newspaper article that Hayden's name had ever appeared in had been at his finger tips, as well as some of her college papers. There was plenty of information on her parents as well, and it was with a small twinge of guilt that Brendon discovered a more recent article featuring her parents, who were distraught over their eldest daughter's disappearance.

The only comfort came when he read that the French police were baffled.

Finally, Brendon stepped away from the computer and towards the enormous windows of his study. He pushed the curtain aside and was accosted by the most horrid headache. It had snowed. While Brendon didn't mind snow and it didn't aggravate the Dandies directly, the reflection that the sun cast when it hit the snow was excruciating.

He stumbled away from the window and fell back into his high backed, Italian leather chair. For a few moments, he focused on nothing─which was quite difficult for vampires, whether they were Dandies or a lower breed─in an attempt to rid himself of the pounding in his head. His feat was going quite well until he heard a soft pitter patter of human feet.

He growled and stood, ready to tell the servants to retire for the day because he couldn't stand the sound that they were making. However, he was surprised when he stepped into the hall to find Hayden digging in a nearby closet. "Hayden," he said, slightly confused about her presence iin the West Wing, "what are you doing?"

She looked over her shoulder at him, and for the first time ever, an enormous smile was lighting up her features. Her cheeks were pink, and she was clad in a white turtleneck, tight jeans and a scarf. There were a pair of gloves sitting on the ground beside her. "It snowed!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Jon said that there were a pair of ice skates around here somewhere."

Brendon laughed at her, and Hayden stopped digging through the closet. "What?" she asked, frowning slightly.

"Jon knows as well as anyone that the lake isn't nearly frozen enough for skating," he said. "No doubt he was planning to laugh at you when you fell through the ice."

"Oh." Hayden frowned and stood up. "Well... thanks, I guess."

He chuckled as she walked away. Though the rest of her body was bundled up and ready for the cold, her feet were still bare. She was a most peculiar girl sometimes. Brendon felt like he understood her a little more after his night of prying, but he still didn't know her. Reading about her achievements and her family's background didn't give him much insight into her head.

"Sir."

Brendon turned to find Jon standing behind him. "What is it?"

"The shipment," explained Jon, "has arrived. I had it taken to the lab."

"Oh, good," Brendon mused. "I'll see to it. Oh, and Jon?"

"Yes?"

"I didn't think your ice skating trick was very funny."

Jon looked surprised, but after a moment her replied, "My apologies." Then he executed a curt bow and strode away from Brendon, a slight stomp in his step.
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"Whatever are you wearing?" Hayden demanded with a giggle as she stepped into the stables and found Spencer donning a pair of ski goggles. The lenses were completely black, and even though he was inside the stable, he didn't remove them.

"It's too bright," he explained as he pulled a horse's foot up and scraped some dirt out of it. Spencer's task at the castle was making sure that the grounds and stables were kept well in order. Unfortunately for him, that meant that making sure all the proper paths were plowed when it snowed and that the animals were adapting well enough.

"Is there a truth to the 'vampires can't go out in the day' myth?" she inquired as she collected a saddle from the nearby tack room.

"Of course not, you dunce," Spencer scoffed as he led the horse back to its stall. "It just gives us headaches if it's too bright. And sun plus snow equals very bright, in case you didn't notice."

"Headaches?" Hayden giggled. "Like a migraine?"

"Exactly like a migraine," confirmed Spencer. "What are you doing here anyway?"

She sighed. "Well, I was going to go ice skating, but─"

Spencer laughed. "Snowy as it is, the lake is nowhere near frozen enough for you to go ice skating."

Hayden resisted the urge to glare at him. "I know that now," she snapped. "So I thought I'd go for a little ride. I just love the snow so much," she giggled. "It's my absolute favorite type of weather."

"Wonder if William knows we picked an absolute nutter," mused Spencer as he helped Hayden tack up the horse.

She simply stuck her tongue out at him and pulled her gloves on. A few minutes later, the horse was ready, and Spencer helped Hayden into the saddle. "How long are you going to be out?" Spencer asked.

"Oh, don't wait around for me, Spence," Hayden countered. "I know how to put this guy away, and I'll even lock the stable for you. You go inside and stay away from the big, bad sun." She giggled as she spoke, and Spencer was a little shocked. Although he hadn't been nearly as hostile as Jon or Brendon, he could tell that Hayden wasn't particularly fond of any of them. Yet there she was giggling and smiling and being all around pleasant.

The snow really did put her in a peculiar mood.

As she guided the horse, whose name was Dasher, through the snow, Hayden couldn't stop smiling. The wind was cold on her face, and her hands chapped slightly, especially when she had to pull on the reins while instructing her mount. But for the first time since arriving at the castle, she was genuinely happy. The first snow meant that Christmas was inevitably on its way, and Hayden lived for hot chocolate, blazing fires and Christmas music.

Even being around Brendon couldn't ruin everything that Hayden loved about Christmas. As she trotted through the woods, her mind was already swirling with decorative ideas for the castle. It was going to be a lovely Christmas whether Brendon approved or not.

The horse beneath her snorted and pulled against the reins, bringing Hayden back to the present. "What's wrong, Dash?" Hayden inquired, rubbing his neck in a reassuring manner. She nudged him with the heels of her boots in an attempt to urge him forward, but Dasher's feet remained firmly planted in the ground.

With a sigh, Hayden swung down from the saddle and found that the snow completely covered her ankles. "See, there's nothing scary around here, Dash," Hayden admonished the horse as she took a few steps away from him and scanned the snowy terrain. "You're being ridiculous, boy." She walked back to the horse and was about to put her foot in the stirrup when she heard a strange noise. It sounded like a mix between a whistle and a howl.

Then she noticed a small bundle of fur in the snow.

Hayden had always been a sucker for animals; people had always told her that being a vet was a bad idea for her because she couldn't save them all. Nonetheless, Hayden was positive that the career was right for her because she knew she could save most of them. As a child she had always been bringing stray animals home, and her parents had eventually come to expect it. There was always a duck or kitten or rodent of some kind being harbored in Hayden's room.

As she approached the small furry ball, she braced herself to say no. She couldn't possibly bring an animal back to the castle. She knew how mean and heartless Brendon could be to people; she could only imagine what his response to an animal would be.

But then she saw it: a small, shivering baby fox. His existence in the snow made absolutely no sense to Hayden, as she happened to know that foxes mated in December and were usually born in March. She was also well aware that most "abandoned" kits simply just wandered too far from their burrow when kind humans decided to make pets out of them. "Now, I know it's cold out here," she told him, "but you're simply going to have to find your way home. Your mother is probably worried sick."

As difficult as it was, she turned away from him and marched back to Dasher. Once in the saddle, she declared, "We're leaving right now, Dash," and turned the horse back towards the direction of the castle and stable. She was quite proud of herself and her resolve until they reached an unnerving sight. Apparently the fox that had borne the kit had not had very good instincts herself: the beautiful red animal was laying still by a tree, lightly dusted with fresh snow.

Instantly, Hayden's resolve disappeared, and she turned the horse around. The kit was still cowering in a small ball of snow, and Hayden approached it slowly. She took a seat in the snow, trying not to flinch as the cold seeped through her jeans and chilled her skin. The kit raised its head and blinked at her sleepily. He was adorable, and names began running through Hayden's head as she smiled at the little fox.

He made his odd whistle/howl sound again, and Hayden giggled at him. "You're just adorable," she told him with a smile as she reached a hand out towards him. She knew that foxes were carriers of rabies, and she hoped that he didn't take a bite out of her. She could imagine the look of amusement that would have crossed Brendon's face if she required the painful shot.

Fortunately, the animal simply butted his nose against Hayden's fingers. The little nose was freezing, and Hayden instantly pulled her jacket off. It had to be at least five degrees below freezing, and she quickly wrapped the baby fox in her jacket. He didn't try to bite her or yelp at all. He simply snuggled into the jacket and closed his little eyes.

As Hayden returned to Dasher, the horse sniffed the bundle in her arms and snorted before losing interest in the little fox. She considered trying to balance the fox as she mounted into the saddle but eventually determined that she wouldn't be able to pull herself onto the horse and hold the fox. So she finally tried to stop her teeth from chattering and took Dasher's reins. It was a long walk back to the barn, and she was already freezing.

"Basil," she decided as she and Dasher dug through the snow. "I think you look like a Basil, sweetie."

The little fox opened his eyes for a moment, which Hayden took as his agreement.

When they finally arrived back at the barn, Hayden was freezing. "R-Ryan?" she called, annoyed with the chatter in her tone. She placed the little fox in an empty crate and began loosening the girth of Dasher's saddle.

Ryan walked into the barn a moment later, wearing ski goggles just like Spencer had. "You rang?" he asked as he sauntered towards the horse that she had in cross ties. "Going for a ride without your jacket? You know it's freezing out here, right?"

The tone in Ryan's voice almost made Hayden smile, although she was beginning to lose feeling in her fingers. He almost sounded concerned about her, although she doubted that vampires could be completely concerned about anyone or anything. "Look in the crate," she told him as she pulled the saddle and bridle away from the horse. She dropped them on the floor, which she was sure would have left Spencer outraged, and began brushing Dasher off.

"Is that a fox?" asked Ryan as he moved the jacket out of the way.

"Yes," Hayden responded. "And he needs a treatment. You'll be able to find it in any veterinary office."

Ryan raised an eyebrow, but after a moment, he walked away from the crate with a pair of keys dangling from his hand. "Brendon's never going to let you keep it," he chuckled as he left the stable.

Once Dasher was tucked in his stall with an adequate amount of warm water and food, Hayden picked up the crate and left the stable. She had to set the crate down in the snow for a moment in order to pull the heavy barn doors shut before securing the lock. Then, she picked up baby Basil and headed back to the castle.

"Brendon," she called, trying to keep her voice light and happy. She had no reason to be nervous, she told herself. Brendon had to let her keep Basil, or else she'd simply tell the fox to attack him. Never mind that he didn't even look old enough to be dependent on adult fox food.

"Excuse me," she said, stopping a servant. "Have you seen Brendon today?"

"Mr. Urie is in the basement," the woman murmured before she scurried away from Hayden.

"Thank you," Hayden called over her shoulder as she headed down the stone steps that led to the dungeon. "Brendon," she called again in a sing song voice.

There were torches lit by one of the nearby wooden doors, so Hayden heaved the door open and found herself in a surprisingly modern laboratory. The object of her querry was seated in an uncomfortable looking chair, huddled over a glowing box. "Are those what you used to kill the vampire the other day?" Hayden asked, her voice sounding a little shaky.

Brendon jumped up from the chair and blocked the box on the desk. "What are you doing down here?" he demanded.

"I just...." Hayden gestured to the crate. "I wanted to know if I could keep him."

Surprisingly, Brendon didn't immediately say no. Instead, he walked over to the crate and moved her jacket aside. "A fox?" he demanded. "How did you find a baby fox in the middle of November?"

Hayden smiled sheepishly; fortunately, Brendon seemed like he was more amused by her than irritated that she had brought a wild animal into his castle. "I take it you've arranged for a flee treatment of some sort," he noted as he studied Hayden's face.

"Ryan went to town," explained Hayden.

Brendon shrugged. "I suppose we have a heat lamp somewhere. Spencer had chickens once."

"Great!" Hayden exclaimed. She had the sudden urge to hug Brendon, and she was glad that Basil's box made it too difficult for her to do so. She turned to leave the dungeon, but paused outside the door. Brendon returned to his work at the table.

"Goodbye, Hayden," he called, obviously aware that she was lingering in the doorway.

She smiled. "Goodbye, Brendon," she replied before taking Basil to her bedroom.