Halcyon Halls

When: Early evening
Where: Boston
Who: Sam, Kiernan and Alana with mentions of Jax

Her issues about being forced into the photo shoot aside, Sam had been looking forward to this weekend for weeks now. Everything had fallen into place so perfectly and she couldn't wait to see the look on Kiernan's grumpy face when she gave him his final present. Throw Jax going on top of everything and it was amazingly awesome. Yeah her sister would be ditching them the first chance she got, but there was still the flight over and that meant something to Sam. She didn't feel like she was being used for a free plane ticket but was going to look at it as Jax reaching out a bit and putting some faith in Sam. Hey, she could be delusional all she wanted thanks.

The flight to Boston had been a long one but they arrived just after sunset like Sam had planned. Traveling with a vampire had made booking their flights somewhat of a pain but she was just that good and managed to pull it off rather nicely. She had even been able to convince Jax to grab some dinner before running off to Salem so as far as Sam was concerned, she was on fire! After they had seen Jax off in a cab with a pocket full of cash, they had headed off to the hotel where Sam had booked the three of them a nice two bedroom suite with all the amenities.

Friday morning and afternoon had been filled with running Alana all over the city for sightseeing while the evening had consisted of running around BU and attending whatever events were going on in the area. The entire time that they were there, Sam never hinted of anything more than it just being a trip to the city but when Saturday rolled around, that all changed. It was hard to keep the giddiness under the surface but she was so excited that it almost couldn't be helped. She found herself staring at the clock or watch on her wrist on more than one occasion and she had to take Alana shopping just so that she wouldn't end up spilling the beans before it was time.

When the sun finally set, she and Alana got dressed (whatever outfits they were wearing hidden under their coats) and escorted Kiernan down to an awaiting cab. "Sorry, but you have to be blindfolded for this one," she explained as she tied a silk scarf around his head. An address was handed to the driver and they were off without another word. "And stop grumping," she smirked, knowing that he was silently taking her name in vain. It was all totally going to be worth it though.

When they were only about five minutes away, Sam reached into the bag she had brought along and pulled out a cap that was quickly slipped onto Kiernan's head. "No peaking and no complaining." A second and third hat were also brought out for she and Alana respectively. Once they arrived, she helped the grumpy one out of the cab and removed the blindfold to reveal...Fenway Park! And of course, she and Alana were rocking some awesome Red Sox jerseys. "I thought you might like seeing a game," she grinned. Taking Alana's hand, she motioned for Kiernan to follow as they made their way with the crowd inside the stadium. From there, their tickets granted them access to a trio of prime seats five rows back and slightly to the right of home plate. "So what do you think?!"

Who: Kiernan, Alana and Sam
When: Wednesday Evening
Where: Town - Mini-golf



"Daddddy daddydaddydaddydaddy!" Alana bounced with eager anticipation next to her father. The braids that her hair was pulled back into, continued to bob even after her body finally reached the floor again. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was excited. About ready to explode with it to be exact. Kiernan was really regretting the fact that he'd given in and let her have cookies for her snack instead of the stupid ants on a log or whatever that celery thing was called. Alana was clearly still reveling in the power of chocolate chip.

"And how do I play mini-golf again? If there's a purple club thingie I want it and when are we meeting Sam again?" She shot off in rapid fire succession, tugging at Kiernan's hand as he finished securing his watch around his wrist. Head angled down Kiernan gave Alana the patented father look that he might be one of the few things about parenting that he did in fact have down. "One question at a time and am I never going to be able to let you have cookies again?" He asked her as he crouched down, hitching up the sleeves on the tan zip up he was wearing.

"ONLY ONE! and no, I'm just fine with cookies!" Alana protested as she gave him the equally patented daughter look, the one that had just a little bit of a pout but finished off with the I'm to cute to argue you with smile. She did have him wrapped around her little finger. It was a painful admission for Kiernan to make but true just the same.

"I'll show you when we get there, yes you can and we're going now if you have your sweatshirt. I don't want you getting cold." Kiernan finally relented and answered all the questions that had been posed by his daughter. She smiled brightly in return and ran off to collect the sweatshirt that her dad insisted she wear. Even if he never had to be told to bring things to keep him warm. So wasn't fair. "KAY! Ready!" Alana grabbed for her dad's hand and practically dragged him from their room. Somehow she managed to keep the patience to let him lock up before he was being pulled down the hallway and down the path that led to Sam's house. She knew it well now.

Alana was a smart kid, maybe more than her father gave her credit for but that had more to do with the fact that he was still working the fatherhood kinks out and that included really knowing how much his daughter was capable of. It tended to bite him in the ass. And on that note, Alana knew that her daddy was smiling a whole lot more then he used to and that he was always smiling when he writing emails and stuff on the computer and she was pretty sure that he was talking to Sam. Now what that meant in particular... Alana didn't in fact know but she was glad for it just the same.

The pair managed to make their way into the house of fire, Kiernan gave Alana permission to run off to Sam's room and perform whatever secret knock she'd been talking about and get the woman that apparently made him smile. He just idly looked at his watch and wondered if he shouldn't have them walk down to the mini-golf just to get some of Alana's energy out... idea had merit. In the distance some sequence of knocks could be heard as Alana bounced on her toes and waited for Sam's door to open.

Where: NYC
When: Night
Who: Sam, Alana and possibly Kiernan. Who knows.

This past week had been…interesting. Actually, it really hadn’t been all that bad. Jax seemed to be in a far better mood than Sam could have ever hoped for and Manny…was well Manny so there really weren’t any surprises there. Truth be told the trio didn’t spend much time together and that was fine with Sam. As long as Jax was happy running around with her boyfriend (oooo) then that was all that mattered. It actually gave Sam plenty of time to meet up with some old friends and catch up on her HBO shows. Oh yeah, she was definitely a wild one.

It took a lot of willpower on her part not to pick up her cell and call Easton every five seconds. She missed him something fierce but the last thing she wanted to do was smother him when they had just decided to try again. And thank goodness for that or else Sam would have been drowning her sorrows in the mini bar and whatever ice cream she could get her hands on. Her ass and thighs were definitely thankful. But enough about that.

This week was definitely set up to be better than the previous. Sunday had brought the arrival of Alana and Kiernan for the two or so hours that he had between flights. Sam really tried not to let things be too awkward between them and focused more on Alana’s questions than anything else. And boy was she full of them! Nonstop chatter bug that was for sure.

The first two days they had spent together had consisted of a lot of sightseeing and shopping. Alana was growing out of her clothes again and what better place than NYC to replenish her wardrobe? It didn’t hurt that a couple of Sam’s friends were managers and even owners of clothing stores. Hello, discounts! But of course no amount of shopping could hold a candle to where they were headed for tonight.

Alana had been practically bouncing off of the walls all day and Sam was afraid that she might burst if time didn’t pass quickly enough. Fortunately she managed to keep Alana from completely losing and before she knew it, they were exiting the theater. “So, what did you think of Dora?”

Who: Kiernan and (Narrative or open - Rose want to get dirt on him? Heh)
Where: City (NOT Heaven and Hell)
When: Saturday Night



There were times, more often than they had been before... where he really hated himself. Hated that he was losing everything that had defined him slowly but surely. He was damn certain that the fucker who had made him what he was today was laughing his ass off because he'd won. Done everything that he'd planned to do and Kiernan just wasn't as strong as he'd always thought he was. Weak enough to fall right into a trap of his own making.

Talk enough shit and that shit was bound to come back and bite you in the ass. Almost literally... at least the bite part was.

It had been a full week since the last time he had gone into the city. In the grand scheme of things in the world it likely wasn't much. Only seven short days, seven sunrises, seven sunsets, seven long long nights with Alana sleeping peacefully while he paced the confines of their room. Paced and read and re-read the pages of the damn blood lust control book that didn't seem to do shit for him. School had always been easy for him, he'd put his nose to the grindstone so to speak and had always managed to excel in whatever it was he did. It wasn't happening quite like that anymore. He was all too distracted anymore. If it wasn't Alana it was the simple fact that he craved something he despised almost every minute of every day.

Did he talk to anyone about it? No. Kiernan had never been the sort to go to anyone else for anything. He'd grown up on his own and the mindset that anything else was going to see him through his days was next to impossible to change. Stubborn, yes. Stupid, yes. But at least that part of him hadn't changed. It was about the only thing.

It was late, later than he should be out. He knew that Alana's babysitter wouldn't necessarily be glad to be working late on a Saturday night. But she was kind and had taken pity on the fact that he was a single father and didn't complain too often. He almost wished she did, then perhaps the guilt of that would have had him stalking his way back up to the castle rather than making his way to the back of a bar that he would have hated to be in under any other circumstances... only now he hated it and wanted it all at the same time.

She was in the back waiting for him, a smile on her face. She looked achingly like Vivian but Kiernan did his best to forget that fact entirely. Instead he moved his way around the tables all too familiarly. Bills were slipped easily from the pocket of his black slacks and slid across the table toward her waiting hand. She knew he'd be back, it almost amused her that he fought it. It was so clear in his eyes how very much he didn't want to be here but just as clear how much he couldn't control the fact that he was. Those men that valued control were always the most entertaining to watch come back again and again. The money was placed in her cleavage, the bra she wore holding it securely as she stood up and crooked a finger at Keirnan beckoning him farther back into the bar.

He knew exactly where they were headed. It was what he'd been trying to avoid about the city for the entire length of the week. The fight he'd lost. He was truly the hypocrite he was accused of being all the time now and how he hated himself for it. But... one foot in front of the other and he couldn't seem to stop himself. Hate wasn't as powerful as he'd thought it was...

Who: Kiernan and Catalina
Where: The Kitchens
When: Tuesday Evening


You'd think he would have learned his lesson by now. But then again the first thing many people described him as (after asshole) was stubborn. It had served him well over the years to stick to his goals, to not budge on them no matter what life threw his way. Without that particular trait... chances were he'd have done absolutely nothing with his life. Though at this moment in time he wondered if that hadn't been the better option. A good woman would still be alive if he hadn't pushed for the life that he'd created for himself. But then again Alana wouldn't be here and even Kiernan wasn't hard hearted enough to wish that to be different. Yes, he had a ridiculously large soft spot for his daughter. It was going to be hell when she got to be a teenager.

But to the point at hand, his stubborness had gotten him nothing but trouble currently. His stubbornnes regarding doing what was necessary to keep himself... if not alive, from becoming a raging asshole. More so than he already was. Yes, Keirnan had a problem accepting the fact that he needed blood on a regular basis to function. He seemed to think that mind over matter could somehow make it all work out. It was clearly not working.

Alana had been with the sitter too much lately. But there was something all too disturbing about taking the term one's flesh and blood all too literally. To put it simply... it creeped Kiernan out. The logical part of his brain said that if he just kept up with the whole thing, went down to the kitchens and used the blood that they provided that he wouldn't have this problem, but he really wasn't logical when it came to his current predicament. No, he was pretty much illogical about it all.

And if you wanted to tell him that... go right ahead. But let's just say that his reception of that gem wouldn't be to welcoming. He had a bit of a problem accepting well meaning advice.

So finally, when he couldn't stand it anymore, clad in the same pinstripe slacks he'd worn earlier and white button down with the sleeves rolled up, he had forced himself down into the kitchens and pulled a bag out of the refrigerator that kept the blood and was contemplating how much it royally sucked to have to do this when ordinarily a fantastic steak would be what would cure the kind of hunger he currently had. But no... instead it was some lukewarm bodily fluid that was meant to make it into his body.

While he was there he should pick up some cookies for Alana... something to start to make up for the fact that he hadn't been around much.