The Beautiful Monster

"I think we're getting close. We were only tested once," Melina pointed out.

Elias knew that she had a point. As confident in their abilities as he wanted to be, they had only fought together once against two vampires.

Alaric had the strength of at least ten vampires, which meant that they had to up their game even more if they wanted a chance at destroying him.

"We could always try to face him," Elias replied. "When we feel ready."

He wasn't sure how great that plan was, but they could only run for so long. They were either going to get tracked down, or they would stand and fight.

He wanted to catch Alaric off guard, but he knew that would be hard since they were constantly trying to be tracked.

They would have to make the best decision that they could in the moment and hoped that it worked.

The worst part of all this was the uncertainty of everything. He never knew what was going to happen next.

"Maybe. I feel like he'll catch up to us before that happens, though," Melina said. "He's obviously making his lackies do all of the work tracking us so that he can pop up when he's ready."

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"I think we're in the clear so far. There hasn't been any weird activity," Tyler commented. "I've been watching to make sure that no one has been following us."

"I think it's a good idea to keep moving for at least another day. We can rest soon," Alyssa suggested.

"A rest does sound nice. We only have to stay a night in some random town," Melina agreed. "I'm tired of sleeping in something that moves."

"You're not used to the bed moving when we're in it?" Tyler murmured near her ear.

Melina rolled her eyes and swatted at him playfully. She sat next to him, murmuring to him as they smiled at each other and fell into their own conversation.

"Are you okay with stopping somewhere soon?" Alyssa asked Elias, her expression softening.

Elias was wary after what happened last time, but he knew that everyone needed a break. They couldn't be on the road 24/7. They were already feeling cramped up in here.

He smiled at her and nodded, willing to take the risk. If it came to a fight, he and Melina would just have to be ready. They wouldn't have any other choice.

********

As Tyler and the girls snoozed, Elias stayed up with Scott, who was tiredly searching for the nearest town to pull into for the night.

Elias sat in the passenger seat of the RV, looking into the darkness as they flew down the road.

He didn't have to stay up with Scott, but he didn't want Scott to fall asleep and kill them all.

"There. Fulton in five miles," Elias said as he pointed to an approaching road sign.

"Finally," Scott muttered as he blinked his eyes a few times. "I don't see how Tyler does this so much. It's torture."

"It's nice of you to give him a break," Elias pointed out.

Scott grunted and sat up more in his seat to help himself stay awake.

"So, you're finally discovering your powers," he commented.

Elias glanced over at him, surprised that he even wanted to talk. They didn't exactly have small talk with each other.

"Yeah. It's a long time coming. I didn't even know I could do all of that stuff," he admitted.

"There was a missing piece," Scott pointed out before glancing at Elias. "Melina."

"Well, thanks for bringing us together," Elias said, having to force his gratitude a little. He felt like Scott would use it against him or something.

They didn't have a track record of being kind to each other without some sort of string attached.

Scott nodded.

"I knew something bad was coming. If there was a chance to end it, I was going to take it before I ended up dead," he replied. "Plus, it was about time that you met your sister."

Elias was still surprised at Scott's behavior, but he decided to roll with it. He didn't like fighting with Scott, but it was their usual state.

They always found something to argue about, and it usually stemmed from Scott's competitiveness.

"I'm glad that I met her," he admitted. It took him a while to warm up to her, but that was mostly because it was such a shock having her come into his life so suddenly.

The more he adjusted, the more grateful he was that he finally met her. She was a missing piece in his life.

"Even after we barged into your perfect life?" Scott asked as he pulled off the main road onto the upcoming exit that led to a small town.

Elias frowned slightly, remembering how happy he and Alyssa were before Scott and Melina showed up.

He missed that short period of time, but he believed that he could get back to that time after all of this passed. Melina was his key to defeating Alaric and getting to that point.

"Yeah, I am," he said, seeing the lights from some businesses appear ahead of the RV. "I'm going to wake them."

Scott nodded, looking surprised as he kept his eyes peeled for a motel to pull into.

Elias made his way to the couch where Alyssa was sleeping. He brushed his fingers through her hair until she stirred. He smiled as he knelt down next to her, caressing her cheek.

"Hey, we're in town," he said gently.

Alyssa rubbed her eyes sleepily before sitting up.

"Great," she said with a tired smile.

Elias pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before walking toward the bedroom. He lightly knocked on the door to wake up Melina and Tyler.

"We're in town," he called to them, feeling the RV come to a stop. He walked back over to Alyssa. "Stay here while I scope out the place."

Alyssa grabbed his hand, stopping him in place.

"You know, you can't always expect me to stay behind. I came with you to help, not to hide," Alyssa reminded him.

Elias met her eyes, seeing that she was serious. He knew that she was strong, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to handle it if she was hurt.

He made her stay behind for that reason, but he knew that she was right.. He couldn't ask her to always hide.