A few hours later, Sarah crept into his room to check on him. He lay passed out on the bed, two empty bottles on the nightstand and one on the floor. She removed his shoes and covered him with a blanket. Turning to leave, her hands clasped to her face in horror upon noticing the painting. She carefully removed it from the wall; she couldn't let him wake to this. Stopping at the top of the stairs, she wept silently, wishing to help him, but having not a clue how. Thinking about all the times he nursed her through heartache, she now realized how difficult it must have been for him to witness her pain.
***
When Jackson awoke, reality did not hit immediately. He had had his dream, and the beauty of it lingered. He looked at the wall where Elisabeth's painting should be and saw empty space with spattered blood around it. Sarah must have taken it. His head throbbed and his body ached all over. He lay staring at the ceiling for a time, attempting to push away the torment; it had gripped him so completely that resistance was futile. He rose slowly and headed downstairs to find Sarah on the sofa. Jackson didn't speak, just staggered to the bar and opened another bottle.
"You know, you can't just keep drinking until you pass out."
"Watch me." He sat down with the bottle, not bothering to use a glass.
She stood in front of him. "I think you should talk to her."
"Well, you think wrong."
Connor had started down the stairs. "I'm really sorry Jackson." The vampire glanced at him without response. "You know, when I was down in that room losing my mind, you said something that made me start to see things differently. You said I fell in love with who Sarah is, not what she is."
Jackson narrowed his eyes and yelled, "She's a werewolf!"
"I know, but honestly, I don't think a vampire finding out he is in love with a werewolf can be any more earth shattering than a human finding out he's in love with a vampire."
"She turns into a fucking wolf and can rip me apart."
"Yes, once a month. Sarah has fangs and has to be careful not to crush me whenever we hug 24/7. Sorry, but I think I trump you on the my-girlfriend-can-kill-me front. All I'm saying, is maybe you should hear her out. I've seen the way she looks at you. That woman is head over heels in love. I can't believe for a minute she wants to hurt you." Jackson stared straight ahead for a moment then, without a word, grabbed another bottle and skulked upstairs.