zarahjoyce | 5 Things that Never Happened to Sandrino and Jacintha

Soft and delicate, her neck could easily break under the weight of his power.

"I could kill you," he whispered, his fangs near her skin. He could taste her fear from the salt in the air; he licked his lips, savoring it. "I could kill you, right now. No one will know."

He heard the hitch in her breath, but his grip never lessened, never giving her a chance to respond. He opened his mouth, pierced her throat, and began drinking.

Blood had never tasted this pure, this heady, this good.

A minute later and he let her body fall to the ground. Another enemy down.

He never even saw the trail of tears that fell from her eyes, just then.

2.

"We're... we're looking for our daughter. Jacintha Magsaysay? We were told she lived here."

She frowned. Goddamnit. "Who sent you? Who told you where I-- where Jacintha lived?"

The man placed a hand on his wife's shoulder and stepped forward, his face grim. "Why don't you tell us where she is, first?"

She gritted her teeth. This was not-- damnit, this was not part of the plan.

All but pushing them out of her house she said, "It's not safe for you to be here. Leave this place. Don't ever come back."

"Why?" The mother turned, fought her way out of the hold on her. "Where is Jacintha? Where's my daughter?"

"She's--"

A loud crash emanated from within her house.

Turning, cursing silently, she unsheathed the dagger hidden in her person. Her cover was blown; now was the time to fight.

But - first things first.

Fairly snarling at Jacintha's parents she said, her gaze hypnotic, "Forget her. She's dead."

"She is the enemy."

His mother's voice shook as she looked at him, dead earnest. "She is the Lady In Red, Sandrino. If given the chance she will kill you. When will you open your eyes to the truth?"

He stared at her, his mind in chaos. Should he believe her? But why would he not believe her? His mother had never lied to him. She had no reason to.

Just as she had no reason to take him in and care for him, back when he was young.

Closing his eyes, he went back into the moments Jacintha was with him. Her words, her deeds. How she'd appeared in his life just at the right moment. Like it was premeditated.

Like someone was pulling the strings in order to distract him and disrupt his plans.

"What would you have me do?" he asked softly, opening his eyes - a son yearning for his mother's advise.

She smiled. "You know what you have to do."

Too much was happening, all at once. One moment he was walking to the podium, about to give his speech; in the next pandemonium broke out, prompted by the Senator taking out a gun and aiming it at his back.

Just as planned.

He was schooling his features to seem appropriately shocked at the turn of events when the sound of something foreign made him look sideways, in time to see--

No. No!

Jacintha launched herself at him, managed to - somehow - lodge herself between his body and harm's way. The gunshot rang; there was no time to turn--

He felt her body shake, and for one terrible moment their eyes met. Her face contorted in pain, and she sagged against him, like her body could no longer keep her upright.

"No," Sandrino whispered, holding her to him - as though his hands could still anchor her to where he was. But something warm was seeping into his clothes; belatedly, he recognized it for what it was:

blood.

"No! Jacintha, no!"

"Well, we've done it. We won." She turned towards him. "Mr. President."

Sandrino chuckled softly. Heady with the adrenaline pulsing in his blood he said, "I couldn't have done it without you."

Jacintha cocked her head to the side and smirked. "Well. Obviously. But it's always nice to be acknowledged out loud."

There were so many things to be done, now. So many things needing his attention. He had a cabinet to form, plans to carry out, people to meet and thank--

But first things first.

"Let it be said that the next President of the Philippines knows how to properly express his appreciation."

Jacintha raised her brow when he took her hand and held it in between both of his. She was about to speak, but he beat her to it when he said:

"Marry me."

She blinked, then blinked again. Something in her eyes softened as she regarded him; there's a smile playing about her lips when she squeezed his hand and responded, "Like you had to ask?"