Chapter 2
Leighton was no stranger to big houses. She had the biggest one in her neighborhood in the Hamptons. But when she woke up from her short nap and saw the Fairmont mansion, her jaw dropped. Elinor had always been modest about the amount of money her family had, they were literally around before time was invented, they had some change to spare. The thing was, Elinor had significantly undersold just how MUCH money the Fairmonts had. The mansion was…well a mansion. There was several gardeners and groundskeepers tending to various parts of the property that seemed to be never ending and what seemed to be personal chefs bringing in large quantities of food. Far too much for a family of vampires to ever need. Leighton nudged her girlfriend and indicated to the chefs with a confused look. Elinor looked and then chuckled, the poor mortal had so much to learn.
“Yes, that’s all, well. Mainly for you. Since you’re here, we won’t be feeding as much so mother ordered some of her favorites to hold her over. For your own sake, I said you can’t share Cal’s personal stash. The girl is very particular about her snacks.”
Cal happened to be walking by and “accidentally” bumped into Elinor, causing the blonde to stumble from the strength of it. In the blink of an eye, Elinor had taken off and her and Cal were now fighting in the middle of the yard. Leighton looked on horrified and almost ran towards the fight when she felt a strong but gentle hand hold her back. She looked down to find Juliette holding her wrist but was watching her girlfriend and sister fight.
“Relax. They’re play fighting. It’ll pass soon.”
Leighton looked absolutely flabbergasted as knives somehow emerged from somewhere on Cal’s person and Elinor was all teeth and was trying to get Cal to look into her eyes.
“This is a PLAY fight??” The girl squeaked out.
Jules only chuckled and shrugged. “Yeah. I never said they had a healthy relationship. But they won’t hurt each other. Believe it or not neither of them are at 100%. It’s really more like 20%.”
Leighton couldn’t believe her eyes or her ears. Her girlfriend was currently “play” fighting with someone who was trained to kill her. Not much could be worse or weirder than that. The sound of a door opening drew Leighton’s attention away from the brawl and she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat. (Which Elinor made fun of her for later. Damn vampire hearing). Standing in the doorframe with an amused expression on her face was one of the most beautiful women Leighton had ever seen. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a flawless bun to keep the view of her face perfect and though her outfit was casual, a blouse and some light jeans, she could have been a model. Leighton of course had seen pictures of Elinor’s family, being legacies had its perks, but pictures did not do this woman justice.
“Elinor. Calliope. Please. Not in front of our guests. If you want to fight you can do it in the gym indoors. You know that. Now behave yourselves and come inside.”
The words were soft but the voice behind them nearly made Leighton’s blood turn cold. This woman was powerful in more ways than one and if Leighton wasn’t intimidated before, she definitely was now. Immediately the older vampire and the hunter stopped their fighting and laughed before making their way to their girlfriends. Cal all but dragged Jules inside, the shorter girl tripping over her own feet as they went and Elinor made her way back to a Leighton.
“You ready? She’s not that scary once you get adjusted to her” she said with a smirk as her girlfriend tried to save face.
“Please. I’m not scared. I’ve met worse house wives in Long Island”
Tatum laughed and nodded her head as she and Leighton walked towards the house. “Sure babe, I’ll let you believe that if it helps.”
The girls had made their way inside before Elinor introduced Leighton, she was waiting on her father to come down stairs to only have to do it once.
“Mother. Dad. This is my girlfriend Leighton. Leight, these are my parents. Margot and Sebastian Fairmont”
Leighton shook both of their hands and really hoped they didn’t pick up on how nervous she was. Of course they did, they had picked up on it as soon as she drove onto the property. But they were polite and never brought it up to her for her own dignity.
A sudden car horn and the sound of very, very loud country music from outside startled Leighton but annoyed the vampires. Elinor mumbled something about eating him which confused Leighton further but she didn’t have time to ask before Elinor shouted, “JULES. YOUR OTHER HUMAN IS HERE AND STILL DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO USE A DOORBELL.”
The youngest Fairmont rushed down the stairs (was her shirt inside out?) and outside to go handle her friend and Elinor turned to explain to Leighton. “That’s Ben. Jules’ best friend since forever. Well. Not literally forever. Just as long as we’ve been here. He’s apparently allergic to getting out of his car and approaching the door like any normal human would. I’m surprised mother hasn’t threatened him yet.”
After everything finally settled down Elinor had gone to the DA’s office to help her dad with something which left Leighton alone in her girlfriend’s room. She took it upon herself to start unpacking. They would only be there for a week but it was easier to make outfits when she could see everything. She had been unpacking for about ten minutes when she heard a knock on the door before it opened. Her throat went dry when she turned to see who it was. Margot. Leighton tried to find words but was clearly malfunctioning and if the smirk on Margot’s face was any indication, she knew.
“Leighton dear. Come help me with the food please. I haven’t had regular food in quite some time and would love to know your opinions. You seem like a girl with nice…taste. I’ll be downstairs.”
At that the older woman turned to leave but left the door open. Leighton was still processing when it all hit her at once. Margot wasn’t asking, she was telling. And Leighton was still standing there, which meant she was making her wait. Scrambling, Leighton threw on a t shirt and quickly made her way downstairs. It was just a one on one with her girlfriend’s mom. Her very hot, very powerful vampire mom. She could do this, right?