Nocturnal Visits

In the middle of the night, Big Ben tolled the hour, its loud clangs echoing throughout the city. A lone figure stalking down the street hissed as he ground his teeth together, lowering his ears flat against his head in annoyance as the sounds assaulted his heightened senses. It was nearly impossible to travel anywhere in the city and escape the tolls of the iconic bell, unless perhaps he were to go deep into the sewers he once called home far beneath the feet of the rest of Mousedom. But no matter how low a state he found himself in, he vowed he would never return to the squalor of those sewers.

He growled as the noises continued. It was only a reminder of what happened that night years ago, just when he had stood on the brink of victory. Everything had gone according to plan; everything was perfect… Until that miserable, second-rate detective had barged in and ruined all his hard work. Oh, but he made the pipsqueak pay at the top of the clock tower. It was unfortunate that the detective had survived the attack. But then, so had he. And now he planned to make Basil of Baker Street's life a living nightmare.

In fact, that was precisely the reason for what he was planning to do right now as he headed towards his enemy's home. However it was not solely for revenge upon his adversary, although that was the primary goal. No, it was another prize he sought inside the detective's home tonight…

Ah, at last, he reached his destination. He felt a thrill of excitement course through his body at the prospect of taking this step toward the demise of his most hated foe. The first step in his plan had been the decision to ally himself with the Count, who gave him these new powers. He was growing used to this new, improved version of himself, and he had to admit that at times he reveled in the thought that he was now among the most powerful creatures on earth. But he was quickly reminded of his curse each time the urge to feed came upon him, and he felt the overpowering need to sink his fangs into some poor unsuspecting victim and taste the blood on his lips…

Then he would instantly recoil from the thought, shocked at himself. No decent gentleman would ever entertain such gruesome thoughts. But then again, he was no longer the refined mouse he once was. He was now a creature of the night, a child of darkness.

A vampire.

But what's this? There's a light on in window… blast it! The wretched detective and his fat lackey were in the living room. What the blazes were they doing up at this ungodly hour when the rest of Mousedom was tucked in their beds? Ah, it seems they are still pouring over the scant evidence from the recent crimes they had been investigating. He couldn't help an evil chuckle to himself. Little did they suspect that the prime instigator of those very crimes was standing right outside their door.

This was certainly a little kink in his plan, though not unexpected. He gave a slight shrug of his broad shoulders. No matter. Let them try to unravel the mystery while he went on with his scheme.

He crept quietly along the edge of the house till he came to another window. It was a bit further from the ground, but climbing the wall proved to be an easy task for the nimble rodent. As he clung to the side of the wall, hooking his black claws into the mortar between the brickwork of the building, he put his face to the glass and looked inside. The yellow eyes pierced the darkness inside, his improved sense of sight letting him see details that no normal mouse would ever have been able to see even with a light. He glanced about the room hastily to make sure that the coast was clear, but soon his gaze focused on the small figure lying on the bed; the object of his nocturnal venture.

The Count, the one who had sired him, had also been teaching him how to use his new abilities; and so recalling what he had learned about how to control the elements, he was easily able to enter the room in a white mist. After all, why use the window like a common burglar when he had power such as this?

Once he had entered the room, he gazed down at her sleeping form. Amber. How beautiful and innocent she was, so peaceful while she slept. A small pang of guilt knotted in his stomach, and although it was enough to make him feel like a cad for disturbing her tranquility, he realized that this was necessary in order for his plan to succeed.

He quietly made his way to her bedside, the moonlight shining in from the window throwing his shadow across her. Lying on her back, with her head turned slightly to the right, he gazed down at her exposed throat, feeling the burning sensation in his throat as he heard her heartbeat, could see the throb of her pulse as the blood coursed through her veins. He longed to taste that blood… but he hesitated for a brief moment. A part of him really did care for her. After all, she had never really done anything to him… well, she had bashed him in the head with a candlestick when he kidnapped her before; but he had to admit, he deserved it. Still, it was Basil that he wanted to suffer, not her.

However, it was the very idea of making his foe suffer that urged him to lean down over her, pull her hair away from her neck, place his lips on her throat… and sink his fangs into the soft skin, causing the blood to flow. She gasped softly and stirred in her sleep, but before she could wake up he quickly extended his mind over hers while he fed, and she sighed deeply, falling deeper into slumber. He was surprised to find that the effect actually shocked him.

Nothing compared to this power, the feeling of having complete control over another being. This had been the purpose of his plan all along; to have his foe's beloved in his control. But he hadn't expected it to feel this good. He delighted in the sensation of feeding on her blood, giving him life.

As intoxicating as she was to him and as hard it was to keep himself from completely draining her then and there, he quickly withdrew, knowing that if he didn't soon he wouldn't be able to stop. He had been very clean as he bit, leaving only small puncture wounds in the skin. Her fur and hair would hide all evidence of the bite as it healed. He caressed her cheek softly before turning to go, then disappeared into the night.

However, it wasn't his last visit to her. He returned often over the next few weeks to feed on her, gaining a little more control over mind each time. That was his ultimate goal. If she were completely in his power, then that was one more tool to use against hated enemy.

She would soon be his. Then, nothing would stop him.

Author's Note: Just a little drabble I thought up today. I know he's not specifically named, but hopefully it's obvious that this is Ratigan. I guess this takes place somewhere between chapters 1 and 2 of Echoes in my Mind. This is just from Ratigan's point of view and sort of explains why he's feeding on her.

Hope you like it ^_^

The Great Mouse Detective and characters (c) Eve Titus and Disney
Amber and "the Count" (c) me