Guiding Your Axe

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

dmitchell1985 — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 21:49:45 GMT

For those of you who are not watching GA Tumblr, it has come to light that there will be a sequel to AL:VH. The current publishing date is set for January 2015.

Monthly Abery Challenge — March 2014

dmitchell1985 — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 21:02:51 GMT

For the month of March, our prompt is: stalker

Since I had two responses with a suggestion and a prompt, I combined the two. Thanks go out to vampireadam and argyleheir for this month's prompt.

This is a reminder that works submitted for the monthly challenge can be anything and any rating. Please tag all posts appropriately when posting directly to the comm.

For those who use AO3, we have a collection available for posting.

Please make sure to post a link to your works (fiction, art, vids, poetry, fan mix, etc.) here so that a master list of entries will exist.

FIC: I Make You Laugh, You Make Me Smile [G, 1/1]

dmitchell1985 — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 07:17:44 GMT

Title: I Make You Laugh, You Make Me Smile
Author: dmitchell1985
Fandom: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Rating: G – adorable, mostly fluff
Pairing: Eternal Abery
Summary: The ways in which Henry and Abe make one another laugh and smile in this long life of theirs.
Word Count: 1,078
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Author’s Notes: I wanted to do something different this month and here it is. This was written for the Februrary Abery Monthly Challenge. The pictures included in the fic were all found via Google Images and do not belong to me.

______________

Abraham lay back in bed and closed his eyes as Henry described for him what it felt like to watch the sunrise over the English Channel. It had been one of his favorite ways to begin his mornings before his apprenticeship began. He had finished school the previous week and his father had secured for him the coveted position among their circle with the blacksmith. It wasn’t nearly as well thought of as the silversmith’s or even the tannery, but it was honest money and Henry could make a name for himself with his own two hands.

Henry combed his fingers through Abraham’s hair and kissed the smile that clung to his friend’s lips. He drew the outlines of scattered clouds across Abraham’s cheeks and imitated bird calls in Abraham’s ear to complete the picture. It meant more than life after death itself just to see Abraham so carefree and smiling after a long day of training outside of the house on the hill.

Abraham spun in a circle in awe when Henry removed his blindfold. He had thought his friend was mad when he suggested that they move to the Alaskan wilderness ‘just for a little while’. There would be an easier time of catching large game unaware and less sun with which to contend, but it was so very, very far from many of the things they both loved.

What was left of the Union still guided the United States where they were able and curbed the worst of the human’s missteps. But in Alaska, Abe questioned Henry’s reasoning for insisting that this was an experience that Abraham’s long life should not lack.

As he watched the dips and swirls of color reaching for them and for Heaven above, Abe couldn’t help but smile over at Henry and slide into his beckoning arms.

They were considering heading back down in the Lower 48, when Henry received word that they were needed by their allies in the Southwest. Abe couldn’t have guessed that they’d end up on an old farm in Texas, rooting out active members of the KKK. There had been more than whispers of the hate group influencing political votes and non-White voters going missing in several small towns in a large enough way that the Union summoned Abe and Henry back from their icy paradise.

Abe dreaded being back in the thick of their everlasting fight, but he knew that if he had to choose between saving the lives and liberties of the free people of this world and a few more moments of scientific wonder, there would be no difficulty choosing between the two.

Still, Abe and Henry made the best of the dirty work they been called to do. By day, they wrote letters to vampire hunters among their employ. By night, they tossed wretched members of The Klan into their own fires. And in-between, when the sun was barely setting and the moon had just begun to show her lovely face, Abe and Henry would stand side-by-side and watch the moon rise over the trees and the old cow birthing shed.

Despite the fact that they would soon be covered in blood and soot, Abe allowed himself to cherish the feeling of his chest expanding in love and admiration for the vampire that led him through what he’d felt would only be an endless hell.

Abe and Henry had a game they liked to play. During the quiet years and months where they were not as urgently needed by the Union, they liked to follow the paths of migratory songbirds across the US and down into South America. It provided them with no short sum of thrills to walk among the forests and listen with keen ears to the sounds of birdcalls and the flapping of wings.

Together, they would pick out and identify which calls belonged to which birds. When first they began, Henry always seemed to outdo Abraham at every turn. They were both familiar with the birds of the forest, but Henry’s knowledge was hundreds of years greater and was fed from a variety of forests Abraham had only dreamed of as a boy.

Even so, they always laughed together and shared awarded kisses the victor claimed at the end of each round.

It was at the end of one these kisses that Abraham spotted the bird in particular that they’d been after on this trip. It fluttered behind Henry and landed on a tree not five feet away from them. They slowly drew apart and turned toward the oak tree and gazed up at Henry’s favorite songbird, the Scarlet Tanager.

They had just moved into a new house outside of charming town in upstate New York. Henry had hired an army of contractors to fix the place up and Abe was doing his best to stay out of sight. The basement and attic did the job nicely, in turn, until it was time for Abraham to move on to his next hiding spot.

He was surprised to see that Henry had instructed the workmen to install a fully automated sprinkler unit that ran underneath the front, side, and back yards. Abraham watched from the upper floor’s windows as Henry carefully chose the grass he wanted to cover their lawn. Although Abe could clearly read the minds of the workmen and their crews, Henry’s mind was suspiciously blank as he looked over and rejected the options offered to him.

It was several days and two avoided conversations with Henry later that their lawn was finished. It seemed awfully fast to Abe, but he had already decided to leave the matter alone. Henry would tell him what he wished him to know in due time.

It took a week more before Henry pulled Abraham outside in the middle of the day. None of the work crews had shown up that day, a fact that Abraham found himself to be grateful for. He had just opened his mouth to ask Henry why they were outside in the sun, when his friend began to remove his clothes. At Henry’s prompting and jabs at Abraham’s modesty, Abe moved to unbutton his dress shirt.

When they were fully bare to any eye that might somehow see them, Henry flipped on the new sprinkler system and chased Abraham across the lawn. Neither of them noticed the slight burn of the sunlight as they laughed and ran to their hearts’ delight.

MOD POST: Monthly Abery Challenge -- February 2014

dmitchell1985 — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 17:39:07 GMT

For the month of February, our prompt is: What makes Abe and Henry laugh?

Many thanks go out to vampireadam for supplying us with our prompt for the month.

This is a reminder that works submitted for the monthly challenge can be anything and any rating. Please tag all posts appropriately when posting directly to the comm.

For those who use AO3, we have a collection available for posting.

Please make sure to post a link to your works (fiction, art, vids, poetry, fan mix, etc.) here so that a master list of entries will exist.

MOD POST: Monthly Abery Challenge -- Decemeber 2013

dmitchell1985 — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 18:08:00 GMT

For the month of December, our prompt is: holiday celebration (Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Years, Winter Solstice, etc.)

Many thanks go out to annachibi for supplying us with our prompt for the month.

This is a reminder that works submitted for the monthly challenge can be anything and any rating. Please tag all posts appropriately when posting directly to the comm.

For those who use AO3, we have a collection available for posting.

Please make sure to post a link to your works (fiction, art, vids, poetry, fan mix, etc.) here so that a master list of entries will exist.

MOD POST: Monthly Abery Challenge -- November 2013

dmitchell1985 — Sun, 27 Oct 2013 07:10:23 GMT

We're starting the November Abery Challenge a little early, since I will not be guaranteed Internet access while on vacation

For the month of November, our prompt is: What have you (Abe or Henry) most regretted losing?

Many thanks go out to vampireadam for supplying us with our prompt for the month.

This is a reminder that works submitted for the monthly challenge can be anything and any rating. Please tag all posts appropriately when posting directly to the comm.

For those who use AO3, we have a collection available for posting.

Please make sure to post a link to your works (fiction, art, vids, poetry, fan mix, etc.) here so that a master list of entries will exist.

Stay out of trouble!

FIC: I’ll Watch Over You [M, 1/1]

dmitchell1985 — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 05:23:52 GMT

Title: I’ll Watch Over You
Author: dmitchell1985
Fandom: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Pairing: Abraham Lincoln/Henry Sturges, Abraham Lincoln/Mary Lincoln
Rating: M? (There’s talk of blowjobs, but none actually shown in the fic.)
Summary: Although his heart is divided, Abraham doesn’t let it stop him from enjoying the little pleasures of having Henry in his bed.
Word Count: 353
Disclaimer: I don’t own any part of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Author’s Notes: This was written for the Abery Monthly Challenge for October 2013.

Abraham lay across the bed, watching Henry in slumber. It was the first time in far, far too long that Abraham had watched Henry this way. Most nights, he fell asleep over new legislation in the works or a trade agreement or the scraps of his latest argument with Mary. God, he loved the woman, but his nerves felt their share of torn edges with each passing day.

His only comfort was in Henry’s occasional visits, where they would talk strategy and The Union’s movements among the ranks of the Confederacy. They’d trip over their shared history and laugh about Abraham and Henry’s first summer together. Abe would find himself blushing crimson at the amusement with which Henry recalled their first night together and how nervous Abe had been. Henry had been his first everything, but he knew that Mary should probably be his last.

Still, all of the Shoulds, Probablys, and calls to duty could not seem to stop their visits. It didn’t stop the way Abe felt about Henry or the way that fire seemed to burn through his chest from the moment their lips met once the day’s work was through. He couldn’t get enough of Henry’s embrace or Henry’s mouth tight around his cock, pulling every aching part of him out until he cried out in release. The only thing in this life that bested Henry’s mouth upon him was his mouth on Henry. It was one of Abraham’s greatest triumphs to witness so composed a man fall apart under Abraham’s guidance.

Abraham was tempted to trace the outlines of Henry’s face, run his fingers over his eyelashes and down to his lips, the way he was able to do so with Mary after they’d frantically made love. He held his longings at bay with the knowledge that Henry was not only a ‘light sleeper,’ it would needlessly cast away Abraham’s opportunity to observe the seldomly seen. Perhaps he could wake Henry later with intent and a quick tongue where Henry liked it the most. But for now, this quiet moment was more than Abraham could ever ask for.

MOD POST: Monthly Abery Challenge -- October 2013

dmitchell1985 — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 03:01:48 GMT

Today's the day for our second Monthly Abery Challenge to begin!

For the month of October, our prompt is: sleep.

Many thanks go out to crazyfoolstiney for supplying us with our prompt for the month.

This is a reminder that works submitted for the monthly challenge can be anything and any rating. Please tag all posts appropriately when posting directly to the comm.

For those who use AO3, we have a collection available for posting.

But please, please make sure to post a link to your works (fiction, art, vids, poetry, fan mix, etc.) here so that a master list of entries will exist.

Have fun my lovelies!

FIC: To See is to Desire [G, 1/1]

dmitchell1985 — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 18:32:49 GMT

Title: To See is to Desire
Author: dmitchell1985
Fandom: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Pairing: Abraham Lincoln/Henry Sturges
Rating: G
Summary: A blade in Henry’s hands can slice Abraham’s concentration to shreds.
Word Count: 406
Disclaimer: I don’t own any part of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Author’s Notes: The Shakespeare quotes used are from “As You Like It” and can be found here. This fic was writing for the Abery Monthly Challenge.

Henry has the most inspirational hands Abe has ever seen, Abe decides as he watches Henry twirl the sharp blade between his fingers. Abraham’s brow creases as he pushes himself to focus on Henry’s words, and not his quick fingers that curve dangerously around the knife in his grasp.

“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool,” Henry intones thoughtfully, taking a moment to press the flat of the blade against his lips before continuing.

“The heathen philosopher, when he had a desire to eat a grape, would open his lips when he put it into his mouth; meaning thereby that grapes were made to eat and lips to open,” Henry says, his voice rises slightly on the final syllables.

A breath.

Abe watches the path of the knife as it glides along the skin of Henry’s jaw. He gaze dutifully follows its progress right up until it lands back on Henry’s lips. A slight press of pressure and then Henry is smiling at him in that way that Abraham can never fully wrap his mind around.

“Do you not agree, Abraham?” Henry asks lightly, seemingly ignoring Abe’s staring, but Abe knows better.

“Ah . . . yes,” Abraham utters blankly, floundering for any intelligent retort his scrambled brain can produce.

“And to which part do you agree?” Henry says slowly, pointedly tapping the book’s pages with the knife in his hand lightly.

Abraham’s throat goes dry just then and he knows that he is caught. He surrenders the discussion with a smile and a dip of his head.

“All of it?” Abraham offers with a repentant grin when his eyes return to Henry’s face.

Henry’s own smile appears to grow tenfold at his bashful response. He sets the leather bound copy of “As You Like It” aside, and then he’s opening his arms to Abraham.

“Come here, Abraham. I see we shall not be getting anymore reading done tonight,” Henry sighs without inflection.

Abraham’s feet move before his mind is quite ready and he stumbles over them in his haste to be as close to Henry as quickly as possible.

A laugh trickles out of Henry at his gracelessness, but there is no mocking lilt hidden within it, only amusement. It draws a smirk out of Abraham in response. Once he’s curled within Henry’s arms, Abraham finds that the laughter and Shakespeare both are already forgotten.

MOD POST: Monthly Abery Challenge -- September 2013

dmitchell1985 — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 23:45:52 GMT

Today's the day!

This is the first month that we're going to try out a general Abery challenge. The works submitted can be any length and each person may submit more than one, if they are so inclined. "Works" include, but are not limited to: fan fiction, fan art, videos, mix lists, and other media. If there is a media type that anyone would like listed for these challenges, please let me know.

For the month of September, our prompt is: knives.

Our prompt comes from our very own annachibi. Thank you, Anna!

If anyone else would like to submit a prompt, please feel free to do so.

At the end of the month, all works are due and should be linked to in the comments of this post. A master list will be compiled and posted in GA LJ and crossposted over to GA Tumblr.

Have fun and good luck with your projects. :)

MOD POST: Monthly Challenges Start Soon

dmitchell1985 — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 04:21:55 GMT

For those that don't follow or know about GA Tumblr, I ran a couple of posts gauging the interest surrounding a weekly or monthly challenge. Eventually, we settled on a monthly challenge that can be any length of fan fiction, fan art, vid, mix, etc.

The very first monthly challenge will start on September 1, 2013 and I already have our first prompt ready. If anyone has any questions, comments, or prompt ideas, feel free to leave them below or message me directly. :)

A Demon's Fate, Ch.7

annenewton — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:37:07 GMT

Title: A Demon’s Fate

Author: Annie Newton

Fandom: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (book!verse/AU)

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama, Horror

Summery: When a letter from Henry calls Abe back to his dear friend, feelings blossom. But an old enemy lies in wait, ready to destroy the Hunters’ new found happiness.

Pairing: Abery, Crowley/Henry, Crowley/Abraham, Henry/Edeva

Rating: NC-17 (overall) / PG (Chapter 7)

Warnings: Language, Violence, Disturbing Images/Concepts, Gore and Blood-Play, Graphic M/M Sexual Content, Non-Con/Rape and Dub-Con, Torture and Character Death

Disclaimer: I do not own Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter nor any characters or concepts contained within.

Word Count: 4,002 (19,815 so far)

Chapter 7: March, 1588 – Roanoke Island, VA

Twenty-two of their number had succumbed since Governor White’s return voyage to England. Ten were dead by the Celebration of Christ’s birth, and by the first real thaw of the New Year, another twelve. The loss of life came not from an Indian war party as the settlers had once feared, but from within their own encampment, from within their own souls.

A disease had rained death upon them and now, they were drowning in it.

The scourge began slowly, making the victim suffer from weakness and faint for the span of a couple of days, before finally striking him with fever and delirium, a kind of madness so frightening and total as to compel his relations to restrain him, and to leave him in isolation for fear of injury or infection to their own selves. Death came quickly after that, truly a mercy, for both the victim and the colony alike.

Doctor Crowley worked hard to remedy the situation, to fight this mystery disease and find a cure. His efforts, while valiant, were never enough. Though he had managed to slow the progress of the virus, his endeavors only put off the horrid inevitable. In the end, the pestilence claimed every man, woman and child it deigned to touch, leaving a grieving, broken family in its wake.

And that was what Edeva feared the most.

She wiped at her brow, a gesture more aimed at clearing her hair from her eyes than any sweat that may have collected upon her skin. The ax within her hands felt grimy, the handle heavy and slick with moisture. She rubbed her palms over her skirt, drying the perspiration before once again hefting the tool above her and swinging it down upon the block of wood before her. It was a good blade and it cut cleanly, cracking the piece of oak like freshly made butter.

Edeva straightened and touched her belly, breathing deeply as she tried to recover from the physical exertion. From now until the birth, her life was to be in perpetual jeopardy. Her life, as well as the life of her unborn child.

Alone with these thoughts in these quiet moments that were so rare within the walls of the colony, Edeva worried what might become of her husband should she contract the plague. She loved Henry for his sensitive nature. Among other things. And though this sensitivity manifested itself in a number of ways, one of the most prominent was a strong need to shield those he loved from harm. If the worst happened, if she should get sick, Edeva feared that Henry just might lose himself, drowning in blame for his imagined failure to keep her safe.

Bending low, she collected a few of the logs that she had just cut into a respectable armful and gingerly made her way to the cabin. She released the load just outside of the home’s entryway, knelt to stack the wood into a neat pile before stepping into the home. She inspected the simmering stew within the cooking pot while wiping her hands upon her blouse to clean them of dirt. Happy with its progress, she returned the lid and stoked the fire, the blaze crackling with renewed life.

A bit warm, Edeva propped open the hut’s door, allowing the early spring air to whisper about the room. The breeze that brushed her cheek smelled of new leaves and damp earth, the scents comforting after a long winter. But there was something else there as well, something more foul. Riding the undercurrent were the more human odors of smoke and rot.

She wrinkled her nose, turning away from the open door. Any hope of refuge from the offending smell was thwarted however, for the scent of the dried greens and ripe meat inside of the boiling pot belched fumes into her face, and her stomach contracted. A hot clamminess prickled her skin, the warmth flooding out from within. Too late she realized what was about to happen.

Rushing blindly, Edeva stumbled to the doorway, dizziness stealing away her womanly coordination. She reached the edge of the frame just as the first wave of nausea rumbled its way through her body. Leaning forward, Edeva retched up what remained of her noonday meal, combing her hair back in a desperate attempt to keep herself clean through it all. When at last the convulsions had stopped, she sank down onto her knees, exhaustion bleeding the last of her strength.

“Edeva!”

Glancing up, Edeva saw Henry running up the path to their cabin, tacky dirt splattering against his heavy footfalls as he sprinted the final distance. A blush spread across her cheeks, coloring her pallid face in chilled mortification. Ashamed to appear in such a state before her husband, she turned away, even as Henry fell to her side, breathless with concern.

“Edeva!?” She registered the sensation of Henry pulling her into his arms, felt his cautious caress as he tried to get her to face him. “What has happened? Edeva, please look at me! Are you unwell?”

“I am fine,” Edeva whispered, falling into Henry’s assuring, protective embrace. She wiped at her face, clearing the tears from her eyes and the sweat from her brow. “I just became faint, is all. Silly of me, really.”

Henry frowned. “Respectfully Eva, but I glimpsed something more serious than a dizzy spell.”

Sighing, Edeva at last tilted her head up, meeting her husband’s imploring gaze. “Really, my dear Henry, I am well. I am only suffering from tiredness, brought on by my condition.” She smiled reassuringly. “I am in good health, considering, and will bear you a strong son yet.”

The corners of Henry’s eyes crinkled as he pondered his wife’s words. “Would you think me strange if I told you that I have always found myself partial to a little girl?”

Edeva’s features softened. She stroked the side of Henry’s jaw, feeling his coarse stubble prickle her finger tips. “Of course not, my love.”

The breeze shifted, and the new course of the current blew the offending stink of Edeva’s sickness into their nostrils. Edeva screwed up her face, paling before Henry’s very eyes. With a deft kick, Henry buried the vomit under a pile of loose dirt and then stood, gently pulling his wife up with him and into his arms.

“Henry, no,” Edeva protested, as he walked her to the bed. “There are still things to do.” She glanced over her shoulder, espying the large pile of un-chopped logs. “The wood…”

“I can manage the rest of the wood. You need to rest.”

“But –”

“No, Edeva.” They had reached the edge of the cot and with the greatest of care, Henry lowered Edeva’s petite frame onto the straw mattress. He reached for a brightly patched quilt – a wedding gift from Edeva’s mother – and draped it across the slender woman, pulling it up to her delicate shoulders. “You must take care of yourself,” said Henry as he leaned down, placing a chaste kiss to her lips. “For our child.”

Edeva smiled, fatigue making her eyelids slowly flutter closed. She really was tired, and lying down only seemed to magnify her exhaustion. She felt Henry’s hands leave her and in a drowsy voice, called out his name.

“Yes, Edeva?”

“I love you.”

There was a moment’s hesitation before she sensed Henry near her again. “And I love you.”

She fell asleep knowing he that was still by her side.

oOo

Henry sat on the hard, compacted dirt of the bedside until Edeva’s breaths turned slow and deep, a signal that she was resting comfortably. He got up slowly, ghosting his lips across her forehead as he did so. After straightening her long, golden locks against the white frills of the pillow, Henry turned from his wife and headed out into the golden light of the afternoon, closing the cabin’s door securely behind him.

The ax, iron head dull against the brightness of the sun, was leaning up against the chopping block, a mound of uncut wood heaped beside it. In Henry’s absence, Edeva had managed to chop a little more than half of the day’s firewood, a fact that irritated him greatly. Edeva was supposed to be minding her health and had been instructed by both himself and Dr. Crowley to rest and to complete her chores at a slow, easy pace. Heaving an ax was exactly the kind of thing that she had been told to avoid.

With a sigh, Henry placed a block of wood upon the tree stump and grabbed the ax by the end of the handle, lifting it up to waist level. Anchoring his feet flat beneath his shoulders, Henry splayed his hands upon the ax’s belly and swung back, rotating the blade in an arc over his head and down into the wood. The split was clean, the log dividing straight down the center with a satisfying snap.

Piece after piece Henry cut, whittling the wood into smaller and more manageable chunks for him and his wife. The work was tedious, and he soon found himself easing into a rhythm that allowed reflective thought. His mind drifted to the colony and of the precarious situation they were all in. As the logs fell one by one and his muscles loosened, thoughts began to pour through him, thoughts that were not particularly agreeable.

It had been his idea to come to the New World, to leave England and everything that they had ever known. He had reached the decision in the sincere hope of improving their lives, in the belief that he could better provide for Edeva once in a land where he would be unhindered by his meager social status. As a humble blacksmith, Henry would have never been able to offer his wife a lavish lifestyle, nor would he have been allowed to climb up and out of his position as a lowly commoner.

Edeva said that she was content with this, that she did not need rank or riches to fulfill her life or her heart. She was happy with the path of her life, and of her marriage. She had told him that she was confident that the love that they shared for one another would overcome any and all hardships that they might encounter, monetary or societal. They could face anything, so long as they were together.

But he had insisted. Driven by a primal need to provide for his wife as a true husband should, Henry pushed Edeva into accepting his decision. He now feared what harm his own selfish pride would bring his family.

The situation the colony now found itself in was dire and help was long overdue. Everyday the survivors of the settlement stood watch along the island’s coast, praying to God to glimpse the sails of Governor White’s majestic ship gracing the distant horizon, and everyday all their careful and sincere appeals went unanswered. Nutritional, filling food was growing ever increasingly hard to come by and to say that their relations with the Natives were strained was, frankly, putting the situation mildly. The mysterious disease had indeed weakened them, but it was their own distrust for one another, their own animosity for their neighbors that had damn near broken them.

And now Edeva was pregnant.

Burying the head of the ax solidly into the stump, Henry paused, sighing as he gazed at his handiwork. The evening that Edeva had told him of her expectancy was the most magical one of his life. Finally! At long last he would become a father, and their family would begin to grow! From the moment his eyes had first graced upon his new wife’s ethereal beauty, Henry had longed for a baby, for a physical manifestation of their eternal love.

He had gotten his wish. Though it had taken some time, months more than Henry would have liked, Edeva was with child. But with the disastrous events unfolding within the colony, Henry dreaded what calamity might befall their burgeoning family.

Henry gripped the ax by the knob, the wood smooth and warm beneath his palm. And it would be my fault. Bracing a foot against the edge of the cutting block, he dislodged the ax with a jerk and a pull. All my fault.

The padded footfalls of leather boots against the gravelly path sounded behind him. Henry turned, squinting against the glare of the sun at the approaching figure. “Doctor,” he said by way of a weary greeting. He shifted his hold on the ax, clutching it around the shoulder for better balance as he stood facing the trim, finely dressed man before him. No matter their hardships, one could always count on the doctor to be smart and dapper.

Doctor Thomas Crowley smiled at him, a gesture that seemed more like a sneer below the black lenses of his sunshades. “Sturges,” he said, coming to a halt several paces from the younger man. He wrinkled his nose, eyeing the film of embedded dirt upon Henry’s sweat-slicked skin. “Working hard, are we?”

Self-conscious, Henry wiped a dirty sleeve across his right cheek, mopping the perspiration but further smearing the grime upon his face. “Spring may be arriving, but the nights are still cold.” He waved a tired arm at the mess of freshly cut firewood. “In light of my wife’s delicate condition, I do not wish for her to catch a chill. You understand, surely.”

“Of course, and I commend you for caring for her so. It is a rare feature, and not a fashionable one in contemporary matches.”

Henry peered at the man questioningly, unsure of the doctor’s meaning. “I love Edeva. I would do anything for her. What another man does or does not do for his own wife is his business, not mine.”

A corner of Crowley’s mouth turned upward. “As it should be.”

Narrowing his eyes, Henry turned back to his work, selecting yet another log and balancing it upon the stump. “Was there something that I could assist you with?” He swung the ax, halving the chunk of wood cleanly, effortlessly. “The night will be upon us soon, and I have much yet to do.”

“Ananias has contracted the disease.”

Henry froze as he began to reach for another bit of wood. Slowly he stood, straightening his back and letting the smooth handle of the ax slide through his fingers until the head came to rest upon the earth with a gentle thud.

“He took ill earlier this morning,” Crowley explained to Henry’s backside. “It came upon him rather quickly. I have him isolated within my cabin.”

A death sentence, Henry automatically understood. In recent weeks, Crowley’s own living quarters had been transformed into a makeshift hospital, equipped with multiple cots and what little medical instrumentation the camp could salvage from their meager supplies. Once a colonist began exhibiting symptoms of the sickness, he or she was quickly removed to Crowley’s home, a tactic used more for censorship than out of concern for the health of the other colonists. Fear was already rife throughout the settlement and keeping away any unnecessary panic was of the utmost concern; the people did not need to witness the agonizing death of their neighbor.

With a breath, Henry braced himself. “What of Eleanor and little Virginia?”

There was a pause before Crowley spoke, a delay that set Henry’s teeth on edge. “Both mother and child appear to be healthy. As far as I can ascertain, neither one of them are sick.”

The blacksmith bowed his head, his shoulders dropping a bit in obvious relief. “Praise God,” he whispered, his words barely audible above the cool wind.

“I was informed that your wife spent some time with Mrs. Dare yesterday. Most of the evening, in point of fact.”

Facing the doctor once more, Henry bore an expression of quizzical concern. “That is correct.”

Crowley’s jaw stiffened and his lips pursed in agitation. “Has she shown any signs of sickness? Fatigue or irritability, perhaps?”

Henry’s feet shifted upon the loose ground, his brow creasing as he thought. “Uh, no,” he began, his eyes flicking back to the closed door of the cabin. “No, she has not.”

“You do not sound too sure of yourself, Henry,” said Crowley, with a tilt of his head. “Are you certain?”

“Yes, I am quite sure. My wife has been feeling the ill effects of her condition as of late, but nothing out of the ordinary.”

The doctor hesitated, his black spectacles reflecting Henry’s nervous image. Though he could not see Crowley’s grey eyes, Henry swallowed thickly, uncomfortable under his intense gaze. Time began to stretch, Crowley as still as a rock and Henry as uneasy as the spring winds. Finally, to dispel the strange moment, Henry cleared his throat and motioned to the door behind him. “Edeva is sleeping at the moment. I would allow you to see her, otherwise.”

The corners of Crowley’s mouth turned into what Henry could only label as a frown. His anxiety deepened and, bewildered, Henry took a careful step backwards. Oddly, Crowley smiled at this, his amusement presenting itself within a hearty chuckle that left Henry feeling more baffled than before.

“Well,” Crowley said, once he had recovered from his episode, “regardless, Edeva will surely take the news of Mr. Dare’s illness harshly. May I trust you to keep a watchful eye upon her, Mr. Sturges?”

Henry’s lips tightened and his brows were brought together in a severe curve. “Of course,” he said slowly, the words almost a question upon his tongue.

Nodding his head, rather offhandedly, Crowley grinned again. “Very good.” He turned, strolling into the intense late-afternoon rays of sunlight. “You enjoy your evening, Henry,” he called over his shoulder. “You with your pleasant wife.”

Only when the doctor was a good ten paces away, did Henry realize that he had once again taken hold of the ax.

oOo

“You what!?”

Henry grimaced, his face scrunching up at his wife’s shrill words. “He is a doctor, Edeva,” he began warily. “If you had been awake, I would have thought it best for him to have seen you.”

Glowering at her husband, Edeva sat back into her chair, the steaming stew in front of her sitting unwanted and forgotten. “I do not wish for him to touch me, Henry.”

“Nor would he have, Edeva.”

“Nor do I wish for him to see me.”

Pushing his bowl to the side, Henry took a deep, steadying breath. “Edeva, I think you are being a bit unreasonable.”

“And I think that you are associating yourself with the Devil, Henry.”

Henry paled at her foul insult. “To say such a thing is mutinous. Do not speak that way outside of this home.”

Edeva leaned forward, a defiant gleam within her emerald eyes. “Do think it a coincidence that death circles him and yet he is left unscathed by its claws? He is complicit in all of this. He always was!” Her voice raised a notch, becoming almost a hiss. “He is a witch-doctor!”

“Enough, Edeva!”

Edeva closed her mouth, clenching her jaw so tightly that the muscles on the side of her face twitched. She stared at Henry a moment before gracefully, almost casually, she stood from the dinner table and walked to the fire. Halting before the roaring flames, Edeva slouched, keeping her back to her husband. “You never have believed me in this, Henry,” she murmured, voice merging with the crackling of the blaze. “You never have taken my side.”

“Because it is blasphemous. Thomas Crowley is of good standing. If we were still in England, your slander could bring the law down upon us.”

“But we are not in England,” Edeva whispered, “are we? We are in a foreign land with strange peoples, governed by even more mysterious natural decrees.” She turned to face Henry and expression held not anger, but instead a deep sorrow. It was a look that bore defeat, which recognized loss. “Our old traditions no longer apply. We are on our own here, Henry. And we must make our own way.” She paused, locking Henry with a steel gaze. “Keep our own families safe, no matter the penalties.”

Henry gaped at his wife, muted horror registering in his eyes. Her words seemed to cut deep within his consciousness, driving far into his heart where his greatest fears lay naked and exposed. And Edeva knew this well.

“I am sleepy,” she sighed, rubbing her temples tiredly. Edeva strode to the bedside, slipping her dress over her fine shoulders. “I will go to bed, now.” She sank into the mattress, blowing out the candle that sat upon the rickety table beside the bed before pulling the colorful quilt up to her throat. “Goodnight, my dear husband.”

-O-

Henry sat at the head of the dining table, the dancing flames from the cooking fire the only source of light within the darkened cabin. He was utterly motionless, considering Edeva’s words as they ran through his mind again and again.

She had known precisely what to say, and how to voice it clearly enough to play to Henry’s sense of gallantry. Or – and perhaps more likely – to his imagined list of faults, chastising him for failing to recognize a potential threat to his young family.

He had to give her credit, for it had worked exceedingly well.

There was something not quite right about Thomas Crowley. The man was off; there was no way around the fact. It was also true that he had a special way with the sick. Though he had not been able to cure the disease which ravaged their community, Crowley somehow understood the virus more than any other soul on the island. Though this could be explained away due to his profession, there were those within the settlement who wondered at his knowledge, at is uncanny ability to not only anticipate the virus’s growth, but to remain untouched by it as well.

But were these oddities enough to damn the doctor?

Henry sighed, closing his eyes to the flickering firelight. Edeva was distressed, angry and saddened by the news of her best friend’s husband falling ill just his very day. It was possible that this heartbreaking development, combined with her natural animosity for the doctor was what fed her earlier outburst. If this was in fact the case, her mood should return to normal after Ananias’s death, after a proper period of mourning.

But there is something odd about Crowley, Henry mused, remembering the encounter he’d had with the doctor that afternoon. The revelation was not a recent development. Henry had sensed a strangeness about the man for some time now, though that peculiarity had never before set his teeth on edge quite like earlier. He felt a dual purpose to the doctor, an ulterior motive behind his statements and actions. What exactly that hidden drive was concealing, Henry could not be certain.

Finishing his drink, Henry stood, untying the laces which held his shirt securely to his shoulders. His mind was weary and his muscles felt rubbery and drained from some of his chores earlier in the day. The idea of sleep soothed him and the bed summoned his body like a siren. The mystery of the doctor could wait until the morning, when both he and his wife could discuss the matter more thoroughly and openly.

He lifted the quilt, gently lowering himself flush against the sleeping form there. Edeva moaned, sighing as her husband’s heat warmed her backside and his arm cradled her bosom. Henry lay still for an endless moment, fighting off slumber for as long as he could in order to breathe deeply of the smell of her hair. The scent of honey caressed him and though he tried to resist, he soon found his consciousness falling into the calming void between the worlds.

That was precisely when a terrified scream punctured the night, causing Henry to sit up, instantly awake and alarmed.

Author’s Note: Wow. I cannot tell you how hard this chapter was for me. I know I’ve said that before, but this chapter takes the cake. If the chapter feels jumpy and/or disjointed, that’s because I changed my mind about five times what I was going to have happen in it. I’m not happy with it at all, and I even though about trashing it completely and jumping into what is going to turn out to be chapter 8. I convinced myself not to, because there is a purpose to this chapter, believe it or not.

It is what it is. I barely edited it, so if there are mistakes, I apologize. I was just so tired of it, bored with it, I rushed getting it done so that I could post it and move on to chapter 8. I have the chapters 8 and 9 already planned out and believe me, I’m chomping at the bit to get them started. I promise you, you will not have to wait another 3 months for an update.

I want to thank all of you who have left all those wonderful reviews for me. You know who you are :) Please keep them coming, because you have absolutely no idea how much they inspire me. Thank you!

Abery fluff coming soon! ;)

One more thing: please note the change in the trigger warnings and pairings above.

Till next time we meet.

Fic: To Forgive, Divine, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Abe/Henry, R

beren_writes — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 07:20:32 GMT

Title: To Forgive, Divine
Author: Beren
Fandom: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (movie)
Pairing: Abe/Henry
Rating: R
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Seth Grahame-Smith et al. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warnings: semi-explicit sex, possible spoilers for the whole movie
Summary: Abe will never forgive Henry, never...maybe.
Author's Notes: So I started writing this for the latest porn battle, but the sex seemed too minor and so I didn't finish it. Now I have :). Thanks to Soph for the beta.
Word Count: 1,625
Link: To Forgive, Divine

The Abery Facebook Fan Club

annenewton — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:25:13 GMT

Shared this with the Tumblr gang a couple of days ago, and now doing so here...! Introducing the Abery Facebook Fan Club! I don't know who made it, but whoever you are, I love you! :D

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Abraham-Lincoln-Henry-Sturges-Abery/431304720279723

A Demon's Fate, Ch.6

annenewton — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:11:34 GMT

Title: A Demon’s Fate

Author: Annie Newton

Fandom: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (book!verse/AU)

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama, Horror

Summery: When a letter from Henry calls Abe back to his dear friend, feelings blossom. But an old enemy lies in wait, ready to destroy the Hunters’ new found happiness.

Pairing: Abery, Crowley/Henry, a bit (a teenie, weenie little bit) of Crowley/Abraham, Henry/Edeva

Rating: NC-17 (overall) / PG (Chapter 6)

Warnings: Language, Violence, Disturbing Images/Concepts, Gore and Blood-Play, Graphic M/M Sexual Content, Non-Con/Rape, Torture and Character Death

Disclaimer: I do not own Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter nor any characters or concepts contained within

Word Count: 5,515 (15,813 so far)

Chapter 6: A Minimal Safe Distance

Henry would not tell Abe where they were heading off to, other than they would be going ‘away.’ Abe began to wonder if Henry even had a specific destination in mind or was, in point of fact, only fleeing, attempting to put some distance between them and any potential danger which might be lurking in the shadows

Abe had offered to help, to assist Henry in his frenzied packing of supplies for their journey. But his friend had declined, practically shooing Abe out from under his feet and back into a corner. Abe stayed there for a bit, watching from the room’s edge as Henry rushed to and fro, gathering various things into neat little piles that only he seemed to understand the arrangement of. He thought he had grasped Henry’s system after a while, and so moved to lend a hand at sorting the gear upon the kitchen table. A not-so-subtle growl from deep within the vampire’s chest made Abe reconsider this action.

Taking the hint, Abe finally retreated into the dim library, leaving Henry to do what he wished. He nibbled on a cut of cold turkey left over from the night before as he browsed the shelves, reading the titles on the spines as they flickered in the lamplight. Henry had added to his collection since the time of Abe’s last visit, and the young man espied a variety of new books, mainly from across the Atlantic. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus written by – and here Abe quirked his brow – ‘Anonymous’; The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo; A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

A volume bound in clean, white leather caught his eye. It was slim, compared to those surrounding it, but as Abe flipped through its crisp pages he noted how tightly the words were packed upon the paper. He found it a bit odd that no lettering graced the cover and so he turned to the front, looking for the title page. There, scrolled in bold, black ink across the cream-colored parchment were the words Sense and Sensibility written ‘By A Lady’.

As Abe glanced through the book, it became clear that the narrative was about a woman, written by a woman. But really, Abe did not mind this fact. In his mind, a good story was a good story, regardless of the gender of the main character or the author. And if Henry had included this Sense and Sensibility into his personal library, then it must be an enjoyable read.

A plush, Victorian sofa was pushed against the far wall, a lamp resting upon a table situated by the lounge’s side. Reaching out, Abe turned up the wick, bathing the furniture’s tufted, burgundy velvet in a rich, yellow glow. After unfolding the rabbit-fur throw from the back of the couch, Abe reclined himself into the cushions, draping the blanket over his lower body and tucking the soft pelt beneath his legs.

Glancing in the direction of the doorway, Abe saw the movement of Henry’s shadow, ghosting across the grey stone of the dining room walls. Quiet thuds and thumps met his ears, the sound of metal knocking against wood. A minute passed, Abe taking comfort in the ambiance of his surroundings, in this moment in time, before nestling in to read.

The family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex…

oOo

“Abraham?” A hand touched his shoulder, nudging him gently. “Abraham.”

Abe stirred, blinking his eyes awake to the light of the din. Henry was kneeling before him, the white book clutched in one of his hands, the other resting lightly upon Abe’s forearm. The vampire gazed at him keenly, eyes soft with adoration. His stomach fluttered briefly. How strange, thought Abe.

“I fell asleep,” Abe said, a yawn muffling the words.

“Yes.”

“Did I snore?”

The corner of Henry’s mouth quirked slightly. “A little.”

From the kitchen, Abe detected the sweet aroma of freshly prepared food. He arched, stretching out his long form. “Breakfast?” he asked, frowning as his neck cricked

Henry stood and helped his friend up off the sofa, steadying the man as his knees wobbled, “There are hotcakes waiting for you.” When he was sure that Abe could balance himself on his own, Henry made to return the book upon the shelf, sliding it into its designated place. “The horses are packed and ready. We should leave at first light.”

Though it was difficult, Abe managed to stifle his groan. He truly understood their predicament and deeply appreciated the fact that Henry was pulling up stakes solely on his account, to keep him safe. But honestly, at that moment, nothing would have brought him – not to mention his muscles – more pleasure than bedding down for a few more hours of shut-eye

“It is imperative that we remove ourselves from prying eyes as quickly as possible,” said Henry, perhaps sensing Abe’s lack of enthusiasm. Well yeah, vampire. “Believe me Abraham, in instances such as these, every hour counts.”

Accepting this fact – albeit reluctantly – Abe nodded. He wandered into the dining area, finding the plate which sat upon the table stacked high with steaming cakes. “Roughly how far might we travel today?” The food smelled good and Abe dug in, greedily

“I am hoping for us to make fifteen miles before sundown.” Henry had followed Abe into the kitchen and now busied himself with putting away the larger pots and pans into the wooden cabinets. “Perhaps more if the horses remain fresh and sound. They will be transporting a lot of weight, so we will have to be mindful of their comfort.” He closed the stove’s damper, snuffing the fire for the duration of their absence, however long that would turn out to be.

“Duck will endure, I assure you,” Abe said around a mouthful of food. “It’s that mare of yours that you should concern yourself over.”

Henry raised a brow. “Do tell.”

“Well,” Abe shrugged, swallowing in a rush. “She has two white feet.”

A small scowl turned Henry’s mouth. “I see,” he drawled, voice dripping with playful condemnation. “Your Duck? He is rather small for a colt, is he not? It surprises me that you had him castrated.”

Abe choked. “Hey now!” he squeaked when he could talk clearly again. “There is nothing wrong with Duck’s size! He’s just as big as the average horse, maybe more so; he only looks small because your mare is built like a banshee.”

“Yes,” Henry nodded, feigning seriousness, “it is all Danseuse’s fault.”

“And besides,” mumbled Abe as he forked the last of the hotcakes into his mouth, “I did not castrate him. He was already gelded by the time I purchased him.”

“And a fine purchase he was,” said Henry with a dip of his head. Abe shot him a look. “No, no I say that in the utmost sincerity, Abraham. He is a fine animal, sturdy and stout of heart. He will serve you well.”

“Duck is grateful for your praise.” Picking up a glass of cool water, Abe put it to his lips, “He thinks.”

Henry pushed off the wall from which he had been leaning, “You finish here, Abraham, and then get ready. The air is cool, so I suggest you dress warmly.” He began mounting the staircase, “I will return shortly.”

“And then we will leave?”

“And then we will leave.”

The wooden chair groaned as Abe pivoted within the seat. “You do know what makes Duck so sturdy of a horse, right?” he called up the steps after the vampire, his voice high and taunting. “He has no white feet!”

Allowing the trap door to close with a definitive slam, Henry stood within the false cabin and shook his head. He tried to stifle a chuckle from rumbling within his stomach, but failed at it miserably. Of course, it was not like he tried too hard, really.

He stepped outside into the cool, pre-dawn gloom of the new day. The stars had already faded and the moon had long ago set, leaving what remained of the night incredibly dark and gloomy. This did not matter to Henry. His vision was just as clear and sharp as in the bright light of the day; perhaps more-so.

The horses were waiting beside the paddock fence, their backs piled high with the equipment that the two men would need to find and begin a new settlement; tools, cloth and skins and yes, weapons were included in the mix. Abe’s ax was there, strapped to Duck’s side and hanging at the ready. Danseuse would be carrying her share of arms as well: one Kentucky long rifle within its well oiled, leather sheath and two flintlock pistols, one of which Henry now holstered at his waist. There were many dangers out on the frontier, and only a few of them had four legs. Protection for himself, and particularly for Abe, was a priority.

But there was still one weapon Henry had yet to pack.

Off to his right, the barn sat within a lonely shadow, the faint, flickering glow of a lantern burning in-between the gaps in the boards. Cinching his coat tighter, Henry made his way into the stable, ensuring that the door locked securely behind him.

oOo

Henry found Abraham in the library. The man was standing before the wall of books, looking upon them with a forlorn air and longingly running his fingers across the spines. As Henry entered the room, Abe threw him a glance, his eyes conveying the great sadness he felt at abandoning such a collection of invaluable knowledge

ldquo;If it would make you happy, I believe there is room enough for a couple.”

Abe paced in front of the shelves, thoughtfully considering the titles. Slowly he reached out, picking a thick volume wrapped in brown leather, and then another just as think, encased in black. Henry didn’t need to read the spines; he knew what they were by heart

Cradling the books with a tender carefulness, Abe turned to face Henry. “The Collected Works of William Shakespeare and your own compendium of world poetry.”

Henry nodded, grinning fondly at the young man. “Fine choices, Abraham. Very fine.” He stepped clear of the doorway, motioning for Abe proceed through. “Shall we go?”

The morning air was indeed cool, just as Henry had said. The wind blew with the promise of winter, causing the browning leaves still within the trees to quiver and shake. The sun was just peaking upon the world, ridding the valley of its murk. After mounting, Henry steered his mare west, Abe following at a close distance. Henry never saw the look that Abe threw over his shoulder back at the cabin; an expression of loss and respectful remembrance for all of the memories the young man was leaving behind

The ground was soft, the previous night’s moisture having wetted the earth, padding their footfalls against their heavy burdens. They traveled slowly, maintaining the pace at a meandering walk to ease the horses’ journey. Talk was kept at a minimum, a tactic used to both conserve energy and conceal their movements. Abe didn’t mind, really. He took the opportunity to enjoy his surroundings, listening to the wind brush over the land and the animals chattering in response to their presence.

The miles steadily passed. They moved in the valleys nearly exclusively, only climbing the treacherous hills when absolutely necessary. When this occurred, they would dismount and lead the horses on a zigzag path up the tiny mountains, taking care to select the easiest route. Creek bed crossings were another slight complication. Those who were dry created a hazard in that the loose stones wobbled precariously under the weight of the animals, threatening to shift at the wrong moment and cause the horses to founder; they took to guiding the horses across those as well. The larger ones, the ones still flowing within their banks, were, fortunately, shallow enough to not have to worry about the swiftness of the current, and the cool water worked to soothe the tiring hooves of their mounts.

When the sun was high overhead, indicating midday, the travelers finally stopped to rest. Abe removed his feet from the stirrups, stretching his cramped legs before swinging out of the saddle, landing harshly upon the packed earth. He unsnapped Duck’s bit and loosened his girth so that the gelding could eat and have some comfort. The bay snorted as Abe patted his neck, swishing his tail in annoyance before lowering his head to graze. Hungry, Abe rifled through the packs strapped to Ducks side until he found a wedge of cheese and a hunk of bread, food that Henry had so graciously prepared for him.

Glancing over Duck’s withers, Abe spotted Henry across the clearing, tending to Danseuse. Henry was holding a slice of dried apple in front of the mare’s nose and as Abe watched in wonder, the horse lipped at the man’s palm, grabbed the treat and munched eagerly. Henry stroked her face, brushing her forelock from her eyes before turning to meet Abe’s gaze, flashing a knowing smile.

Caught off guard, Abe smiled back, nervously trying to hide the strange heat rising in his cheeks. He busied himself with his meal, wandering to a stand of trees, finding one whose bark was not too coarse and sat down, leaning back onto the trunk with a tired sigh. Henry soon joined him, twirling a leaf, bright red and full of veins, between his fingers. For a while, they relaxed in comfortable silence, allowing the minutes to pass in a steady stream of music from their surroundings.

“I am sorry.”

Abe looked at Henry, startled at the suddenness of his words. “Why for?”

“I am sorry for not informing you of Crowley’s letter.” Playing with the leaf, Henry hesitated. “I should not have hidden it from you. I should have trusted you to come to your own decision then, at the time. And I am sorry that I did not.”

“You had your reasons, I’m sure,” Abe intoned slowly. When Henry remained silent, Abe took another bite from his bread, gazing into the blue sky with a note of abjection, which he was quick to quell. Abe knew there was something that Henry wasn’t telling him; it was plainly obvious. He truly desired for his friend to share this trouble with him, to extend the trust between them to include whatever dark secret that Henry felt the need to hide.

Abe generally understood the other man’s guarded nature. As a vampire, Henry surely had accumulated many secrets over his long existence. There were things that Henry would probably never tell him, burdens that he would carry within himself until his very end. Though he respected this condition of their relationship, a part of Abe regretted that it had to be so. He longed to offer his help, yearned to share in the story of Henry’s life, the good and – inevitably, because Abe would be a fool if he believed that his immortal friend had always been like his present, docile self – the bad. He desired for Henry to include him, and he desired to be desired, in that fashion.

But it was clear that Henry was not yet ready for this...this transition.

Not yet

Abe sighed. “My answer would have been the same, regardless,” he said, trying to reassure Henry. “So in the end, it turned out not to matter.”

Henry nodded once. “Thank you.” He stood, letting go of the leaf and extending his hand. “We should be on our way.”

They continued with their journey, the scenery blurring around them. As the day progressed and the sun began to wane, washing the sky of its color and staining it to a toneless gray, Abe turned up his collar, nestling into the wool coat as best he could. The air was turning cold, biting at his flesh with the apparent hunger of a predator. He shivered; the coming night would be chill.

Abe worked hard at hiding his growing discomfort. His back ached from the unyielding seat of the saddle and his thighs felt as jelly, the muscles tired from the tension of gripping Duck’s girth. Duck, for his part, seemed to be handling the miles well enough, his ears pricked forward with endless curiosity and his gait bouncy and unwavering. Abe patted his neck. Good boy.

When there was perhaps an hour of useable daylight left, Henry signaled a halt. They were within a wide clearing, the earth thick with grass and the air alive with the rippling of a nearby stream. “We will camp here for the night,” he said, turning in the saddle to face Abe. “I am sure that you are ready for a rest.”

The travel-weary, weather-pinked face that met the vampire was nearly comical. Abe glared at Henry as the other man barely concealed his smirk beneath the folds of his coat’s collar. “An endurance rider, I am not,” Abe intoned slowly, dangerously.

“Forgive me,” Henry said in a rush, not daring to look upon the annoyed expression of his companion for fear of laughing aloud. “There are times I forget how trying a whole day in the saddle can be to…,” he paused, searching for the right phrase. “Well, to a body.”

Mumbling something under his breath – Henry would later swear he perceived a “damn” and a “vampire” – Abe carefully leaned forward, gingerly swung his leg over Duck’s back, and dismounted. Rather awkwardly. He clutched at the saddle’s horn as his knees wobbled, desperately hoping that he wouldn’t fall down and make a fool of himself. As he straightened, his back popped loudly, the pain throbbing steadily up his spine. His limbs tingled as the blood rushed through them again and his head swam with the sudden change in bodily posture

Behind him, Henry was hard at work stripping Danseuse of her gear, taking extra care with the miscellaneous packs tied to her back. His movements were fluid; Abe could detect no sign of stiffness, no hint of any ache. His eyes narrowed with annoyance. “You could have the decent courtesy to at least act a little bit sore, Henry.” A soft giggle from the vampire was all that was afforded to him in answer.

They set about making camp for the evening. As Henry took charge of unpacking the horses, Abe went to gather firewood. Henry explained to him the general size and shape of the various sticks that they would need in order to erect their tent and after a couple of tries, Abe was finally able to find those that satisfied Henry’s fancy. While his friend got to work on their shelter, Abe built a fire, ringing the blaze with a collection of stones from the nearby creek. He drove a pair of forked sticks into the ground on either side of the fire, placing a much longer, stouter sick within their cradle to hang over the flames. So they could both enjoy some tea, Abe retrieved a cooking pot from among the gear scattered upon the ground, captured some creek water and set it to boil

By the time large bubbles rolled from the bottom of the cast-iron pot, they were at last settled for the night. The sun had long since dipped below the hill to the west, leaving the sky drained of enough light for Henry to safely remove his glasses. As Henry brought over a bit of hardtack and cheese, Abe removed the pot from the heat for it to cool. Earlier, Henry had placed a well-rounded log beside the fire and now the two sat on it together, enjoying their first precious moments of rest after a long day.

Abe chewed at the hard bread, closing his eyes in pleasure as the warmth from the blaze caressed his skin, easing the tension from his muscles. He took a long, deep breath in through his nose, held it for a stretch, then let it out in a throaty sigh. Slowly, his consciousness began to slip into a netherworld, the sounds and the sensations around him muted by the comfortable tranquility…

He became aware of a pair of eyes upon him.

Startled, he turned his head, meeting Henry’s gaze with an abashed grin. “I guess I am tired,” he said in response to the look of interest Henry was giving him. “It was a long day.”

Henry nodded, smiling in sympathy. “I understand. And all humor aside, I am sure this day was difficult for you.” Adding the leaves to the cooling pot of water, Henry stirred until the tea was rightly seasoned. “Tomorrow will be just as arduous. You should consider going to sleep early.”

“Oh, no,” Abe shook his head, finishing off the hunk of cheese with a lick to his fingers. “Thank you, but I do not need to be sent to bed as if I were a child,” he said, mock resentment coloring his tone. His brow creased in sudden concern. “How far will we ride tomorrow? You know, just out of general curiosity.”

“Roughly as far as today.”

In a rush of air, Abe’s chest deflated, his expression falling like a stone.

“Here,” exclaimed Henry, with enough vigor to induce a roll of the eyes from Abe. He handed the hunter a cup, the tea steaming in the cool air, “Drink up. It will warm your weary bones.”

They talked as dusk descended into night, the forest transitioning to the world of the nocturnal. With excitement, Abe shared his impressions of New Orleans, a city like no other he had ever before seen. The hustle, the bustle, the busy people and the loud music and the mixed culture of a land far off and yet incredibly close. Henry listened with rapt attention, taking delight in the profound wonder of his friend. It had been a long while since he’d been south and my, had the land changed.

As their mutual laughter filled the darkness, chasing away imagined demons and real woodland dangers, Henry found himself easing into a state of contentment he had not experienced in ages. Even with the danger Henry knew they were in, Abraham had a way about him to always make him feel at ease. It was a gift he admired of the young man, and found peculiarly alluring.

It made Henry feel as if he belonged; like he had at last found someone who, despite their base differences, completely understood him.

Henry frowned. That’s not true. As pleasant as his previous thoughts were, Abraham only understood him as far as Henry allowed the young hunter to understand him. There was much that Abraham did not know about his vampire friend

Nor can he. Not ever, no matter what may happen.

And if these things, by chance, would ever become known to Abraham, Henry would lose him. He was sure of it.

“Henry!”

Henry jumped, startled by the shout. Abraham was watching him intently, a strange look upon his face. He seemed unsure if he should be amused or concerned about his friend’s distraction. “Sorry. What did you say?”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I am well.” Flustered, Henry poked at the fire with a long, pointed stick, sparks taking to the air with a crackle. “What was it that you said?”

Abe furrowed his brow, studying Henry’s half-shadowed face by the orange glow of the flames. “It appeared you wandered off for a moment. Where did you go?”

“I did not go anywhere, Abraham. I was right here.” Another pop from the fire, a hint of finality. “I am right here.”

It was a lie, a deflection. Abe swallowed, mystified by Henry’s sudden change of behavior. Their evening up to this point had been very pleasant, and now abruptly, was no longer. Something was wrong, and damn it all, he wanted to help fix it!

nbsp;

But he could not. Not until Henry let him in on whatever mystery was upsetting him.

Abe finished his tea, wrapping his coat tighter against himself as stood, the breeze brushing lightly against his skin. “I said, it is time for me to turn in. If tomorrow is anything like today, I will need all the rest I can catch. Goodnight, Henry.” He turned from the campfire and walked to their tent, patting Duck’s nose as he went by the sleepy, tethered horses. The gelding nickered into his palm, his heated breath billowing into the dark.

The tent was of a comfortable size, big enough to shelter the two of them and their most precious gear, if bad weather threatened. Abe found his bedroll, unrolled it, and – only removing his coat – nestled into the padded wool lining. He thought for a moment before getting up once again, making a grab for the rabbit throw and draping it across his sleeping bag. Finally, he settled down, laying his head against the seat of his saddle for support. The stars shone above him, twinkling like shards of ice upon a black, eternal river

He closed his eyes, pulling the cover up to his chin and breathed deeply of the frosty, woodland air.

“May I join you?”

Blinking his eyes back open, Abe espied Henry just outside the tent, kneeling in the dirt. The vampire looked tired, his eyes drained of strength. “Of course,” Abe said, his voice thick from sleepiness. He rolled over as Henry entered, giving his friend enough space for his own bedroll. “You need not ask.”

Opening his bag, Henry laid down, reveling in the insulated warmth of the material. His body was cooling, the blood he’d taken the week before beginning to lose its vitality. He would have to see to that, before too much longer.

But not yet.

Beside him, Abe was snuggling back into his cocoon, hiding his face under the fur blanket. His back was to the vampire, and Henry watched his shoulders rise and fall in concert with his breath. “Abraham?”

The man made a noise of acknowledgement, more grunt than actual words. He was slipping fast into sleep, exhaustion working its magic upon him

“Goodnight, Abraham.”

“…’Night, Henry.”

Within minutes, they were both sound asleep.

oOo

Abe awoke slowly to the sweet, earthy smell of roasting meat. He opened his eyes, finding that the sun was only beginning its ascent into the world, starting the day with a beautiful show of orange and pink. With a great yawn, he stretched, unfolding his long limbs from the tangle of his bedding. It had been a good night, his sleep deep and restful.

“Good morning.”

Henry sat by the fire, grasping the book of Shakespeare in a leisure hand. His glasses were at the ready, polished and placed upon his thigh for when the air became too bright. He was fully dressed and appeared to have been up for hours. “Breakfast?”

Shifting his eyes toward the fire, Abe saw what looked to be a wild hare cooking upon the spit above the flames. It had been skinned and cleaned, and the meat looked moist and brown; Abe felt his mouth water.

“I presume that to be a ‘yes,’” said Henry, with a deliberate, sly smile

He ate quickly, the juices running down his chin. Henry continued to read, allowing Abe all the time he desired. The vampire seemed to be in no real hurry to begin the day’s journey, the distance they had already traveled perhaps easing his fears pursuit. Abe was glad for this; Henry needed to relax a bit, for the sake of them both.

Finishing his share of the rabbit, Abe squatted by the fire, soaking in the last of the heat. “That was real good, Henry.”

Henry flipped a page, “I was acquainted with Washington’s chef.”

Abe turned sharply, squinting at the other man. “Washington? As in George Washington?”

“As in.”

Abe was aghast. “You knew George Washington? You fought in the War of Independence?”

“I did,” said Henry, closing the book. “More or less, that is.”

“Wha –” stammered Abe as he searched the vampire’s eyes. “Well, tell me about him! What was he like!?”

“Well, he –”

“Did you also know Thomas Jefferson!?”

“Yes, I –”

“The Adams’!? What about Benjamin Franklin!? Were you at the signing of the Declaration!? What battles did you –”

“Abraham!&rdquo

Abe shrank a little, rocking back on his heels in dejection. Henry instantly felt bad for his outburst, though it had contained no heat. “I am sorry.”

“No,” Abe gave a half smile. “I am sorry. I got over zealous.”

“That is okay,” Henry nodded. “You are young.”

“It just…” Abe looked away, tightening his lips in thought. “It just seems like I know almost nothing about you, Henry. Your past, your experiences…” His eyes met Henry’s again, crying an unspoken plea. “You are a mystery to me.”

A moment passed before Henry frowned, turning away from Abe’s gaze. For the span of two heartbeats, Abe wondered if he had gone too far, that in trying to get Henry to talk, he had crossed an invisible line that lay between them. A line not meant to be traversed. Oddly ashamed, he was about to seek forgiveness when Henry motioned for him to remain quiet.

The vampire watched the dying fire, the smoldering coals reflecting as hot liquid within his eyes. “You are correct, Abraham. You are not well acquainted with my history.” He took a breath, letting it out slowly as he came to terms with some enormous internal struggle. At last he again looked upon Abe. He smiled, though it was reserved and had a touch of sadness. “I promise you, I will tell you soon. All you wish to know, you will know before much longer.&rdquo

Abe’s relief was palpable. Finally. He smiled back. Soon, he might have the chance to help his dear friend, could have the opportunity to aid in the unknotting of whatever had bound Henry’s soul. Finally, at long last, they might be getting somewhere. “Thank you, Henry.”

Henry was still for another second before slowly nodding. With a disciplined face he slipped his sunglasses on, pushing them up the bridge of his nose until the rims were flush against his brow. Having shut the light out, and the darkness in, Henry stood, setting the book aside. “It is past time for us to vacate here. Pack up. We leave in an hour.”

The sun had topped the hill by the time they broke camp. It shone brightly, warming their backs against the autumn wind. By all appearances, the day was to be much more pleasant than the day before, a fact that Abe was immensely glad for. A fellow could only take freezing air to the face for so long, without growing irritable

The mild weather must have worked a spell upon Henry as well, for the man was bright and cheery all through the hours. Whereas the previous day had been spent in near total silence, this day bore witness to a rather chatty Henry. The talk was not in the least bit deep or philosophical, but Abe was grateful for the conversation regardless. It made him feel comfortable, at ease with their recent understanding and Henry’s pledge to be more open. For the first time since their reunion, Abe felt as if the eggshells beneath his feet had been removed, and that now, they could finally resume their friendship.

They stopped for only an hour at lunch. The terrain was easier than the day before, less hilly and rocky so that the horses need not have strained as much. The animals were enduring well and even appeared to like the physical exercise. Abe was a bit surprised by this; Duck’s previous owner had claimed the horse to be as lazy as a moss-covered stone.

After their rest, Henry slowed their pace considerably. He seemed to be pondering their surroundings, studying the land with a critical eye and mentally calculating their general position. His talk gradually quieted until finally stopping altogether. Abe allowed him his privacy, remaining silent so as to not interfere with whatever thoughts were running through his mind

Henry drew to a halt. Abe pulled Duck right alongside the vampire, wincing as the gelding stamped his hoof, jarring the bottom of the man’s spine. Though he had been surviving the day’s ride adequately enough, in the last hour, Abe’s muscles had renewed their protest with a delightful vigor. Now, as the sun was beginning to wane, Abe looked at the area with a hopeful gaze. They were within a large open space, a tall hill rising to the north and a quick stream cutting the clearing to the south. He could see that the forest was deep on the opposite bank, the trees thick and nearly impassable with unchecked growth.

“This is the place,” said Henry beside him.

“Oh good.” Abe groaned, delicately swinging out of the saddle. “Another night, another camp.”

“No, Abraham. Not another camp.”

Abe looked up expectantly.

“This is the place for our new home.”

A beat, and then Abe beamed. “Hallelujah.”

oOo

Author’s Note: (*A Christmas Carol was written in 1843, several years after this story is set in. I just wanted to include it. Sorry for any confusion.)

Well, this was certainly a long chapter. I normally don’t write chapters this long. I prefer not to. Sometimes it’s necessary, but I do try to avoid it. I worry about a casual reader being scared away by the large word count or getting bored with a long chapter

But anyway, it is what it is

I’m satisfied with this chapter, though there are a couple of weak points. I’m really not happy with the tit for tat between Henry and Abe at the beginning about their horses. I thought that was a really cute concept as I began writing it, but I don’t think it came out too well. The idea was to replicate a conversation that two modern-day men might have about their vehicles. “My car is better than your car because of x, y and z.” Hope I did alright with it.

Also, there is a myth about horses with white feet. The idea is that a white foot is more tender and susceptible to injury. Personally, I’ve never found that to be true. Others I know swear by it. Who knows?

In case anyone wants to track our boys on a map, I’m envisioning them settling down at what is now New Harmony, Indiana. Around that general area. They will be making camp alongside of the Harmony Creek, which feeds into the Wabash to the east. There’s also some big ponds around there, and I’m planning a scene or two taking place at one of those ponds. Just so you know though, I’m not from New Harmony, nor have I ever been there, and so I’m not familiar with the topography. But this is fiction, so… What the hell, right? I’m going off of Google maps.

I do want to – again – apologize for my absence and late update. There are some things going on in my personal life. Nothing too bad or anything, but it is enough to keep me away from my writing more than I’d like to be. I’m sorry. I am trying.

Next chapter is another flashback. I haven’t yet made up my mind, but it might be an R rating. We’ll see.

I’ve gotten an AO3 account. Finally. Penname is AnnieNewton.

I do love you all! I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see a new follower, favorit-er or a new review! Please, don’t be shy! If you would like to leave feedback, go right on ahead! I won’t bite ;

Till next time we meet.

MOD POST: Abery 100 Celebration -- Masterpost and Reveal

dmitchell1985 — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 01:10:08 GMT

I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone that participated (and commented on) in our first ever exchange. It is my hope that we will hold exchanges in the future with even more participants.

Without further ado, here is the master list and reveals for the Abery 100 Celebration. Please don't forget to swing by your gift and thank your gifters. :)

Danielle

Fan art for crazyfoolstiney by Gufyresthere

Touch -- a fan fic for jadina94 by Montislupus

Dark Secret Love -- An Abery Mix for Gufyresthere by crazyfoolstiney

Some men are just too interesting to die -- a fan fic for DMitchell1985 by jadina94

Finding the Reasons -- a fan fic for Montislupus by DMitchell1985

ETA: Those posting their work on AO3 now have a collection to add to HERE.

A Demon's Fate, Ch.5

annenewton — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 19:43:27 GMT

Title: A Demon’s Fate

Author: Annie Newton

Fandom: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (book!verse/AU)

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama, Horror

Summery: When a letter from Henry calls Abe back to his dear friend, feelings blossom. But an old enemy lies in wait, ready to destroy the Hunters’ new found happiness.

Pairing: Abery, Crowley/Henry, a bit (a teenie, weenie little bit) of Crowley/Abraham, Henry/Edeva

Rating: NC-17 (overall) / PG (Chapter 5)

Warnings: Language, Violence, Disturbing Images/Concepts, Gore and Blood-Play, Graphic M/M Sexual Content, Non-Con/Rape, Torture and Character Death

Disclaimer: I do not own Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter nor any characters or concepts contained within.

Word Count: 2,514 (10,298 so far)

Chapter 5: Come What May

A nearby limb snapped, the echo causing Henry to jump out of his reverie. He glanced around, wildly looking through the maze of trees with the sincere hope of seeing his wife standing close-by in the wood. Henry knew his desire was irrational, that the idea of his lovely Edeva appearing beside him was beyond absurd.

But the daydream had seemed so real. It was blessing of his kind, how the memories of the past could be so tactile and vivid. One could relive moments so brief that they passed in the period of a single blink of an eye, without any of the deterioration that happens to plague the human race. Past friends, former lovers could once again be by your side, conversing and laughing and adoring as though they were not gone. Such recollections were a source of great happiness and tremendous solace to one cursed to walk the earth forever.

However, the memories could also be just that: a curse. Though able to provide comfort in times of loneliness, the memories could very well also act as ghosts, haunting the subconscious of the mind with whispers of the forlorn past. Those murmurs of the dead were at times frightening in their ferocity, insistent in their need to be paid attention to. On occasion, messages, long since forgotten or disregarded, might be screamed through time itself.

At that moment, echoing down through the centuries, Henry thought he discerned a warning.

A bright panic pushed through his dead veins like slow moving ice. What the hell am I doing? No, Henry couldn’t allow Abraham to leave. The young hunter would be alone and vulnerable, a combination that he was positive would prove fatal, especially so if Abraham persisted with his vendetta against the undead.

Of course, Henry had no doubt that Abe would continue. The man was simply too stubborn to drop his campaign, even in the face of assured death. Too stubborn, as well as too damned good, and Abraham well knew it.

And there in laid the problem.

Henry sighed, the breath of air sounding more like a groan as it drew to a close. The word ‘good’ to describe Abraham’s hunting capabilities was an understatement, one of the biggest Henry had ever before used. Abe was uncannily proficient in the ways of killing Henry’s brethren, a natural quality that the vampire had only refined. No matter how skilled the hunter was, however, he was only human; fragile and mortal. It would take only an instant of carelessness, or a minor miscalculation in technique and a single physical blow could shatter his body. Though he was more than capable, any one vampire at any moment in time could be the end of Abraham Lincoln.

But Thomas Crowley was not just any vampire.

Besides Henry, no other soul presently walking the Earth could possibly comprehend of the cruelty that Crowley was able to bring upon those who stood in his way. If Abraham left here incessant that his fight with vampires should go on unabated, Crowley’s retribution would be immediate and severe. And it was Henry’s great fear that Abraham’s body would not be the only thing Crowley would be keen on breaking, if the older vampire got his claws on the hunter.

No.

Henry clenched his teeth as a primordial rage warmed his being to the very core. So hot was his anger that his horse danced, nervously side-stepping in an attempt to escape his seething wrath. No, he swore as he steadied the mare. He would not allow Crowley to touch Abraham. He would not allow Crowley to get close enough to defile the young man.

Not in any manner.

The question remained though: How to resolve the situation?

Abraham had been correct when he had assumed that his mentor knew more than what he had previously taught the young man. Throughout his many years, Henry had collected a wide arsenal of fighting skills as well as defensive moves, all of which could be utilized in a battle with one of his kind. He had found such knowledge to be indispensable during his younger years, and he understood that a burgeoning hunter like Abraham could make use of the various techniques.

However, those techniques demanded much more of a fighter than what Abraham was accustomed to, which was the very reason as to why Henry had neglected to instruct the man in them previously. Not only did the physical body need to be in top form, but the student had to be mature spiritually in order to achieve the full benefit of such lessons. They were two sides of a coin; one could not exist without the other.

Abraham was physically able, yes, but what about his mental ability? Had he progressed far enough to excel in a more advanced style of combat? Could he handle the rigorous training that Henry would be forced to unleash upon him?

Tired of standing, Henry’s horse lowered her head, intent upon grazing on the season’s last bit of good, green grass. Truly grateful for the distraction, Henry pulled on the reins, taking up the slack in them as she snapped back to attention, snorting her displeasure. He patted her neck, rubbing the patch of muscles just above her withers until her ears perked forward in contentment.

No, Abraham had been correct; they had to stay together. Truthfully, it was their only chance of finding a way out from this mess. And it was Abe’s only chance, period.

Henry rubbed at his brow, relieved that he had finally decided upon a course of action but frustrated as to what it was. His human friend truly did not know what he would be getting himself into, nor did he have even the slightest inkling of what he was asking of Henry.

No, for how could he?

Henry cursed under his breath. Flashing his teeth in a feral bark, he spun his horse upon her haunches, urging her in the direction Abraham had ridden off in just minutes before.

oOo

Leaves crunched softly under his horse’s hooves, the vegetation still somewhat moist and tinged with color from the fertile summer past. He followed yet another deer trail, trusting the meandering path to guide him back down the face of the hill and under the shade of the valley. From there, he would ride back to civilization, out of the countryside and away from Henry Sturges.

At least that’s what Abraham supposed he would do. If he had to be completely honest, he wasn’t really certain what his next move would be, now that Henry had turned his ever-loving immortal back on him.

Abe frowned, an odd blush coloring his cheeks as his mind replayed his conversation with Henry. Their talk had not gone well, a fact that bothered the young man immensely. He had truly anticipated Henry accepting his offer to join forces, to work together to defeat Thomas Crowley, the vampire that had stolen his friend’s life. The fact that Henry hadn’t, the fact that he had pushed Abe away, decisively away, hurt Abe in ways that were completely new to him.

Time and again he had proven himself competent in the ways of killing vampires. Henry had seen it well enough. Hell, Henry had approved of his talents and of the way in which he utilized them in fighting the undead devils. He was strong, an able fighter against those who stalk the night looking to take innocents from their families, and mothers from their children.

But it was true that he still had much to learn. Abe would be a fool if he tried to deny that fact. He knew that he could improve upon his combat skills and he was aware that his knowledge of the world’s supernatural creatures was a bit lacking. He had expected that Henry could, in the weeks and the months following, expand on his understanding of such things. Abe had hoped that Henry would tutor him, bring him under his protection like he had only five years before when Abe was but a child.

Apparently that plan was now forfeit.

But it was not just the rejection of a friend and a partner – which stung plenty enough – that had wounded the young man so badly. It was the rejection of someone that Abe held close to his heart. That pain had cut deep into his being, and troubled him beyond imagination.

His horse slipped on a rock, the grimy moss peeling wetly away from the stone under the gelding’s hoof. With a snort, the bay righted himself and Abe adjusted his position in the saddle, slightly annoyed that he had allowed his mind to wander. The pondering over his feelings could wait. Besides, it wasn’t like they mattered now anyway.

Pulling the gelding to a stop, Abe breathed deeply of the forest air, ripe with the smells of the changing season. The warmth of the sun’s glow was comforting, but the occasional strong breeze chilled his head and whipped his hair before his face in an unruly manner. Sitting there in the weather, it occurred to him that investing in a hat might not be a bad idea. Maybe when this Crowley business was over with, he would settle down to a job so he could afford such an item.

He would head into town, Abe decided. He would ride into Evansville and make inquiries after Crowley. Henry had mentioned receiving a letter from Crowley six months previous, so Abe figured it would be safe to assume that Crowley had shown his face at about that time, to ask after Henry’s whereabouts. Perhaps the question had been unique enough, or perhaps the inquisitor himself had been strange enough that the vampire just may have inadvertently made quite an impression upon the townspeople. If Abe was lucky, there might still be a couple of acute, keen-eyed citizens to help point him in the right direction, assuming that Crowley was still within the general area.

If Crowley was determined to put a stop to him, then Abe was determined to put an end to Crowley. Or at least try; come what may. Abe smiled, peeking up through the gaps in the branches to the blue sky, taking delight in the rays of light dancing upon his skin. No matter what, he would not fail her; he swore it upon his mother’s grave.

The sound of approaching hoof beats whispered to his ears. The rhythmic thumping was distant but gaining quickly, the rider seemingly purposeful in his destination. Abe shot a look over his shoulder, staring back in the direction he’d just come from, certain that was the source of the racket. He spared a glance at his ax, tied snugly to the rigging of his saddle but made no grab for it. Really though, there was only one person who would be racing through the tress after him.

I hope.

As the rider came into view, Abe could not help the beam that curved his lips, his heart alighting for a fleeting moment. He came back. Despite his happiness, Abe worked to consciously school his features as he reined his mount around, turning to meet the vampire as Henry continued to lope towards him. After what had just passed between them, Abe preferred to remain stoic before his friend.

At least until Henry revealed his intentions for returning.

Henry slowed, easing his mare into a trot and then to a brisk walk before halting her before Abe. They sat there, gazing at one another appraisingly as their mounts touched noses. Abe blinked, wishing that he could see through the dark, thick lenses that hid his friend’s eyes, to glimpse at what Henry was possibly thinking.

The wind lipped at the collar of Henry’s overcoat and fingered through his hair. “You will not waver?”

“No,” answered Abe, with strong conviction.

This did not seem to surprise Henry, who nodded to himself as if confirming a fact that he already knew to be true. He set his jaw, his stiffness in the saddle nearly betraying his in-humanness. “I cannot promise to be by your side if – when – you face Crowley. What I can promise is that I will teach you what you need to know in order to protect yourself.” Henry paused, inclining his head slightly, “I will show you how to survive.”

Abe grinned appreciatively. “Thank you, Henry.”

“No,” Henry said as he shook his head, a serious frown marring his face. “Do not thank me, Abraham. There is a good reason as to why I have yet to school you in these techniques. They are difficult and brutal. I will push you to your very limits, physically and psychologically. There is a good chance you will hate me when before we are finished.”

“Henry, hating you is not a possibility.” Abe smiled, almost sadly. “Not even remotely. And actually,” fussing with the reins, Abe gave an uncomfortable shrug, “I meant ‘thank you’ for coming back. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that gesture.”

Henry took a long breath, letting the fresh air rinse him clean of what remained of their dispute. “Of course, Abraham,” he said, his voice deep with feeling. “You’re welcome.”

They rode in silence on their way back down the hill, much like they had during their ascent earlier that morning. Unlike on that trip however, Abe now bore a smirk of confident victory, a sensation he was certain that Henry did not share in. Despite their disagreement the young man had, he supposed, gotten what he had wanted. The coming months would see the two friends spending a lot of time together, training and learning like before. Though the cause – the vampire Thomas Crowley – was serious, Abe was not dismayed; he would get be close to Henry, something that he had not realized that he had been longing for quite a while, until finally being summoned by the other man. This gave him satisfaction, a strange joy that filled his soul.

Abe’s smile grew, a twinkle in his brown eyes. He looked forward to discovering just what this newly discovered sensation meant.

It was early evening by the time the two men reached Henry’s cabin, the sun just beginning to dip below the crest of the hill they had just traversed, the lengthening shadows causing the air to cool rapidly around them. Abe dismounted from his horse, the animal eliciting a noisy groan as the hunter removed his weight from its back. He shrugged at the quizzical look Henry threw him. “His name’s Duck.”

Henry raised his brow, comprehending the meaning of the title. “Her name is Danseuse,” he offered, stroking the mare’s mane.

Taking Duck by the bridle to lead him to the barn, Abe snorted. “Seems to be a fitting name.”

“Do not get too comfortable, Abraham,” Henry warned, still atop Danseuse.

“Oh?” Abe turned to face Henry, noting the vampire’s suddenly morose appearance. “And why not?”

“Because in the morning,” Henry answered, gazing at his house, “we leave this place.”

oOo

Author’s Note: I cannot tell you how difficult this chapter was. I’ve always had an issue with communicating a character’s thought processes. It’s my weakness. But I tried right!? I faced my fear head-on!

But I do humbly apologize for the long wait for this update!!! Part of the delay was because of the difficulty I was having with this chapter, part of it was because of the political debates/election and part of it was because I was just so tired from my long days at work. But I will endeavor to ensure that such a delay doesn’t happen again!

I also want to thank all my readers, old and new, for being interested in this story! You all are my inspiration, and I write mainly for you! Love yous! Keep the reviews coming, ok? They excite me!

The Abery part of this fic will begin shortly, I assure you. *wink* But don’t get too excited; it won’t get hot and heavy for some time. But it will get all nice and fluffy real soon!

Gift for montislupus

dmitchell1985 — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 14:31:22 GMT

For: montislupus
From: dmitchell1985

Title: Finding the Reasons
Author: dmitchell1985
Fandom: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Pairing: Abraham Lincoln/Henry Sturges
Rating: R-ish
Summary: Though doubt can dog one’s steps, sometimes it isn’t enough to halt the progression of one’s feet and decide the course of one’s mind.
Word Count: 3,541
Disclaimer: I don’t own any part of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Author’s Notes: This was written for montislupus for the Abery 100 Celebration on GuidedAxe who wanted ‘internal conflict’.

PROLOGUE

Abe could hear the crackle of flames behind them as it consumed the wooden boards of Henry’s cabin. The sounds of shattering glass crept amongst the snap and pop of the fire as it sang out its certain victory and Abe pushed himself to run faster still away from the mob that pursued them.

He could not believe that he had allowed his lust for knowledge and revenge to get the better of him. He could not believe that he had allowed his curiosity and Henry to lead him astray. And, he could not believe just how easily he had given in to very things he had always been warned against.

When he looked back on this night years later, Abraham hoped he would be able to make sense of the reason why he had chosen this path.

***

Sexual deviant!

Sinner!

Pervert!

Abe had heard the ugly slurs and seen the punishment meted out to those men that lay together like man and wife. To some, there could be no baser crime than to permit a man’s lips to touch that of another man, to permit men to find any measure of forbidden comfort in one another’s bodies.

Abe had once believed as his mother and father did about the ways of men that consorted in a manner that defied the word of God. He had held their teachings to be absolute truth up until the evening he had espied two of his father’s visiting travelers behind their barn from his nightly perch. The initial disgust rose in his throat as he watched them kiss one another, while their hands fumbled in the fabric of each other’s clothing.

He wondered then if they knew that God would smite them for their unnatural transgressions against him. The longer he watched them together, the more intimate their touches became and the more articles of their clothing fell to ground to be forgotten. Their touches were so gentle, like they were afraid of hurting one another. It was a sweetness that Abe had only seen in the times that Mother and Father thought themselves to be out of their children’s sight.

Abraham had felt the first stirrings of doubt forming in his mind as he found himself helplessly comparing these strange men to Mother and Father. He wondered if it would be him that would incur the wrath of the Lord for witnessing their shame. He wondered if perhaps he, Mother, Father, and the rest of their town were the ones in need of punishment for judging men like Father’s visitors so harshly.

He couldn’t find the answers to these questions in himself and his turmoil was not lessened by turning away from the sight of one of the men sinking to his knees in front of the other. He’d pressed his eyes closed against the sight of that man’s head bobbing in between the other’s legs and the faint moans that followed in its wake.

***

It chilled him to be discovered in the same predicament by a boy no older than he had been that night not nearly long enough ago. Flustered as he was, it took Abe only moments to recognize Micah, who lived in the town nearest to Henry’s cabin. He saw the same doubt and disgust warring in the boy’s eyes that he’d felt clash inside his own chest. It was the very same doubt and disgust that he could feel trying to reassert themselves inside of him as he drew a breath, and then the next.

Henry jerked back as far as he could on his knees as he turned and met the accusing stare of the boy before them. Abe felt his body lurch back defensively at the sneer that was slowly forming on Micah’s face. The wisps of a cool breeze spread across his exposed flesh that was still slick with Henry’s spit and he hurriedly scrambled to conceal his body from view with his hands, but he knew that it was already too late.

The boy had seen so much more than Abraham had ever wanted anyone to see of him.

Abe reached for his tangled drawers and trousers as he watched Micah turn and run back the way he’d come through the trees. With the briefest glance back at him, Abe watched Henry dash off after the boy to slow him from his direct course back to town. Abe could only sigh in frustration with each slip of every button into its rightful place. He turned to give chase after Henry and his prey, but was stopped by the sight of Micah’s abandoned axe upon the ground.

In his shock to find himself and Henry caught unawares by any footfalls or twigs broken by the boy, he hadn’t noticed what Micah had been carrying or why he had been out in the furthest woods from the town. He could only guess that the boy had been searching for a fallen tree to chop for firewood when he must have followed the sounds he and Henry made no attempts to quiet. For who would possibly find them this far out in the woods in the middle of the day?

Abraham could hear the answer to their carelessness noisily stomping through the woods in a vain attempt to outrun Henry. Seeing that he had no hope for any other option, Abe knelt down to retrieve the fallen axe, sighed once more, and took off after the pair.

***

Abe ducked around reaching tree branches and prickly bushes that tore at his clothes and hair. He jumped over slight pits along the ground and errant animal tracks alike. Still, he could not find the place where Henry and Micah had disappeared to. He turned in a slow, tight circle to search for any tracks or disturbed foliage he might have missed in his blind pursuit.

Seeing none around him, Abe retraced his steps and came to two sets of footprints that curved off to his right and had been overlooked in his flight. He carefully stepped over the crushed flowers and blades of grass that were mashed into the imprints of a man’s feet and that of a child’s to follow their lead. He could only hope that Henry had caught up to Micah before he made it back to town with his provocative tale.

Abe found that he needn’t have worried for a second, because he could hear the low, but clear, tones of Henry and Micah whispering to one another.

He pushed through the last of the bushes to find Henry kneeling at Micah’s eye level.

“Micah, it is very important that you do not tell others what you saw me and my friend, Abraham, doing out here in the woods,” Henry said gently and gave Micah’s shoulder a squeeze for emphasis.

Micah’s eyes flickered to Henry’s hand and back at his face in revulsion. He raised his chin and put his shoulders back before parting his lips to respond.

“If it’s so important for no one to know what you were doing, why were you doing it out in the middle of the woods? Why has no one ever seen your friend before the last two weeks?” Micah quirked his eyebrows when he was done speaking, as if to ward off any excuses they might provide.

“You haven’t seen Abraham before, because he’s only visiting me for a short time,” Henry stated evenly. “And we were out in the woods, because what we do privately is not for everyone else’s eyes. There are some things that adults do that are not for children to see and are not the business of other adults. Do you understand?”

Micah shook off Henry’s hand and took several shaky steps backward before responding. “I understand that what you were doing was a sin before the Lord and disgusting. You wait until I tell my father!” Micah’s voice rose with every word and his cheeks blushed bright pink in his agitation.

Abe looked from the boy to Henry and back again. He was sorely tempted to reach a hand out to give the child the smack to the mouth he would have received if he had ever spoken to his father, or any adult, that way. He glanced at Henry to see which path he should take and noted the seeming calm that caused Henry’s jaw to tic in time to the heartbeat he had long since lost.

Abe closed his eyes and let out a strained breath to soothe his temper. There was so much that he wished he could do, so much that he wished he could go back and change. The first change on his list would be letting Henry kiss him that first night he’d been untied. He had thought that allowing Henry a small concession in exchange for a lifetime of knowledge would be so simple a thing. So simple, that it wouldn’t ever matter and wouldn’t ever go any further.

As they slid further and further along the dangerous territory they casually courted with each kiss that pressed forth into a lingering hug and every hug that devolved into Henry’s hands sliding over his body to touches and the discarding of clothing, Abe had wondered to himself why he had allowed it. Why had he allowed himself to get caught up in the little things that felt good that turned into huge things he did not know how to comprehend? Why had he allowed Henry to get close enough to him that he found himself sharing Henry’s bed instead of the spare that was being lent to him? He disregarded everything he had ever been taught and now he had to pay for his forays into the unknown.

“Micah, please,” Henry begged quietly, “I am asking you this as a favor to me. Have I not always been a friend to you and your family when I come into town to shop at your father’s store? Has Abraham not been kind to you when he helped you mend your broken toys and explained the meanings of difficult words in your books?

Have I not shown myself to be someone worthy of your respect and your silence in this one thing alone?”

Abe could hear the honest plea for their sakes in Henry voice and knew that if he had been Micah, those hopes would have more than likely fallen on deaf ears, just as he was certain that Micah would do the same. Right was right and wrong was wrong, or so they were all told from the word of God to the doctor’s medical journals Abraham only read in passing.

He opened his eyes at the sound of Micah surprising reply.

“Wellll . . . when you put it that way, I guess so. But I don’t know why you were doing that to Abraham? Isn’t that gross?” Here, Micah wrinkled his nose in thought at what he had seen.

Henry chuckled and rubbed his hands together. “I suppose that it could be if I were doing it to just anyone, but I care about Abraham. When you get older, you will understand that things loving adults do together will not seem so scary or gross. One day, God willing, you will find someone that you enjoy spending your time with as much as I enjoy spending my time with Abraham.”

Henry turned then to gaze up at Abe with a spark of admiration that his heart could not bear to see. While he was confused and conflicted about what they should do next, Henry had no such reservations. Was it all a lie to Abraham? Was he simply trading on what Henry wanted to get what he needed in return?

Abraham didn’t know, but he pushed his internal wariness aside to pick up where Henry left off.

“I, too, hope that you find someone you enjoy when you are older. But, I have to ask you as well to keep what you saw to yourself as a special favor to all of us. Our lives and your own will be easier if what you saw were simply forgotten and were replaced with happier memories. What do you say to me helping you build a fort for you and your friends?” Abraham gave a tentative smile to show Micah that he meant no harm and would be good as his word.

Micah’s eyes were guarded as he nodded his head up and down. Henry rose from his crouch and smiled to see Micah’s acquiescence.

“What do you say we walk you back to town?” Henry offered and gestured between himself and Abraham.

Micah’s eyes grew large and he shook his head rapidly from side to side. “No! That’s okay! I can take myself back to town! I just need my axe. My father won’t be happy if I leave it out here.”

Abe glanced down at the axe resting against his palm and offered the tool to the boy with an encouraging smile. He barely suppressed a reactive flinch at the quickness the boy used to snatch the axe handle away from him. He understood that Micah was shaken up by his discovery and his race through the forest, but there was something in his eyes and the way he held himself that made Abraham skeptical that Micah would be able to keep his promise to keep their secret to himself.

Seeing that there was little either of them could do, Abraham silently stood by Henry’s side as he watched Micah slowly make his way through the trees back to the town.

***

“Do you think that Micah will keep his word?” Abe asked Henry as they wrestled in a clearing not far from Henry’s cabin. He attempted to shake off Henry’s hold around his chest and neck, but found himself flat on his back instead.

Henry pressed Abe’s wrists firmly to the forest floor, his knees tightly on either side of Abraham’s thighs, and peered down at him through his dark lenses. “No, I do not, but I can always hope that he will see reason and understand that we mean him no harm.”

Abraham grunted in his efforts to throw off Henry and only dug himself deeper into the moist dirt and scratchy grass beneath him. He squinted up at his captor and wanted nothing more than to be released at that moment. This was how it always started, and look where it had gotten them.

Henry leaned down and kissed the side of Abe’s mouth as he squirmed in Henry’s grip. Abe hated how quickly he gave in to Henry’s wordless requests and his body’s desire to experience Henry’s touch once more. He hated that as much as he knew he should put a stop to their extra training, as Henry sometimes called it, he could not find the will within himself to do so. How could something that felt so good and so right be despised by so many?

Abraham wished that he knew, because the little boy inside of him that watched those two men, who could have easily been himself and Henry, sorely wanted to know.

***

Dusk had fallen on them as they lay together in the forest, their real training abandoned for more pleasing sport. Henry had handily divested Abe of his clothing and then shed his own with little regard for where their belongings landed.

Without saying a word, Henry slid down Abe’s body to pick up where he had left off before they had gained their most unwelcome audience. Abraham tried once more to dig up the smallest measure of resolve to stick to their training just this once, but it was no use. Henry’s wicked tongue curled around the head of his cock and Abraham surrendered all thought of resistance. Why deny himself such a little thing when Henry was gladly offering it up?

And so, they had passed the time taking turns exploring one another’s bodies and letting their wrestling matches serve a purpose that Abe was coming to know and love best.

It was with these lighthearted thoughts in his mind and the shared smile of contentment that he and Henry made their way back to the cabin. Henry had stopped short first and listened for what felt like an age. When Abe attempted to ask why they had stopped and what Henry had heard, all he received was a bid to be quiet in return.

Henry’s face fell in on itself the longer he listened and Abe could feel his heartbeat speeding up in fear of what his friend would say next. If what Henry could hear could crush even his spirit, Abe knew that it had to be bad. It had to be really and truly more awful than he could imagine to see the agony on his friend’s face.

“What-“ Abe began once more.

“Abraham, please,” Henry whispered.

Henry screwed his eyes shut in painful concentration to listen to whatever was troubling him. As he stood dumbly at Henry’s side, Abe decide that waiting was no longer an option and darted away in the direction of Henry’s hilltop cabin. He could hear Henry calling for him to come back, but he didn’t care. If Henry would not tell him what was wrong, he would find out for himself.

Abraham heard the high-pitched whine of the flames and their gluttonous consumption of Henry’s home before he saw the destruction with his own eyes. He could hear the yelling of numerous voices taunting the ‘poofs’ that deserved to burn in Hell. He could also hear the frightened shrieks of Micah among the discord.

Abraham peered between the close trunks of trees and crowded undergrowth to confirm his worse fears. There must have been 20 or 30 men at least gathered on Henry’s hilltop surrounding his friend’s home with torches. He could just make out the shaking of Micah’s shoulders as he sobbed at the edge of the clearing away from the fire and felt himself grow angry.

If only they hadn’t been caught!

If only the damned boy had kept his word to keep his mouth shut!

But they had.

And he hadn’t.

Abe balled his fists up and did his best to restrain himself. There was little he could do to salvage Henry’s home or fight off the mob that was guarding its communal fire. Rationally understand his limitations did not temper the crowing rage that was swiftly devouring his reasoning and encouraging Abraham to face their would-be attackers head-on.

In an instant, Henry was by Abraham’s side weaving his arm around the crook of Abraham’s elbow to pull him away. Abe could hear him whispering platitudes about picking their battles and living to fight another day, but none of it mattered to Abe. Nothing mattered outside of the choices he’d made and the home of his friend he was watching burn to the ground. He wanted nothing more than to show these simpletons the error of their ways. And he could, so easily, if only Henry would help him.

How could a few handfuls of men stand against their joint might?

As though reading his thoughts, Henry stressed that rushing into a fight was not always the answer. Sometimes, he as a vampire and a lover of humans regardless of their gender had to accept the horrible parts of humanity with that of the good.

Abraham took a step out of the tree line and into the edge of the clearing. Perhaps if he could inspire Henry to fight, he might see things his way. This strike could not go unmet. They couldn’t simply run, because Henry felt it best to do so.

It didn’t take long for the mob to spot them and take up a cry for their heads. It took even less time for Henry to yank him back into the cover of the trees and into the darkening forest away from the flames and the angry faces of the men that had come to punish them.

It tore at him to turn and run, but there was little Abe could do to loosen Henry’s grip on his arm or to slow his feet from pounding the earth underneath him. He tried in vain to yank himself free as he simultaneously tried to convince himself that Henry had been worth it. He tried to convince himself that his time with Henry had been worth the mob that was now hunting them and had gleefully destroyed everything he and Henry owned, except for the clothes they had on.

Most of all, he tried to find the reasons why any of them had ended up like this. As he raced through the forest for the second time that day, Abe searched within himself for the reasons why what they had done was so wrong and why it should enflame the townsfolk enough to force their hands. He could not clearly see why, but he ran on regardless at the insistent pull of Henry’s hold upon him.

Though he could not soundly understand the mania of a simple book overtaking so many men at once, Abe swore not to rest until he discovered the truth of why for himself.

Gift for dmitchell1985

dmitchell1985 — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 10:40:37 GMT

For: dmitchell1985
From: jadina94

Title: Some men are just too interesting to die
Author: jadina94
Genre: Action, supernatural
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Abraham opened his eyes again, after his last breath, even without noticing Henry leaning down in the pit he knew the vampire resurrected him. He chewed some curses before pointing his eyes in the other ones’ and aim at his neck with all his new strength.
Disclaimer: I do not own any canon parts of the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter verse.
Warnings: Book-verse, missing moment
Pairings: Henry/Abraham
Word Count: 501 (Microsoft Word’s counter)
Author's Notes: Gift for dmitchell1985. :)
It’s my first Abery fic and English is only my second language, so I hope the fic is readable and not a complete mess! I’m really sorry for the many mistakes there will surely be. :(

When Abraham opened his eyes again, after his last breath, even without noticing Henry leaning down in the pit he knew the vampire resurrected him. He chewed some curses before pointing his eyes in the other ones’ and aim at his neck with all his new strength. Unfortunately, Henry moved before he could only think about jumping.

“Henry, for God’s sake!”

Henry, still a few steps far, opened his arms with satisfaction. “Oh, please, don’t thank me for your being back in the living world. I did it with pleasure, trust me.”

Abe raised a finger as to point at Henry, but he opened his mouth and then closed it again without a word. Henry got closer bravely, maintaining his gaze on the other, but he could tell Abraham wouldn’t hurt him now that he had passed through the anger.

“Now. Can we please go? I have a house to buy and a trip to organize if you could do me the favor to move.”

“Yes?”

Henry smiled. “Good boy. Follow me, we have an eternity to spend together.”

“How long I was gone?”

“Ten, maybe eleven hours. There were a lot of people at your funeral, I had to wait ‘til all of them were gone.”

“… and-”

“Mary’s fine. I mean, she’s obviously devastated by your loss, but she’ll survive.”

“I have to tell her.”

“No, you don’t.” Henry stopped in front of him. “You’re a vampire now, you have to part ways with your human life, forget it.”

“But I don’t have to forget you, right?”

And there it was, Abe’s deadly rhetoric. It wasn’t an hour yet he had been alive again, but there it was, strong like he never died. Henry sighed. “Of course not.”

“So, tell me why I have to forget my loyal wife but not the man who used to call himself my lover and that now has betrayed me bringing me back to life? Why, Henry?”

“Can we please celebrate you being alive again and leave the complaining to, I don’t know, the next decade? I promise I’ll listen to you, just not now.” He could understand Abe’s feeling were amplified by his new status of vampire, but he was really too happy to see him walking again that he didn’t want to ruin the moment. He got closer, trying to canalize Abraham’s anger in something more useful. “So,” he said, smacking a kiss on the other one’s shoulder. “Next decade?”

“Deal.”

Henry grinned. It was really too easy to distract a new vampire, even if it was Abraham Lincoln.

Some interesting years were waiting for him.

Before he could even try to understand what was happening, Abe had him pinned against a tree and his fangs were caressing his neck.

“Welcome back, dear.” He turned his head to make his lips collide with Abraham’s. That was the day Henry made a choice that some men are just too interesting to die. Way better having vampire sex with them against a tree.

Fic: Almost

truthwritaslies — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 17:29:47 GMT

Title: Almost
Rating: pg-13
Summary: Henry wants what he cannot have.
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters belong to whomever owns the rights to AL:VH, I'm just borrowing them for the story.
Pairings: Past!Adam/Henry, Past!Henry/Anne(Henry's unnamed wife), Abraham/Mary, Henry/Abraham
Warnings: Angst, Canon character death.
Author's Notes: None.

Henry met Adam when he was just a youth, full of himself and his own self-worth.

Henry had been instantly intrigued by the man his father warned him away from. Part of it, it's true, had been rebellion against his father's rule but more of it had been simple fascination.

The way Adam's dark eyes had seemed to hold too much knowledge for his apparent age. The way he had smirked at some private inner joke when Henry had forced his way into his father's business meeting, claiming that he was old enough to learn everything his father had to teach him rather than just being forced to play messenger boy between his father and the workers. The way he had said Henry's name when the two had been formally introduced by Henry's father, as though he knew things about Henry that Henry himself had not yet even thought might exist. Henry's father had given Adam a strange look; part warning, part fear, and later had ordered Henry away from Adam.

Henry had ignored the warning the same way he ignored most of his father's orders in those days. It is a thing he regrets more than most things: that he didn't listen to his father when he had the chance. His father died shortly after Henry's engagement was made final.

Adam had been everything at one time, so deeply had Henry been enthralled by the ageless man who had tempted him into deviancy far beyond what society would normally have allowed. There were certain nights that would have gotten the both of them hung if any had learned of them, though no one had been harmed by them taking pleasure in each other's body.

But then Henry had met Anne and everything changed. Anne had made him want to be a better man than he had been those past five years. Even with her silly mission to build her wardrobe to gargantuan size he hadn't seen a single reason why they shouldn't be together. Adam hadn't even crossed his mind in months.

He should have known better. Henry knew how possessive Adam was but he'd just laughed off Adam's claims that Henry belonged to him as they lounged around Adam's apartment in the city. Henry knew Adam had a manor-house somewhere but he'd never seen it personally.

Henry should have known that just because Adam sent him a wedding present it didn't mean he was going to let Henry go.

But he'd been young and foolish and in love. Henry hadn't thought the risks important because he hadn't known what the risks were and when Adam told him he was damned, Henry believed him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For hundreds of years Henry found men who had been deeply harmed by vampires and turned them into weapons against his own kind. Each, in his turn, had discovered Henry's secret and turned against him. Some he'd been forced to kill out of self-preservation but most had simply abandoned him to his fate. Many of those he'd later found to have been killed by vampires. only a handful had been turned and it pained him to send his new proteges against the old but he had a mission and he would not turn away.

Then he'd saved a young man from his own foolishness and trained him to be just another hunter. Somehow, though, Abraham had become something much more to him than a mere protege.

There had been a moment when he'd seen himself in Abraham. When Henry'd seen the pain and anger he'd carried with him so long that it had turned into a icy coal deep in his gut burning hot and fresh in a new body. The others had all had a similar rage, a similar pain but it had all been tempered by a knowledge of life's cruelty; by a sense of resignation that only comes from a hard life: one spent viciously scraping for every chance you received.

But Abraham was still innocent in someways, innocent enough to be wounded by Henry's hard words when Henry tried to push him away, to put a block in the path of their ever growing closeness. It's why he sends Abraham half-way across the country.

Henry knows himself well enough to know that he can never just have what he wants once. He'd take Abraham and never let him go. And Abraham would suffer for it.

That doesn't mean he isn't jealous when Abraham begins to court Mary. It's partly why he sends Abraham after Jack Barts and does nothing when William is taken by Vadoma.

It hurts when Abraham chooses Mary over the cause. Over Henry, though Henry can't blame him when Henry's own betrayal is so much worse. The look on Abraham's face when he'd discovered Henry's secret...

So Henry left him alone, only taking care to watch out for Abraham because Lord knows that for all of Henry's teachings Abraham is still far too trusting for his own good. There are times when he offers his help but each time it is rejected. Each time it feels personal, like it's Henry who has been rejected.

After the train, after he'd stumbled into a plan he had almost ruined, Abraham welcomes Henry back into his inner circle. It's almost, but not quite, like it was before. There is the closeness he's missed but also a distance he still isn't used to.

When Henry had trained Abraham there had been only the two of them and the occasional prostitute or doctor. Now Henry is forced to share Abraham's free time not only with Abraham's family but with Speed and William as well.

It's hard.

Every evening he sits in Abraham's office and watches him write. Every evening Henry fights the desire to push the papers away, to set the pen aside and lean too close to Abraham, to press the first of many kisses to Abraham's lips and show him the things Henry learned long ago at a far more sinister master's hand.

Every evening he succeeds.

That evening though, that evening Abraham closes his notebook and presses it into Henry's hands. He asks Henry to safeguard his thoughts and when Henry agrees Abraham kisses him.

It's chaste and Henry can almost feel the moment slip away, the only moment he can have this because Abraham is a man of honor and he's not one to break his marriage vows, even for something Henry now knows they share.

It's almost enough.

It's almost enough to soften the pain when Henry sees Abraham's body laid out in the front parlor, as though he's just laid down for a nap.

It's almost enough when people who don't know Abraham begin to speak of his greatness, as though they have any right.

It's almost enough when Mary asks him to stay away from the funeral and he is forced to visit long after the others have gone home for the evening.

It's almost enough to lessen the pain in his heart when he stands with the crowds before Abraham's statue and hear them discussing him as a god-like figure. Abraham would have been embarrassed to hear such words, especially about himself.

He still trains men to be vampire hunters, sends them out into the world to kill his own kind, but he never looks too close at them; never tries to see in them what he once saw in Abraham. It would hurt too much to lose another love.

Gift for Gufetta

dmitchell1985 — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 13:36:51 GMT

For: Gufetta
From: crazyfoolstiney

Dark Secret Love -- An Abery Mix

Gift for jadina94

dmitchell1985 — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 17:59:21 GMT

For: jadina94
From: Montislupus

Title: Touch
Author: Montislupus
Genre: Romance
Rating: R
Summary: The true course of love never did run smoothly. Henry is more than willing to help it along, though.
Disclaimer: I do not own any canon parts of the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter verse.
Pairings: Abraham/Henry
Word Count: 1289
Author's Notes: First ever smut for this pairing. Hope my giftee enjoys!

If you had told Henry that he would yet fall in love again, he might have scoffed with disbelief. Yes, he had loved before; there had been many women in the years between his sweet, departed wife and now, but none had he loved so ardently as he had Edeva, and none had he truly, agonizingly mourned their passing. Death had become a natural part of life for him, a gift to be celebrated, one that he would never truly have. They were lucky, at peace, and Henry mourned more for himself than for each woman, that they might find their end, and that he would forever have to continue alone.
And then came Abraham.

It had been a year since he had pulled the boy out of the river, nursing him back to health, and despite their differences, they had become fast friends. And then they had become more than that. It surprised Henry as much as it had the young hunter, but Henry was not ignorant enough to think that the ache in his chest was for anything other than his young protégé. Somewhere along the line, they became more than friends, when Abraham would return, bruised and bloodied from training, and Henry would press fierce, proud kisses into his hair, his calloused palms.
Thence came the problem.

Although Abraham was happy, as happy as the boy ever was, and made shy advances of his own, giving his own kisses against Henry’s skin, his mouth, the boy seemed to have an aversion to being kissed. Whenever Henry’s lips passed his throat as they came down from a fierce bout of sparring, Abraham’s muscles pulled taut. It was obvious the boy wanted, Henry could tell as much when Abraham would crawl against him and they would find completion rubbed together, as close as they could be, but for some reason, he balked at Henry kissing anything other than his mouth.

It took Henry a number of weeks to work out the reason. Abraham was afraid. He knew the fangs concealed within Henry’s mouth, knew that they were perfect for tearing flesh, and he was afraid. He flinched when Henry kissed his neck, a prey response, the simple, natural fear of being hurt, he pulled away when Henry’s nose was buried in the crook of his thighs, muttering that it was not necessary for Henry to do that. He was afraid that somewhere in their passion, Henry might lose control and that would be the end of him.

Well. They would have to change that, wouldn’t they?

It was a warm evening, Abraham napping softly, laid out across Henry’s bed, muscles tired and body exhausted from the day’s training. Henry fed himself, as he always did, knowing that there would not even be an inkling of temptation born from hunger if he did so. The hunter was a sight to behold, all lean, long limbs and smooth planes, nude as the day he was born to cool off, in a way that made Henry ache with want.

He crawled over the length of the boy, mouthing gently at the shell of his ear, and Abraham wasn’t too far asleep that he didn’t stir, turning his head with a bleary-eyed smile for Henry. Henry merely shushed him, pressing a kiss to his mouth that Abraham responded to with a lazy kind of enthusiasm, and for a while they were content there, just kissing, even with the awkward angle. But that was not what Henry had planned, not at all. He pulled away and divested himself of his shirt, leaning out across the warm expanse of Abraham’s back to kiss his neck, just beneath his ear.

Predictably, Abraham stiffened, a little breath huffing out of him. “I won’t hurt you,” Henry said, voice a quiet, soothing murmur, as though the boy were a startled animal. “I am going to kiss every inch of you, worship that which has been given freely to me, and you might understand then.” And he did. He kissed his way down Abraham’s throat, and before long, the boy relaxed, beginning to shift beneath Henry, arch into his kisses with quiet sounds of approval. Henry caught his scent, the musk and spice of his arousal, somewhere against his lower back.

By the time Henry reached Abraham’s thighs, the young hunter was squirming, shifting barely against the bed, spreading his thighs willingly when Henry gently parted them so that he could kiss their soft insides. He grazed his teeth against the sensitive skin, and Abraham tensed briefly, but the little ‘ah’ that he gave suggested that it was more arousal than anything, the boy’s hips twitching against the bed.
Henry toyed briefly with the idea of turning him over, continuing his travels, but decided ultimately against it, perhaps if Abraham couldn’t yet see his mouth, he would cease picturing it filled with sharp, monster’s teeth. He pressed a kiss against the boy’s tailbone, and heard a breath sucked in above him. Then, slowly, deliberately, he traced his tongue over the little ridge, earning him a quiet whimper. Perfect.

The vampire couldn’t help but smirk against Abraham’s skin, the boy squirming with anticipation, though he wasn’t entirely certain what he was anticipating, especially as Henry stroked his palms over his backside, gently parting, only for a quick, clever tongue to stroke down the cleft of his ass. Abraham jack-knifed beneath him, crying out in strange pleasure, and the shock of it, and Henry repeated the movement. He toyed for a while, lapping gently over the boy’s entrance, just to hear Abraham whimper and plead senselessly above him, squirming alternately against the bed and back into Henry’s tongue.

The boy positively wailed when Henry began to press inside of him, obscenely tight around his tongue, his hips rolling forwards. Bizarrely, and it wasn’t something he could have anticipated, Henry quite enjoyed the taste of him, unexpectedly clean and soft. He couldn’t help but reach down and grind the heel of his palm into his erection, twitching forwards. He wanted more than anything to press Abraham into the sheets and take him, feel the boy’s heat around his cock instead of his tongue, but this would have to do for the time being. He hummed in thought, and began to work Abraham open, little stabbing motions that weren’t nearly enough, aside from the fact that the boy couldn’t control his traitorous body, rutting against the sheets for his release.

And when it came, Abraham cried out noisily, stiffening beneath him, around Henry’s tongue. The vampire made a quiet, amused little noise at the pull of it, and then leaned back, stroking his hand down Abraham’s spine. Predictably, the boy was limp in his arms, rendered completely boneless from his orgasm. Henry turned him over so that he might look at him, moved him out of the wet patch, and leaned down to kiss him. Abraham accepted the gesture gratefully, nipping affectionately at Henry’s lip with his teeth, humming quietly at the feel of the vampire’s erection against his thigh.

“What about..?” He trailed off, a faint flush spreading across his cheeks, the bridge of his nose. Henry kissed it, unable to stop himself.

“Sleep,” He murmured, nuzzling the side of Abraham’s head gently, “Rest. I will teach you in the morning, I promise. There’s more, when you’re ready. I will be fine.” Henry took himself off then to tend to his own problems, and brought with him a damp cloth to clean his little ward, but by that point, Abraham was already fast asleep, spread wide and smiling gently.

If you had told Henry he might fall in love again, he would have scoffed in disbelief. Now, he might merely smile.

Gift for crazyfoolstiney

dmitchell1985 — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:36:34 GMT

For: crazyfoolstiney
From: Gufyresthere :)

Clicking on the picture will take you to the larger, full version of the art.

MOD POST: Abery 100 Celebration -- Posting Begins Today

dmitchell1985 — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:12:14 GMT

I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone that signed up for the celebration. We will have five new works for the Abery fandom to share. Posting begins today with one new work going up every morning, if I can swing it. Or, some time that day. :)

Just a reminder, please do not post your work anywhere else until the reveal, which should be Sunday, November 11, 2012 CST. This depends on the extensions allowed.

Enjoy! :D

Danielle

Fic: Feel it (Abe/Henry, AL:VH)

persephonne — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 20:37:24 GMT

Title: Feel it
Author: persephonne
Rating: PG
Summary: Henry takes Abe to the woods for a night exercise and they both end up getting more than what they'd bargained for. Movieverse, sort of
Disclaimer: I do not own any canon parts of the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter verse.
Warnings: Some mildly sexual situations
Pairings: Abe/Henry
Word Count: 2000
Author's Notes: It's been a while since I've last written anything, so I thought I'd dip a toe in the Abery lake. Tell me what you think :)

It was night time, and while Abraham was more of a day person, Henry was clearly not. He’d noticed how the other man was visibly more comfortable at night, and of course he’d noticed the sunscreen, but hadn’t bothered to think much of it because well, it wasn’t his place to ask. Sure, the man was training him simply because… he’d thought Abe had what it took, maybe? Perhaps he’d seen in him a hate strong enough to allow him to actually survive a fight with a vampire. Maybe he’d just felt lonely. The same way Abe did.

Still, it wasn’t his place to ask, even if it was right in front of him. If there really were evil vampires and good vampires, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad being trained by one of the good ones. At least he knew he could trust Henry, whatever he was. And it was that trust that allowed him to be with him in the middle of the night, deep into the woods, where he could barely see anything.

“If you wish to hunt at night, you must first embrace the night. Not fear or avoid it, like you’ve been doing.” Henry spoke from a few feet ahead of him, while Abe tried to follow his voice without tripping on a tree root. He didn’t like where that was going, but he knew it was a part of his training that was required if he truly wanted to slay a vampire one day.

“I don’t fear the night.” Abe replied to Henry’s comment as he tried to keep up the walk, but as soon as those words left his mouth he found himself fallen to the ground. Not because of a tree root as he was fearing, but because Henry was now straddling his waist, one hand firmly around Abe’s neck.

“You should.” He spoke quietly, eyes gazing directly into Abraham’s. Henry did his best to control his urges and not let his fangs slide out or his eyes turn black, but Abe’s momentary scent of fear was truly intoxicating. “We’re going to make a little exercise.” Henry said at last, slowly letting go of the man’s neck and getting up at once. It was best not to let these momentary slips get the best of him. Even though Abe had made no move to push him away. Especially when Abe hadn’t made any move to push him away.

Abraham looked up at Henry after he was up and got up as well, looking at his mentor while trying his best to make his heart slow down even if it was just a little. If only he could move as quickly as Henry had just done, that would make hunting far easier. He’d try to casually bring that up eventually, but not now.

“Alright.” Abe said, looking back at Henry. “I should fear the night. Why’s that?”

The other man looked at him with something that was close to a smile, before looking back at the road.

“Because, my friend, we have a tendency to respect the things we fear. And if you respect it, it might even respect you back.”

Abe didn’t really understand what Henry had meant by that, so he just put it in the list of things Henry said he didn’t understand. It was a fairly long list. And before he knew it the man was walking again, forcing Abe to follow him almost blindly, barely able to hear him while he spoke.

“Pay attention to the sounds, the shadows, the wind, the smells. If you truly wish to be a hunter, you’ll have to learn how to hunt your prey in their natural habitat.”

“The woods? I didn’t think vampires lived in places like these.” Abe commented, trying his best to see Henry ahead of him but failing. It was too dark and there were too many trees. He looked around, trying to see his trainer but instead feeling completely lost, until it wasn’t the trees he was looking at anymore, it was the night sky. And Henry’s legs as he stood over him from where he’d kicked him to the ground.

“No. The night. The dark. Have you been paying any attention?”
k
Abe closed his eyes for a moment, damning himself for being so useless at that. Henry would give up on training him soon, he was sure of it. Unless he found a way to get it together and start acting like a real hunter. He had to prove his worth, he simply had to prove to Henry and himself he had what it took and wasn’t a waste of time for the other man.

And then Henry was on top of him again.

“There are only a few acceptable moments when you’re allowed to close your eyes for a battle. That wasn’t one of them.” He spoke close to Abe’s face, causing him to shiver just slightly. Henry kept on talking, though. “Now you can close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. Then focus on the air, the wind. Figure out which way the wind’s blowing, and smell the scents it brings. Feel the woods, listen to the sounds it makes.”

Abe relaxed slowly while he listened to Henry, and tried his best to do what he was told. He focused on breathing in and out slowly, on how the air filled his lugs (and how Henry was apparently not breathing), how the wind was blowing north, and cooling down his now rather warm body along with bringing the scent of trees, flowers, rain or maybe just water. His sense was a bit confused at the moment though, because from such proximity he could also smell Henry’s scent, a strange mix of vanilla and smoke. And he swallowed when he realized how close his face was to Henry’s. He had his eyes closed, but he could definitely feel that, even though the vampire wasn’t breathing. Abe swallowed again, trying to focus on the sounds of the woods, the few birds, the bugs, his own beating heart.

“Do you feel it?” Henry whispered, watching Abraham as he himself took the time to feel the other’s slow breathing, the pumping of his blood, with a vein so close to his own lips. There was something else, though. Something unexpected he was feeling, by straddling Abe like that. But he chose to ignore it, and focus only on training the man under him, hoping he wouldn’t notice it.

“I feel it.” He heard Abe’s whisper and let a single look of confusion and shock spread over his own features before Henry remembered what they were doing in the first place. He swallowed again and nodded slowly, watching him as their gazes locked. “I feel the wind blowing north, I smell the rain that’s going to fall, and I feel you, the same way I know you’re feeling me.”

Henry looked at Abraham for a moment, torn between surprised and amused, until all his doubts went away when the man under him moved his hips up just a bit, and he felt it. For a moment, they were both simply looking at each other, each man unsure of what the other wanted, until Henry made the first move (of course he did, why wouldn’t he be the one to fuck things up?) and ran his lips over his pupil’s neck, gentle as a feather, until he felt Abe’s skin shiver under his touch, which made him smile.

Abe tried not to suck in a breath when he felt Henry’s lips on his skin, and cursed himself when he shivered, but there was something driving him that night. Maybe it was the chilly air, or the trees, or the starry night above them, or maybe even the fear of having Henry’s lips so close to his neck. It all combined to give him a rush of maybe courage, maybe madness, but his next move was far from calculated. He lifted one hand and ran his fingers through Henry’s hair, tugging on the strands just enough to pull his head up and make him look at him. For a moment he saw fear – actual fear - in the man’s eyes, but that only lasted a microsecond. The next thing he knew, there was something else in his trainer’s eyes. Lust and desire, in their purest forms. And when he felt Henry’s hips pushing down against his own once again, Abe gasped, and that gasp was all it took for the vampire to press their lips together hungrily.

It surprised Abe, but at the same time it didn’t. He’d never kissed anyone, never mind a man. And Henry, of all people! His mentor and trainer, his friend. The most adequate move would be to push him away and tell him that wasn’t appropriate behavior for two men. But there was that feel in him, not only the strange one on his lower half, but also a feeling, like an instinct, that what was happening at that moment wasn’t entirely negative. He trusted that man with his life, not to mention he owed it to him. So in the end, it was easy to look past the strangeness of the situation and truly enjoy it.

Henry didn’t know exactly what he was doing, but not from lack of experience, like it happened with Abraham. It was more because he didn’t know how or why he’d allowed himself to cross that line with someone he was training. It’s happened before in the past, yes, but it had only ended in headache and heartache for at least one of the people involved. And he didn’t want that to happen between himself and Abe.

But when his apprentice parted his lips Henry couldn’t help but to deepen the kiss with his tongue, closing his eyes while a small moan escaped his throat. And to his surprise a similar sound could be heard from Abraham at that moment, causing him to roll his hips down again before parting the kiss to look at him. That was it. He could apologize profusely, stand up, maybe make some excuse like telling Abe to never let a vampire lure him with charm or something, and continue the training with both of them sporting their excitement in an incredibly awkward and obvious manner. That could hurt Abe’s training and Henry’s own respected status. Or, they could shag right then and there, which could possibly hurt Abe’s training, Henry’s status and their relationship altogether.

Abe was looking up at Henry while the vampire was thinking, and frowned a bit. He didn’t want to think, at least not at that moment. Cause if he were to start thinking, then he’d realize how absurd their current situation was. And he’d also start thinking about why he was enjoying it so much and why he felt so frustrated when Henry began pulling away and standing up, looking down at him.

“Was this part of the training?” He asked, rather dumbly, before standing up again to face Henry, who was looking at him with a serious expression that only served to make Abe worried.

“No, actually. That was… I’m not sure what that was exactly just yet. But… maybe it’s something we can learn how to develop along with your training, in time.” Henry spoke, not really sure of why he was saying any of that, but there were many things he didn’t know why he was doing that night. But then all the sudden Abe was smiling, and that maybe made him start to understand why he’d done some things.

“I’d like that.” Abraham nodded, now grinning at Henry. “Maybe we could go home now? It’s been a good training.”

Henry watched him for a moment, before smiling back a bit and nodding. “Yea you’re right. Let’s go home. Tomorrow we’re having this training again, though.”

Abe looked at him and gave what was almost a cheeky smile, before nodding. “I’m looking forward to it.”

***