A/N: the first chapters of the story go from Peter Vincent's ancestor to his childhood to the present.

Chapter One

Paris, France – 1811

The crowd gathered in the courtyard of the jail while the guards led a woman with blonde hair and brown eyes through the crowd and the chains around her ankles and wrists clanked as she walked between the guards.

"WITCH!" the crowd shouted as the woman smiled at the crowd and looked at the large pyre of wood that had been gathered during the day. Someone threw a spoiled tomato at her as the tomato hit her face and the crowd laughed, pointing at her. The guards led her up the ladder when the guards tied her to the post at the top of the pyre and she smiled, looking down at the crowd. Suddenly a tall man wearing a black robe and a curly, white wig walked closer when he unrolled the scroll and looked at the writing then at the woman.

"Angelina De'Costa-Morgana De'Chardan, you have been found guilty of witchcraft. Before you are burned at the stake, will you confess to the whereabouts of your husband, Shadean De'Chardan?" the man asked then looked at Angelina and she gave him a cold look while half closing her eyes.

"My husband is where he belongs!" she shouted as the crowd hissed and booed and she slightly smiled at them. With a nod, the man moved away as the guards climbed down the ladder then tossed the ladder onto the pyre and walked away. Men with torches walked closer when they lit the wood of the pyre a light and Angelina looked at the crowd. As the flames burned up the wood then lit the hem of her dress on fire, Angelina started laughing as the crowd gasped and the flames rose higher, lighting her hair on fire.

"She is a demon!" someone in the crowd shouted as her laughter grew louder and smoke rose up to the sky. A few minutes later the crowd walked away while Giacomo Vincenzi led the ten year old boy with black hair and sapphire blue eyes toward the carriage and the boy held a doll in his arms against his chest. Helping the boy into the carriage, Giacomo sighed as he looked back at the charred body of the wife of his best friend then shook his head and got in the carriage.

"Home, please, Gregory," he said as the carriage moved and Giacomo looked at the boy then at the doll. The doll was about two feet in height with chalk white skin and holes had been drilled in the ears and nostrils. A small slit made the mouth look open and the eyes were made of sapphire blue glass. The body of the doll was fully jointed and black hair stuck up on the doll's head. The fringe hung in the doll's sapphire blue glass eyes as the sapphire blue glass eyes locked with Giacomo's eyes and a cold chill moved through him. "Andre, may I look at your doll?"

Andre Jacque De'Chardan looked down at the doll then at Giacomo when he shook his head and held the doll against his chest.

"I'll give it right back," he said while hold his hands out and Andre handed the doll to him. Holding the doll in his hands, Giacomo noticed the clothing the doll was wearing was entirely black and the light shimmered off the black leather boots. Handing the doll back to Andre, Giacomo looked out the window then at the doll and the cold chill he felt earlier caused him to start shaking.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The dust swirled around the shaft of light coming from the window while a spider moved across the web hanging from the rafters and the door to the loft opened. Six year old Misty Welks climbed up the stairs when she stood at the top of the stairs and could barely see the sheet covered furniture, trunks and boxes. Turning on the torch, she shined the light around when she started walking by the boxes and trunks and the floorboards squeaked under her feet. She walked by some of the sheet covered furniture when she lifted the corner of the sheet and shined the light on the wooden cabinet. The glass was covered in grim and dirt as she lifted the sheet higher and saw a small door at the bottom of the wooden cabinet. Placing the sheet over her, Misty knelt on the floor when she shined the light on the small door and saw the key in the lock. Taking hold of the key, she was surprised that the key turned and the small door opened after she pulled on the tarnished handle. Shining the light, she saw something lying on the shelf when she placed the torch on the floor and reached in, picking up whatever it was off the shelf. Picking up the torch, Misty smiled as she shined the light down on the doll and the light danced in the sapphire blue glass eyes.

"Wow," she said then crawled out from under the sheet and held the doll against her chest. Heading for the door, she placed the torch in her pocket then carefully went down the stairs. Peeking out into the hallway, she closed the door then ran down the hallway and walked in her room, closing the door behind her. Walking to the bed, she crawled up toward the headboard when she placed the doll on her lap and brushed the black hair from the doll's eyes.

"Can you hear me?" a soft voice asked as her eyes widened and she looked around, trying to find where the voice came from.

"Did you just talk?" she asked then jumped when the doll titled its head to one side and a small smile spread across the doll's face. "Cool!"

"What is your name?"

"I'm Misty. Who are you?"

"I am Shade."

"Is that really your name?" she asked when the doll smiled then slowly nodded. "Cool!"

Smiling, Misty got off the bed then placed the doll against the pillows and left the room, closing the door behind her. The doll looked at the door when it slid onto its side then slowly closed its eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

(Several hours later)

The swirling, red lights from the fire trucks lit up the night as the firemen worked to put the fire out and the smoke rose skyward in long coils. The neighbors had come out to watch the house burn as Misty sat on the gurney and held the doll against her chest. Both of them were dirty as the paramedic placed the blanket around her shoulders and gently smiled at her.

"It'll be alright, Sweetie," he said as he walked away and Misty looked down at the doll then turned the doll around to face her.

"Pretty cool trick, hunh?" she asked, smiling and a cold chill caused the doll to shake.

"Oui," Shade said as she watched the fire burning and kissed the top of the doll's head. A few moments later the ambulance moved down the street while the fire erupted out of the roof of the house and the ambulance's blue light flickered in the darkness.

"So you're the new boy, hunh?" the twelve year old girl asked while walking in the room and looked at the boy near the dresser. He was tall for his age, thin and had golden brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He was wearing tattered jeans, white sneakers, a white t-shirt that said BITE ME in red letters and a jean jacket and he was placing something in the drawer.

"Get fucked," the boy said as she walked closer and he slammed the drawer shut. Turning around, he sighed as he leaned against the dresser and brushed his fingers through his hair, making his hair stand up on end.

"You look like you got a dead hedgehog on your head," she teased and the boy glared at her, the freckles on his face sticking out on his skin. "You got a name?"

"Look, I'm not staying here long. Why don't you just fuck off?" the boy asked when he walked to the bed and removed some jeans from the battered suitcase on the bed, placing the jeans on the bed. The girl walked to the door when she saw PETER VINCENT written on the tape on the door and smiled, looking at Peter. Walking across the hallway, she walked into her room when she walked to the bed and picked the doll off the pillow. She felt like she was being watched when she turned around and swore that she saw Peter when she smiled and brushed some of the hair from the doll's sapphire blue glass eyes. Walking back into Peter's room, she walked to the bed when she placed the doll on the pillow and Peter looked from her to the doll and back. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a welcome present," she said then left the room and Peter looked at the doll, sitting down on the bed, The sapphire blue glass eyes looked straight ahead as Peter rolled his eyes then got off the bed and tossed a t-shirt at the doll, knocking the doll to one side. The t-shirt covered the doll as Peter walked to the door when he heard something that sounded like growling then turned, looking at the bed. The t-shirt was moving while Peter moved closer to the bed and reached his hand out toward the t-shirt.

"No! Don't do it!" a voice in his head said when Peter reached out and moved the t-shirt off the doll. The doll was lying on its back as Peter looked down at the doll then hit the floor when the doll turned its head and glared at him. Peter half crab walked toward the door when the doll sat up on the bed and Peter's eyes widened.

Las Vegas, Nevada

"NO!" Peter shouted as he fought with the duvet then lost his balance and fell out of bed. He grunted when he hit the floor as the lights came on and he covered his head with his hands. "Go away!"

"Peter?" Cassandra asked as she got out of bed, walked around to his side of the bed and knelt down next to him. Peter was shaking and sounded like he was whimpering when the bedroom door opened and Cassandra looked up, seeing Jane and Charlie standing in the doorway.

"What happened?" Jane asked while walking closer and knelt down next to Cassandra while looking at Peter. Peter had suggested that Jane and Charlie move back in the penthouse after the sewer backed up in their neighborhood and their house needed to be fumigated. Jane had resisted at first until the smell grew so bad that her eyes watered and Peter thought it was funny when she and Charlie showed up in the lobby with their luggage and had sad puppy looks on their faces.

"Peter, can you hear me?" Cassandra asked while stroking his hair and Peter moved away from her, nearly crawling under the bed. Cross, Cassandra's peregrine falcon familiar, had flown over to the night table as it titled its head side to side and Peter's white Bengal tiger familiar, Boe, laid next to him and placed its paws on Peter's legs, softly purring with concern in its eyes.

"Is he going through DTs?" Charlie asked as they looked at him and Cassandra balled her hands into fists, glaring at him. Peter's breathing sounded fast and ragged as Cassandra stroked his hair and he slowly opened his eyes, looking up at her.

"Hello," she whispered while smiling at him and he blinked his eyes a few times.

"Wh-why am I on the floor?" Peter asked with a confused look on his face and Cassandra leaned over, kissing his cheek. Jane and Cassandra helped Peter sit up as Cassandra leaned him into her and wrapped her arms around him.

"You were thrashing on the bed then screamed and fell onto the floor. Mind telling us what you were dreaming about?"

"I do-don't remember," he whispered as she gently rocked him and he rubbed his knuckle under his lower lip. "I need a drink."

"No, you don't," Jane said while softly stroking his hair and he sighed, looking at the floor. Cassandra and Jane helped Peter off the floor when they helped him get under the blankets and Jane walked to the door. Cross flew back to its perch on the golden dragon statue above the bed while Boe settled next to the bed and placed its head on top of its paws. Cassandra watched Jane lead Charlie out of the room as Jane closed the door and Peter sighed, snuggling closer and placed his arm around Cassandra's waist. Kissing the top of his head, Cassandra turned the light off then slid down until she was lying beside him and moved her finger along his bottom lip.

"I'm sorry," Peter whispered when she kissed the tip of his nose and he softly smiled at her.

"Hey, I'm just glad you didn't hurt yourself," Cassandra said softly as he snuggled closer and she slid her arm around him, slowly stroking his back. "Are you sure you don't remember what you were dreaming about?"

"No," he mumbled with a shake of his head. Rolling onto his back, he looked at the ceiling while Cassandra placed her head on the center of his chest and slowly stroked the tip of his nipple, making a cool shiver moved through him. Smiling, Peter took her hand when he kissed her knuckles then placed her hand against his chest and closed his eyes. Listening to his breathing evening out, Cassandra snuggled closer when she closed her eyes, but the question of what he was dreaming about lingered in her mind as she drifted off to sleep.