Shadows Kiss

So when it was all said and done Anna and I agreed to join the boys out on the road. Matt and I had talked it over and he understood I needed to go back home first to pack for the long journey. He asked if he could come, which I gladly agreed. I really did want my family to meet Matt, but in return he wanted me to meet his parents. The thought of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Sanders honestly terrified me. I was so worried about what they would think of me. But I was trying not to stress, knowing I had a couple of weeks before the meeting would take place.

We were back at the hotel, packing up our things. Matt sat at the end of the large bed as I rummaged through drawers, my open suitcase sat by his side. "What's it like there?" He stared up at me.

"North Carolina?" I raised an eyebrow, looking over my shoulder at him as he nodded. "Well, it's pretty quiet but very beautiful. I come from one of those ridiculously small towns where everybody knows everybody and their business. There isn't much to do there really. But it's actually an enchanting little town."

"What's it called?" He asked.

"Red Rock." I said, grabbing another tower of shirts and handing them to him. "Here's these."

He took them from me and placed them in the suitcase. "So what about your family? What are they like?"

I was silent for a moment, almost frozen. I hadn't told Matt anything about my family. He knew I was a witch, but he didn't know anything about the long line of witches that came before me, nor did he know what they were capable of. "Umm, well, I don't really know how to describe them." I paused a moment, trying to come up with words. "They are different, I guess you could say. You will meet the Aunts when we get there."

"The Aunts?" He looked terribly confused.

"Yeah, the Aunts are who I live with back home. They are two old southern belles, still very wild at heart though." I giggled thinking about Jasmine and Lavender. "They are a lot of fun though. You will like them."

"They sound great. But will they like me?" His brow furrowed with worry.

"Catch." I tossed him several other articles of clothing. "Of course they will like you!" I turned to face him with a smile. "Them liking you too much is what I'm worried about." I laughed.

"Oh." He laughed too. Then Matt's face became serious again. "What about your mom?"

I stared at him for a moment, then felt the tears stinging the back of my eyes and dropped my head to the floor, trying to push back the feelings. "She passed away when I was twelve." I made my way to the other side of the room to start packing up my hair products and tools.

"Oh Alice, I'm terribly sorry. I had no idea." He dropped his head too. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

"No, no don't be sorry. It's okay. These are all things you need to know anyway." I continued putting away the items, along with my memories.

"May I ask what happened?" He asked softly.

I turned to him with another smile, reaching out the bag to him to throw in the suitcase, "Let's talk about that another time."

He nodded in agreement with another sad look. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business."

"It's okay, really." I took his hand in mine. "I don't mind you asking, I'd just rather not rehash it right now. It's difficult." I rubbed my thumb across the top of his hand.

"I understand." Matt paused a moment, but I felt another question coming. "And your dad?" He looked up slowly, almost afraid to ask.

"You won't meet him when we go home. He's always off here and there." I rolled my eyes.

"For work purposes? Or does he just like to travel?"

"A bit of both. He says he's working, but I think he just can't stay in the same city for more than a night." I walked over and zipped up the giant suitcase, then took my place on the edge of the bed beside of him. "Enough about my family though, tell me about yours. What's your mom and dad like?"

"They are total opposites really. My mom is wonderful, she's the nicest lady you will ever meet. She hasn't always understood me, but she tries. I know she always has my best interest at heart. Like with the band, she wasn't really into the metal scene, but if it was important to me, it was important to her."

"She sounds great Matt." I looked into his eyes, that seemed to soften when he spoke of the woman he called mom.

"She really is. Hey you know what? She is gonna love you."

"I hope so."

"I know she will. Who couldn't love you though?" He squeezed my hand.

"You'd be surprised." I laughed. "So tell me about your father."

"Well my dad is all about money and power. He wanted me to grow up and make something of myself in the corporate world like he did. We never really got along. He was so angry with me for 'wasting time' with the band and my music. He hated the tattoos and the piercings. He hated damn near everything I stood for. 'You need to be more like me,' he'd say, 'I worked hard for everything I have ever been given. I went out there and made something of myself, a name I can be proud of!' blah, blah, blah." He rolled his eyes in disgust.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But what about now? I mean you guys are really successful, isn't he proud of that?"

"Oh yeah of course he is now that we are famous. He comes out to shows and stuff, pretty much any opportunity to be 'M. Shadows Dad'. But that's all it is, the fame. I told you he was power hungry. I don't think it will ever really sit right with me, just knowing all those years he resented me for what I was trying to do with my life. I walk around with a fake smile on my face when he's around pretending to be proud of me, but I will always remember the days when he refused to claim me as his son because of who I was."

"I'm sorry Matt, but he sounds awful." I was angry by the things he was telling me. How could someone treat their own child like that just for being who they are? I could already tell Mr. Sanders and I would not get along.

"He is, but what can I do? He's my dad ya know?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, that's true." I sighed.

"But at least I have you baby." He leaned in for a kiss.

"You will always have me Mr. Shadows." I moved closer, connecting my lips with his.

.................................................................................................................................................

Later that evening we finally made it to Red Rock. The boys had a limo to drive us to the Aunts' house. "This is it." I informed the driver when I seen the giant willow trees on both sides of the long dirt road and the mailbox that read 'Craft' on the side. Once at the end we pulled up to the magnificent 1800's plantation-style mansion.

"Oh wow." Zacky whispered.

"Remarkable." The Rev's eyes grew wide.

"You have a beautiful home." Johnny glanced over to me in wonder.

"I don't." I giggled. "The Aunts do." The car came to a stop and I opened the door and stepped out, taking in a deep breath of the enchanting scents of the land. "Come on guys." I motioned for them to follow.

The door suddenly swung open and made a loud boom when it hit the side of the house as Aunt Jasmine came flying out. "What in the devil?" She stared out towards the limo.

Then Aunt Lavender shot through the door screaming, "Alice! It's our Alice!" She smacked Jasmine's arm.

"I'm home!" I ran to them giving them big hugs.

"Oh we've missed you!" Lavender kissed my cheek.

"Yes, yes! We are so happy you're home!" Jasmine looped her arm through mine, pulling me toward the door, "Now come there is magi-" Suddenly she turned around and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the gang of boys following behind me.

"Umm, Aunt Lavender, Aunt Jasmine, these are our friends." Anna pointed to the boys.

"Friends, you say?" Jasmine looked them over.

"Yes." I said, walking back down the steps and walking over to introduce each of them. "This is Synyster Gates, The Rev, Johnny Christ, Zacky Vengeance, and Matt Shadows."

"I'm sorry?" Lavender looked at them confused.

"Yeah boys, what's with the funny names?" Jasmine cocked her eyebrow at them again.

Zacky laughed nervously, "They are just stage names Mam."

"Well son, we don't do stage names here." She joked with him.

"I'm Brian." Syn stepped up and shook their hands.

"Ah, lovely." Lavender smiled up at him.

"Jimmy." He followed Brian's lead.

"Very tall Jimmy." Jasmine took his hand.

"Gorgeous eyes." Lavender smiled up at him.

"John." The short bassist greeted them.

"Such soft hands." Jasmine remarked.

"I can tell you have a very warm soul." Lavender added.

"The real name is Zack." He reach out his hand.

"Such enchanting eyes, young Zack." Lavender stared into them for a moment, still holding on to his hand. This made me nervous.

"Lav, let the poor boy go before you scare him off." Jasmine warned, taking Zacky's hand then. Her eyes grew wide when their hands made contact. "Oh my." She whispered.

I grabbed Zack's arm, pulling him away. "Guys, there's someone very special to me I want you to meet." I tried to interrupt the awkward moment. I took Matt's hand and walked him up onto the porch to join the rest of us. "This is Matt."

"It's very nice to meet you." Matt's smile shown brighter than the sun, as soon as the dimples surfaced I knew they were captivated by him.

"Well hello Matthew." Jasmine took his hand immediately with a bright smile of her own. "Fine looking young man. Ah good hand shake as well, very nice."

"Charles is it?" Lavender reach out to greet him.

His eyes grew wide and he looked over at me in shock, "Umm..." He turned back to face Lavender, still amazed, "Yes, yes it is."

"Good, strong name." She beamed up to him, clearly impressed.

"Boys, these are the Aunts, Lavender and Jasmine." I pointed them out to the guys.

"Please do come in boys." Lavender held the door open for them to enter. Everyone followed her into the house. We took up seating in the parlor.The Aunts took off to the kitchen to bring refreshments. I looked around at them, trying to hold back my laughter. They were all incredibly nervous, with the exception of Jimmy who slumped into a chair, resting his feet on the coffee table. Jimmy was never nervous about anything, he simply didn't give a shit, I love that about him.

"Jim!" Matt warned in a hushed tone. Jimmy's head shot up in alert and so did the rest of his body, sitting up straight in his chair and placing both feet on the floor, which made me giggle. Matt had previously gave them all a strict speech before leaving, about being on their best behavior and most importantly not to embarrass him.

"So what was the look about?" Zacky leaned over, whispering to me.

"I'm not sure, I think they sensed something. Must be a witch thing." I shrugged.

"They are witches too?" Johnny gasped.

"John!" Matt shot him a look.

"Babe, ease up, it's okay." I laughed, patting his leg. "Yeah, them too." I smiled back to Johnny.

"So that's how she knew." The light bulb went off in Matt's head then and I nodded.

"Okay here we go." Lavender appeared in the room then, carrying a tray of glasses with ice.

"Don't worry boys, I got the good stuff." Jasmine followed pushing a cart of liquor and beer.

"Hell yeah!" Jimmy squealed with delight. "Dude your Aunts are the shit!"

"Excuse me?" Lavender seemed offended.

I couldn't contain my laughter. "No, Aunt Lav, it's a good thing. It means you're the bomb."

"A bomb? I'm not sure I want to be compared to a weapon of destruction or human waste." She looked at me shaking her head in disapproval.

I rolled my eyes, "Really it's okay. He's complimenting you."

"Yeah Lav, get with the times sheesh!" Jas rolled her eyes then too at her sister's sensitivity.

"Oh alright then. If you say so." Lavender shrugged with a chuckle. "Well thank you Jimmy boy, I think you are a stunning specimen of feces yourself." Everyone burst into wicked laughter.

Jasmine began to pour the glasses full at different requests and handed them out. "So do tell, how did you meet?"

"We met them when we went out to California for the show." Anna informed her.

"Ugh, don't tell me you like that horrid band too." Jas rolled her eyes again. "Avenger Severhold or whatever they are." Everyone giggled at her.

"Mam, we are the band." Brian spoke up, still trying to regain his composure.

"What?" She looked up at him in shock, nearly dropping the bottle of Jack to the floor.

"Yeah, we are Avenged Sevenfold." Zacky confirmed. "That's the reason for stage names." He laughed.

I nodded my head at her with a bright smile, "Yup, they're the real deal."

"No!" Lavender gasped.

"It's true." Anna patted her hand.

"My goodness! Jasmine, do you realize we have rock legends in our home and you just offended them! Shame on you!" Lavender gave her sister a wicked look.

"Boys I do apologize if I've hurt your feelings, which I highly doubt you really give two shits about what some old bat thinks. But personally I'm just not into your style of music. I'm sure you are fantastic musicians in your own right, it's just not for me." She took a deep sip of whiskey.

"No hard feelings Miss Jasmine." Johnny smiled, raising his glass.

"So you love her?" Lavender spoke to Matt softly.

He looked to me with a wide grin, then back to her. "Yes Mam, I do."

"I can feel that." She smiled warmly to him. "Young love is so beautiful, isn't it?" She looked to her sister.

"Yes it is, while it lasts anyway." Jasmine answered. "I've never seen her so happy." Everyone looked to me and I felt my cheeks begin to burn from embarrassment.

"So do you know what she is?" Lavender asked Matt.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean." He responded.

"She's a witch." Jasmine emphasized the word. "So if you would like to run, run now."

"Oh no Mam, trust me I'm not going anywhere. But yes we have discussed it."

"You don't fear her?" Jasmine looked at him in amazement.

Matt chuckled to himself, "No, no Mam, I do not."

"Interesting." She looked to Lavender, then back to me. "May I ask you a question Matthew?"

"Yes, please go ahead."

"What are you?" She leaned in getting a closer look into his eyes, from her chair across from his.

"Excuse me?" He almost looked panicked. And I found myself confused by the question.

"You are different, I can sense it in you, I just can't pinpoint it. So tell me boy, what are you?" She narrowed her eyes at him. I glanced around the room and realized all the boys sat staring at Matt with what looked like fear in their eyes.

"I....I.......I am a man who loves your Alice, more than life itself." He simply responded, leaning back into the couch, putting an arm around me.

"Good answer young man." Jasmine smiled, then eased back into her own chair. "Sorry boys but you can't fool a witch." She shook a finger at them. "There's something about all of you. Supernatural beings can sense the powers of other supernatural beings, never forget that boys. You may have me stumped for now, but I will figure it out." They all looked at each other nervously, but never said a word. "But there's something in particular about you." She pointed at Zacky. "You are a double element, I'm sure of it." The only sound heard was the loud gulp of Zack's throat.

"Okay Aunt Jas, lay off the whiskey already." I laughed at her.

"Hey, this is the first sip I've had all day." She shot me a look.

"Oh, I bet." I teased. "Come on guys, lets go pack." I stood to make my ascent up the grand staircase and everyone else followed behind. I glanced back to see Aunt Lavender smiling sweetly and Aunt Jasmine giving me an evil grin, it reminded me so much of Zack's grin on the first night. When I was sure no one was paying attention, as they were all laughing and talking behind me, I gave Jas a serious look and mouthed "Stop!" to her. In return she only rolled her eyes at me and took another swig from her glass.

"Oh Alice!" I heard Jasmine again.

I poked my head over the railing and called down to her, "What?"

"Your father called earlier to ask about you."

"Why?"

"He was blubbering something about having visions and these awful nightmares, so he was worried."

"Please don't tell me about vampires again?" I huffed.

"Yes dear, I'm afraid so. He was screaming about you wouldn't answer your phone and you had been captured by vampires he was absolutely sure of it." She laughed wildly.

"Oh gods, he's gone mad." I mumbled.

"What?" I heard Brian whisper to Anna from behind me. I turned to see the terrified look on his face. I had to admit, they handled the witch thing wonderfully, however my dad thinking he was a professional vampire slayer, now that was a whole new ballgame. I totally understood that to the average person, hearing this would be terrifying.

"Oh you didn't know?" Anna looked at him very seriously, only to freak him out of course. "Alice's dad is a vampire hunter." The boys all looked to each other with strange expressions on their angelic faces. "Oh yeah, he's the real deal all right. He tracks vamps all over the world, then hunts em down, and then......he kills them slowly!" She shouted the last part to scare them. Surprisingly it worked, they all jumped from the loud boom of her voice. I was almost positive they were about to run out the door at any moment. Anna and I couldn't help but to laugh at them.

"Vampire hunter?" Jimmy said the words slowly, turning to me for an answer.

"Ugh yeah," I rolled my eyes, "My dad is psycho, clearly. Kinda the reason why we don't talk much anymore. When I was younger I would travel with him on his 'hunts'." I emphasized with my quote fingers, "Back then I thought it was just some fun game he made up to keep me entertained while traveling. Now I realize he's just crazy." I giggled at the idea of it all.

"He took you hunting?" Johhny stared at me with wide eyes.

"Yeah that's right guys, I am a trained professional vamp killer. So if you ever just so happen to run into one of those nasty creatures, all you gotta do is call." I joked.

"Yeah, Alice has got you covered guys." Anna chimed in.

"Oh wow." Brian whispered.

"I know, it's ridiculous isn't it? Vampires, yeah right!" I shook my head still laughing. "Come on guys, my room is just up this next flight." I moved onward up the stairs.

"Haha, yeah......vampires, that's great." Johnny laughed with me.

"Oh yeah, classic." Zacky agreed.