"Now I'll just be a moment. I'll have someone right outside the door. I won't be long, ok?" Sully asked.
"Ok," Abigail said smiling.
Sully left the room leaving Abigail in his office alone. She walked around studying the room carefully. It was full of antique furniture. In fact, most everything in the room looked antique down to the books and lamps.
Abigail smiled. The room reminded her of old memories swept under the carpet for years. She grasped a locket on her neck. She let her fingers play with it tenderly.
She lifted it up looking at the tarnished metal. She kissed it softly then opened it. Inside behind one glass panel was a few strands of golden brown hair, on the other was a small painted portrait of Russell. Abigail smiled feeling her memories and emotion sweep her.
***flashback***
"Hey dove," Russell said as his fingers played with her red hair.
"Hey sweetheart," she replied rolling onto her side to face him.
"Have a good day's sleep?" he asked pulling her naked body close to his.
"Yes actually. Did you?" she asked back.
"Well I had you here in my arms all day, so I can't complain," he smiled.
"It's time to get up already?" she questioned burying her head into his chest.
"Not yet, the sun's not completely down yet. We have a little while," he said holding her tight.
"Good, I love being in your arms," she replied.
"I love being in yours," he agreed.
"Have you heard from Joey lately?" she asked changing the subject.
"No, he's busy I'm sure. He'll contact us shortly. Why?" he asked.
"I miss him. We three were such a great team," she answered.
"You and I are a great team. The best. Why do you have to bring Joey into this?" he asked defensively.
"He's my friend Russell. Yours too if i recall," she answered.
"You two were together," he huffed.
"Russ, look Joey and I were never serious. He's more of a big brother. We were never lovers," she confessed.
"Really?" he asked.
"Really, why? Are you jealous Russ?" she asked.
"Maybe just a little. I can't help it though," he smiled.
"Aww... You're too sweet," she replied.
"I have something for you," he said reaching for a box on the nightstand.
"What?" she asked taking the box he gave her.
"Open it," he instructed.
Abigail obliged him, and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful oval brass locket necklace, the outside in a pretty swirl design.
"It's beautiful," she gasped.
"It's a locket. Inside is a picture of me and some of my hair, so I'll always be with you," he said kissing her lightly.
***end of flashback***
"I'll always be with you," Russell's voice echoed in her head. She felt sadness sweep over her. She sighed, letting the air escape her lungs slowly.
Abigail missed Russell very much. It hadn't seemed like eight months since she last saw him, his face covered in blood. It felt like a lifetime. It had also been the worse eight months of her life.
Leaving her coven, moving from place to place, hiding and missing the one man she adored more than anything was almost more than she could bare. Somehow though, she had made it. Something kept her going. Something pulled her to go on and make it to San Francisco.
Abigail let herself slip onto the couch deep in thought. She had only been in San Francisco for four nights. Three of which had been with Joey and Sully. Despite all the goings on somehow she managed to feel happiness.
She was confused. she wasn't sure why she felt so happy. Perhaps it was seeing Joey again. Or because she was in Russell's old city surrounded by his family. Maybe it was feeling him race through the veins of his clan. She wasn't sure.
The only thing she was sure of was that she felt comfortable with Sully. There had been something about him since she had met him. Something pulling her towards him.
Abigail let a smile pass as she remembered the feel of his soft lips barely brushing hers the night before. It was that instant she had forgotten all her pain. It had been just a few seconds, a few moments in all of eight months she felt safe and happiness again.
She let herself ponder her own feelings. She knew she had loved Russell. She had loved Joey on a more brotherly level. She even loved her coven members as a family, but she was vexed on how she was feeling towards Sully.
The feeling could only be described as intense. Whatever it was, it consumed her. When he was near, the world seemed to blur out. When he touched her, even if he only touched her arm on accident, it was if her entire body reacted to it. Her heart would stop, her breath was lost, then when he left her she couldn't wait until he touched her again. She trembled every time she found herself thinking about him.
Abigail shook her head. It was happening again. sully was like an addictive drug shot into her vein. She laughed thinking she was more confused the more she thought about it.
The only answer that kept creeping up on her she refused to say aloud, even to herself. She even banned herself from saying it in her head.
She scolded herself even to come that close in saying it to herself. She had loved Russell. She let herself continue to repeat only, "I loved Russell," in her head.
The door sung open startling Abigail out of her silent chant. Sully walked in smiling. She felt herself smile back to him, her mind quietly whispering to her. The drug slowly enters your vein.
She stood up and walked to him. It makes it's way through you.
"I'm sorry darlin'. I didn't mean to take so long," Sully apologized hugging her.
"It's ok," she replied.
The extreme rush hits.
"I was just arranging some security measures with Heath," he explained.
"Really? What did we decide?" she asked.
"Justin, Heath's second will be your personal bodyguard. He'll go and do everything with you," he answered.
The hard blow as the high wears off.
"You won't be there?" she asked slowly.
"This is for double protection and on the rare occasion I have business. Don't worry you. I'll be there with you every second I can," he smiled caressing her arm.
Boom. You're hooked!