Title: A Demon's Fate

Author: Annie Newton

Fandom: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (book!verse/AU)

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama, Horror

Summery: When a letter from Henry calls Abe back to his dear friend, feelings blossom. But an old enemy lies in wait, ready to destroy the Hunters' new found happiness.

Pairing: Abery (Abraham/Henry), Crowley/Henry, Crowley/Abraham, Henry/Edeva

Rating: NC-17 (overall) / (Chapter )

Warnings: Language, Violence, Disturbing Images/Concepts, Gore and Blood-Play, Graphic M/M Sexual Content, Dub-Con and Non-Con/Rape, Torture and Character Death

Disclaimer: I do not own Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter nor any characters or concepts contained within.

Word Count: 2,969 (22,784 so far)

Chapter 8.1: A New Beginning

(Please note that this is only half of the chapter.)

Henry jolted awake, his eyes snapping wide and deep and black as midnight. The scream that had roused him continued to sound, relentlessly bouncing against his skull like a tumbling rock. Eleanor Dare. It registered in his mind instantly, an instinctual awareness of a voice from the past that was seared into his consciousness for all of eternity. It was one of the last sounds that he had heard as a mortal man.

Closing his eyes, Henry took a long, deep breath, releasing it slowly out through his mouth in an audible sigh. The oxygen worked its magic, flooding his system with a calmness that froze the anxiety left over from his dream. Gradually his muscles relaxed, the rigid tension dissolving until his body was loose and limber once again. He hesitated in opening his eyes, making certain that they were changed back to normal before peeking around at his surroundings.

An orange glow shown from the east, making the sluggish creek glisten golden as it wound its way west. Birds sang in the trees, and in the forest Henry could hear the tamping of deer, their snorts echoing over the valley. The temperature of the air was chilled, smelling of the upcoming frost, but he knew the rising sun would heat the day adequately enough. Though the sun had yet to crest the top of the wood, Henry could already feel the tickle of the rays upon his sensitive vampire skin, warming him from the outside in.

A small sound drew his attention to the prone body lying beside him. Abraham, formless under the mound of blankets heaped upon him, lay on his stomach, the very top of his head the only part of him visible from behind the shield of covers. Reaching over, Henry pulled the blankets aside and peered at the sleeping man, smiling at the sight. Abe was fast asleep, his head turned sharply in Henry's direction, his face cushioned by the cocoon of fabric about him. A soft wheezing accompanied the man's breathing and as Henry stared, a tiny trickle of drool slipped from the corner of his mouth, staining the cloth beneath him.

Raising a brow, Henry watched Abe, amused by the hunter's level of apparent comfort upon the hard, unwelcoming ground. The man's youth and exceptional good health were certainly a benefit when it came to roughing it out in the wild. Henry hoped that those particular attributes would serve them both well in the days to follow.

Quietly, so as to not disturb the other man, Henry gently removed himself from their tent, righting his body in one quick, fluid motion. He put on his boots and covered himself with his overcoat, slipping into the pair of glasses he found within the breast pocket. After stirring the fire back to a roaring, crackling life, Henry fetched a pail full of water from the nearby stream and set it to boil.

Given that it would take several minutes for the water to begin to simmer, Henry wandered back to the creek, coming to a stop at the rocky edge. He kneeled and closing his eyes, removed his shades, gingerly placing them upon a wide, flat stone by his side. Leaning forward, Henry dipped his cupped hands into the shockingly cold, clean water, feeling the undercurrent tug at his fingers. He brought his hands back up with a pool of shimmering wetness trapped within them, and splashed it upon his face. The water sang as it returned to the stream and he repeated the process, refreshing his pores of the grime two days spent in the saddle had wrought him.

Satisfied that his skin was clean, Henry turned his attention to combing at his hair, running damp fingers through his mane until it was slick and springy atop his head. Wiping his hands upon his breeches to dry them, he reached down until he felt the tips of the temples of his glasses, once more placing them against his face until the back of the rims were flush against his cheeks. Only then did he dare to again open his eyes.

His spit bath completed, Henry rose and turned to face the camp. The solid block of a man loomed in front of him, baring his way back to Abraham. Henry jumped, reflexively recoiling from the mass of muscle standing before him.

"Whoa! Sorry!" Abe took a step backwards, raising his hands in childlike submission as he retreated away from the startled vampire. "I'm sorry; I did not mean to alarm you." He lowered his arms, wrapping them around his bare torso as he shivered against the early morning air. "I awoke and heard splashing. I came to investigate."

"You came to investigate while half naked and without your ax?" Now that the initial shock had worn off, Henry was irritated, upset that he had dropped his guard to the point of being wholly unaware of Abraham's presence. Such a lapse in attention could very well prove fatal to both Abe and himself. Careless, Henry, he chided himself. Very careless. Henry clenched his jaw and squared his shoulders. Though he was angry with his failing, he was just as agitated with Abe for the man's own recklessness. "It might have been anything down here, or anyone, Abraham."

Abe flinched, a tiny admission of his all too casual treatment of the situation. "Well," he mumbled, shuffling his feet in embarrassment. "I thought that it was you, but I did not know what you were doing. I thought that you would hear me."

Henry watched Abe as the young man fidgeted before him. He was clearly shamed by the sloppiness of his behavior, and startled by Henry's admonishment of it. Guilt began to wash over Henry, remorse for the quickness of his reproach and the sharpness of his tone. Abraham was very young yet, still a boy in some regards. He was comforted by their location, by the refuge that the wooded isolation brought. There really was no way for Abe to understand their situation or to comprehend the danger that could be lying in wait in the shade of the trees.

And truly, it had been Henry's own fault. He himself had been too complacent in the beauty of the morning, the stillness of the land lulling him into a false sense of security. Henry should have been aware of Abe's approach; he should have been paying attention, for the sake of them both.

"It is alright, Abraham." Henry took a breath. "I am, perhaps, a little on edge yet."

Abe smiled a small grimace.

Henry returned the smile, as best as he could. "You really did nothing wrong."

"I did sneak up behind an oblivious vampire," Abe shrugged.

"Yes." A smirk broke Henry's face. "That is generally not a grand idea, Abraham."

Abe's eyes flashed daringly. "Still, I got the drop on you, Henry. Are you finding your senses wanting in your old age?"

Lowering his voice, Henry stepped forward, a menacing curve to his lips. "If I were you, I would not wander in that direction. You may find yourself in a compromising position all too quickly." He was pleased to see Abe's eyes widen into circles. "Come," he said. "Let us go back to the camp. We have a long day before us and you need to breakfast."

"Um, yeah…" Abe blushed, his chest flushing a surprising pink. He looked to the stream, reflexively searching the bank for adequate cover. "I…uh, will join you in a moment."

Realization struck Henry, who nodded understandingly. "Of course." He moved to walk passed Abe, leaving to allow the young man a small measure of privacy. Halting, he called over his shoulder, "Oh, Abraham? Be sure that you are downstream, please." Henry left Abe alone, the hunter muttering obscenities under his breath.

oOo

The morning meal was small, the two men wanting to begin their chore as early as possible, conscious of the fact that much was needed to be accomplished in a very short amount of time. After setting the fire to burn at a low temperature until midday, both Abe and Henry began to prepare their equipment for use, taking turns with the mill file in order to sharpen the axes and saws.

They made their way into the nearby forest, inspecting the size and shape of the trees encircling their small campsite. After selecting a number of promising looking trunks, the two set to work, hacking away on either side of the base of the ten-inch diameter tree, gouging the kerfs wider and wider until but a sliver of the trunk's core remained.

Henry stepped back, away from the path the falling tree would take, and set his ax down, casually leaning upon its curved handle. "Please," he gestured to the tree. "Proceed."

Taking a firm stance, Abe's fingers tightened around the wooden handle, the smooth grain familiar and comfortable within his palm. He pivoted, his muscles bunching as he pulled the ax back, up and over his right shoulder. With a heave, he twisted, bringing the head of the ax forward and down until it plunged into the meat of the tree, chips spraying outward from the sheer force of the blow. Dislodging the blade with a jerk, Abe took aim again, cutting just as deeply as before. The third chop severed the trunk from the stump, and with a clatter of limbs and the commotion of birds, the tree finally fell to the ground.

Abe took the time to observe his handiwork, his breath misty in the cool morning air. He nodded and slung the ax up onto his shoulder, turning to face Henry. The grin that was upon his lips faded as soon as he met the sour face of his vampire friend. "What?"

"You have not been minding your training, Abraham." Henry frowned. "Your strength has faded."

"No." Abe gaped. "No, I-"

"You should have felled that tree in one swing. Two at the very most."

"I see no reason to expend energy on a tree."

Henry was silent for a moment, contemplating Abe's answer.

Shifting his stance, Abe placed his weight upon his lead leg. "Tell you what. If by the end of the day you are not satisfied with my performance, you can lay into me. I will not raise an objection. If, however, by the end of the day you are satisfied, then you lighten up." He raised a brow. "Do we have a deal?"

Pursing his lips, Henry gazed at the fallen tree, a thoughtful expression passing over his face. After a moment, he nodded, giving Abe an apologetic smile. "I accept."

Abe smirked, pleased with himself. "Well, alright." Shrugging the ax off of his back, Abe gripped it by the throat and rotated his wrist, quickly twirling the shaft around his palm and over his knuckles. "Then let us get down and dirty, my friend."

For the next several hours, the two worked in tandem with one another, cutting down trees that were relatively straight and of a reasonable width. For the cabin to come together properly, they needed logs with minimal tapering and with diameters of less than a foot across. The forest was especially generous to them, the rains having nurtured many such trees within a fairly short distance from their encampment. Before midday was upon them, both man and vampire had felled enough logs to make up the enclosure of their new home, an immense feat considering the expected size of the cabin.

The night before, when Henry had told Abe of his plans for the cabin, the younger man had acted a little surprised. "That seems a bit large, Henry," he'd said, while chewing his evening meal. "Especially considering that it is meant to be a temporary lodge, one to get us through the winter."

"Yes, but as you just pointed out, we will be spending the whole of winter within these walls." Henry had assumed a feral look then, though teasing as it was. "It would be a tremendous shame to be driven to kill you either out of sheer boredom or perhaps even great annoyance." His eyes gleamed against the camp fire. "A tragedy."

Having swallowed rather thickly, Abe nodded. "Yes," he had agreed from his seat across the flames form Henry. "Yes, perhaps a bigger cabin would be the way to go."

And so, their tentative plan was to build the cabin roughly ten-by-sixteen feet, depending upon the variance of the tree lengths after having cut and shaped them. Such dimensions would allow adequate room for indoor training when the snows became too heavy and thick and – if necessary – space enough to have some distance between the human and the vampire, should cabin fever strike either of them rather hard.

Once they were all downed, Henry and Abe began to clear the massive trunks, sawing away at the numerous limbs that marred the logs. Though it was traditional to completely skin the trees of their coarse bark, Henry had suggested cleaning off only one side of the trunks, leaving the other half looking natural and rough. With the possibility of pursuit, Henry thought that having the cabin appear as inconspicuous as possible would be a good thing. Abe couldn't disagree with this logic; attempting to blend in made perfect sense to him.

After having cut away the branches and peeled off the bark, they saddled up the horses, grabbing a handful of rope as they made their way back to the semi-stripped trees. They looped the ropes around the trunks, tying the woven ends to the rigging of the saddles. Abe flicked the reins against the horses' withers and obediently the animals stepped forward, dragging the logs across the rugged earth with practiced ease. Two-by-two the logs were pulled, being dropped next to the clearing on which their lodge would be erected.

With a worn out and tired sigh, Abe turned the horses, finally ready to make the last haul before they paused for the noonday meal. He was hungry, and sitting down beside the fire, resting his muscles while filling his belly, was an alluring concept.

"Do not bother yourself."

Abe lifted his head, laying eyes upon Henry as the vampire came into view. He stopped short, his mouth dropping open in a ridiculous fashion as he took in the sight of the other man. Henry, looking not the least bit strained or over burdened, held the final two trees over his either of his shoulders, balancing the long, thick logs with extraordinary ease. His stride long and confident, Henry walked past a speechless Abe and kneeled among the rest of the timbers. In a series of movements so strong and smooth that it was difficult for Abe to properly perceive, Henry had lifted the logs off his back and deposited them gently upon the ground.

Henry stood, brushing his dirty hands upon his breeches. A smile graced his lips, roguish to highlight the playful challenge glinting within his eyes. "Are you ready to break, Abraham? I could use a bit of a rest myself."

"Anyone ever tell you that you are a showoff?"

"A couple, yes."

As the horses quietly grazed beside the stream, the two friends sat by the crackling campfire, catching their breath for the next phase of their cabin building. Abe munched at his bread, a bit of dried meat wedged between the loaves for flavor as Henry considered the depth of the home's foundation. The flowing creek offered a limitless supply of various sized stones, and a good number of them would be utilized to construct the floor, as well as the fireplace. Mud, mixed with grass, would serve as the mortar between the rocks, joining them together for a solid base.

"I think it best if I were to see to laying the foundation," Henry mused, drinking a tin cup of water. "I am stronger, of course, and therefore can carry much larger, heavier stones without difficulty. You can begin on notching the logs, since the ax is your forte. It will save time."

Washing down the last of his meal, Abe frowned. "Sorry, was that a compliment?"

Henry nodded. "I believe so. Truly, your ax work is to die for."

Abe stared blankly, his eyelashes blinking a slow pattern against his cheeks. Finally a hearty rumble of a laugh escaped his lips, one that rolled from deep within his gut. Henry eyed his student for a moment before allowing himself to giggle in return. It was easy to be himself with Abe, a fact that Henry was beyond a doubt eternally thankful for.

While Henry set about selecting the right stones for the cabin's base, Abe worked at cutting deep, triangular indentations on either end of each log. These grooves would allow the logs to rest snugly atop one another, minimizing the gaps between them for a more sturdy structure. The trunks were massive, and Abe soon found that his back was becoming slick with sweat as he labored at the wood. The day had indeed warmed, and Abe felt the sun on his shoulders, pleasantly caressing his skin. He glanced over at Henry, seeing the vampire lift a rather large boulder from the creek bed with absolute ease. The other man's skin was smooth and dry, his physiology working with the weather and not against it; curse the undead bastard.

With a shrug, Abe began unbuttoning his shirt. He considered leaving it on, the garment undone to halfway but decided the notion. A loose shirt would only prove to be a hindrance to his movement and would end up being more annoying than anything. With care, Abe peeled himself out of his wet top, hanging it on a nearby branch to dry itself in the soft breeze.

Author's Note: Please see my profile for an explanation as to why this is taking so long. And yes, I know I'm evil to leave it there.