The Witch From Laramie Valley

First Time

It was hard to tell how much time had passed; he just stood at the bottom of the stairs, eyes closed, soaking in the sounds and smells and the feeling of the wind and sun on his skin.

He was startled by the sound of someone clearing their throat directly behind him. Jumping slightly and looking over his shoulder, he almost couldn't believe for a moment that he'd been so engrossed in feeling all that while that his other, more predatory senses had taken a backseat. Someone – a smiling, middle-aged human woman, at that – had been able to sneak up on him, completely unnoticed.

He turned to face her, blinking in the morning brightness.

She just chuckled lightly, her gaze moving from Perry's surprised face to the door at the top of the stairs. “Is this your first time?” she asked, her voice light. There was no judgment, simply curiosity. A tone that was foreign to Perry – especially coming from a human.

He followed her gaze. “I guess so,” he murmured. First time for what? he wondered, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

The human woman's smile just became warmer at that. She stepped forward, Perry instinctively stepping back in surprise, but she didn't falter. She continued toward him, still smiling warmly, and took his hand. “It's okay,” she whispered, “I know what you are.” He stiffened, and she continued, “but that doesn't matter here. No one shuns anyone in Ireta who hasn't done something to deserve it.”

Ireta. It must be the name of this neighborhood, Perry mused. He took one last glance down the street as the woman tugged him up the stairs.

“Now, you mustn't be so nervous,” she chided him quietly. “I know that it can be a strange experience at first, but whatever ails you will definitely be cured once you've spoken to our June.”

Her words made no sense to him, but Perry nodded all the same. He didn't know what was going on, but he was anxious to see where this led him. Did this woman know the truth of the person living behind this door? Did this entire neighborhood know?

Did Perry want to know?

Sure, the night before was weird, and he couldn't explain what he'd gone through, but this wasn't his job. His job was to quell disturbances, and if anyone had been a disturbance to anyone in this situation, it was he who should be apologizing to her.

But before he could run down that train of thought, the human woman had already knocked on the door, which in turn was yanked open without warning.

She and Perry both stopped when their eyes met, and the vampire held mixed feelings about the spark of recognition that flashed in her eyes – which he just now realized were a deep green, beautifully offset by the rich russet tone of her skin. Her hair was wild, a curly mess of dark brown and auburn framing her face, still slightly damp. The water he'd heard earlier must have been her in the shower. He flushed a little at this realization, glancing away in embarrassment.

She sighed. “You, sir, are earlier than I expected.” Turning back with a confused look, Perry met her eyes again, and there was still no hostility in them. If anything, she seemed... resigned.

After a beat, the brunet moved her attention to the human. “But, Marian, you're right on time!” She stepped back out of the doorway, gesturing for the other two to come in. “Let's get you squared away, and then I'll be right with you, sir.” Once inside, Marian dropped Perry's hand, pleased with herself for reasons he didn't understand, and the other woman shut the door behind them. She gave Perry a small smile and gestured toward what looked to be a spacious but cozy living room. “Please, make yourself at home. I'll be with you in just a few.” After that, she walked off into the rest of the house, chatting with the human Marian.

Slowly, Perry moved into the living room she'd gestured to, getting a good look around. He could still hear their conversation from the other room, along with some clinking that sounded like glass or porcelain, but they were busy talking about someone named Elliott and his inability to care for himself properly.

There was a sofa with its back to the outermost wall of the home – which was also brick like the outside, a nice contrast to the other walls, which were closer to solid white. The sofa was a worn old blue that was likely a pretty sky kind of color when it was new, but now it had faded to a more pastel color, and the light and dark brown throw pillows arranged neatly in its corners looked equally well-loved. The floor throughout the house, from what he could see, was the same knotted, mismatched wooden boards from the entryway going into this room, some lighter in color and others darker. A round rug covered the floor in the very center of the living room, just a white, knitted thing that looked like it should be hung on the wall rather than laid out for people to step on. The far wall held two large windows covered with off-white, floor-length curtains thin enough to let plenty of light inside while still giving a sense of privacy to the room, and the space between the two windows was occupied by a tall, darkly stained bookshelf lined with all sorts of tomes, both thick and thin, new and worn alike. A small, wooden coffee table sat on top of the rug, nothing on it but a pile of cork drink coasters, and there were various potted and hanging plants throughout the room.

The conversation down the hall continued, and Perry tuned the women out as he sank down onto the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted. He could hear rustling now, like paper, but it seemed like their appointment was winding down. At that point, Marian the human would leave with whatever it was she came for, and then-

And then what? Perry asked himself. He stared down at the coasters on the coffee table, his eyes unfocusing for a moment as he racked his brain for answers he didn't have. Why am I here? What am I going to say?

Before he could figure that out, the women were coming back to the front of the house. Perry jumped up from his seat, a habit he was surprised to see was still ingrained into him from decades of elaborate etiquette training. He groaned inwardly, wondering if it would ever fade away.

Both women stopped when they saw him suddenly stand, and he nodded to them. Marian had a knowing look on her face, and the other woman just looked amused. They turned back to each other to finish parting right inside the entryway, and the brunet watched as the human made her way safely down the townhouse steps.

As soon as the door was closed, her face fell, and Perry realized that she was, in fact, frightened by his presence. She was just very good at hiding it. Taking a deep breath, the woman turned to face him. They stood there in silence for a few minutes, though it felt like hours. Finally, the woman crossed her arms over her torso and licked her lips, obviously nervous. “So you're here about last night, right?”

Unsure of what to say, Perry only nodded.

She let out a long sigh, stepping forward into the room and gesturing for him to sit back down. “Are you going to tell everyone about me?” she asked.

Perry hesitated, staring at her. Then he sat down on the sofa as she pulled what looked like a dining chair from the next room. She arranged it across the coffee table from Perry and sat down herself, arms still crossed over herself. She was on the defensive, he knew, not just from her body language but also the anxiety betrayed by her quickening pulse.

His next words were chosen very carefully. “I don't exactly know what it is I'd be telling.”

She stared at him, swallowing hard. “If I... If I explain it to you...” She faltered, but only for a moment. “Will you tell anyone?”

Her green eyes seemed almost pleading. It made Perry uncomfortable.

He coughed a little into his fist. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“... on what it is you're telling me.”

Her arms uncrossed and she rested her elbows on her knees, holding her head in her hands. After a few deep breaths, she shifted in her seat again, her eyes seeming resolved this time.

“What do you want to know?”

Perry's breath caught. There was the slight hostility he'd been expecting, but it was almost a bitter sound. He gnashed his teeth for a moment, thinking. “What was that last night?”

She crossed her arms over herself again, but this time not so tightly, and gave a small laugh as she tossed her head to one side. In a way, she seemed almost embarrassed. “That,” she started slowly, “was a temper tantrum. And I am really sorry about your head.”

The vampire blinked at her slowly. “A temper tantrum?”

She shrugged, her face turning a little red. “I was angry. I lost control of myself. I did things I regret.” After a moment, she met his eyes again. “Don't we all, now and then?”

His eyes narrowed at her. “You turned into a giant tree monster and flung an ogre and a vampire around like they were nothing.”

She visibly swallowed but didn't say anything.

He sat back again, contemplating the entire situation. All of this seemed so surreal – from what happened itself all the way down to her explanation.

Finally, he leaned forward again. “What are you?”

She met his gaze with a deadpan look that almost seemed angry. “I'm a Gemini. What about you?”

Perry rolled his eyes. “You know what I meant.”

She leaned forward this time. “Yeah, I know what you meant. But I'm not going to answer anything if you're just going to be rude about it.”

“Rude?” he scoffed, incredulous.

“Yes, rude.” She sat back, obviously upset. “I mean, you show up unannounced at my house, disturb my business, and then you ask me what I am instead of who I am. I'd say that's pretty f*****g rude.”

He was taken aback by the curse. It seemed out of place, coming from the mouth of such a petite woman. But it was enough to make him mull over her words for a moment. “You're right,” he murmured, “I apologize.”

After a moment, she blinked, calming. “I understand where you're coming from. You're probably really freaked out right now.”

Perry snorted unintentionally, but the woman only chuckled.

“Okay, let's start this whole thing over,” she said, unfolding her arms and holding out her hand. “Hi. I'm Juniper Laramie. But please call me June, I much prefer it.”

He couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him as he took her hand in his. Preferring a nickname over a longer, actual name was something he was familiar with, though he wasn't as upfront as she seemed to be. “I'm Perry Clare,” he replied softly, still smiling lightly as he shook the hand she'd given him.