The Ripper

William Jack Holloway

He should have never mentioned Georgiana.

The girl had been the thing to erode the relationship that he had had with the Earl beside him, the one thing in the entire world that had unravelled their bond as though it had never existed in the first place. William supposed it wasn't entirely the fault of the Lady. It had been the improper thoughts and feelings that the Duke had held that had for Sebastian that had done so. His own heartbreak had been the cause of their estranged relationship, even if it was so much easier to blame it on Georgiana. He knew, even before Sebastian confirmed it, that it had been the work of their power-hungry fathers that had created the union. In fact, what he wouldn't mention to his companion, was the way his own father had admitted the union was his own way of insuring that the Earl had ties to their family in a way that would make William's friendship with him acceptable. He had wanted to believe for all those months that Sebastian wasn't doing this out of love for Georgiana, and yet that 'what if' plagued at all of his thoughts for those Autumn months. He should be happy. He should be thrilled to have Sebastian back at his side. And he so utterly was. The joy at finding Sebastian alive and well made him feel as though he was flying, though that hadn't stopped him from sending them both crashing down with the mention of his bloody sister.

He cared so little for protocol as he reached out to take hold of Sebastian's arms and attempt to redirect the vampire's thoughts back to William and back to the situation at hand. He wanted to make him happy again. He wanted to see Sebastian smile as he just had before, once again, William ruined everything. He just wanted to hold him. "I'm sorry, Sebastian," William offered as he pulled the vampire into his arms. "The way I treated you... the way I acted... none of it was fair to you. I know that... I've had two hundred years to consider that. I didn't do right by you either." The tale he offered up of what he had gone through seemed pitiful even to his ears. He had claimed Sebastian as his to love in a world in which he could never have him. Their story was fated to end in heartbreak, and acting as though it would have ended any other way was just kidding himself. If it couldn't have been William, he should have been thrilled that it was Georgiana. That the two people he loved most in the world might have found that comfort with each other.

William meant the words he offered next, even if it hurt him to say them to him. He frowned as the man scoffed at him. "Sebastian, don't do that." He countered quickly before he continued on with those lyrics that he would be okay just to have the vampire within his life. Whoever it was that held Sebastian's heart... Well, William's instinct might have been to hate whoever it was, but it was the love for his friend that had him wanting whoever it was to merely be worth the man he held within his arms. "Whoever it is... I hope they make you happy, Sebastian. And if they ever hurt you..." He quirked his lip up into a small ghost of a smile. "They'll have me to deal with." He gave the vampire another squeeze before he finally stepped back, lifting the sleeve of his jacket up to wipe away the tears that streaked his face.

"I believe you were offering me a place to stay?" William inquired, reaching out a hand to Sebastian. Would it cross a line to simply hold his hand? They had always been a touchy pair, at what point did they draw the line between what was okay and what was not? He supposed he would leave that entirely up to Sebastian. "If I heard you correctly, you were offering me forever?" He quirked his lip up into a smile as he finally looked up at the vampire's face, desperately hoping he wouldn't find hatred sprawled there. "Now, would you like me to pay rent or shall I just pay you in my blood?" He chuckled. "I was entirely serious about that, by the way. My blood is yours if you need a meal."

But darling -- it's only human nature.