The day prior
When the morning after the nightmare came, Sebastian couldn't take it anymore; he had to see Vienne. Since the incident with Edward, they had attempted to not be seen with each other, even if that meant staying apart from one another for a while. But he had to see her; he didn't care.
And of course, at this point, Vienne had just been looking for an excuse to see him, so the moment she got the owl from Sebastian, begging her to come see him, she wasted no time whatsoever. She asked Marie to cover for her and set off to the Gaunt Manor.
Upon arrival, Sebastian was already outside looking for her. The moment she left the stagecoach, she was rushing into his arms, relishing the feeling of being in his arms again.
"Oh, I missed you." Sebastian said with a breath of relief before planting a firm kiss on her lips.
Vienne welcomed the kiss, practically melting into it. "I missed you too. So much." She breathed out. "I've thought about you for hours, just missing you and nothing more. I was ecstatic when you called on me."
"Missing me that bad?" He smirked teasingly.
"You have no idea."
Sebastian led her inside, away from the possible prying eyes. They found themselves in Sebastian's bedroom; Vienne was lying against Sebastian's chest, eyes closed, while Sebastian's arms were snugly wrapped around her waist.
Sebastian was contemplating telling her about everything with Edward, but he didn't want to ruin the mood. He knew Vienne had been yearning to see him, and they finally got that moment, and he didn't want to be the reason why it was ruined.
"Something's bothering you." Vienne said plainly, breaking through the silence.
Sebastian's eyes widened at her scarily accurate assumption. "...How'd you know?" He questioned.
"I know you." Vienne chuckled, turning around so her chest was pressed against him. "So, what's bothering you? You know you can tell me anything, right? You won't ruin the mood." She added, almost as if she had read his mind and knew exactly what he was thinking about.
Sebastian sighed. "Firstly, I just want to apologize for keeping this away from you for so long." He started. "Well, after the incident with Edward in the bar, his mother came here asking questions about me to Ominis. The both of us are assuming they are planning something, but we don't know what. The feeling of anxiety won't leave me."
"I've been having nightmares too, about Azkaban. And I don't think it's a coincidence, but I can't put my finger on it at all."
Vienne took a moment to think over Sebastian's words. She figured something was going onânot to mention the constant pressure from her mother. She felt that she was on the brink of forcing her into a marriage. And now to know what Sebastian was going through, it put things more into perspective.
"I had figured something was wrong." Vienne sighed, shaking her head. "Things haven't exactly been easy at home either, and Mother seems to be losing patience with me every waking moment that I'm not married to Edward. Somehow, she hasn't gotten it in her head that I won't allow that to happen."
"And neither will I." Sebastian was quick to add on. His hand slid up to Vienne's forearm, grabbing it gently. "Edward is a disgusting man. I'd die before I'd let him have you."
There was something so attractive about Sebastian's protective demeanor towards her, so despite the situation, Vienne found herself smiling at him for a moment. But it felt nice to be protected by someone who truly cared. Vienne hadn't felt this safe since her father had passed. With her mother's antics and Luis' absence, it was hard to find until she met Sebastian.
"I fear soon, she'll lose all patience and force me to marry him." She said, laying her head on his chest.
"She couldn't do that, could she? Obviously you'd have to be willing." Sebastian spoke, but there was a hint of weakness in his tone, as if he was unsure if Claudine could actually do that.
Vienne shrugged. "She has her ways, unfortunately. Seems like she can get away with anything nowadays." She scoffed.
"Well, either way, I'm not letting that happen." Sebastian replied firmly. "You matter more than status, and you shouldn't be married off to a man like him for it."
Vienne let out a little breath, listening to Sebastian's heartbeat through his chest. "Sometimes I wish I could just run away with you and get away from all of this chaos." She said in a slight mumble. Then, it was almost like a light went off in her head. She immediately perked up, surprising Sebastian a little. "That's it!"
"What's it?" He asked with his brow furrowed.
"We can run away from here together. I mean, what's stopping us?" She asked, moving up more so her face was right in front of his. "We're both adults; nobody can stop us if we're quiet enough about it. We can get out of town before the Carters and my mother can do anything. Then we never have to worry about anybody trying to come in between us."
Sebastian's eyes widened because of the proposition, the suddenness of it, and her sheer enthusiasm about it. "V-Vienne, you can't be serious." He stammered. "Leaving town and so suddenly? Where would we even go? What would we even do?"
"I'm completely serious. Deathly, even." She spoke. "Well, it's almost September, and you'll be leaving for Hogwarts anyway to teach there; why wouldn't I just come with you? And there's no harm in leaving a little early if that ensured we could be together."
As he listened to Vienne speak, part of his brain became fuzzy. He couldn't believe part of what she said was beginning to make sense. Running away felt out of the question, but at the same time, there was no reason why they couldn't; after all, they were both adults, and as Vienne said, nothing was really stopping them.
"But to leave so suddenlyâVienne, shouldn't we think about this more?" Sebastian asked with slight worry in his tone. "I mean, what about Ominis? If we both leave, he'll certainly be here alone."
"Do we even have time to think about it, Sebastian? You said you think the Carters were planning something, and my mother has been in a constant state of unrest. I don't think we have much time to think about it." Vienne spoke, sitting up a bit more. "And I'm sure Ominis will understand; after all, he's our biggest supporter, and we can always visit in secret."
She had a point; as much as Ominis would miss them, he did want them to be happy together. And Sebastian seemed well enough now to leave if he really wanted to, especially if he was with Vienne, as his recovery had been much quicker than expected. He still wasn't completely back to his old self, but he was certainly getting there.
Sebastian bit his lip, trying to think about this proposition. He was torn between the suddenness of it and then not caring because it was ensured that he would be able to be with Vienne with nobody attempting to come in between them. He'd have a steady job, be able to provide for her, and be there for her, so it wasn't impossible.
He sighed, letting his head fall back. "I hate that this is starting to make sense in my head, Vienne." He slightly groaned, causing Vienne to giggle.
"And why is that a bad thing?" Vienne questioned, a little grin on her face.
"Because I'm a twenty-six-year-old man attempting to make a good impression on people, and running away with a twenty-two-year-old doesn't exactly sound like the best impression I can leave on people." He explained, but there was a little laugh in his words, showing that he did find a little bit of humor in the situation.
Vienne rolled her eyes, swatting at his forearm. "Oh, stop it, you're making it sound worse than it really is. You know good and well it's not like that." She spoke. "We're adults, and we're in love. You want what's best for me, and I want what's best for you. And what's best for us is to be together, even if that means taking risks sometimes."
Sebastian took a deep breath, contemplating her words for a moment. "Okay, I'll bite. But before I agree, how exactly are we going to carry this out?" He questioned. "What about your brother? What about Marie and your belongings that we couldn't take with us? What about all of that?"
"I'll leave a note addressed to Luis explaining the situation; he'll understand. And Marie will understand too; she knows just about everything about this situation by now, and besides, she's getting married soon too. I will definitely not be her priority after that." Vienne replied. It was sweet that Sebastian was concerned about her relationships with these people, but she was thinking about it realistically. "As for my belongings, I could care less. You matter more than any of that to me."
The more she spoke, the more Sebastian realized she was completely serious about this, and he knew there was no point in arguing with her over it. And she was right; there was nothing stopping them, but he couldn't help but be worried still just because of how sudden all of this was.
"Sebastian, this might be our only chance." Vienne spoke, her tone dropping a little. "If we wait, we might cause more problems for ourselves. My mother has influence, and the Carters even more so; they could turn the entire place on us if they wanted to, and I'm fearful for what they may do to you. I already know my fate if that happens, but I fear yours more."
Sebastian's eyes widened a little as it finally occurred to him just how much Vienne loved him. He knew she loved him, obviously, but this put it all into perspective. She knew that if they didn't leave, she would more than likely be forced to marry Edward and that something bad would probably happen to Sebastian, or at the very least he'd be driven out of town. However, she feared his fate more than hers, and she didn't want that to become a reality.
"IâI suppose you're right." He breathed out. "We really don't have that much time at all."
Vienne nodded her head. "Not at all, which is why we need to act now." She urged him. "Tomorrow night, when everyone is asleep, I'll be there at midnight, sharp. We can leave without a trace and be far enough away by the time they realize we're gone for them to do anything about it."
Tomorrow night? That was so soon, but Sebastian knew there really wasn't any time left, and Vienne was right. He was willing to take that risk as long as that meant keeping her safe and out of the hands of Edward.
He swallowed hard. "Alright then, I'll get things sorted out with Ominis and we'll be gone by tomorrow night." He replied, giving a small nod.
It was official; they were leaving town.
There was a small beat of silence between the two of them before Sebastian spoke up again. "You should go home before your mother gets suspicious; you've been out for a while." He advised. "You need time to get your things together as well."
Vienne nodded and leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips that he gladly reciprocated. "I love you, Sebastian. Don't worry about this; it'll work out, I promise." She reassured him gently.
"I love you too, and I trust you." He whispered to her.
Soon enough, Vienne was entering the stagecoach and waving goodbye to Sebastian as it began its path back to her home. This would be the last time she'd have to say goodbye to him like this, and that gave her hope.
For so long, she had been living in fear, but now the idea of leaving and being with Sebastian with no interruptions or risks gave her hope for her future. A future with him, without Edward and her mother, a future that was worth it.
And now, she had the promise of that.
***
Once Vienne was gone, Sebastian knew he needed to talk to Ominis about all of this. He deserved to be informed about everything, especially after everything that he had done for the two of them. He was a saint in Sebastian's eyes; always there to help him no matter what, no matter what happened in the past that they had.
So, he made his way up to Ominis' room, and as he raised his fist to knock on the door, Ominis told him to come in, having heard his footsteps coming towards the door anyway. He grabbed the handle and pushed it open. "Ominis?"
"Yes?"
"I need to talk to you."
Sebastain walked inside, taking a seat on one of the couches in the room. "What is it about? Has something happened?" Ominis questioned, his curiosity now piqued. He also couldn't help but be a little worried at the same time due to everything that the Carters were doing.
"No, no, nothing's happened; it's just... Vienne and I have come to a decision about something, and you need to know." Sebastian replied.
"And that is?"
Sebastian took a deep breath, preparing himself for how insane he was going to sound and for how much of a fool Ominis was about to think he was. "Vienne and I are leaving town tomorrow night, to be exact. She says she's worried about her mother's patience slipping and her doing something irrational about it. And with everything going on with the Carters... Vienne suggested and convinced me that that would be the best thing to do."
Ominis' brows furrowed; that definitely was not what he was expecting. "The two of you are leaving town? Tomorrow night?"
Sebastian nodded his head. "Yes, but I wanted to come to you before we left. You've done so much for us; you deserve to be involved." He replied. "I know it's sudden, but we're running out of time. We're pretty much set anyway; I'll have my teaching job by September, we have a place to go, Vienne insists that we'll be fine, and I trust her."
"And when did you come to this decision?" Ominis asked.
Sebastian grimaced. "Today... Not too long ago. But her mother has been pressing her, and well, I suppose this is the only option we really have." He sighed.
"I don't want to leave; I love this town and the people in it, but I love Vienne more." He added. "I want to give her a life where her free will isn't infringed on and where she doesn't have to live in fear."
Ominis, although shocked at the revelation, knew why they felt this way, and honestly, he couldn't disagree with them on it. He walked up to Sebastian, feeling like their distance was unnecessary. "As much as I am shocked, I understand. I want nothing but the best for the both of you. Although I'm saddened that this situation has come to thisâdriving the two of you out of town. But if it's for the best, I understand. I will miss the both of you greatly."
"We'll come to visit, I promise." Sebastian promised. "We'll only be a floo system away."
Ominis could practically hear the grin on his faceâat least he was finding humor in this situation. "Right."
"On a more serious note, I have to thank you, Ominis, for everything." Sebastian said, the grin falling off of his face. "You waited ten years for me, and you never gave up on me. If not for you, I wouldn't be nearly as well as I am now without you. You took me in at my lowest moments, when I wasn't even really me, and you helped me when nobody else was. I owe you everything."
Sebastian's voice broke a little, clearly getting emotional. It was a touchy subject for himâgetting out of Azkaban and on the road to his recoveryâand without Ominis, he wouldn't be there. And likewise, as Sebastian spoke, Ominis felt the back of his throat burn a little as tears threatened to well up in his eyes.
Instead of a reply, Ominis just suddenly hugged him tightly, saying nothing. Sebastian was stunned for a brief moment, but he quickly wrapped his arms around him, reciprocating the hug. He could no longer hold the tears back. His body shuddered with sobs against Ominis, feeling the emotions overwhelm him greatly.
"I owe you my life, Ominis. Thank you for everything." He said, his voice tearful.
Ominis nodded, pulling back a little, now very aware that he had also been crying. "Of course, Sebastian. I would do anything for you." He replied. "Now go pack your things; you'll be gone by tomorrow night."
A/n: Three chapters in less than a week? I'm exhausted LOL. Hope you all enjoy! We're really moving forward now! ð