thepicketfencecliche | spamalot } of options and final wishes

Victor: [It was the financial activity he notices first. He manages all of his siblings accounts under the family trust, so when Nik starts pulling considerable sums of money in hospital payments, he's concerned, but then he remembers that Nik's been keeping the company of a human lately. Then when he sees the amounts being paid he's considerably more concerned. A few hours of pointed text messages later, he gets a phone call of Nik explaining the situation.

Victor is on a plane an hour later.

When he gets to the hospital it's hushed conversations with his brother in the hallway, all of his answers colored by the question he wants to ask but won't. Victor isn't sure if it's because he doesn't want to, if he's concerned of the results or if he simply isn't sure if he can. All the same, he instructs him to take Sarah home and get some sleep in a real bed. He'll take care of the rest. It's just on the edge of alpha voice, a hit of the command that he could use but doesn't want to. Nik does as he's told.

Victor, in turn, settles next to Marissa's bed, closing the door to the room to give them some privacy and taking her hand in his, resuming what his brother was probably doing before he left and taking her pain]

Marissa: [she had fallen asleep after a fit of crying and coughing that Alex had come back in and hooked her up to oxygen now to help take some pressure off her lungs and a sedative to help her sleep easier. She couldn't tell Nik how small and afraid she felt. How much she hated that feeling. She had been running from doctors and their death predictions for her entire life, and yet Alex - the only one who had been positive in the last few years - had doled out the news she knew was true with each gasping breath. It didn't make it any easier to take, knowing that she was firmly in the bed she was going to die in. But if she had a few more days, she could at least make sure her son wouldn't have to suffer for her choices. That was why she asked to talk to Victor. Her son needed a pack, and even if he wasn't old enough to make her own choices, she couldn't leave him on his own. Someone had to take care of her baby when she couldn't. And god help her, she trusted Nik the moment she met him. She didn't want to saddle the guy with her son for the rest of his life - pretty sure that wasn't something he signed up for when they went to have drinks on the roof - but she didn't know what else to do.

She felt the hand in hers change, and the pain eased away again as she was on the verge of waking up, so she opened her eyes and looked at Victor, and then gave him a weak smile] You came.

Victor: [he smiles back in return, his voice gentle as he spoke, different from the tone he was using with his brother earlier. He's not Marissa's alpha. He doesn't get to boss her around.] Of course. I came as soon as I heard.

Marissa: I should have told him sooner. I wasn't expecting us to get that close. I'm sorry.

Victor: [he shakes his head] No, no. You both had your secrets to keep. I highly doubt he's angry with you and I'm certainly not.

Marissa: [nods] I need to talk to you. About Gabe.

Victor: [he nods] You want to make sure he'll be taken care of.

Marissa: Sarah... she'll take him. But she can't help him. Not how he needs. He needs a family. A pack. And I don't want to burden Nik with him. He didn't sign up to be a father in this. I can't do that to him.

Victor: I don't think he would consider it a burden. [he knows his brother, and he knows that he's come to care a great deal for that little boy.] But I spoke with my wife on the way here, and legally we are the better choice. A stable married couple, affluent, a permanent home. If it came to a court situation with your parents, Leah and I would be more likely to win than Nik would.

Marissa: [tears came to her eyes and she nodded] Thank you. I wish…I wish I could meet her. She got lucky too, I take it. Finding you.

Victor: She did. More than you realize. [more often than not, he feels that it's the other way around, because human or not Leah was formidable, beautiful. She completed him in ways that he didn't even realize he needed and he considers the luckiest day of his life the day he met her. But he knows that she's been fortunate as well, because without his being a wolf, he may have lost her a long time ago.] I'll sign whatever paperwork you need, but before I do, I want to make sure that you've considered every available option.

Marissa: Nik and Alex talked about options. There's not many, and it only gives me days. [she had never gone there with the thinking of the bite]

Victor: [he's sensing that. He nods for a moment before brushing his thumb against the back of her hand soothingly] I wasn't thinking of medical ones.

Marissa: [she looks at him, then chuckles] I'm pretty sure I'm not the best candidate here.

Victor: [he pauses for a moment, before leaning back in his seat, his hand still in hers] Did I ever tell you the story of how I met my wife?

Marissa: No. [settles into her pillows a bit more, listening]

Victor: I was in graduate school at the time, it was before my father died, and I was getting ready to take my place in the family business. I was walking into a coffee shop, not entirely paying attention to what was happening around me as most New Yorkers do, when I found myself being assaulted by a mochaccino.

Marissa: Those coffees, man. They just come out of nowhere sometimes.

Victor: Indeed. This one happened to be wielded by a very angry woman with this ... wild dark hair and she wasn't actually aiming for me at the time. She had intended to throw it at the man in front of her who she had just recently found out was cheating on her younger brother. When she realized she missed her intended target she was incredibly apologetic and insisted on taking me back to her apartment to clean the shirt herself. Needless to say, by the end of the night I was thoroughly charmed with this beautiful, incredibly human woman. [which, if they have talked about Leah, it might not have come up that she was human when they met.]

Marissa: [chuckles] How long did it take you to charm her?

Victor: Longer than it usually would have. Leah's incredibly independent, especially considering she's been taking care of her family for a very long time. She was a parent more than she was a child and with most of my experience being socialites and college girls who never really had to work for much she was ... a challenge. But it was one well worth undertaking.

Marissa: And one you succeeded at, considering she's your wife now.

Victor: I did. But there's more to the story than that. [he pauses for a moment, his face sobering] She wasn't simply human. She was also sick. Hemophilia. The smallest cut couldn't even clot, and while she told me about it fairly early on, I didn't really feel the impact of it until about a year into our relationship. She cut herself, fixing dinner, and it resulted in a trip to the hospital, and it ... terrified me. Despite her illness, I had never really seen her as fragile, which was when it struck me how easily I could lose her.

Marissa: I'm sorry. [her eyes tear up, because she realizes that her being here has to be bringing back those memories]

Victor: [he nods, and it does, but it also reminds him of the choice they made, and the fact that it was the right one.] I ... introduced her to werewolves when things started to get serious - I didn't want there to be secrets between us - and it was a few months after the incident that I started to talk to her about possibly receiving the bite from my father. There are risks - there are always risks with the bite - but we agreed that it was worth it to try, if for nothing else so that she didn't have to live in fear of her own body. [he's sure that Marissa can see where the story ends]

Marissa: [she does] And it took?

Victor: [he nods] There were hardly any complications at all.

Marissa: And now you guys have your happily ever after?

Victor: More or less. [he nods slowly] There are great number of benefits to the bite - you'll be stronger, healthier. You'll heal from most injuries. You'll stay younger, longer, your quality of life would be better. There are downsides, as you've seen with Gabe, and there are risks that the bite won't take, but in the end, the choice is yours.

Marissa: What happens if the bite doesn't…take?

Victor: If it doesn't take, it could kill you. Your body will reject it and fight the change. I suppose the fortunate thing in your case is that with your heart, it likely wouldn't be as dragged out as long as it would in someone who's healthy.

Marissa: Well, the dying is coming either way at this point. Not really much at risk at this point.

Victor: [he nods] There's also the fact that this would be a different situation than it is with Gabe. Gabe was a born wolf without a pack, he would have more discretion in what pack he'd like to join, but if I turn you and it takes, you will be part of my pack, and I will be your alpha. Not that I'm anticipating that being an issue, but it's something to consider.

Marissa: [she nods] I asked Nik to call you because I knew you'd take care of my son, Victor. I knew I had to ask you, as the alpha, but I tend to be a good judge of people, and I knew you were a good man when you walked into my house that day. I knew you'd take care of my son. If I'd trust you with the one thing on this earth I value more than anything, I don't think I have a problem with this. I just don't want you to make this offer because you want to help me. I don't want to be a burden. I hate that feeling, and that's why I don't talk to my parents anymore. I won't be anyone's burden again.

Victor: [he shakes his head] Another wolf joining my pack would never be a burden, and this isn't an offer I make lightly. If you had more time, this would be a much longer conversation, but from the way I see it, my brother already considers you pack. Giving you the bite would give you more time with him and with your son. That is important to me. [he pauses for a moment, before swallowing. he also lost a beta recently and is still feeling that vacuum, but that isn't relevant to this decision for Marissa. He doesn't want her to feel like she's a quota either.]

Marissa: [she knows Gabe would be begging her to do it. For her son alone she would, just to be able to see him grow up. She has gone through so much to be able to give him a good life that this would just be something she did for him. But Nik was involved too.] Do you know... did Nik ask you... [to talk with her about this is the unspoken end of that question]

Victor: [pauses, before shaking his head] He wanted to. I could tell that much. But he didn't actually say it - mostly because he knew that in the end it's always going to be my decision and I don't think he would have been able to stand hearing the answer be no.

Marissa: [small smile because it's good to know you love her just as much as she loves you, Nikolai.] I should talk with him and Gabe first. He should be at school right now. Sarah can get him, she has permission to take him out of classes.

Victor: [nods] I should contact my attorney and draw up the custody paperwork all the same. In case this doesn't take, we want to be prepared. [he glances down at the date on his phone] I'll see if I can expedite it. With the full moon tomorrow, it'd be safer having him in my care.

Marissa: Thank you, Victor. You don't know how much I thank God every day that your brother walked into the bar that night.

Victor: [he gives her hand a soft squeeze] Just get some rest. I sent Nik home for some sleep, but I'm sure he'll be back soon.

Marissa: [she squeezes back, nodding] Okay. [and she takes a deep breath, reaching up to wipe away the tears that had come to her eyes before she closed them, trying to relax again]

Victor: [will wait until he's sure she's asleep before stepping out, to call his attorney and set things in motion. He will grease every wheel to get this going quickly and the paperwork filed as soon as he can. And when she wakes up again, Nik will probably be here, texting his sister. Victor probably hasn't told him he offered her the bite, he figures it's better if it comes from her]

Marissa: [she wakes up with a cough, her eyes looking to take in the time, then sees Nik and smiles a bit] You look rested at least.

Nik: [looks up with a small smile] Victor made me take Sarah home to get some rest. How're you feeling?

Marissa: Body pretty much hates me at this point. But your brother and I talked and figured a few things out, so not as worried anymore.

Nik: That's good. [not that he knows what they actually talked about] I know he was talking to the lawyers to have custody things worked out for Gabe.

Marissa: It's our back up plan. Just in case, so that Gabe won't be in danger. [she reaches to take his hand] I need to talk to you first.

Nik: [his brow furrows at back up plan, but his hand curls around hers all the same] ... Okay.

Marissa: Victor made me an offer, but I told him before I made my choice, I wanted to talk to you and Gabe first.

Nik: [and that's when he gets it. There's a part of him that's relieved, simply for the fact that there's a chance they can get more time, but at the same time, there's still that risk she's going to say no he shifts a bit in his seat, leaning forward so that his elbows are resting under the edge of the bed] It's your choice. I don't care if you're a wolf or a human, what's more important is what you want. This isn't for everyone.

Marissa: I already know what I want, Nik. [she gives him a small smile] I want time. I want to see my baby grow up and not be orphaned when he's only seven. I want to keep feeling the wind in my hair. And I know who I want to spend it with. [she squeezed her hand] I want to know what you want.

Nik: [he squeezes her hand in return, before bringing the back of it to his lips] I want time too. [He wants her to have time to have those things, and he wants more time with her. He's not expecting forever really, he's still steps away from where he's sure, but he would love to have more time to figure it out] But I also don't want you to feel like you have to do this for me, or because of me. I'll stand by you regardless.

Marissa: I know you will. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable with it. I know a few things about how packs work - not everything, but the basic 101.

Nik: [he shakes his head] You would have been part of my pack whether you were human or not. You don't have to be a wolf to be pack.

Marissa: [her smile grows] I think I should tell you then that I love you. Because I want more time with you, handsome. You're the best thing that's walked into my life since my kid, and I don't like losing the good things in my life.

Nik: [he smiles a bit at that, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand again] Neither do I.

Marissa: [nods] Then I'm going to do it. I mean, not really much to risk with it not taking, right? [trying to be brave and make a joke of it]

Nik: [nods as well, giving her hand a squeeze. He's not going anywhere.] It'll be okay.

Marissa: [nods] Think you can fit yourself back on here again? Alex will pitch a fit but I don't care.

Nik: [nods as he goes to do just that, careful of the wires and tubes and shifting to rest at her side]

Marissa: [she can't curl onto her side because of all those wires, but she can rest her head on his shoulder, her arm on top of his and guiding it to curl around her stomach as she clasps his fingers.] Just promise me... if it doesn't take, you'll make sure Gabe remembers me?

Nik: Of course.

Marissa: Thank you. [and she's just going to lay there and absorb his warmth and the feeling of safety she gets in his arms]

Nik: [yep, that's fine, he's just going to lay there with her until they tell him not to]

Marissa: [Alex knows better than to do that. He knows the prognosis and he's not going to deny Marissa anything she wants at this point. His job as a doctor was to take care of his patients, and if snuggling with her huge man of a... whatever he was to her... made her rest and relaxed, he wasn't saying anything. So they can get to lay like that until about an hour later where Gabe pushes his way into the room while Sarah is in the hallway talking to Alex]

Gabe: Mom?

Marissa: There's my little wolf.

Nik: [picks his head up at that, before starting to pull back, wanting to give her room to be with her son]

Gabe: [gives a small smile and nod of his head to Nik, then goes to stand next to her at the bedside] You've got things going into you again. It's not good, is it?

Marissa: No, baby, it's not.

Nik: [moves back towards the edge of the room, lingering in the doorway with Sarah to give them at least the appearance of privacy]

Gabe: [with Nik leaving, he crawls up into the warm space that smelt like him and curled up into her side] Are you dying, Mom?

Marissa: [she runs her fingers in his hair] Yeah, baby, I am.

Gabe: I don't want you to die. [and he's crying against her shoulder]

Marissa: I know. I know you don't. [she kissed his cheek] That's why I wanted to ask you something.

Gabe: [sniffles] What?

Marissa: Would you be okay if I became like you?

Gabe: [blinks] You mean... like a wolf?

Marissa: Yeah, like that. Victor and Nik and I talked about it, and I'm thinking I'm going to do that so I don't have to leave you. You be okay with that?

Gabe: Will Nik teach you how to control it too?

Marissa: [chuckles and looks over at him] I dunno, kid, I think you take up a lot of his time. But if not him, Victor probably will. He's the one who offered it to me so I could be with you. Both of you.

Nik: [just leans against the doorframe and listens. This is going to be dragging both of them into his world in a big way and he just hopes they're ready for it]

Marissa: [of course, she's thinking of it as hoping that Nik is ready to have the Kales around for long time]

Gabe: I think you'd be a good wolf, Mom.

Marissa: There is a chance it may not happen, baby. It's a risk. I want you to know that, okay?

Gabe: What do you mean?

Marissa: We can do it, but it may not work. And if it doesn't work, then I'm going to be gone. And if that happens, Victor said he will take you in and you'll go live with him and his wife. From what I've heard about her, you'll like her a lot.

Nik: [swallows a bit at that, not wanting to think about the chance of the bite not taking, even if it's a very real risk]

Gabe: It's going to work, Mom. It has to. [and he hugs her tighter]

Marissa: [just hugs him back] You just keep that faith up, kid. It goes a long way.

Nik: [sighs softly as he glances back to them] I really hope this works.

Marissa: [looks over at him and smiles] It'll work, handsome.

Nik: [whoops. He did not mean for that to be that loud] I know.

Marissa: You two aren't getting rid of me that easily. [she kisses the top of Gabe's head again]

Nik: [he nods a bit] I'm going to go check in with Victor. I'll be right down the hall.

Marissa: [she nods, and she's just going to sit there and snuggle her little boy until she's needed]

Nik: [and he'll wander down the hall to be on the phone for a while]