The Beautiful Monster

He had been known to pop up randomly. She was allowed to see pictures of him, and she could tell that they were twins. They had the same hair and smile. It pained her that she couldn't ever meet him, but she didn't want Alaric to put his sights back on them.

"I think Alaric is finally gone," Melina told Tyler.

"Why do you think that?" Tyler asked her.

"Nothing has happened in a year. No one has seen him or his followers. I think someone killed him, or he just gave up and went into hiding," Melina replied with a hopeful look on her face.

"That would be nice if that was the case," Tyler said with a nod. "It's just so hard to know for sure."

"I'm just so ready to settle down with you. It's been years, Ty. Don't you think we deserve to get a house, get married, have kids?" Melina asked him with a hopeful look on her face. She had wanted these things for so long, but they put off a normal life to stay on the run and help other people. She believed that it was time for them to pay attention to their own lives now.

"I really want that, baby. I just want us to be safe too," Tyler replied with a soft expression. "Let's dig around a little and make sure first."

"Then we can talk about finding a place to settle down?" Melina asked with a pleading smile. She was so ready for a new adventure. She had enjoyed these years becoming stronger and helping people, but she was ready for a change in pace. She wanted to wake up in a house of their own to the sound of their kids playing.

"Yes," Tyler chuckled.

Melina thanked him profusely before leaning across the table and pecking him on the lips happily. She really hoped that they didn't find any trace of Alaric when they went looking for him. If there was no trace of him, she was going to settle down at last.

"Are we sure about kids, baby?" Tyler asked her. His voice was cautious.

Melina narrowed her eyes slightly as she stared at him. After all their conversations about possible baby names and parenting methods they would use, he was really going to ask her that. It didn't make any sense.

"What do you mean? I thought you wanted kids too," she asked him, feeling her heart ache slightly. She really wanted kids. She wanted her own family that was normal and not built off lies. She loved and appreciated her own family, but she wanted one of her own now. She wanted her own shot at being a mother.

"I do, but if we have kids, they might end up as hybrids. Vampire... witch," Tyler pointed out as he gestured between the two of them. "I'm just worried that they'll be cursed with something like you and your brother. I don't want to have to send off my kids if things get dangerous. That would kill me."

Melina frowned as she lowered her eyes, understanding where he was coming from. It was a valid concern that she hadn't really thought of. She didn't want her kids to be raised off lies and then grow up with a skewed sense of family. She wanted to raise them to be strong and kind, and she wanted to always be in their lives.

"I mean... I'm not a hybrid," she told him. Only Elias was the hybrid, which she wondered what that was like. She wondered what kind of powers he had and if he could control them well or not. It wasn't like she could ask him, unfortunately.

She was just left wondering and keeping her distance from him so that he could continue to live his great life as a businessman.

"You have special blood, though. It runs through you. It'll run through them," Tyler replied.

Melina sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She didn't realize that this was going to be so complicated. Now, she didn't know what she was going to do.

"If Alaric is truly gone, it won't matter if they're hybrids. They won't be in danger," she told him. Alaric was the only danger around, and he didn't even seem to be around any longer.

"Yeah, I know. I just want to make sure that he's gone before we make any big decisions," Tyler said.

Melina quietly nodded, knowing that was a smart move. They didn't need to do anything drastic until they were sure that they were going to be safe. They didn't need to mess up after so many years of being careful. She wanted that cute family life, so she was going to make sure that was never threatened.

Tyler got up from his side of the booth and moved to sit next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. He used his free hand to place on her cheek, drawing her eyes to his.

"Hey, I want a family as much as you. We're going to make it happen one day, okay? I promise," he told her.

Melina smiled at him, leaning into his side. That was all that she needed to hear to feel better. She just wanted him to be onboard with everything so that they could work together to build the life that they wanted.

"I love you," she said. She meant those words every single time she said them, even after all these years later. Hell, she meant them even more. They had gotten so close to each other, getting to know every little thing about each other. He knew her better than she knew herself at times.

"I love you. Now, eat," Tyler told her, pecking her check playfully before moving back to his own side of the booth.

Melina finally started to actually eat her sushi. She felt more at ease, but her mind was still racing. They had to check multiple sources to make sure that Alaric was really gone. That meant poking around in dangerous places. She was willing to take the risk, though. The reward was worth it in the end.