Doesn’t Come Easy

Summary: Sonja bites first
Warning(s): Spoilers for the whole movie; AU; violence; a preteen being bitten
Pairing: Varek/Sonja

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She glared down at the weak human that she’d pinned under the metal grate. There was blood on the woman and the smell of it drove her crazy, making her salivate. She wanted to feed. She needed to feed. She was so close, she could almost taste it.

And then pain ripped through her as a gunshot sounded and she loosened her hold on the grate, stumbling backwards and letting out a low hiss as she felt her own blood run down her skin.

Another gunshot sounded, but Sonja ducked down and the bullet missed her. Somewhere in the distance, she heard a clock chiming…and something about the sound tugged at her. Something she had to remember.

But there were two weak humans standing in front of her, each with what she wanted and needed contained within their bodies.

Snarling, Sonja knocked the woman to the side, ignoring the way she stumbled and fell to the floor. Her entire focus was on the boy, the child…the one who could destroy her and the rest of her kind forever.

But it wasn’t that thought that drove her forward. No. She was moving on pure instinct. The need to hunt and take her prey. She thought of nothing else as she grabbed the boy by the shoulders and bit, without any hesitation.

And the moment she did, it was like acid filling her mouth.

She spun away from the boy, from the child, her whole body shaking. She fell to her knees, rage seeping out of her as she felt the transformation come over her whole body. It hurt, like a piece of her soul was being ripped away, and she doubled over, gasping for breath.

The pain only lasted for a few brief seconds, but it was enough to leave her shaking and weak. Her whole body trembled and she raised her head, slowly, looking up.

The woman and the boy…Varek’s son…were gone. And she hadn’t heard them leave. Hadn’t heard anything, in fact. Not only had she transformed back into her human form, but her senses were dead. She couldn’t hear what was going on in the rest of the building. And there was the taste of blood in her mouth, but it didn’t taste good. She spat. And then she spat again, trying to get rid of the copper iron tang that coated her tongue.

Gradually, strength returned to her limbs. It wasn’t the strength she’d once had, but she could climb to her feet without needing to hang onto the wall for support.

Sonja looked around slowly, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth. The wound she’d received from the gunshot didn’t hurt anymore. She looked down, noticing the blood; but when she pulled her blouse away from skin, she couldn’t see any injuries.

She picked her way slowly out of the steel cage that surrounded her. It was different now. She felt different. It was hard to pinpoint exactly how, except…she still had the taste of blood in her mouth. And the taste was foul and made her want to retch if she even thought about it.

“Sonja.”

Her steps slowed and then stopped. She hadn’t heard him approach. She hadn’t smelled him approach. Her senses were weak. Even her eyes couldn’t pick out more than a few feet in front of her. But they could see enough to make out Varek, standing almost directly in front of her. His eyes were shadowed. Haunted, even.

“Varek.” She stumbled closer to him, but didn’t touch. Didn’t step into his arms. Instead, she stared at him and asked, “What’s wrong with me?”

“Timothy. My son.” He reached out to her, hand touching her cheek. “You bit him, didn’t you?” His fingers moved towards her chin, thumb pressing lightly against it before he pulled it back. “I did the same thing. It’s how the curse ended.”

“The curse,” she repeated, shaking her head.

He met her gaze, stared into her eyes, took a step closer to her and reached out, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her towards him. “Not that long ago, you thought the same thing.”

She stepped out of his space, away from his warmth. “So we’re human?”

“Yes.” He continued to look into her eyes. “No longer ruled by the moon’s power. We’re not monsters anymore. We don’t have to be monsters anymore.”

She looked down at herself. At her weak, human body. Then, she looked up at him. “I didn’t want this.”

“I know.” He reached out to touch her cheek again and she let him. He looked into her eyes and then he leaned forward. Kissed her, light and tender. A far cry from the passionate, tearing kisses they’d shared under the influence of the moon. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. “But think about what we became. What we both did. Yes, we’ve lost something. But we gained something even more important. We got our humanity back.”

“I told you I didn’t want to ever go back to what I was.” She stepped back from him.

“You don’t mean that.”

“But I do.” She looked past him, but her eyes couldn’t pierce the darkness lurking behind him. Were the woman and the boy there? Were they listening to what they were saying? She looked back at Varek. “Is this it, then? You give up everything, for what? To be weak? Like them? Do you truly think you can play happy families?” She shook her head. “You said that you had no son and that he had no father.”

“That was the beast talking. The beast and not the man.” He held his hand out to her. “Timothy needs protecting. Even if you’re not a skinwalker any longer, you’re one of the strongest people I know. I need your help.”

She stared at his outstretched hand. Stared at it, but couldn’t bring herself to take it. Instead, she took another step back, another step away from him. “I can’t help you,” she whispered.

“You mean you won’t help me.”

“Your son has taken everything important away from me.” She continued to back away from him. “I’m weak. Defenseless. Human.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being human.”

She nodded, smiling bitterly. “Give it time. I’ve already noticed how much weaker my senses are and I haven’t lost it for long. There’s no colour left. Sounds are muted. I can only see you.”

“There is only me.”

“I can’t be limited like this,” she whispered. “It’s like being locked in a cage for all of my life. I had a taste of freedom and now it’s been snatched away from me.” She took a deep breath. “I can’t stay like this.”

He stopped moving towards her, instead staying where he was. “I wish you would change your mind.”

“I’m not like you, Varek. I can’t be content to be limited.” She continued to back away from him. “The next time we meet, it will be as enemies. You know that.”

“I wish it could be different.”

“Protect your son.” Her voice tight, she added, “If you can.” And she turned and walked away.

She was alone again. Without a pack…at least for now.

The End