A/N -
Trigger warning, you may want to skip this chapter if you have those sorts of problems. Sorry for all the fantasy AU's but that's what I'm best at writing. Thanks!
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Vlad's PoV -

It was freezing outside, I pulled my all too light weight jacket closer around me. I needed to find a place to stay to get out of the chilling winter wind. I continued walking along the dirt path. It was nighttime now making it more difficult to seek shelter. I had to travel at night to avoid the cops. Ever since I was young I relied on my own abilities and anything I could steal to survive. I didn't have the comforts and protection of a single place to live. I was always on the run to avoid getting caught.

     My last shelter, the attic of someone's barn, had been sacked by the police. I barely escaped, I wouldn't have if it wasn't for a few old boards snapping under one of the cops weight.  After the distraction I ran past the struggling man and made my exit. I kept running till I was far away and when I was sure they didn't follow me. I thought of what it would be like to spend the night in jail. No doubt I would be warmer and better fed but my freedom would be taken away. That's what kept me pushing forward.

     Finally, I came across a promising hide out. It looked to be a long since abandoned house. The shutters hung off the window, the roof sagged slightly, the door closed and opened in the chilling wind. The whole place was decomposing and it was perfect. It called to me.

     I creeped up the sagging wood stairs till I reached the door. I cracked the door slightly, looking inside, I didn't see anyone so I let myself in. It was dark except for the small amount of the moon's light let in by the dusty windows. I didn't know what lay ahead so I decided to sleep by the window that night. At least it was warmer in here. I snuggled into a comfortable position and soon fell asleep.

I woke up later that night to a dim blue light but I was groggy from lack of sleep and soon passed out again.

That morning I discovered a warm blanket wrapped around me and a pillow under my head. I sat up surprised and a little frightened. I didn't fall asleep with these items. Was this place safe after all? I stood up, maybe it would be a good idea to explore this place to find out. I wrapped the blanket around me. I was still cold.

I wondered into what seemed to be the kitchen and found a warm bowl of oatmeal and hot coffee on the table. There was a lit fire in the hearth warming the room. I looked around but found no one there. I sat down at the table. Nervously I smelt the oats before I tasted it. It didn't smell poisoned so I tried it. I was starving and hungrily I scarfed down the food and coffee. I continued my exploring afterwards. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the house. This was weird.

I went back to the living room. It was warm now. Apparently someone had lit a fire in the fire place. I was freaking out. If I didn't do any of this then who had. I was certainly all alone. I looked around paranoid. No one. I sat on the couch and cuddled under the blanket.

I must have drifted off. A loud gunshot brought me back to my senses. I yelped but didn't see the source of the shot. It seemed to be coming from the basement. I didn't know there was one. I ran down the hall looking for the door to the basement when the door found me.

A board broke under my weight exposing a handle. Somehow it called to me. I pulled open a few boards only to find a hidden door. I opened it with caution looking inside before I did so. Darkness greeted me. All except for a familiar faint blue light. I ran and lit a candle that I had seen in the kitchen.

I went back to the door, the light was gone. I hurried down the stairs till I reached the bottom. I felt vulnerable like I was doing something bad and I wanted to get back upstairs to the warmth and the light, the safety. Yet, amidst my fear, somehow I knew I was meant to be here.

Old blood stains splattered the floor. It wasn't recent as if from the gun shot I heard only minutes before. The blood did seem to be from the blood of a gun shot victim. Judging by how much blood stained the floor I would say the victim probably died from the wound. I followed the trail of blood. It appeared someone had dragged the victim. All of a sudden the trail ended.

Please don't be what I think it is. I bent down and pried up a board from the floor. I screamed at the sight. A empty skull stared at me. I pried up the next board, and the next, and so on till I had uncovered the whole body. I picked up the skull. It fell off from the rest of the body. I cringed, this didn't seem right. I felt disrespectful to whoever's body this had once been. I needed to solve this mystery though. I turned to skull over in my hands. A hole, as if from a bullet penetrated the side of the skull's head. "You've found me," I jumped as a voice from behind me said this.

I slowly turned around scared at what I would see. As first I was blinded by the dull blue light that penetrated the darkness. My eyes began to adjust and I stared at the ghost before me. He had dark raven black hair, pale skin that seemed to have a blue glow to it, and beautiful piercing emerald green eyes, but most noticeable was a gaping bloody hole in the side of his head just next to his left ear. Unlike the dried blood on the floor this wound looked fresh and painful.

     He smiled at me. "I didn't mean to scare you," he stated with a small laugh.

     "Sorry," I stated handing him his skull.

     He took it in his hands. "You know I was always afraid to look under those boards, but now I scarcely even recognized myself," he smiled but I could see a tint of sadness in his eyes.

"Y-your a g-ghost," I stuttered in fright.

"Yeah," He stated as he set his skull back with the rest of his body.

"Are you the one who covered me with a blanket last night, the one who made me breakfast, and lit the fire?" I questioned.

"Yes, that was me," He replied with a smile.

"Thanks, is this your home I'm sorry to be intruding, I didn't know anyone lived here?" I asked still in shock.

"Yeah, it's my home but I like you here, company is very rare around here," he replied, I just realized I didn't even ask his name.

"What's your name?" I asked blushing at how rude I must have seemed.

"Alex, and who are you?" Alex replied.

"I'm Vlad," I smiled, "what was that gun shot from earlier?"

"Follow me upstairs and I'll tell you, I don't like it down here," Alex replied as he motioned for me to follow him up the steps.

I followed and Alex talked as we walked. "You see this house is haunted by more than just me," Alex continued, "I couldn't leave the walls of this house at least while my body still remained hidden."

We were upstairs now and Alex sat down at the kitchen table and I sat across from him. "I lived 47 years ago, I was seventeen when I died so I will remain this way forever, I've watched this house change and deteriorate but I never changed."

He seemed nervous. "I don't mind this kind of life though, I only wish I could be with others, that's why I'm so glad your here," Alex smiled, "anyway, I relive my death everyday, that's why you heard the gun shot, you see, 47 years ago, in that very basement, my ex boyfriend pointed a gun to my head during one of his drunk rampages, the only difference from all the other times he had done the same thing, was that this time instead of his empty threats he pulled the trigger," Alex was crying now.

I pulled my chair closer to him and hugged his frail body. He continued with his story, "my murderer boarded my body into the floor boards to avoid getting caught and did the same thing to the basement door," Alex wiped his tears, "now everyday at exactly 12:39 P.M. a gun shot sounds through this house, and immediately afterwards this wound," he pointed to the bullet wound on his head, "will begin to bleed, it's still just as painful as the first time."

He sighed signaling he was finished with his story. "I'm sorry," was all I could say.

He pulled me close to him and lay his head on my chest. "What if I were to burry your body, could you be free then?" I asked.

"I'm all ready free," Alex blushed, "you found my body, that's what set me free, you discovered my ex's nasty secret, something no one else before you could do."

"I don't want to scare you, but I'm actually a part of you now, that's why I can talk to you, no one else can hear me," Alex explained, my heart beat sped up with fear.

     "Did you possess me or something?" I was slightly mad and scared.

"Yes and no, it wasn't my choice, you solved my mystery so I became attached to you, I can't even quite explain it, somehow it feels right," Alex replied.

He was right, it did feel right, now that he mentioned it, I could feel his presence next to me, obviously I hadn't been able to do that earlier in the day. Alex blushed, "please don't be mad but follow me," he got up and led me to the bathroom, we stood in front of the mirror, "look," Alex said pointing to the exact same spot next to my left ear, I had his same wound.

I yelped in fright. Alex hugged me as he stared up at me with his haunting green eyes. I rubbed at the spot on my head. It didn't hurt, something Alex himself couldn't say. "Do you regret finding me?" Alex questioned looking rather sad.

This whole thing would be a life changer for me and I was stuck with him now, "I don't know," was all I could say.

He didn't say anything but simply looked down while still hugging me. I could feel his change in mood, he was sad, I had said the wrong thing. I rubbed his hair being carful not to touch his never healing wound.

He finally let go still refusing to make eye contact with me. It was obvious I had hurt him bad. That poor guy, he had suffered way to much for any one person. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, the wound began to hurt.

Alex's PoV -

I hurried to my bed room, closing the door and locking it. I exhaustedly crawled into bed. "Vlad... I'm sorry" I mumbled into my pillow talking to no one in particular.

I was a curse. Simple as that, I was something to be dreaded, something to be feared, to be avoided at all cost. I grabbed the small knife that lay next to my bed and walked over to the mirror that hung on my room's wall. As old habits had it, I dug into my bullet wound with the knife. Tears ran down my face. I was addicted to the pain, maybe if I hurt my physical self enough the mental pain would fade.

     Minutes later with blood dripping down my face and to the floor, I was happy with my work. I sat the bloodied knife down next to my bedside table and crawled in bed once again. It was much to early to go to bed but I managed to fall asleep anyway.

     That was till later that night I got the strangest feeling. I had a weird craving for Vlad, I wanted his love more than anything else. I blushed and cried at the same time. I promised myself I would never do it again, I swore I would never fall in love. Last time I feel in love, I swore I had found a great man to spend my life with but he ended up being abusive, he would come home drunk and beat me, threaten me, tell me I wasn't good enough for him that the other girls were better than me, he regretted loving another guy in the first place, I was a burden, I was a curse. He had my mind warped, I doubted my self, my self esteem was still damaged to this day. Then it all ended with a gun shot, at times I scarcely blamed him for getting rid of the curse that plagued him.

     A curse, that's all I was all I ever had been. Would Vlad do the same to me? I knew it, that's what I was to him. He didn't know if he had regretted finding me. He might as well have given me a direct answer and told me he did regret it. I unlocked my door and wandered to the end of the hall to find a sleeping Vlad on the couch. I smiled with sadness. I was sad for him as well as myself. I was his burden now and a gun wouldn't solve his problems, at least not one pointed at me. I stole one last glance at him. The feeling hit me again, I wanted to hug him, to kiss him, I just wanted him. I ignored it and went back at my room and grabbed my knife. I walked over to the bathroom and stared into the mirror. My tortured reflection stared back at me. I jabbed the knife into my head once again, and again, and again. With each jab of my knife I became more forceful, more angry at myself. Tears streamed down my face. It started as a whisper to my self, "why do I exist, I'm just a burden," I became louder, "I'm a curse, why?" Louder still, "A curse, a curse," I was practically crying out now.

     "You are a curse, my curse, my lovely curse," I turned around to see Vlad staring horrified at my actions.

     He hugged me. I cried into his shoulder, "I'm sorry."

     "For what, I'm the one who's sorry, I shouldn't have said that earlier, I was overwhelmed," Vlad cried too, "I caused you all this pain."

      Vlad gently worked the knife out that still penetrated my head. He dropped it on the ground at our feet. "I'm a burden to you, a curse to this world," I cried.

     "No, your not, stop that, your a blessing to me," Vlad calmed me, stroking my hair gently, "your my love, I hadn't known it at the time but something pulled me to that basement, you could call it fate or destiny but I believe it was love."

     He was perfect, so perfect. All I had endured to get to this point, it was worth it, worth it for Vlad. I stoped resisting love rand allowed myself to gently fall into its arms. "Your worth it," I mumbled my broken thoughts and yet Vlad seemed to know exactly what I was talking about. I felt Vlad's soft lips press against my own. I kissed back. I was his curse, only his.