Chapter Text
A piercing, silver light streaming through the window is what finally causes Max to wake up.
She listens to the sound of her own breathing, she watches as her ribcage compresses and expands with each passing breath. She holds onto that fleeting moment before the weight of the world comes to rest on her shoulders.
But once the weight was there, there was nothing Max could do to make it go away.
It had been two days since she last saw Jane, and her condition still hasn't gotten any better. The heavy weight in her chest, the inability to keep her eyes open, the headaches, it was all still there.
Max turned to her side. She took in a long, steady deep breath and exhaled it rapidly, somehow she thought that was the boost she needed.
She willed herself into an upright position. She brought both of her arms above her head and stretched. It helped to take some of the pressure off of her fatigued muscles.
The pads of her feet made contact with the cool surface of the hardwood floor. It was a familiar feeling, something she has done hundreds of times before. Yet today, the sensation stood out to her. It seemed like everything in her life was starting to feel that way, like some sort of sensory déjà vu.
With little time to ponder on it, she rose to her feet and swiftly made her way to the kitchen.
Will was coming over today, any minute in fact. Max swore up and down to Will that there was no reason to visit, no cause for concern. But Will wasn't buying it. She knew that he wasn’t. That’s why she now had to spend her precious time that could have been spent studying on trying to convince Will that she had everything under control.
Although, a small part of herself was starting to be consumed by the mounting pressure that had landed on her shoulders. She could feel herself starting to crack. She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to keep quiet about all of this.
The familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee had slowly made its way through Max’s senses. The aroma swirled into all corners of the kitchen, enveloping Max with its nostalgic fragrance.
With the coffee all set to go, Max hastily makes her way into the living room to light her sandalwood candle. She thought, albeit naively, that it would maybe help kill the headache thrumming deep in her skull. Although, she knew deep down that the only way to truly rid herself of all the physical symptoms she was experiencing was to find Jane again.
Jane. The more she thought about her, the more she was starting to believe that explaining this mess she had inexplicably gotten herself into was going to be a daunting task.
Just in time to break Max away from her swirling thoughts, there was a knock at the door.
Max was immediately faced with a sullen expression on Will’s face. Uh-oh. She couldn’t escape the overwhelming feeling that she was in trouble with him. For what? She would also like to know. None of this was her doing, if there was a button she could press to make all of this go away, she would press it in a heartbeat. It wasn’t as if Will had any insight into what was going on with her, she hadn't told a single soul about her situation, or better yet mentioned Jane’s name or identity in any way.
Lucas must’ve spoken to him after their previous interaction.
Fuck, really Lucas? You just had to tell Will? Max thought to herself.
“Hey.” Will said, in a desperate attempt to fill the awkwards silence that had fallen between the two of them.
“Hi.” Max remarked flatly.
After their short exchange of words, both of them broke off any eye contact they had been maintaining.
Will’s eyes darted back and forth across the smooth expanse of the floor that divided the outside world from Max’s apartment.
“Can I come in?” He said an odd mix of tension and awkwardness colored his speech. Max could tell that this whole interaction was about to be extremely uncomfortable for the both of them.
“Oh, yeah, of course, come in.” Max said, trying her hardest to come across unbothered.
Max led the way, leading Will towards the stuffy living room she has come to call home. She motioned for him to take a seat on the couch. After he was settled in, Max turned on her heel and made her way towards the kitchen.
“Do you want some coffee?” Max barked out, just loud enough for Will to hear her from the room over.
“Yeah, that’d be great. Cream and sugar please.”
Wordlessly, Max began to prepare Will’s cup, just as he had described. After preparing his, she made her own. Not much went into making Max’s coffee of choice. Hot, black coffee was all she needed, she enjoyed the deep, earthy flavor coffee had. That alone had its own appeal without the need for any additives.
After Max finished preparing both of the mugs of coffee she made her way back into the living room to find Will staring down at his own hands, she could only assume he was lost in thought, searching for what he was going to say to Max about the situation, and how he was inevitably going to spring it on her.
“All good over there?” Max probed.
“Ha, yeah, all good over here.” Will replied, half joking, his tone was laced with the faintest hint of sarcasm.
Clearly everything wasn't all good . If everything was all good there would be no reason for Will’s visit.
Max took a moment to calm herself. She was getting all worked up over a conversation that hasn't taken place yet. But she couldn't help herself, it was starting to get hard to remember a time in recent days where she hasn't been on edge.
Max settled down on the couch next to him, passing him the warm mug of coffee, exactly as he had requested. Will brought the cup up to his lips and lightly blew on it to cool off the liquid before taking a quick sip. Max did the same in unison, eyes flicking up to meet Will’s.
“How is it?” Max asked innocently.
Will swallowed and made a satisfied sound. “Perfect, thanks.”
Max shot him a quick smile. “I’m glad, and you’re welcome.”
A mildly awkward silence fell between the two of them. Will shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Max sensed that this was her cue to rip the band-aid off.
“So uh, what’s up?” Max asked, feigning ignorance.
Will rolled his eyes at her oblivious question.
“So that's how we're going to play this?” Will asked playfully, his comment helped to lighten the mood, albeit only a little.
“I have no idea what youre talking about,” Max said, letting her eyes wander.
“So that's how we’re going to do this…” Will said, words trailing off, words dying off in his mouth.
Max let out an exasperated huff.
Will, much like Lucas, had pulled her aside within the last week to ask what is going on with her.
Unlike Lucas, He was much less direct about his concern for Max’s wellbeing.
“Lucas must’ve spoken to you…” Max retorts.
“Lucas doesn't have to speak to me for me to notice that something seriously weird has been going on with you recently. I just want to help you.”
I don’t need your help Will, I’m not ten years old, Max thinks.
“I mean no offense when I say this Will, but I dont think involving you and Lucas in what I have going on is going to do anyone any good.” Max said, tone sullen.
“So you admit that there is something happening to you?” Will said, voice pointed, his demeanor oddly serious, a complete mismatch to the stupid question he just had the gall to ask Max.
“Oh wow, yeah, cat’s out of the bag, you got me, surprise! Yes, there is something going seriously fucking wrong in my life. You should really consider becoming a detective or a private investigator, you have a genuine natural ability.” Max remarked sarcastically. Moments like this really made her question why she chose to become friends with Will and Lucas all those years ago.
“Wow. Thank you for that.” Will chuckled, a little taken aback by Max’s sudden outburst. He didn’t think that his comment didn’t warrant it now that he thought about it, he just didn't expect her to get so passionate. But Will just assumed it was the lack of sleep and the headaches getting the better of her.
“But seriously, I know how badly you don't want to talk about what’s going on but me, and even more so Lucas just don’t want anything bad- or I guess- worse to happen to you. You don’t have to go through whatever you’re going through alone.” Will pleads.
Max continues to flip-flop back and forth on whether to name drop Jane to Will. If she does, it would only be her name, maybe a description of her appearance, but nothing more than that. She was definitely not going to tell Will that she may have encountered a real-life vampire and surprise! She’s tainted my every waking thought and has given me a plethora of physical symptoms that have kept me basically bed ridden. But was it even worth it to open that can of worms? Sure, it would probably take some of the weight off of her chest to admit to someone other than herself that Jane was a real person, but would that only complicate things further?
Unfortunately, the answer to that was probably yes.
“If I were to tell you anything about what was going on with me, you would have to promise not to tell Lucas. Deal?” Max replies after a few moments of silent contemplation. She knows deep down that this isn’t fair to either Will or Lucas, but she knows that this is the only way she can get both of them off of her case.
Will’s expression shifts to one that is more stoic, clearly he was mulling over his two options. After a few moments, Will’s hazel eyes snapped up to meet Max’s own piercing blue eyes.
“I hate to say this, because I really do want to be of help to you, but I can’t do that to Lucas, so I guess I’ll have to decline. No deal. But just know you’re not playing fair by pulling that card. He worries about you, y’know?”
It was true, it wasn’t fair to Will, and it especially wasn’t fair to Lucas.
Max’s relationship with Lucas was…rocky, to say the least. Before she came to the realization that she liked girls and only girls, they used to go out. It wasn’t anything serious, they were in middle school after all. They used to hang out, go to school dances, and do other types of relationship activities along those lines. None of it ever really appealed to Max in any particular sort of way, but she could tell it meant a lot to Lucas, so she went along with it none the wiser.
That's why she knew she had to be careful with his heart before she inevitably broke it the summer before high school started. Things between them were never the same after the fall out. Lucas in no way resented her or blamed her for the way things ended, but Max could tell that she scarred him deeply.
It had been years since then, those days had come and gone, and they had grown into their own people. They were still connected by what they once were, but the emotional growing pains they had both gone through drew a line in the sand, forever leaving them as outsiders looking in at each other's passing day-to-day lives.
“I know, I know, I wish I could tell you two more too but I just…can’t. I’m sorry.” Max replies, her tone laced with regret.
“It’s okay, I’m sure everything will work itself out. Just know that Lucas and myself are here for you and if you change your mind…well, we’re all ears.” Says Will, trying his best to lighten the mood, trying his best to stay optimistic.
“Thanks, I appreciate that. I appreciate you both so much, even if I don't know how to show it sometimes.” Replies Max, trying her best to parrot his optimism.
After wrapping up their conversation and saying their goodbyes, Max walks Will to the apartment stairwell and wishes him a safe drive home, then heads back inside to tidy up the apartment.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆. ───
With a swift twist of her house key in the lock to the door of her apartment, Max quickly pulls the key out of the lock and darts down the stairs and starts the short walk to Club Nocturne.
Max was determined to get some answers from Jane. No more bullshit, no more longing stares and words left unsaid. Max wanted answers and she wanted them tonight.
It was an especially chilly night in Salem. Max noticed this the moment the door closed behind her. She breathed in the crisp air like it was the first time she had ever taken a breath. Like it was a new sensation. Except it wasn't, it was something she had done countless times, yet it felt like a blessing. She felt alive. It was electrifying. The prospect of seeing Jane again. The unknown that came with it. The secrecy on top of that. It was all so much, she felt so full of light. Her heart rate quickened as her thoughts raced.
The walk felt even shorter than usual as her anticipation continued to rise and rise as the minutes passed. She was greeted with the typical scene. The line to get in was around average, and the exterior walls were lined with club goers killing time. She joined the queue of people impatiently waiting to be granted access into Club Nocturne.
Soon enough she was face to face with the bouncer having her ID checked, which was something she was quickly becoming more accustomed to since Jane entered her life. She handed over her ID and the bouncer gave it a quick once over, as opposed to how the bouncer usually checked her ID, which was typically done with an overly scrupulous eye. Huh. She must be gaining some semblance of a reputation at Club Nocturne, considering her attendance here has become one of the only constants in her life over the course of the last week or so. The bouncer returned her ID and gestured for her to enter. Max took that as her cue and slipped into the crowded room.
Once inside, she was able to take in the scene playing out around her. The room was shrouded in darkness. The music was blaring, it was a song she was unfamiliar with, the bass thrumming in her chest was making her the slightest bit anxious, but it reminded her why she was here. Max knew she had no chance of finding Jane amongst the sea of people, so decided to go with plan B.
After fighting her way through the crowd of bodies, the bar was then in eyeshot. Once at the bar she leaned her upper body over the edge and waved her hand to grab the bartender's attention. The bartender cocked his head in her direction and made his way over to her.
“What can I getcha?” He asked.
“Nothing. I’m looking for Jane, have you seen her?” Max asked in return.
“I see. She told me someone would come asking for her, I guess that happens to be you. I’ll be right back.” said the bartender, turning around and ducking below the bar, fumbling around for something outside of Max’s view.
Jane knew I’d come back looking for her? Interesting.
Before Max’s mind could wander any further, the bartender came back into her field of vision, arm extended with something dangling between his fingertips. A key.
“Here. Go to the back of the club and find the door labeled “Employees Only” and go up the stairs. Jane is in room 55.” The bartender instructed.
Max tried her best to conceal the look of confusion that was probably written all over her face, not wanting to foil her chance at seeing Jane again.
A key? Isn’t this just a club?
Max retrieved the keys from his grasp and shot him a quick nod of assurance. “Thanks.”
With her chance of seeing Jane going up higher by the second, Max weaved her way through the crowd of people until she found the door the bartender had mentioned. She looked side to side, eyes scanning the room one last time to make sure no one was watching her use a door she certainly under normal circumstances wouldnt be allowed to use. She found that no one was paying her any mind, it was as if she wasn’t there at all. With this reassurance, she pushed open the heavy door and disappeared behind it.
Once in the stairwell, the sound of the once blaring music had become something of a muted background noise, although the sound of the heavy bass was still carrying through.
Max began her ascent to the second floor. All the questions she had for Jane were beginning to way heavier and heavier on her mind. They were running past her at a mile a minute. She halted and shook her head. If her plan is to actually go though and she does see Jane tonight, it's probably best she doesn't act frazzled as she’s currently feeling. She takes a deep breath and continues climbing.
Once at the top of the stairs she pushes open the door and is faced with a scene she certainly wasn’t expecting. It seems that above Club Nocturne is what looks to be a…hotel? She was faced with rooms, all of them numbered and uniform in the same way that a hotel would be.
So strange…
In accordance with the numbers on the doors, Max ventures to guess that room 55 was on right, so she made quick work of counting the rooms on her path.
42, 43, 44, 45…
It felt as if the hallway was going on forever, it was a mystery to her how people didn’t get lost up here. Everything about this was nothing short of disorienting. But seeing as the numbers keep going up, she felt reassured in pushing onward.
51, 52, 53, 54…
She was nearly at the end of the hallway. That’s when she saw it, the room she was looking for.
Room 55.
She examined the door closely. Checking to make sure it really was the aforementioned room and she wasn’t just imagining it. But it really was the door she was looking for. Not wanting to be caught lingering in the hallway, Max let out a long exhale that she wasn’t aware she had been holding in. This is it. She wasn’t going to run away like she did last time. She was going to get down to the bottom of what was really going on.
Max brought a shaky hand up to the dark cherry wood and gave it three knocks. The knocks were softer than she intended, but she was hoping it would be audible enough for Jane to hear from the other side.
She was met with silence.
Max let out a frustrated breath, she wasn’t going to back down, she had already come this far. She knocked again. This time with more bravado, even though she knew deep down it was a bluff.
She was met with another bout of intense silence.
Max’s agitation was starting to become more and more palpable, as if it was bleeding out of her from the inside out, tainting her. Max looked down at her hand, the key jingling in her grasp. She wasn’t originally planning on entering by force, but if she’s given no other choice, she will do what she has to do. After all, the bartender did give her the key for a reason.
She brought the key up to the lock and inserted it, then gave it a quick twist. With that, the door slowly began to creak open. Max, not wanting to invade her privacy, brought her hands up to the edges of the door to keep it cracked open, and called out for her.
“Jane?”
No response. Just more of that deafening silence.
She let herself in, closing the door behind her. She turned so that her back was to the door, and she took in the scene in front of her. The room itself was pretty standard. All four walls were covered in a beige layer of paint, the bedding was plush and beige as well, and the carpet was dark red patterned. There was a vanity to her left, in that same cherry wood that the door was made out of. She took a few strides over to the vanity, taking a look at some of the belongings scattered across the surface. There was a silver handheld mirror adorned with matching silver filigree, a pack of cigarettes, a few lighters, and some jewelry. It all seemed like things Jane would own, but there was still no indication that she was there, until she noticed that the door to the balcony was open, the soft sound of the wind howling through the air started to fill her ears.
With her mind made up, Max walks over to the doorway. She notices a flash of white, she notices it's Jane. Jane is sitting up on the railing of the balcony in a lacy, white slip dress, it hangs on her frame in an effortlessly beautiful way, Max takes in the way it cascades down her lithe figure.
Jane's face turns to meet hers, she removes the cigarette from between her lips and blows out the smoke in one continuous stream.
Max’s eyes divert from Jane’s to the empty wine decanter that was stained with a certain viscous deep red liquid. Her heart pounded in her chest as she was quickly coming to the realization it was filled with human blood.
But upon further thought, if it was empty that must mean she’s not in immediate danger? Right?
With that thought in mind, she felt a little bit better. Now that she thought about it, this is actually the most normal she has felt in the past week or so. She needed answers as to why.
Max stepped closer to her, eyes flicking back up to meet her’s. Her thoughts were racing all over again. The longer she looked into Jane’s piercing brown eyes, it felt as if her heart was bleeding in her chest.
Why can’t she shake this feeling? Is this some sort of vampire magic, and if so is it Jane’s doing? What does Jane want with her? Max is overflowing with questions and doesn’t know where to begin.
Before Max can begin her fiery onslaught of questions, Jane cuts in first.
“I see you've let yourself in, what is it that brought you here?” Jane’s tone is lighthearted on the surface, yet laced with a serious undertone.
Max pauses, formulating how she wants to phrase the severity of the situation. It’s in her best interest not to divulge how fascinated she has become on someone who is virtually a stranger. But nothing about what was going on between them made any sense. It can’t be one one sided.
“Why are you doing this to me?” Max interrogates pointedly.
Jane stifles an unintentional snicker. But only at her gall. The actual question left her a little confused. She wasn't doing anything, at least not on purpose. Maybe it was best to play a little dumb.
“Doing what?” Jane questions back.
Max blushed furiously. She was dumbfounded. So they were going to do it this way. She was backed into a corner.
“I have no way of proving it, but it's the only way I’m able to connect the dots in my head, but ever since that night I saw you in the alley, I-I don't even know how to describe it, I haven't been sleeping, I’ve been lashing out a people, a-and I didn’t even want to mention this but you have been the one and only thing-”
Jane had heard enough. Sure, she was listening to what Max was saying, but she couldn't help the steady stream of thoughts that were running through her own head while she was talking. She took in the way Max’s pale skin was illuminated by the moonlight shining down on her. It was as if the rest of the world didn't matter at that moment. Like everything beyond the balcony ceased to exist.
Jane took the cigarette that was slowly burning between her fingertips and flicked it off the edge of the balcony and jumped down off the edge in one swift motion. The movement happened so quickly that Max couldn't process it.
Max’s rambling was cut off by the sudden sensation of Jane’s firm grip on her jaw. The sudden proximity caused Max’s blush to spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. Her breath hitched in her chest. Max’s eyes rose up to meet Jane’s, who’s eyes were already laser focused on her’s.
The next thing she feels is Jane's lips crashing into hers, it's hungry and overflowing with want. Max reciprocates with the same amount of fervor. The heady taste of Jane’s cigarette slowly creeped into Max’s senses, intoxicating her. My god, it entrances her. She had the passing thought that she might just be able to die happily now, at this moment. Jane’s hand snaked from its bruising grip on her jaw to a softer grip on the back of her neck, holding her in place in her grasp. Max brought her hands up to the sides of Jane’s face, her fiery fingertips are immediately snuffed out by Jane’s signature ice cold flesh, which was a sensation Max was still getting used to.
Jane pulls back, not realizing the way their bodies had slowly intertwined in that time. She admires her work. Before her is quite the sight, Max’s lips are swollen and glossy, her eyes are glassy and darkened with desire, her cheeks are dusted with the sweetest pink tint. if she looked even closer, she could tell Max was shaking ever so slightly. She moves one hand to Max’s waist and one to her hand, lacing their fingers together, her fingertips tingling at the contact.
“Follow me?”