The Price

by Luinlothana

Before closing any contract, you should read it carefully and look at the small print. When it comes to pacts concerning your soul, that rule generally applies in double.

Disclaimer: Lack of the rights to the intellectual property the work is based on is one of the more recognisable traits of fanfiction. Unless the story was to be categorised differently, and it purports to no other category than fanfiction, there should be no question that no claim was made at any point as to the ownership of the rights to the works the story is based on.

Special thanks to Marlana who (once again) did a great betareading job.

Summary: Before closing any contract, you should read it carefully and look at the small print. When it comes to pacts concerning your soul, that rule generally applies in double.

The Price

„I know. And I wish I could forgive you."

Henry's words carried a tone of finality and for a second Vicki couldn't find any reply to them. He had turned to leave when she managed to find her voice again.

"You knew I'd be ready to give my life for you. Is the fact that I raised the stakes really something you can't take?"

He whirled around and looked her in the eye.

"Do you have any, any idea what you did?" He spat out before becoming deceptively calm and dropping his voice to a barely audible level. "Because of me, you willingly poisoned your life-force."

"I didn't see any other way to..."

"Tell me, Vicki. Which part of 'poison' in 'poisoning your life-force' did you fail to understand?"

She looked at him with confusion shining through her earlier demeanour.

"I did understand. That's why I did it, remember? To kill the mummy?"

He shook his head. "Oh, sancta simplicitas... Don't you have any idea..." He sighed heavily and turned to her with a resigned look. "According to vampire rites such a deed is punishable by death, you know."

There was a flicker of realisation in her eyes. She shivered visibly but remained calm otherwise. She stepped closer to him and closed her eyes.

"Do it then. But if it comes down to it I still refuse to be sorry for you being the one to survive."

"Vicki..." For the first time since the horrible ritual he touched her as he gently took hold of both her arms. "I never said I intended to carry that out. But don't you wonder why so high a penalty?"

"For taking blood from a vampire?" She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"And why do you think it is needed in the ritual?"

Again she looked at him in confusion.

"Why are you playing games, Henry?"

"This is not a game. I wish it was. In such rituals every element has its purpose. Including vampire blood. You performed a ritual to poison your life-force. Tell me, what happens with something when you poison it?"

"It..." She broke off and paled suddenly.

"Exactly."

In a daze she freed herself from his hold and made her way to the couch where she sat down trembling. He followed her.

"So am I..."

"You didn't let me finish. The reason why this ritual is forbidden under a penalty of death is that it is devised to allow you to live on the life-force of another. A vampire. In this particular case me."

"So I stopped the mummy from stealing your life-force only to end up doing it myself?"

"No. From everything I know about it, I will just have to share it with you."

"What does that mean?"

Henry looked down.

"I don't know. Usually the vampire either killed the one who did such a thing, regaining his life-force again or died trying, effectively taking the person with them. For a vampire to be used in such a way was always the worst abomination imaginable. Letting the one who committed such a foul deed live was not an option."

"And yet you said you don't intend to kill me."

"I could never hurt you. If I have to share a piece of my life-force to keep you alive, I will not hesitate to do it. And while the ritual was devised as a tool in the darkest magic you used it to save life. My life. I just pray this will make enough of a difference. So that while I can help you keep your life your intention will let you keep your soul."

He held her hands and looked deeply into her eyes. For a while they stayed silent.

Finally, Vicki broke the silence.

"So how does it work? Does it just go unnoticed as I draw energy from you or..."

"The transition is, from what I understand, going to be gradual so neither of us should notice a drastic change. As your own life-force slowly fades, and it will over the next days, you will need more of mine until it will be the only one you function on." Henry answered as calmly as possible.

She met his eyes, full of grief and uncertainty. Suddenly she couldn't be strong anymore.

"Henry... I'm sorry." She managed to choke out before hiding her face in her hands. A comforting hand was placed on her back.

III

She awoke the next morning tired and feeling as if she just awoke from the worst nightmare imaginable. It didn't take long for her to realise that her waking hours were the nightmare. First, there was the dim realisation that she cried herself to sleep last night and that she was sleeping on the sofa in her office instead of her bed. Then came the flood of memories from the last evening and night and she sat abruptly up, no longer held by the strands of sleepiness, trembling.

She straightened herself a bit and had just folded the blanket she was covered with while sleeping, courtesy of Henry no doubt, when her assistant arrived.

Looking inside the office Coreen stilled, measured Vicki's appearance and bit her lip before speaking.

"You look like hell."

"If your plan is to soften me with compliments before asking for a raise, I'm afraid you have a long way to go."

"Is this because of the situation with Henry?"

"No, I just found out my favourite beauty parlour is closing." Vicki's voice had surpassed sarcasm and was quickly going in the direction of warfare laboratories experimental acids.

"Sorry. Stupid question. He'll understand and come around, you'll see."

"Coreen, don't you have something you need to do?"

"Of course. As your assistant it is my first priority to make sure nothing is troubling you and that your head is clear enough to think about our clients."

"Well, I hereby release you from said duty. Now can you find yourself something more constructive to do?"

"He cares too much for you to just give up on you like that, you know. No matter how much you might have hurt him this time."

"Coreen!"

"I'm going, I'm going. But we don't really have anything to do right now. You have a meeting with a client at two but besides that we have the day free so far."

"Well, then maybe we could just sort the files properly."

"You never thought it was necessary before. In fact, I remember you saying that the one thing that made the PI job better than work as a cop was that you didn't need to be that careful about having all the paperwork properly arranged as long as it served its purpose."

"Well, now I changed my mind. So let's get started and see if we can get it done before the client comes, alright?"

"Whatever you say, Vicki. You're the boss." Coreen turned to the file cabinets. "I still think though, that if you give him some time..."

"Coreen!"

"Did I say anything?"

III

After their morning conversation, Coreen thankfully either got the point or decided not to test Vicki's patience anymore. The PI was all too aware of the glances the girl kept stealing at her as they worked silently until the client arrived.

The simple cheating spouse case seemed like a blessing after the turbulent experience they had with the supernatural and Vicki gladly took the case. She started working on it almost as soon as the door closed behind her client, Mrs. Thorne. Hard work was almost enough to keep away the thoughts of living on life stolen from Henry. Almost.

III

She never even noticed when the evening came but there was little doubt that it did, as she was torn from her work by hearing Coreen's elated exclamation of "Henry!" coming a moment before a soft knock on her doorframe.

She could still hear her assistant's voice trailing from the outer office as she was dragging her limited sight from the files.

"Oh my god, you came. I thought... I'm so sorry. We just wanted to..."

"I know very well of your intentions, Coreen. I hold no ill will towards you. I hope that puts your mind at ease. But now I'd like to speak with Vicki, if you don't mind."

"Of course, sorry. I imagine you two need to talk as well. I should have gone home a few hours ago anyway. I just wanted to stay here with Vicki if you... Never mind, I'll just get my coat and be going, alright?"

"You don't need to leave. I have no intention of throwing you out. Just speaking with Vicki."

"No, that's alright, really." The girl kept switching her focus between the two of them as she spoke. "I need to return some books to the library before it closes, no point paying fines, right? And I would be only in the way here. So I guess I'll see you later?"

"If you insist on leaving. Goodnight then, Coreen. Stay safe."

"Night, Henry. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Vicki. Bye!"

"Bye, Coreen."

When the door closed behind the Goth, the office became deafeningly quiet. For a moment they simply looked at each other before Henry approached her soundlessly and gently took her hand.

"Are you alright, Vicki?"

She was about to give a confirmation when she suddenly shook her head.

"No. I'm not alright. I'm stealing your life-force and I have no idea what it may mean for either of us. How can I possibly be alright?"

A worried look graced Henry's pale face.

"Do you feel it in any way? Have you noticed any symptoms?"

She shook her head again.

"No. Not really. But the awareness of what is happening is enough for me to feel sick about the situation. If I could take it back..."

"If we could take back our decisions once their consequences are known we would either live in a perfect world or in a most horrible one as nobody would ever learn from their mistakes. The best we can do is to try to live with the consequences of our decisions."

"How can you be so calm about it?"

"No amount of wallowing or anger will change the situation now. All we can do is to try to get through this trial the best we can, hoping that there is a way it can end well despite everything."

"Do you really believe it can?"

"I don't know. But as long as we live there is hope. And hope is what we need right now."

She looked down and for a long moment was silent.

"It would have been easier and safer for you if I just died, wouldn't it? Perhaps that would be the honourable thing to do. To kill myself and free you from this."

"And leave me with eternal guilt for bringing you to this point and fear for you, as you would be gone, adding one final sin to everything else and having no chance to ever redeem yourself for it? I'd much rather take whatever lies before us now."

"If anything happens to you though, I don't think I'd be able to stand that, knowing that it was me who..."

"Victoria," his sky blue eyes met hers, "don't ever let that thought trouble you again. I know the risk as well as the options. And I will gladly take anything that might happen for giving you the chance to live. Please, remember that. And don't ever let those feelings into your heart again. You are a remarkable woman and for as long as I've known you I never saw anything capable of keeping you from being who you are. I want you to live and I will never regret my choice, no matter what happens, if you only promise me one thing. I want you to live the way you always did and still be yourself."

"Henry..."

"Can you promise me that, Vicki?"

She swallowed. "Yes." She whispered finally. "I promise."

"Thank you. I know I will never look back as long as I know it means the life of the woman I grew to love."

The power behind those words surprised her.

"Do you really...?"

"Do you doubt me?"

She closed her eyes. When it came to love, she had to admit to herself she could never really comprehend its tangled ways. Still, the man before her once gave everything he had, the riches, the power, a chance at a throne, the life he knew, the day, in exchange for love and eternal life. And now he was ready to risk that very life, again in the name of love. Even with all her doubts when it came to this particular feeling, there wasn't much place where she could fit manipulation, dishonesty and ulterior motives in that equation. And that terrified her almost as much as the situation they found themselves in. Or perhaps even more.

III

Henry knew the sensation of feeling fear emanating from someone. Knew it well at that, having felt it countless times and often being the cause of it. Still, detecting the emotion after his question, more intense than he knew the fear for one's life sometimes to be, was something he didn't know how to take.

He waited silently for some kind of response from her as she still had given him none. Finally she spoke, her voice revealing only a faintest touch of emotion.

"No. I don't doubt you. I'm not sure if I really had for some time. The problem is, I can't help feeling that I also... Never mind."

Trust Vicki to somehow make the situation even more confusing.

"If you wanted to end that sentence the way I think you did, then I honestly fail to see how that can qualify as a problem."

"If such a thing goes only one way it's safe, you know. You don't really have any specific expectations. Things just are the way they are and you live with it. If it goes two ways... well, I suppose it can be great, at first. Then problems start mounting up and before you know it you end up with broken heart and losing the person you loved not even knowing how and when it happened. One-way feelings are much better that way."

"Things don't really need to end that way, Vicki. Not when those feelings are true."

"You know, I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago. And I learned by now that even if you actually do find a prince in love with you, it would probably be one who already has a history of leaving his wife for a lover despite being a devout Catholic and swearing before God not to leave her."

For a moment Henry couldn't find words. He only stared at Vicki wondering how exactly had they gotten to this point. Finally he managed to bring himself to voice a question.

"Is this what it was all about, Vicki? All this time, was this what always stopped you from making any move?"

"You try to make it sound like it doesn't matter. Or maybe it didn't matter to you? That you left your wife with almost nothing because you decided to leave? In times when she had no real way of looking after herself?"

"I honestly didn't know my father would leave Mary to such fate. And I did try to help her from afar after I left. As to our vows, we were freed from them as we were to keep them only until the death of one of us. I did die, Vicki, so the vows had no power anymore."

"Oh that's just great. Excuses. I'm sure they make you feel real good about yourself. I'm sure my father had some sort of excuses too. You all have." At this point she didn't seem to be completely aware of her own words.

This was a slippery slope and Henry knew it, but for some reason he felt that if he didn't manage to address the matter now, he might never get a chance to resolve the issue.

"I'm not your father, Victoria. I have no intention of repeating his mistakes and I had a much longer time to learn from my own. Though for the record, you should realise that when it comes to my marriage with Mary things were settled when I was barely fourteen and even then my final decision had a lot to do with putting the idea of marrying me to my half-sister out of my father's head once and for all. Which, given your degree, you would probably know already if you calmly reviewed the facts." He sighed. "When it comes to Mary, love had no place in the arrangement at any point."

"Still, what guarantee do I have that you won't leave me one day? At least she wasn't bound to end up helpless. Like I'm going to be once my eyes finally fail."

"I can give you no other guarantee than my love. And I don't know of any more ways I could prove to you it's a true one. Now the only question that remains is if you can deem it enough to trust me with your heart."

Her fear, if anything, even increased and it took her a long time to meet his gaze. He looked in her eyes, seeing both fear and hope, as she gave an impression of being trapped in a position where she could not escape. Just as he started to doubt she would ever give him an answer, she spoke, so quietly, that if he didn't see her lips moving he could have easily thought his ears were playing tricks on him in the presence of maddening silence.

"Some part of me believes you, you know. Like it always did. It's not that I doubt what you feel now. But there is still some part that... Though if you are willing to put your life at stake for me... I know I told you I'm not much of a gambler but maybe this time it is a risk I can take. Perhaps slowly, without jumping right at it... That is if you are willing to try."

For a moment he struggled to understand her words, certain that he heard wrong. Then in an instant he embraced her, holding her close, needing to feel her in his arms to ascertain this wasn't just some mirage that would fade as soon as he got closer. She was real though, the warmth of her body against his reassuring him where his mind could not. She was real.

"Vicki..." He whispered and somehow the whole strength of his feelings managed to be carried by that one, most blessed word.

Her fear faded a bit but he could still feel it, underlining all other emotions he could now sense from her.

"Henry, just promise me you will stay this time. That you won't abandon me."

"That's an easy promise to make, Victoria. I could never do that."

Tears glittered in her eyes but she reached to him and met his lips in a kiss. Even if this love was to bring his life to an end he doubted would ever regret his choice.

III

It would be untrue to say that the next days brought a veil over the awareness of what she did. That was something that would not fade no matter how much time passed. But with an effort they slowly managed to mould it instead into something more. Where it couldn't be forgotten it could be forged as a foundation for what was now between them.

No matter how guilty Vicki felt about it, she still thought that it was perhaps the only thing that allowed her to believe that there could be something more for them. The firm reality of what she did and Henry's later choice helped to anchor her trust that whatever feelings he had for her were real. And that was something that, no matter the amount of self-disgust her deed now brought, she would never give away.

A hand emerging from a web-embroidered sleeve placed a steaming coffee cup on her desk.

"Thanks Coreen."

"No problem. I aim to please."

"Oh, do you? And what's the occasion? You need a raise because of some emergency shopping?"

"You wound me by such an insinuation." Coreen attempted an overdramatized image of hurt which failed spectacularly when she couldn't restrain a grin. "But would you mind if I finished earlier today? I have something of a date and..."

"Sure, Coreen. If I insisted on you working set hours I would probably need to start paying you overtime."

"Thanks!" Vicki was sent a smile that wouldn't be out of place in toothpaste commercials and she had a vague feeling that only her cup of hot coffee that she was now holding saved her from being assaulted with a hug.

Then suddenly the Goth grew a tad more thoughtful.

"It's ok that I bring that up, isn't it? I mean you and Henry do seem closer now and..."

"It's fine, Coreen." Vicki responded perhaps a bit too abruptly but the girl didn't seem to pay that any mind.

"Great. I knew you would be fine. After all you know what they say about making up..."

"Yeah." Vicki muttered grimly before forcing a more untroubled tone. "Why don't you run and get ready for your date. I think I will manage the workload by myself."

"You mean it?"

"I mean it. Have fun."

"You're the best. But I think I can see Henry's good influence here. You didn't even have me promise to bring some lunch tomorrow."

"Coreen, don't try my patience. I said you can go. Now skedaddle."

She could hear a laugh as the girl threw her last "Bye Vicki!" before she went out.

As soon as the door closed behind her assistant the PI sighed. She never shared with the girl what the consequences of the ritual were. She couldn't bring herself to and it somehow felt too personal, too emotion-wrecking to talk about. Still, maybe she would try to overcome it somehow if only to have someone not directly involved to talk about it, if she wasn't reminded every now and then just how much of a girl Coreen still was at times.

Her innocent belief that no matter what happened everything could be set right, that Vicki had seen, was more than a glaring testimony of that. It would almost be inhumane to shatter that with informing the girl of the truth.

No. Not inhumane. Vicki caught herself on a thought. Humanity had nothing to do with kindness as she had a chance to discover by her own experience. Nevertheless doing so would be beyond cruel.

She took another sip of her cooling coffee and leaned over the file she was working on, every few minutes taking a glance at the computer screen and taking notes. She shielded her thoughts away by concentrating on what she was building with Henry now and that perhaps it was one of those cases when you had to reach the absolute worst before doing better. After all if it wasn't for that she might have never allowed herself to believe that they stood a chance.

III

She was working for a while already when she suddenly became aware of a presence behind her, looking over her shoulder. Without looking behind her she glanced at her watch.

"You took your time. Sunset was over an hour ago."

A hand caressed her cheek while another turned her chair so that she now faced Henry.

"Had I known you were waiting for me so impatiently I would have been here sooner."

"I'd think you'd know by now that I'd be waiting for you."

"Waiting is one thing. Counting time until my arrival is entirely different matter." He said with a teasing smile before becoming serious again. "How are you feeling, Vicki?"

"Fine. As usual." The question was now an integral part of their greeting. And she sincerely hoped that one day she would hear it voiced routinely, without the worry for her painted in his eyes.

"I'm glad to hear it." He bent over and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

Even now, when such gesture should not surprise her anymore she stiffened for a brief second before responding. She didn't want to admit to herself that she was still adjusting to the situation but it was one of the reactions she reinforced so much over the time that she still found it hard to overcome. Henry didn't seem to mind though or if he did, he never showed it in any way.

"Do you need my help with anything tonight?"

"Not tonight. I'm just about done with this anyway. Just give me a second." She scribbled a few sentences quickly before saving and closing the file on her computer. Then she shut it down and looked back at Henry. "See, all done."

"In this case, could I perhaps interest you with an evening walk and a movie in my apartment afterwards?"

"Sounds like fun. Is getting me some sort of supper somehow included in the plan?"

He chuckled.

"If you so wish. I'd be the last person to argue with the necessity of quenching hunger."

"You would, wouldn't you? But if this is heading in the direction of a description what exactly were you doing for the last hour I honestly don't think I want any details."

"Somehow, I assumed that already." He smiled at her and held her coat for her.

"Thanks."

They walked out. As they started down the staircase, Henry wrapped his arm around Vicki's waist.

She pretended she didn't mind only because of her eyesight. The vampire pretended he didn't know better.

III

They were sitting on the couch, watching yet another vampire movie of Vicki's choosing. Henry had to admit that the fact that after countless position changes the PI finally decided to watch with her head rested against his shoulder was taking much more of his attention than The Interview playing on the screen. Still, he would glance at the movie every once in a while to comment on something, suspecting his comments played a significant role in Vicki's surprising fascination with this kind of movies.

"You are aware that the only thing one can find out from this is that a number of vampires in one place sooner or later results in something drastic? Not what I would call an earth-shattering information."

"Why don't you try to look at it differently? This can be seen as an interesting character study, you know."

"If so, then only as schooling material on who not to turn. With psychopaths, children and spoiled aristocrats with issues on the top of that list."

"Says vampire spoiled aristocrat with issues."

"I might agree with vampire aristocrat with spoiled being a matter of perception."

"Suit yourself." He smiled at her but doubted she could see that with her eyes focused on the screen.

They watched silently for some time. After a while Henry once again focused his attention on the action of the movie and grimaced.

"The way they make that sound you would think there is a specific vampire rule against keeping rotting corpses in a bed. What do they imagine we are? The idea is simply disgusting."

He felt her shake a little as she laughed quietly.

"You know, Henry, I seem to recall reading something about a certain trip to France in 1532..."

He groaned.

"Couldn't you have studied something harmless? Nuclear physics for instance?"

Her chuckle grew a bit louder.

"Sounds like I've found a touchy subject. Unwilling to admit to your stormy youth?"

"I'd like to see you handling an idiotic teenage prank haunting you for four and a half centuries. And for the record. It was Surrey's idea of a practical joke and happened all of once. In retrospect, it was extremely foolish but at the time I was willing to do anything that took my mind off Anne and George Boleyn plotting against me. Now can we agree to close the topic?"

"If you insist. But don't think you will get out of telling me about the trip that easily."

He sighed in resignation.

"Don't you have a movie to watch?"

III

Vicki awoke at the sound of her alarm clock feeling as if she never went to sleep. Thinking back to Henry driving her home not long before sunrise, she realised she couldn't have been sleeping very long.

Muttering darkly about unfairness of the world she got up and dragged herself to the bathroom. Starting job early and having a relationship with a vampire were definitely two things that weren't pleasant to mix.

By the time she got to her office and drank coffee as strong as she could make without the cup melting she felt a bit better.

Coreen arrived at work an hour later with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Nice date?"

The girl's smile matched her eyes. "Wonderful. Brian is great. A bit introvert type but romantic, intelligent, insightful... He can quote Alan Poe so casually... and...I think I'm in love."

"Ok, down, lovergirl. Daydreaming break isn't scheduled for another two hours."

"But you have no idea how great he is. I... I haven't felt like this about anyone since Ian."

Vicki still anticipated Coreen to be more sombre about the memory but apparently the girl was too preoccupied to properly register what exactly she recalled.

"I'm glad you had fun yesterday then."

"Fun? That was so deliriously exhilarating..."

Vicki briefly wondered what exactly this combination implied before sighing and resigning herself to acceptance that her plans for the immediate future seemed to involve, instead of doing any actual work, hearing the chirping of a love-sick Goth.

III

The phone rang and Coreen, still having an energy surplus from being high on love, got to it at a speed Vicki previously suspected only Henry to be capable of.

"Vicki Nelson Investigations, no case too strange. How may I help you?"

She listened for a second before handing the receiver to Vicki.

"It's Mike."

"Thanks." Vicki nodded at the girl as she came closer to the phone. "Hey Mike."

"Hey. Is Coreen just being her usual self or should I send someone from the toxicology department to have a look at her?"

"Her usual self. Mostly. So did you call just to make insinuations about my assistant or was there anything else?"

"Other then asking if you are free for lunch?"

Vicki quickly weighed her options. On the one hand agreeing too eagerly might send Mike the wrong kind of signal and she really wanted him as a friend too much to risk leading him on. On the other, not agreeing would lead to another couple of hours of listening to the details of a perfect Goth romance. All in all...

"Lunch sounds great, Mike. Where do you want to meet?"

III

Listening to Coreen's happy babble must have drained her more then she ever realised. By the time she met Mike in a Chinese joint ten minutes away from her office she felt completely spent.

"Hey. What you've been up to, Vic? You haven't looked like that even after we pulled all-nighters over a couple of our cases."

"Gee, Mike you just know how to flatter a girl."

"Seriously, Vicki, are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be? C'mon, Mike, stop fawning and let's get something to eat."

"Whatever." They quickly bought something to eat and made their way to a free table. "Listen, I wanted to say that perhaps I overreacted a bit over the Aztec mummy. I did what I did but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Vicki looked at him for a second, only barely avoiding wincing when Pachacamac was mentioned. Somehow their conversation nearly evaporated from her memory with everything else that happened since.

"It's fine, Mike. You had a perfectly good reason to be upset then. Besides..." She lost what she wanted to say as she felt a sudden pang of exhaustion, so strong that it almost made her sick. Her head spun and she tried to grasp the table to steady herself but her hands found nothing. She opened her mouth to speak... And suddenly knew no more.

III

Mike knew that something was wrong as soon as he heard Vicki break off in mid-sentence. He asked if she was alright but she didn't even seem aware that he voiced anything. A moment later she made a move, grasping thin air frantically before suddenly crumbling to the floor.

He managed to catch her but that only served to slightly brake her fall as he, too, was dragged downwards by her dead weight. Forcing whatever professionalism he still had in him to work he tried to gather thoughts and take some control over the situation.

"Call 911." He ordered a man standing closest to them while checking Vicki's vital signs. Thankfully they were still there, if impossibly weak. "C'mon, Vic. Don't do this to me. Wake up." He pleaded over and over but his words didn't seem to have any effect on the woman lying limply in his arms.

III

Half an hour later Mike was pacing in a hospital, wondering what he could possibly do. He shook his head and reached for his cell. He wasn't the only one who should know.

A few minutes later he finished a call to Coreen with a heavy heart. After the girl's reaction he was glad that his next call was going to be limited to leaving a message on the voicemail.

Time passed and Coreen managed to arrive while he still heard no word from the doctors about Vicki's condition. Finally, when he thought he was about to go crazy, a tired-looking doctor asked if there was someone waiting for news about Miss Nelson. In just a few seconds they were standing next to the man.

"What can you tell us?"

"Miss Nelson seems to have slipped into coma. I'm afraid we were so far unsuccessful in determining the reason though. We did manage to rule out a few eventualities, such as cerebral haemorrhage, but..."

"In other words you are still in the dark. Do you have any idea when she is going to wake up?"

"I'm afraid that at this stage we are unable to determine if Miss Nelson is going to wake."

If. That word tore at both his heart and his mind, threatening to overload his thoughts. If. He felt Coreen bury her face in his chest, rubbing tear-melted dark Goth make-up all over his shirt but he couldn't bring himself to care. He wrapped his arm around the girl, offering whatever comfort he could. Then he looked back at the doctor.

"Can we see her now?"

"Please follow me. I will show you to her room."

III

The first thing she registered was the faint beeping sound somewhere in the background. The air had that dry, drug-ridden scent one can find only in medical facilities. She slowly opened her eyes to the blinding glare of light bulbs only to see that she was, in fact, in a hospital bed.

"Vic!" Any other assessment of surroundings had to be postponed as she focused on Mike, sitting on a plastic chair next to the bed.

"Hey, Mike. What happened?"

"That's what the doctors have been futilely trying to find out for the last couple of hours."

"Hours?"

"Yeah, hours. You collapsed as we were talking over lunch and wouldn't wake up. How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Try again. This time something that will sound remotely believable from someone who just came out of coma."

"I'm serious, Mike. If it wasn't for the surroundings I'd say I've never been better. Have you told Coreen I wasn't coming back after lunch? It wouldn't do for her to wait for me in the office."

"Are you kidding? Of course I called her and told her what happened. She'd been camping here for almost as long as I have until I told her to get some rest so that we could take shifts watching over you. And I even left a message for Fitzroy. Though," he glanced at his watch, "he might not have listened to it yet. The sun set just a couple if minutes ago."

A couple of minutes. Sunset. Vicki suddenly wasn't so sure she was feeling all that well after all.

"Oh, God. Mike, tell Henry to come here as soon as possible. You need to get him here."

"Relax, Vic."

"I will relax once he's here. Just call him and..."

"Fine, Vic. I'll call him. But calm down, alright?" His cell sounded suddenly and he glanced at it before picking up. "Or perhaps I won't even need to call." He flipped the phone open and brought it to his ear. "Good timing, Fitzroy. She's just woken up and has been asking for you. How soon can you get here?" He listened for a second. "Fine. We'll be waiting then."

Mike closed the phone and put it in his pocket.

"He's coming here. Satisfied?"

"Very."

"Good. Now can you rest? I'll go call your doctor."

"Don't you dare. I'm fine, I told you."

"I'll believe that once I hear it from him."

"Way to build trust between friends. When is Henry coming?"

"Could you stop thinking about him for five minutes?" He pressed the button to call a nurse, presumably to get back at her for her choice of topics. "He said he is going to head straight here."

There weren't many options for extracting revenge on Mike for calling the nurse before he or she actually got there so Vicki went with the opportunity.

"Poor Henry. Visiting a hospital before dinner will probably be awful for him."

The horrified look on her former partner's face was strangely satisfying. Unfortunately she didn't have much time to enjoy it before a nurse came into the room, soon followed by a doctor.

III

Not even half an hour passed from the sunset when Henry drove into the hospital's parking lot. He locked his black Jaguar and went inside as fast as he could, hoping the darkness would provide enough cover if anyone saw him.

He confidently followed the sound of Vicki's heartbeat to find his way and just as he was about to enter her room he stilled at realisation that he managed to find it effortlessly without even a moment of hesitation in a hospital full of people and despite numerous distracting sensations surrounding him.

Deciding to ponder it at some later date he pushed open the door. The sight that met his eyes was that of Vicki glaring daggers at the doctors and nurses as well as Detective Celluci.

"You are going to answer for the tort of false imprisonment if I'm not released home this instant."

"Miss Nelson, please understand that right now there is a high risk of the situation repeating itself. We have not determined..."

"And I don't give a damn. I want to be released."

"Vic, you aren't..."

"Shut up, Mike. I feel fine and I want to go home. How hard can it be to understand?"

Seeing Vicki's spirit flaring as strongly as ever despite her current predicament made it hard for him to withhold a soft chuckle. This, finally, led her to noticing him.

"Henry! Do something about them, would you?"

The doctors visibly hesitated wondering, no doubt, what exactly she expected him to do. He sighed and turned to the doctors allowing a reinforcement of persuasion to enter his voice.

"Give us some privacy. Come back in ten minutes." Not surprisingly, they complied and a moment later only he and the detective were left to keep Vicki company.

"You know, that's not exactly what I had in mind when I asked you to give me a hand."

"Try to be more specific next time. And preferably provide some kind of argumentation to convince me first."

"I'm being held here against my will. What other argumentation is needed?"

"I'm under impression that if there was no reason for you to be brought here in the first place you wouldn't be here now."

"Henry..." She started before her sight darted to the detective. "Mike, would you mind leaving for a moment? I'd like to speak to Henry alone."

III

For just a second she expected Mike to blow up at that. He frowned and opened his mouth to speak, making her start preparing herself for a scene, before shrugging and rolling his eyes.

"Sure, Vic, why not?" He walked to the door stopping for a second next to Henry. "Try to reason with her somehow, Fangboy. If anybody stands a chance of doing so, it's probably you."

With that he left, not waiting for Henry to respond. As soon as the door closed, her partner turned to her.

"So what is it that you need to share with me so urgently that is decidedly not for Celluci's ears?"

"Question. What exactly happens with the life-force of a vampire during the day?"

"Vicki? Please tell me you are not implying that..."

"Well, today I allegedly slipped into a coma only to wake at sunset feeling perfectly well. In the meantime the doctors didn't manage to find anything wrong with me other than my apparent state. You have to admit that the theory needs to be addressed."

"Is this why you were so insistent on leaving?"

"Basically. The way I see it, there are three options. This might have absolutely nothing to do with anything supernatural. In which case, if the doctors don't know what's wrong, I'll either need to find better ones or just hope the situation doesn't repeat itself. Or it may have something to do with me sharing your life-force, leading me to the other two options. Either this was the sign of my life-force's last efforts before fading completely, so by the morning when yours disappears to wherever it goes for the day I will have none left to support my life... meaning I would have only a few hours left or my life-force did already fade completely somewhere at the point I blacked out and it will be like that from now on, with me going into a coma when you go to sleep. In the latter case I don't plan to stay around until someone gets a clue and in the former... If I have any choice about it, I don't want to go in a hospital bed dressed in something that probably was specifically designed to deprive people of dignity."

One moment Henry was standing near the door and a second later he was on the edge of the bed.

"Victoria..."

"Just please, help me get out of here. If I try to get out the normal way, I may spend the rest of the night doing so and if worse comes to worst that's not how I want to..." Those words escaped her before she could think and there was no taking them back.

She looked at Henry and suddenly became aware of tears glittering in his eyes.

"If that is what you wish, Vicki, I will help you."

"Thanks. I think you can call Mike back into the room now. Hopefully he will know what happened to the clothes I was wearing."

III

Fifteen minutes later, Vicki was idly wondering how much accuracy the phrase 'blood would tell' held when used in reference to a vampire. When Henry took charge of the process of releasing her, he didn't even seem to need to employ his persuasive powers to silence all protests and suddenly have hospital staff hurrying to meet his demands.

Amongst this all stood Mike, apparently unmoved by the regal aura displayed by the vampire, scowling.

"When I told you to reason with her, Fitzroy, I was hoping you would manage to convince her, not the other way round."

"She made a few valid points which led me to believing that she has a right assessment of the situation. That should suffice."

"Well, you weren't the one who saw her drop unconscious suddenly or spent most of the day wondering if she would ever wake up."

"She would have to leave sooner or later and from what I understand nobody can tell what went wrong this time so the help they could offer her now would be largely superficial. And don't make the mistake of assuming Vicki wouldn't force her way eventually. I'm just ensuring that she doesn't waste her energy now. Which seems to be the most sensible thing to do under the circumstances."

"You are both insane."

"Back to the insults? How original, Celluci. Besides Vicki insists she is feeling well now, and I believe her. Additionally what I can sense from her seems to confirm that." He said dropping his voice, presumably not to draw attention to what he was saying in case a hospital employee was in hearing range.

A moment later Vicki's doctor returned with a form for her to sign. The PI put her signature on the form and finished getting dressed.

"Do you want me to drive you home, Vic?" She heard Mike ask. "You need your rest and your Prince of Darkness probably has other things to attend to."

"I assure you Celluci, that I don't need you to tell me how to organise my time." Her partner shot at the detective almost immediately.

"Stop it, you two. And thanks for the offer, Mike but I think I'll pass. I think Henry..."

"I see, Vicki. Well, you couldn't have made yourself clearer. I don't know why I even bothered." He cut her off and started walking away with his head lowered slightly.

"Mike..."

"Don't bother, Vic. I got the message. I can get the hint when I'm told I'm useless."

He started walking away again and she suddenly realised with cold clarity that if it came to the worst this might be the last time they see each other. She couldn't leave it like that.

"Mike, wait. I said wait!" He finally slowed down and turned to her. "That's better. Now listen carefully. You've been my best friend ever since I finished the Academy. You are definitely not useless and I will never think of you that way no matter what might be between me and Henry. I need you as my friend, alright?"

"It doesn't work like that, Vicki."

"Mike, please!"

There must have been something in her voice because he looked at her with some surprise and when he answered it was in a decidedly different tone.

"Alright, Vic. You know I will always be there for you, right? Just go get some rest now."

"Thanks, Mike."

He just shrugged and continued walking out of the hospital but somehow she felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. Once he was out of sight she turned to Henry and leaned against him. To herself, she justified that she wasn't really seeking comfort. Just feeling the after-effects of lying in a bed too long. Even to her that sounded rather lame.

"So now that you sent Detective Celluci on his way what's your plan?" She heard him ask her quietly as they made their way to his car.

"Well, first of all I need to call Coreen. I can't believe I waited this long. Other than that I just want to stay with you, I guess."

"I'm not sure the latter would be advisable no matter how I wish I could say otherwise."

She studied him for a second and suddenly realised that it was his way of saying he still needed to feed. Which she could guess already but still hearing it from him was different somehow. Still...

"We'll figure something out after I talk to Coreen. I just want to make a good use of tonight just in case... Well, never mind. I have an assistant to call."

She reached for her cell and dialled the Goth's number. The girl picked up after the third ring.

"'lo?" Judging by the voice she was just awoken by the call.

"Hi Coreen!"

"Vicki!" The girl's squeal made Vicki struggle against the instinct to hold the phone as far away as possible. "Oh God, Vicki, is it really you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Listen Coreen..."

"When did you wake? Are you alright? What happened to you? Have they managed to find something after I left? Do you need me to bring something to the hospital?" Listening didn't seem to be on the list of things the Goth was willing to do.

"Starting from the last one, no, I don't, for the simple reason that I already left the premises. And I'm fine, accept for my throat being sore from repeating that over and over tonight. What were your other questions?"

"Never mind. You are awake. I can't believe that. I mean I can, but still... You have..."

"Coreen!"

"Sorry. I'm just so glad that you are fine now..."

"Thanks. But... I don't think I will be coming to work tomorrow, alright?"

"No problem. You have no new clients scheduled and I can give the photos to Mr. Burton."

"Thanks, Coreen. You are the best."

"Don't mention it. You keep praising me like that and I might start thinking about asking for a raise. Just go home, rest and don't worry about anything, ok?"

"Sure. Coreen, just so you know. You are the best assistant I could ask for."

"Gee, did you have one of those epiphanies after a near-death experience? You aren't going to leave for Africa now to start working for some charity organisation, are you?"

Vicki suddenly became aware of Henry chuckling next to her.

"Let me rephrase that. You are a great assistant with an unbelievable penchant for pushing your luck."

"Whew, you had me worried for a second there. I guess I will hear from you soon?"

"Yeah. Bye, Coreen."

"Bye, Vicki. I'm really glad to know you are well now."

Vicki ended the call and looked at the inactive phone for a second.

"And I'd be even happier knowing I'm going to stay that way, Coreen."

She felt an arm around her shoulders and for a moment expected Henry to say something but he just held her, quietly offering comfort. Which perhaps worked better than anything that could have been said.

III

Vicki finally managed to calm herself, giving Henry a sign he could release her and start the car. She sat on the passenger seat silent for a moment before sighing audibly.

"About what you were saying earlier..."

She trailed off suddenly and for a moment Henry wondered if the subject of the message was that disturbing for her or if she somehow failed to understand the implied meaning altogether.

"Vicki, you must understand..."

She cut him off. "You came to me as soon as you woke up. I know. You are probably hungry. That's to be expected. The problem is I'd rather spend tonight with you. I don't suppose you could simply feed from me?"

Henry gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. Didn't she know how tempting and at the same time completely impossible her offer was? Didn't she have any idea what she was doing to him?

"I may be hungry, Victoria, but certainly not hungry enough to forget that you were just released from a hospital. Give me some credit. You don't really think I'd consider feeding from someone who just left medical care, do you? Besides, I believe those bruises running along the vein of your arm should be enough of the indicator that you had lost your share of blood already, for medical tests no doubt."

He noticed her place her hand on her arm but couldn't figure out if it was some sort of instinctive attempt to hide the bruises, already hidden under her clothes, or a simple reaction to being reminded of them.

"You notice too much, has anyone ever told you that?" She shot back after a moment.

"Coming from you I'm almost tempted to take it as compliment. And I assure you it would be much worse if I didn't notice such things until after something happened. Still, this doesn't solve the problem and if you don't mind I'd rather we changed the topic for now." He might have added the last one a bit too impatiently but talking about blood was really a bit too much right now.

She didn't respond for a while and he hoped she decided to close the subject and settled for silence instead. After a moment though, she spoke again.

"Take me with you then."

"What?" His surprise made him look away from the road and stare at her for a moment. Thankfully such action was safe enough with his reflexes and considerably less crowded than usual roads because right then his thoughts were far from being focused on driving safely.

"Take me with you. I can sit at the bar or something while you go feed and then you can join me when you're done so we can think of what to do with the rest of the night."

Did she even know what she was asking? Was this some kind madness? He knew she could barely keep away feelings of hurt about him feeding from other women when she wasn't there. Feeding was something intimate. Knowing that someone was watching you in the act would be appalling.

His vampire instinct screamed that feeding in the presence of someone knowing about you was suicide while the man in him was terrified that if she somehow saw him with blood on his lips, it might prove the proverbial last straw and the end of everything that was between them. Not to mention that going to a nightclub with a woman automatically made it much harder to find another woman willing to come close enough for him to feed.

Besides, Vicki should probably be resting. There was no telling if what happened to her didn't just coincide with them sharing a life-force. After spending a day in hospital and possibly being given some medicine there was no way she should be allowed to risk her health by ordering something at the bar.

Henry glanced at her once more to catch her attention and readied himself to explain this to her. Then he sighed.

"If that's what you wish, Vicki. Keep in mind though, that I don't think it's the best idea."

"Well, I think it's a pretty decent one. I don't intend to get in your way, you know."

Why couldn't he have feelings for someone it was possible to reason with? For someone who didn't seem to try to make being infuriating into an art form? For someone who wasn't so... so much Vicki?

A mild curse escaped his lips before he could stop it.

"You know, if that kind of language survived in literature Shakespeare's works would have probably been even more popular. Especially among teenagers."

"If he used that kind of language I seriously doubt my sister would don on him the way she did. Making it very possible that he would have been long forgotten by now. And I apologise for using such language in your presence."

He glanced at her and saw her look at him with something, which, if he was interpreting it right, might have been amusement mixed with annoyance.

"You don't really take me for the kind of girl who runs to the other room after hearing a swearword, do you?"

"Just why do I have a feeling that a confirmation might put me at serious risk of being staked?" He teased and annoyance slowly faded from her expression.

"And you'd better remember that, buster. 'Sides there isn't really a language you can shock a cop with, you know."

"I'll try to keep that in mind."

III

After the conversation drifted from Vicki's idea of coming with Henry, the vampire didn't revisit the topic, either reluctantly accepting her argumentation or resigning himself to admitting that there was no talking Vicki out of something once she had her mind set. He must have decided to let her have her way since the direction they were going didn't have anything to do with either of their homes.

She knew she should be proud of herself that she managed to silence Henry's protests but as they were driving to wherever it was Henry was going she couldn't help but feel uneasiness rising instead. She was suddenly questioning whether her idea was as great as it previously seemed. She'd sooner eat her old uniform than admit that aloud though.

Henry parked the jag and turned to her.

"Are you sure you haven't changed your mind?"

He couldn't sense her feelings now, could he? That thought suddenly grasped Vicki. True, if something did sound in his voice it was a hint of pleading rather than giving her a chance to back out but then again he wouldn't let it be noticeable if it was one, right? He probably knew all too well by now that Vicki Nelson, much like the Spartan army, never retreated.

Besides, what could be so wrong about being in the same place at the same time as her vampire partner when he was getting his meal? It wasn't like she didn't know what he was or what his diet consisted of. Or how he was going about getting his food. She did have a chance to have an occasional glance at his 'snacks' so she wouldn't really be shocked there either. And, of course he fed off her before and she knew he doesn't hurt a person he is feeding from. So what was the problem? It wasn't like she had to watch as sunk his teeth into somebody's neck, right?

It was probably the scare of her 'coma' combined with wanting to make the most of this night that was casting a shadow on everything she thought about. That had to be it. It seemed rational enough. But she didn't really care to admit to being afraid right now.

"Why would I?"

"Perhaps it would be for the best. I could take you to your apartment and then join you after I'm done. Then we could do whatever you like."

"That would be wasting time. I don't really want to waste any time tonight if I can help it."

He reached out and touched her cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking into hers.

"If this is really what you want. I won't force you to waste time." If she ever doubted the feelings he declared he had for her, she would cease now upon seeing their impossible depth shining in his eyes.

They stayed like that for a moment. Then Henry kissed her softly before exiting the car, going to the passenger side and opening the door. He held out his hand. She smiled at the gesture, more sincerely than she imagined she could right then.

"Hmm, Duke of Richmond and Somerset attending to me like that. You keep it up and it might go to my head."

"As long as there is anything it is within my power to help you with, I will. So I'm afraid your plans to make me forgo courtesy aren't likely to have much success."

He held his arm for her and she took it, surprised how easy it was for her to believe those words. Her smile held as she allowed him to lead her inside.

It didn't really surprise her that Henry knew his way around nightclubs but still some part of her couldn't help but find the confident way in which he navigated through the place in some unexplainable way impressive. He walked among the human masses with the certainty of someone with almost intimate familiarity with the place. He didn't even seem to need to put much effort into navigating through the crowd. His steps seemed in tune with music and every move of the crowd he somehow anticipated.

Henry guided her to a small table in one of the corners. There, he gestured her to sit and sent her a smile.

"Could you wait for me here, please?"

"Sure, why not? It's as good as any other spot. I'll just order myself something while I wait."

"Nothing alcoholic."

"In a place like this I'm not sure I have much of a choice."

"I assure you, you do have a choice. Perhaps I'll just bring you something."

"Non-alcoholic?"

"Non-alcoholic." He confirmed.

"Grapefruit juice then?"

"Might not be the best idea if you've taken medicines beforehand."

"You know what, I don't care. Bring me whatever you do think I can drink. And what I said before about vampire MD still stands."

Henry grinned at her and then disappeared in the crowd only to emerge again a moment later holding a high glass of something that given that it had to be a soft drink, was probably apple juice. He handed it to her.

"Enjoy. And now, if you'd excuse me..."

"Yeah, sure. Bon appétit."

He sent her one last smile before once again disappearing into crowd. Vicki sighed and took a sip from her glass. Upon organoleptic inspection the drink proved to actually be apple juice with a touch of mint added. She absently took another sip.

She surveyed the crowd straining her sight, telling herself that she wasn't really looking for Henry but trying to determine how well she could see in the dimmed and changing light. The answer was, not so good, which really didn't serve to improve her mood. Still, looking straight ahead, and narrowing her eyes, she could see a bit. Suddenly she thought her eyes caught Henry with some blond bimbo swaying in dance before the light shifted. She lost sight of the couple without being able to tell whether it was her vampire partner.

She looked intently at that area for a moment longer but she couldn't find them anymore. She sighed and took another sip from her glass. The drink was surprisingly refreshing for something selected by somebody who couldn't have possibly ever tasted it before. Almost without a conscious thought she once again looked into the crowd but all she could see were the unfamiliar human masses blurring before her sight.

Vicki shook her head. She probably owed it to Henry to at least let him eat his meal in peace. The PI briefly wondered if what she was trying to do was equivalent to staring at somebody's plate. That thought was so abstract and so far away from all her actual worries that it actually made her chuckle for a second. She sighed and took another sip resigning herself to watch the dancing crowd.

"Waiting for someone, beautiful?"

She glanced to her left. A man, who obviously wasn't drinking non-alcoholic drinks today, was standing there in a pose that, she could only assume was supposed to make him look both confident and nonchalant. In truth it was making him look as if he had an aching back and partially paralysed muscles.

She cursed her eyes for not allowing her to see him without looking straight at him. There was no way she could pretend she didn't notice him now.

"Definitely not for you."

"Oh, perhaps you just didn't know you were looking for me?"

"Come back when you're sober. Then I might consider..." She paused and smiled briefly before shifting her features to glare at him. "Not doing anything drastic to you while telling you to get lost."

"Hey, you are a feisty one, aren't you? Or maybe just playing hard to get?" He reached out to touch her.

She stepped away, avoiding his touch. For one, she didn't want to try incapacitating him in this light. Her reaction to his movements would be delayed at best and he might use that to gain an upper hand if throwing him to the floor wasn't enough to give him a hint to leave. And even if she would be defending herself it might not look that way if she immediately subdued him resulting in the security actually helping the idiot and possibly throwing her out.

"I'm warning you. You really don't want to start with me."

"Or what you're gonna do, beautiful?"

"You'd be surprised."

"Oh, sounds inviting."

"Do you really believe those lines are going to get you somewhere other than an orthopaedic ward?"

"Hey, no need to get all thorny on me. Why don't we just have some fun?"

He stepped closer causing Vicki to take another step back. She felt her patience wearing thinner with each passing second.

"And why don't you get lost? What part of 'I'm not interested' didn't you understand?"

The guy had to be very inebriated because he still didn't have a clue. He reached out to Vicki and this time she didn't step back. Instead, blowing all caution to the wind, she decided she had enough and was preparing to dislocate the man's wrist as soon as his hand made contact. It didn't though.

Just as the man was about to touch Vicki another hand appeared, grasping his own quickly with a deceptively casual hold.

"I believe the lady made it clear she wasn't interested." A calm voice spoke and the PI relaxed a bit despite herself upon recognising it.

"What is it to you?"

"More than you'd think. Now leave."

"And if I don't?"

"I'm afraid I'd be forced to help you along the process."

"What do you think you could do, pretty boy?"

For a second Vicki half-expected the cheeky guy to find himself lifted a foot off the ground in a chokehold while Henry pointed out the errors of his ways. That didn't happen however and when her partner spoke next she could hear the distinct vampire tone.

"You will decide that the blond girl in the dark blue dress standing near the stairs is more worthy of your attention. You will apologise to my friend here and go to the girl to try your luck. After tonight you will consider changing your attitude." Henry smiled pleasantly. "Do we have an understanding?"

"Yeah." The guy blinked refocusing his eyes and turning to Vicki. "I'm sorry. If you don't mind I'll be going now."

Vicki nodded absently and waited for him to walk away before turning to Henry.

"What was that supposed to be? I can take care of myself just fine without any knights in shining armour insisting on joining the fun. And why on earth would you subject that poor girl to him?"

"I know you can take care of yourself. I just wanted to save you the trouble. And I assure you, I wouldn't suggest that girl if I didn't have a look at her boyfriend before. Clubs like this are probably the only reason he leaves the gym."

Vicki couldn't help a vengeful smirk.

"I should probably feel sorry for the idiot but serves him right. You finished?" In retrospect her tone might have been a touch impatient.

"Yes. We may leave now." He looked at her carefully, as if searching for something. "Vicki... You surely understand that what I..."

"What? If you want me to comment on your meal then all I'll say is that the only thing that makes me wonder is how could you feed from a doll-face who looks in a way that makes one nauseous just from looking at her."

Henry drew a breath and stiffened noticeably. He looked at Vicki warily. That look, she decided, definitely didn't suit him.

"Have you...?" He was obviously disturbed by the idea.

"Seen you? With RP in a barely lit place? If I didn't have you here I'd be probably walking into walls. I was just teasing, you know. It's not hard to guess the general description of your snacks." That seemed to work as he visibly relaxed.

"In that case I believe we can make our leave already. The rest of the night is yours as I promised, Vicki."

Henry smiled and started leading her in the direction of the exit while the song changed to a slower one. Vicki slowed her pace and battled her thoughts for a second. Finally she admitted a defeat.

"Dance with me, Henry?"

"With you, Victoria? Always."

III

They did dance for a while but soon Henry noted that Vicki's heart rate increased again and her breathing became deceptively shallow. Gently he guided her out of the building. She shivered lightly as they stepped outside but he hoped that this at least could be blamed on the cool night air.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Defensive tone. Definitely not a good sign.

"You looked like you could use a bit of fresh air. Now tell me, truthfully, what is it?"

"Nothing." She replied instantly before going silent.

He didn't want to push so he just embraced her gently and waited for her to speak. After a moment it started to seem that he was waiting in vain but then, suddenly she focused on him.

"You know how people talk of this crap about living your life like every day was going to be your last?"

"I can't deny that I've heard the idea before."

"You know what's funny? I've been thinking of all the things I would want to do if this was my last day. Or rather night. All I could come up with were the things I wouldn't really want to have done if I was going to wake up tomorrow. If I decide to do any of that, it would mean I was giving up. I don't give up, Henry. I don't want to give up."

He tightened his embrace around her and met her gaze.

"Then don't give up. You don't need to prove anything to yourself. Why don't you just try to be happy tonight so that in the morning you can feel that you didn't waste that time on being upset?" It took all his self control to speak calmly.

"Yeah, you're probably right. No sense making a scene because of something we have no influence on, right?" It was obvious she was far from agreeing with her own statement.

"Vicki, you have a right to be afraid, you know."

She sighed and looked down for a moment. When she looked up again determination shone in her eyes.

"Enough of the pity party. Let's go do something constructive, shall we?"

He studied her for a second before deciding to go with her apparent intentions.

"What do you have in mind?"

"That depends on what is actually still open at this hour besides the nightclubs."

"What would you like to be open?"

"I don't know... Royal Ontario Museum for example. Can you believe that all that time I lived in Toronto and never found time to go and see the collection? I always thought I would go when I have some free time and now..."

"Museum it is then. I believe visiting it is possible enough."

"Oh is it?"

"It's only a matter of convincing the night guard to let us go in. And I can be very convincing when I put my mind to it."

"Why doesn't this come as a shock?" She smiled for a second and for him it was all the reward he needed for the effort of making the museum visit possible.

III

In the end, gaining access to the museum after hours proved to be easier than she could have expected and had less to do with Henry's persuasive skills and more with a considerable donation 'to compensate for the ridiculously small payment of those valiantly guarding the priceless historical treasures'. At some other time the cop in her would have been outraged but that night she couldn't quite bring herself to care much.

Instead she stood with Henry in the middle of the ancient Greece exposition, trying desperately not to think much about anything aside from what she was seeing.

"You know, ever since college Hellenistic period was among my three favourite historic periods. Right next to the first world war and… never mind."

"Now, it's a bad form to break up the story once your have the attention of the audience. I must insist." He sent her a light teasing smile.

"Henry…"

"This mysterious period wouldn't by chance happen to be the Tudor times?"

"How did you…? I mean, why would…?" She trailed off and heard his laughter in reply.

"You clearly expected that I wouldn't consider that neutral information. When we first met you recalled my title without as much as taking a moment to think about what you'd learned. And you have a tendency of casually mentioning events of my life that I sincerely hoped were forgotten. All in all it made a pretty easy guess."

"How did you know it wasn't just a coincidence and I didn't simply adore your Spanish brother in law?" She shot back with a quirked eyebrow.

"I didn't. But I do hope you have better taste than that."

"Didn't Mary fall in love with him just by looking at his portrait? He couldn't have been that bad."

"Mary's eyesight was even worse than yours. He could have looked like a gargoyle and she wouldn't have known the difference."

"Whatever. Hey, why don't we finish with Greece and go take a look at the bat cave. It might be fun looking at all those scary creatures of the night…"

"So your preference lies with the creatures of the night? I knew you had a good taste."

"Humble as always, your grace?"

He laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist as he escorted her to the next room. A moment passed before she realised that she didn't even stiffen at that.

III

The time flew surprisingly quickly as they explored the museum and it was already after midnight when they left the building. Behind them a very smug looking guard was just securing the locks again.

"So what do you wish to do now?" Henry spoke looking as her steps grew once again more cautious as she stepped into the dark. Without a word he offered her his arm and she took it almost automatically.

"I…" She considered for a moment. "To be honest I'm not really sure. It's not like I ever composed a 'things to do before I die' list or something. And even if I did I'm pretty sure most things on it would take a bit too long for our purposes."

Right then he wished with all his heart that he could assure her that she wasn't going to die and that no such list would be necessary for a long time yet but he was painfully aware how little truth those words would hold. Neither of them knew if this night wasn't the last one they would spend together. The last one in Vicki's life.

Almost without a conscious thought he stepped closer to her, as if to reassure himself that she was still there and yanked from him by the consequences of her desperate act. He schooled his expression carefully not to betray his inner turmoil to her. She was probably troubled enough with the thought herself. The chances that she would actually see him now were of course minuscule but he still didn't want to take the risk of troubling her, if possible, even further.

"Well, since we are already a short walk from my home perhaps we can go there to think of further plans for tonight. I doubt standing here in the cold is helping your decision any." Thankfully his voice didn't betray any of his earlier thoughts.

"Actually, why not? But you will have to order me something to eat there."

"Didn't you have a meal before you left hospital?"

"Meal? C'mon that's hospital food. I assure you I didn't find it any more edible than you would."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "If you say so. I will of course order anything you might like."

"Thanks."

"My pleasure. Shall we go now?"

As they walked slowly in the direction of his condo, he paid little mind to his surroundings, concentrating almost all his attention on Vicki, trying to preserve as much as he could in his memory. And silently he prayed that trying to do so was nothing but an unnecessary act.

III

"Have you decided yet?"

"Hmm?" Vicki looked up from the plate, setting down the fork.

"Did you have time to think of what you want to do now?"

"Not really." She carried the plate to the sink. "No, actually I have one idea. And it has an added bonus of not requiring you to take me anywhere."

"And what idea exactly would that be?"

"Watching a movie together. If this is really it… Well if it is then I think I'd like to watch a movie with you one last time. What do you say?"

"If that's what you wish than I have no objections. Leave the plate and we'll find something you'd like to watch."

She sighed and exited the kitchen.

"Anything you would like to watch?" She asked looking at Henry.

'The choice is completely yours. Though I suspect I know what general category I can expect."

"Actually I think I want something different this time. I have the only vampire I want to see tonight right here with me." She smiled at him briefly.

"I'm glad to hear it. So what is your choice for tonight?"

"Do you have any comedies in your collection? I really feel we could use something to laugh about right now."

"I'm sure I can find something."

III

The movie came and went without really fulfilling its role. No amount of actors' attempts could really make either of them forget how serious their situation was and how little room there was for laughter.

After the movie ended, Henry turned off the television but never left the sofa where he was sitting with Vicki's head resting on his arm. Suddenly she stirred.

"Henry?" He looked at her and noticed she trembled a bit.

"Yes?"

"Never mind."

"Vicki, please, what is it?"

"Could you believe that I'm actually…" She broke off but she was radiating her feelings so clearly that there wasn't much room for guessing.

"Scared?" He offered softly.

"Yeah. All this time as a cop, insisting on doing field work and never knowing for sure if I was going to come back safely and now I'm…"

"There is no shame in being afraid, you know. But you shouldn't be. You helped so many in your life that even if it comes to the worst I believe you have nothing to fear. The good you've done far outweighs anything else."

"You sound sure."

"I am sure." He lied feeling as if his heart was trapped in a cold iron grip.

"Thanks." She whispered and once again settled quietly against his shoulder. He found himself absently stroking her hair until a distant feeling of approaching dawn reminded him of the passing time.

III

Vicki didn't know how long she spent drawing comfort from Henry's closeness. It seemed like a short time but she knew it was probably longer. Still, when Henry shifted suddenly it felt like a rude awakening that came all too soon.

"We have about an hour till sunrise." He whispered and suddenly she felt paralysed with the realisation.

An hour. One short hour. That's not enough time. She trembled as she rose and soon felt Henry's comforting embrace.

"It will be alright, Vicki. You'll see."

"Wish I could be this optimistic." She managed through a tight throat.

"Realistically speaking there is a good chance the dawn won't mean anything to you at all. Other than being deprived of my company." He smiled at her, a confident smile she desperately hoped was a true one.

"And if it does?"

"Since when do you dwell so much on the worst case scenarios? If it does then, as you said yourself, you might be forced to start keeping the hours I do." Something in his eyes told Vicki that despite his light tone Henry was concerned as well. He seemed to have noticed her look though. "You probably want to refresh yourself a bit before lying down. Go ahead." He smiled and looked away in a way that almost didn't seem deliberate.

III

Vicki didn't protest when Henry asked her to lie in bed with him, while awaiting the sunrise. The faint light of the lamp didn't do much to repel the darkness created by the closed blinds so the thought of having him close enough to be able to feel him next to her until the very moment the dawn came was too comforting to be dismissed. Even if normally sharing a bed with Henry would have connotations she couldn't bring herself to face just yet.

She felt one arm embrace her and she stilled, startled. Henry apparently stopped at that though, either detecting her uneasiness or never intending to bring the gesture any further in the first place.

He seemed to be whispering something, Vicki realised after a second. Something that was much too quiet to be directed at her. She closed her eyes to better focus on the sound. The words weren't English. After a moment she recognised Latin and suddenly realised that Henry was praying. For her, if she correctly put together the words in the language she hadn't had a contact with since college.

She wasn't quite sure how to take that so she chose to simply listen at the same time pretending not to notice. With some luck Henry would be too distracted to pay attention to her heart so she would stand a chance of being believable. The almost silent whisper continued to fill the silence of the room for a while longer before stopping.

Suddenly Vicki realised that she had no idea how much time she had left until dawn and that she wanted desperately to settle one more matter before it came.

"Henry?" She spoke and only after a second she realised it came out as a whisper. Any louder words somehow didn't seem fitting at the moment.

"Yes?"

"I know you said you could never forgive me for what I've done…"

"Vicki…"

"Hear me out. I don't want to ask you to forgive me now. But if I don't wake up tomorrow, then after some time, when everything fades a bit, could you promise me you'll think about it again? I will understand if you decide you still can't but…"

"I have already forgiven you, Victoria."

She went silent for a second taking in the enormity of what she just heard.

"Thank you." She finally managed. "Henry… Just in case, I want you to know…"

She broke off.

"I know. I love you too." She heard a quiet answer and felt a soft kiss on her cheek. Accompanied by a tear that must have rolled from his eye.

"Henry…" She heard him sigh as he drifted into vampire sleep when the sun rose from the horizon outside. Then suddenly she knew no more.

III

Henry awoke to Vicki lying limply next no him. He immediately concentrated on picking out the familiar sound of her heartbeat and didn't find it. Forcing himself to remain calm he started to listen more closely, finally detecting the faint sound of her heart, beating so weakly and so differently from its usual tone that it was practically unrecognisable.

"Vicki…" He caressed her cheek and looked at her intently. She wasn't waking.

This time he could not escape the cold claws of fear as they grasped his heart in icy embrace. They had to have been wrong. This couldn't have anything to do with him. Something was wrong with her and she must have slipped away again during the day when he wasn't able to help her.

He brought her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on it.

"Victoria…" He whispered to her again.

Just then her heartbeat started growing stronger again and he froze, still holding her hand, hardly allowing himself to hope. A moment later she opened her eyes and started blinking against the artificial glare of the light which clearly she also didn't find a very pleasant thing to wake up to. Then her eyes focused on him.

"Hey."

"Good Evening, Victoria. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess. What's with the worried look?"

"I was concerned. Your heartbeat was very weak while you were sleeping."

"This from the man who doesn't have a heartbeat to speak of during the day."

"I'm pretty sure yours couldn't be restored as easily if it faded for the day. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I told you, I'm fine. So this is it, huh? It's going to be like that every day from now on?"

"It would seem so, yes." He admitted while studying her face to see what reaction this statement evoked.

There was a multitude of swirling emotions playing in her eyes, some of which she couldn't stop from reaching her face. She paled visibly but still had yet to say something. He could only guess where her thoughts were roaming right now. The day, something that he once gave away in exchange for his current life was yanked from her now with no compensation and no conscious choice on her part. And never knowing this was to come she was even deprived of a chance to say goodbye to it and try to engrave it in her memory like he had all those decades ago.

Wordlessly he shifted closer and embraced her, offering her, if not really comfort, then at least understanding. It took her a moment but she eventually responded leaning into his embrace.

"I don't know..." She started, her voice catching as she spoke. "Do you think I will ever learn to cope with that, Henry?"

This at least he could answer honestly.

"You will. I promise you. It becomes easier with time."

"If I'm awake only for the nights I'm effectively blind already as soon as I set foot outside."

"You still can use the flashlight as you did before."

"Yeah, I can."

There was bitterness and resignation in her voice and suddenly Henry realised, that while for him the sight of Vicki illuminating her way with flashlight grew to be somehow natural for her it wasn't. One more thing he lost with being limited to nights. He never saw Vicki being able to freely move in an open area. Something she would never be able to do again, being limited either by close proximity of items that might slip from her field of vision or by darkness stealing her sight.

"It won't necessarily be that way forever."

"Well, sure, sooner or later I will go blind. But that's not exactly something to look forward to."

"That's not what I meant, Vicki. You don't know if in a few years some way to deal with your condition won't be discovered."

"You are even worse than Mike. Both of you could use some realism here."

"It's not unrealistic. I saw with my own eyes the leaps medicine took in just a few years after the discovery of microbes or later the invention of antibiotics. Don't give up hope just yet."

"I'm past the stage of holding onto that hope, you know. And when it becomes obvious that even if something is discovered it would be too late for me..."

"Even then I'm sure you'll manage. And I will always be there for you. I love you, Vicki. And now with more certainty than I ever could, I can promise that I will be there for as long as you need me."

"Always?" By the panicked look at her face he could only assume the question escaped her before she could stop it. Nevertheless he decided to use the opportunity.

"Always. You know I could offer you no less."

She untangled herself from his embrace and look into his eyes. He could see a glassy look, a forewarning of tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Thanks." She placed her head on his shoulder. "Henry... I love you, you know."

He drew a breath at the surprise of hearing the words she never quite seemed to actually say, spoken so casually. He moved to look at her and pushed a strand of hair off her face.

"I love you too, Victoria. And I promise, no matter what happens, I always will."

He met her lips in a kiss. In that moment all their troubles were suddenly forgotten.

THE END

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