"It seemed like a dream. One I wish I could freeze in time and make last forever. We were outside the Tavern. The night was frigid, and the sky dotted with stars. I'll never forget the way he looked at me. Those clear blues were like calm ocean waters. Their depths just seemed to go on forever. The way his embrace felt when he caught me just before I fell. I'm such a klutz! But when his lips touched mine, it was if the world simply faded away. I think... In so long it was the first time I truly felt warmth. Strange because for the longest time I didn't think I could feel either. My stilled heart , I swear, had jumped to life for that fleeting moment. "
They shared a passionate kiss between them while the clouds gathered and the snow fell. That moment remained to this night one of the best that Tessa will always remember.. The two parted ways before the sun rose , remaining friends. The timing just wasn't right for either of them.
A year later, neither one expected they'd encounter each other again.
October 21st, 2016 ( )
"Well, I'll be damned." He commented with a chuckle. He knew this woman, even though not particularly well, he still recognized her. "Tessa."
"Cosmo.." Her voice barely an audible whisper.
The vampiress was running from the city, frightened and badly wounded. Cosmo took her back to his estate, offering anything she'd need to heal and regain her strength. She told him a little about the Cross, and the creature currently wandering the city. Even though Cosmo was strongly against it, Tessa insisted coming along when he started stocking up on weapons, hell bent on killing the creature.
"I want whoever did this to you to pay for what they have done." Cosmo said firmly then, his voice deadly grave in that moment.
"And I can't have you go back while that individual is still out there."
Its skin deformed, smelling of death and rot. Its jaws were gaping open with hungry jagged teeth. In every way the creature resembled a decayed corpse, but it was fast, strong. Wounds healed rapidly, but its flesh remained ever rotting. It's possible that because the corpse had been dead so long the body was beyond repair. Tessa and Cosmo put up one hell of a fight, going after it with weapons and holy water. At first, it seemed the fight would end in their favor. Little did they know the creature had made more of itself in Tessa's absence. They surrounded Cosmo, blocking him off from the vampiress while the creature dug into Tessa's body intent on killing her. Her painful cries woke something up in Cosmo and while she lay there slowly fading he let all hell break loose. In her blurred vision Tessa saw body parts flying. There was static in the heavy winds and thunder crashing.. A storm on the way? Among the rotted blood and gore she could only see Cosmo's frame. He was killing them all.
Moments from death, Cosmo brought Tessa back to his estate and let her feed from him. Saving her life just in time.
Whether it was from the near death experience or the simple fact of being together again, they shared a kiss as passionate as it had been one year ago. Feelings were shared and promises were made, leaving nothing out this time.
" As I lay there dying, all I could think about was him. I could hear his voice as we sped through the city. He was trying to reassure me, but as long as I knew he was safe I was ready to let go. ' Don't be scared Cosmo.. Please.. I'll be okay.' Was what I wanted to say. I wasn't afraid to die. How could I be, since I was technically before this? His maid, Mrs. Jenkins even did all she could to help. Cosmo was persistent, refusing to let me die. He sucked out as much blood as he could, tainted by the vile creature's touch. It effected me like poison. Bagged blood didn't help. The scent of it alone sickened me. Then Cosmo offered me his blood. At first, I was afraid to. In some cases in the past, I couldn't stop. I fed so much I drained my victims of every drop. I didn't want to do that to him. Not from him.
I tried to refuse, but my body was so weak I couldn't move. His blood seeped in through my lips. It was so sweet, I couldn't contain myself. The urge to live took over and I fed. I took so much I could feel him sway in my arms. Stop.. Please..
I'm going to kill him!
I managed to force him away, holding him at arms length. Still I craved for more, but I knew if I kept going he really could die. Cosmo was weak, but his heart beat was steady. Thank God. I realized in that moment that I never wanted to continue living my life without him. In that moment, every thing changed for me.. For us.
I don't deserve this kind of happiness. Before, I didn't think such happiness ever existed. But now that I have it, I refuse to let it go.
In the coming months, so much had happened. The Cross continued their attacks, and through it all Cosmo remained by my side. I even met my son whom I thought died at birth when I was young. That Christmas of the year 2016 Cosmo and I exchange gifts. I gave him a new car to replace the one Faust had blown up, as well as a little black kitten he named Binx. We spent the night talking and cuddling each other by the fire with little Binx in our laps. "
The time Cosmo got to meet Tessa's sire, Viral, was brief, but in that short time Tessa had been nervous and she was certain he was too. It went rather well - at least as far as she could tell. But nothing wracked her more with fear than when it was time for her to meet Como's father Hades.
March 5th, 2017
Simply being in hell was enough to make Tessa think twice about this. The air was so hot it burned her skin when the gates opened. Even though she had only seen the mere surface before Cosmo teleported them to the center of it all, it was enough for Tessa to question a few myths about whether or not Vampires had souls. Those poor workers that moved brim stone to carry out their punishment, the screams and cries of monsters hidden in caverns. She was scared, but she knew how important it was to Cosmo. Holding tightly to his hand they continued on until they found Hade's castle.
He descended before them in a cloud of ash and smoke. From Cosmo's expression as he looked upon his father Tessa could tell he didn't want to be there any more than she.
"From the way Hades looked at me, I felt so exposed. I didn't have anything to hide. but it made me feel so uncomfortable..."
Determined to make a good first impression, Tessa tried to remain as formal as she could be. Complimenting him and addressing him with his title 'Lord Hades'. Thn he turned to Cosmo, and the two of them conversed for a while, which was fine with her. It gave Tessa some time to gather herself, her thoughts.
"Tell me, do you believe in Fate?" Hades asked, turning his attention once more to Tessa.
The question (albeit out of the blue) just seemed so ordinary, harmless to Tessa that she gave her honest answer. Unaware that later, her beliefs on it would change. The two of them returned back to Cosmo's estate. He led her to the library, the room bringing back the memory of the creature they faced together. As he pulled her close by the fire, Cosmo inquired about the first time they met.
He rested his hands casually in the pockets of his jeans while his stormy eyes watched the flames dance for a moment. "There's something that I need to tell you." He began, brow furrowed slightly. "But I'm not sure how to begin--" He admitted, before he turned back around to look over to her. "Come here, please." He asked gently then, outstretching his hand to her.
Tessa nodded, leaving her shoes where they were and went to his side. Her brow arched in question. "Something the matter darling?"
"There is something that I need to tell you." He repeated, brow still furrowed a bit, a torn expression evident on his face. He was silent for a moment. Then he seemed to gather his thoughts together and he continued. "Tessa, when was the first time that we met?" He inquired then looking into her eyes.
Tessa thought back to that snowy evening. "At the tavern... Why?" She frowned a bit, looking at his expression.
Cosmo smiled a little as he recalled the memory, but then he shook his head. "No. The first time I met you was in your fourth period history class in high school your junior year."
At first, it was all just too much to bear. The man who Tessa thought was Faust's father didn't exist. They were fake memories that Cosmo gave her when he left. She became angry, nearly demanding an explanation. Cosmo told her from the beginning Tessa was prophesied to be his true love, but if he stayed with her she would die. They spent junior and most of senior year in pure bliss, but the prophecy of Tessa's death still clung to Cosmo's memory. To keep her safe, he erased her memory and replaced them with someone new - a man named Tyler Addison. Someone Tessa thought died in an accident shortly before she gave birth to Faust and became a vampire. He showed her pictures he had hidden away. Pictures of the two of them in every memory Tessa recalled with Tyler.
Cosmo didn't let go, but he would, if she asked him to. He knew that this was a lot to take in. He had already been through it, and now it was her turn. At least she wouldn't have to go through it alone. Neither of them would have to go through any of this alone ever again. "For you safety." He began. It was best just to be as honest as possible at this point. "I was led to believe that if I stayed with you, I would bring about your death." He revealed. "I... I couldn't risk something bad happening to you, b-because of me. I didn't want to leave. Please, believe me baby, I didn't." He held her hand just a little bit tighter at that. "I was just trying to keep you safe. I had no idea that you were pregnant. When you were turned by Viral... when your heart stopped beating... I was led to believe that you had died anyways and that all I had done to protect you had been in vain. You could imagine my surprise when I ran into you at the tavern last year."
This.. This was why Hades asked her about her beliefs in fate. The moment had been extremely emotional for the both of them, and in that moment Tessa made him promise that from now on what ever happens they would go through it together. Cosmo made that promise, and in doing so he lowered himself to bended knee and proposed to her with a beautiful engagement ring.
Cosmo reached out to take her hand into his, holding her hand within both of his own. “I have spent three thousand, five hundred and sixty years waiting for you. And now that I’ve meet you… Now that I’ve gotten to know what an incredible woman you are… I would wait a hundred more millennia if that is what it would take to be with you.” As he spoke, a gentle smile lingered, as if he was unable to help himself but smile. “However,” he began then, a light chuckle escaping him. “Since we are already together, I was hoping that we could spend that next hundred millennia together.” He confessed, his thumb absentmindedly caressing the back of her hand. “Just not as boyfriend and girlfriend.”
It was only then that Cosmo took a moment to lower himself down onto one knee before her, his hands still holding onto her own. He looked up at her, his blue eyes uncommonly clear, focused. A storm was not raging within them. No, in this moment, his eyes were the color of a sea after a storm instead of within one. “When you met my father earlier today, he asked you whether you believed in Fate. You said that you do to an extent, that ultimately we can choose to change the course of our fate, if we want to.” Cosmo paused for a moment. Perhaps for the first time today, he looked nervous. “I do not know what course you wish to take, to accept your fate or change it, but I know where I stand. I know that I do not want any life that is absent of you. Meeting you has been written in the cards for me since birth, and I can honestly say that knowing you is the best thing that has ever happened to me.” He admitted, never once breaking her gaze. “You are my future, Tessa. I would love nothing more than to be yours as well. Miss Ashenvale, would you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?” As he asked her this, Cosmo brought forth a little black box from his pocket. He opened it before her to reveal a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. It had a unique design which seemed to resemble a flower. Cosmo waited for her response, he had forgotten to breathe, too consumed by the moment to dedicate even a fraction of his attention elsewhere.
"Since that night at the tavern, I never wanted to leave. It hurt so much to let you go. I thought I would never see you again."
Tears were shed that night, but niether of them could have been happier.
"Yes!" She sobbed. " Yes I will!"
The two plan to have their wedding in June.
