A long and happy life (Charlie and Marcus)

Sat at his desk, Marcus idly made some attempts at poetry. For some reason he wasn't able to focus on writing tonight, his muse must have been elsewhere. No, instead he was doodling on the paper, not really focused on what he was sketching even as his hand moves. It was only after he'd finished the sketch that he realised that he'd sketched Charlie's face.

He stared at the rather well drawn drawing with a little bit of sadness in his eyes even though she was due to visit him again tonight. The sadness came from the fact that he knew, deep down, that no matter how much he loved her, Charlie would be out of his grip. She would carry on living, loving, long after he died and became dust. The catch with loving an immortal is that although you never have to suffer through watching them die, you realise that they will have to watch you die instead. That you could spend your entire life with them but they could not do the same.

Charlie had spent a little time today wondering what she was going to tell Marcus about having to turn a girl into a vampire, after all it was not something that she thought that he was going to like hearing considering she refused to turn him into a vampire to be with her forever. If it was going to do anything to them it might make them part, instead of becoming closer as Charlie desired.

Knocking on the door to Marcus' flat, she waited for him to open the door to it and she hoped that she would be allowed quickly into the house as it was raining outside, and her looking very much out of place in her Victorian corset dress, was not enjoying being jeered at by people as they passed.

Jumping at the sound of the knock on the door, having been startled out of his thoughts, Marcus made his way through his flat to his door and opened it for Charlie. Seeing her there made him smile happily as he ushered her inside,

"Come in come in. It's raining and cold..." he shot one of the jeering men a glare, a harsh glare that most would never expect from Marcus, "And the company leaves much to be desired."

As he walked with Charlie into the flat he smiled slightly and reached out to take her hand in his. Even though her hand was icy cold to the touch, he loved holding her hand because it made him feel so happy and connected to her,

"So how was your night today my love?" he paused for a second, frowning in concern, "You're looking quite tired... is something wrong?"

Charlie smiled gently when the door was opened for her, something that she had learnt how to do from the tedious parties at Victorian gatherings, the trick to smile and look like you meant it, even when you wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. For a vampire, sleep was virtually impossible so there were a number of difficulties with that in the first place.

"Thank you Marcus, I believe I should probably try to invest in some new clothing, although I do believe that there are no longer and tenders that accept old currency?" she asked, seriously, for if not she was rather...'broke'.

Once she was inside the flat, she took off her coat and hung it upon a nearby door to dry off, smiling at Marcus she realised that she could not hide very much from him, and so would have to get this over with sooner than she expected.

"Well, there is something that I want to tell you, the reason I am tired is that I have recently expended a lot of my energy." she sighed "I do not wish you to be angry but...I had to sire a vampire a few days ago and have just begun to recover."

Marcus had been to enough tedious and boring conventions and alike because of his job as a writer for the papers of the magical world. He had been to enough to spot a fake smile a mile away and Charlie was flashing him one right now. Marcus smiled obligingly, knowing that she'd talk when she was ready,

"Well if you like I'm sure I could go out and get you some new clothes." he suggested with a smile before chuckling, "Antique dealers maybe. You could probably make a lot more than what they were worth at the time."

When she told him that she'd recently expended a lot of energy, Marcus blinked. Vampires were not like humans, they had almost unlimited energy so long as they fed regularly. For something to have drained Charlie it must have been big. But when she told him exactly what had drained her so much he couldn't help but stop in shock,

"You... turned someone?" he asked, his voice quiet and shaking. Charlie had turned someone into a vampire not a few days ago. This could either be good or bad. If it was good it meant that she might be more willing to turn him so that he could be with her forever. If it was bad it meant that she was even less likely to turn him. Either way, he had to know, "Who did you turn?"

Charlie sighed and sat down on the comfy sofa that Marcus had in his apartment, she sat straight up, her back straight, her hands clasped in her lap, one foot tucked behind the other, it was going to be a very long conversation she thought and she had wanted to actually have some time as a couple before they had to get down to this.

A small smile graced her features and she decided that the factual approach would be the best one to apply in this instance;

"You remember a report in the prophet of the attack on wizarding territory from Germans recently? Well, there was a child injured in that attack, a third year Hogwarts student by the name of Victoria Rossmund, there was nothing to be done I couldn't allow her to die."

Biting her lip, Charlie sighed and ran her hand through her hair, letting it fall from it's high bun, to tumble about her shoulders, in a way that Marcus would not have seen, except his counter part, when they had managed to bed together.

"I regret what I did. I hate myself for turning a child. Even though I could do so because I knew I would be able to take care of her, I know, she will end up resenting me, and I do not think that I could bare taking life from someone so young."

He could tell by the way that she made herself comfortable that this was going to be a rather long conversation. He took one of his computer chairs and sat down in it, leaning forwards in anticipation of hearing what he had longed to hear for a long time. When she mentioned the attack he nodded,

"The child was dying... so you turned her to save her life." he summarized what he'd been told. If she had turned someone who she didn't actually know then that could mean she would be more likely to turn him. Or it could not, he wasn't sure what to think about it at the moment. When she released her hair and it fell about her face and neck in such a lovely river of soft, silky, hair he had to resist the sudden urge to run his fingers through her hair as he whispered lovingly in her ear. He shook his head before he nodded slightly,

"It's alright Charlie... you did what you felt was right at the time, no one can fault you for that." he assured her quietly, "Some people would thank you to be turned, perhaps she will be one of them? And even if she isn't, you saved her life Charlie, that's got to count for something right?"

Charlie saw that Marcus was leaning quite far forward in his char and she wondered just why he seemed so keen as to listen to her after all it was something that she was sure he would not enjoy hearing as it would more than likely make an argument between them as to the fact that she would not in a million years have the strength to turn Marcus...

"I just didn't want her to die, I wanted her to be able to have the choice whether she died or not, and now that she had the time she made the choice to stay as she was with me." she smiled gently, thinking about the first time the two of them had conversed properly.

Nodding her head lightly, Charlie sighed again and placed her head in her hands, she needed to feed but she would not do so from Marcus, not now the topic of turning had been brought up at the moment, because he would surely want to be turned himself if he was given the oppertunity.

"She did thank me, I just have to live with the guilt that I did not arrive but a few moments earlier to help her, to save her, and to allow her to live a normal life as a child would, what would she be able to do now? Her dreams are gone...her friends, her studies in jepordy."

Charlie gestured for Marcus to come closer and she bit her lip;

"Will you come to me?"