So Be It

Henry

He looked into her tearful eyes and heard her words, but didn't listen. He said the first thing that came into his head, "So be it." then walked away and slammed his bedroom door shut. He felt her in the other room fighting for control over tears. He turned to go back and hesitated. During that pause, Vicki walked out of his condo for the last time. He thought to go after her but his father's training took over. "So be it" was a king's phrase. A final decision phrase. A life or death ,balanced on the tip, phrase. He was a prince, his father's bastard son. He said those words now he must live by them. He damned himself for saying them to the only person that had held his heart. He wanted her back. He needed her to help him keep a sense of humanity, before it was lost in the nightly existence as vampire.

"So be it, my not so royal ass." Vicki stormed and fumed as she road down the elevator. "I'll show them. I'll show them both. I don't need anyone." She ran down front steps of the building, tripped and fell forward onto her face. She lay there dazed. Before the door man could come to her aid, she stood, straightened her spine and said, "Get me a cab."

Henry saw her from his window as she lay on the cold marble. He watched her stand, straighten and gestured to the doorman. Within minutes the cab arrived to carry her away from his life.

He looked around his stunning condo and found no pleasure. He went to where the bloody sword rested on the highly polished wood floor. He bent to retrieve it and saw his own dried blood on the wickedly sharp blade. He carried it into the kitchen to clean, sharpen and polish. He thought by removing his blood, he could remove his pain. The tears he held back during that final confrontation with Vicki dripped unheeded onto the polishing cloth. The sword was washed with Henry's blood and polished with Henry's tears. He vowed the next time this sword saw action it would involve the banishment of Astaroth. With the name of the demon screaming in his head, he knew he could not leave Vicki to her own fate. He placed a call and stopped the transaction to sell his territory to another vampire. He wanted to remain close to Vicki. She needed his love as much as he needed to give it to her.

He drove around Toronto looking for a small place to live. He found a small house that had been empty for months. He contacted his lawyer and the purchase was finalized. He sold off or gave away most of his possessions from the condo. He didn't need reminders of that ugly night. Keeping only the portrait and the sword everything else was new. Anyone looking in a window would see comfortable furniture, books on end tables, and simple prints hanging on the walls. The full basement was made into a sanctuary for his days. He made two separate entrances allowing direct access from the outside or inside of the dwelling. He removed all the inner walls of the top floor. He wanted space to pace, to create his art or write when in the mood. No one would ever be invited to this place of residence. He learned one valuable lesson this past year. Never allow prey to know where you lived. All humans were prey and he never intended to forget it again.

Move completed, it was time to check on Vicki. It had been over two months since he heard her leave. He found her office building and saw a "FOR RENT" sign. Looking at the door, her name had been scraped off. He took out his cell and called the real estate agent listed on the sign. "I'm looking for Nelson Investigations can you tell me where they went?" He waited and listened as the person on the other end said the business moved. He had never been inside her apartment, but he knew where it was. He found himself standing outside the building looking at another "FOR RENT" sign, but there was movement visible from her windows.

Vicki walked around her apartment, picking up and discarding items that she had collected over the ten years living in Toronto. She needed to move. There had been a severe flare-up of her eye condition leaving her almost blind. This place was not suited for the visually impaired. Too many sharp corners bruised her legs and the memories bruised her heart. She moved her agency to a single tenant office building with an apartment over it. The floor plan was a simple efficiency lots of space, few doors. She had lined up a retired cop and a college student to help her run the agency. She would not admit to herself the landlord gave her a big rent break because of her blindness, and his need to get the building occupied. Another advantage was the grocer and deli were within walking distance and stayed open from 6:30 AM until midnight.

She and Mike had tried hooking up, but it didn't work. He was living his own life. Vicki didn't want anyone else in hers. She didn't allow herself to think about Henry. If she did, the words "So be it." beat like a drum in her brain and gave her headaches. She hated those three words. One of her employees said it in reference to some line in a book and she nearly bit his head off.

Henry walked into the apartment building. There were several boxes lined up in the lobby. He looked at the boxes and saw Vicki's name along with the new address. He was very satisfied when he saw that she was moving even closer to his new house. He took that as a sign they were meant to be together.

He was deep in thought as Vicki came out of the elevator carrying another box. He took a step almost going to her assistance, when he remembered she was not to know he was near. Vicki turned her head at the sound, "Is someone there?" She held her breath to listen, and heard nothing more. He watched her slow careful steps until she bumped into the boxes, and placed the one in her arms on top. Vicki had made a deal with the movers, if boxes were in the lobby, they would charge her less to move the heavy stuff.

Henry looked at her eyes. She didn't move them. She would turn her whole head, they didn't seem to focus. He understood the nature of her condition. The line of sight was straight forward and narrowing. She must have lost more peripheral vision in the last two months.

Vampire hunger demanded to be fed. Henry needed to leave her and find food before vampire rage took the upper hand. He had fought the rage for centuries, and knew what could happen if not contained. He had to be very careful where he fed. It would be far from is home and far from Vicki. The existence of vampires had been proven fact to at least one police officer. Mike Celluci would hunt him down if he made even one mistake in feeding. He was about to go deep under. No one must ever suspect Henry Fitzroy never left town.

Vicki

"So be it." The words kept replaying in over and over in her head until she finally she accepted the inevitable. It took months but Vicki had found peace. The detective agency ran smoothly with a few changes. Her vision continued to fail until she had to give up active investigation. She hired a retired cop and a college student to do her leg work. She would listen to the facts presented and draw conclusions. From that, the employees would continue investigating until the conclusion was established as fact or revised as accordingly. She was considered legally blind, but fiercely independent, she accepted help only when absolutely necessary. The marks of Astaroth were still visible on her forearms, and gave her pain from time to time. She made a habit of wearing long sleeves so that she would not have to answer the questions. Her small apartment was above the agency. It was convenient, cheap and within walking distance of a small grocer, deli. The extra large monitors by her computer kept her in touch with the world and aided in her work. Her life was comfortable if not elegant. She and Mike had tried to reconnect, but neither could bring themselves to trust the other the way lovers should and they drifted apart. She had not seen or heard from Henry since he said, "So be it," and closed his bedroom door.

She was not aware of two things going on in her daily life. One, Mike drove by her place of business on a regular basis checking out the neighbor and her safety. The other was that Henry had not left town. He watched over her as often as he could. On occasion he even slipped into her bedroom as she slept. He would lean against a wall with a bittersweet smile on his face as he watched her. More than once he was tempted to kiss her and take a taste of her blood. When that desire became overwhelming he would stay away for days. Returning when missing her became more than he could tolerate.

Vicki sat in the upstairs apartment. A year ago on this date she lost her best friends because of the choices she made. Not able to stand her own thoughts she left the apartment. She didn't need anything special, but she wanted exercise and conversation. The clerk at the local store was always good for at least one joke. The walk was so familiar, that she knew each uneven crack in the sidewalk and paid little attention to where she placed her feet. She Walked quickly, trying to keep her mind from replaying the events of that awful night. Vicki didn't hear the voices in the store until it was too late.

"Your cash, or I shoot,"said the desperate young man. The clerk, shaking, opened the register and pulled out a few bills. "More, more, where's my money?" Vicki opened the door and the overhead bell chimed. The youth startled, turned and fired his small caliber handgun at Vicki. He panicked, killed the clerk, and ran out into the night.

Henry on his way to stand outside Vicki's apartment heard the first shot and ran toward the sound. Vicki lay half in and half out of the doorway. Is so short a time pool of blood surrounded her head and shoulders. Henry pressed his lips to the pulsating wound, and tried to stop the bleeding with his saliva. Vampire saliva numbed the skin and controlled bleeding. He saw that it might not work. Choices were limited. He thought, "She tasted my blood, maybe a little more would trigger the process." "Vicki hear me! Please Vicki. Life or death?"

Vicki tried to turn her head toward the voice. "Funny," she thought, "Sounds like Henry. Why?" She saw the light and cried out in her mind, "It's real! There's light! It's calling me." In her mind she moved toward the light. Behind her she felt the darkness, blacker than anything her vision had ever done. The darkness snagged her back and she heard, "The marks make you mine!" Out loud she cried, "Henry! Keep the dark away."

Hearing her words Henry bit his own wrist, made a bleeding wound and pressed it to her lips. "Swallow. Now. Swallow." The sirens grew louder as they closed in on the store where the gun shots were reported. "Please Vicki. Swallow." He waited and prayed to feel her swallow.

Her mouth was full of blood. In her mind she wondered if she had bitten her tongue and questioned why she was on the ground, hearing Henry's voice? The light was calling her to come and the darkness was dragging her down. She needed to clear her mouth to speak, call for the light, and tell the darkness to leave her be. She swallowed, and swallowed again. Her mind screamed, "Light." She moved her arms trying to reach for the light.

Henry felt the first, then second swallow and saw her arms move. As she moved, the long sleeves pulled back and revealed the flaming marks of Astaroth. He braced her head against his shoulder and applied pressure while picking her up. Carrying her a gently as he could, he ran to her apartment.

He studied the angry red wound at the side of her neck where the bullet shattered the collar bone, drove a piece of bone into the carotid artery and stopped there, effectively acting as a cork partially blocking blood flow. The trick was to keep Vicki from moving until vampire healing had a chance to work.

Henry sat beside her watching her breathe as he had for so many nights over the past twelve months. If she turned vampire, he could have her for a year, maybe slightly more. He promised to make the coming year perfect for the both of them if only she would live. He would teach her to enjoy vampire and if at all possible keep the bond from breaking. He stopped making plans as he heard her moan, "What happened? Were? Is this the light?"

She heard him say, "Vicki don't move." and felt his cool hand on her forehead. She opened her eyes and saw his pale face with peripheral vision. Blinking she rolled her eyes from side to side, up and down, seeing as she had not been able to do for the last three or more years. "Henry? You're here?"

"You've been shot. You're home. Rest. We'll talk later." He placed a powerful desire to sleep into her mind. He looked closely at the wound, saw that it was seeping blood. He placed his mouth over the fresh bleeding and took a swallow before sealing the wound a second time.

As she slept Henry cut away the clothes she had been wearing. Washed the dried blood from her body, placed heavy pillows on either side of her head, and tucked her in securely. He sat vigil. Praying for what was best for Vicki. He checked the wound often, using his saliva when necessary.

With dawn only an hour away, Henry allowed Vicki to wake up. "Don't move. You've been shot."

Vicki's brow puckered as she tried to remember the walk to the corner store and opening the door. The loud noise and unbelievable burning pain. Then the pain was gone. There was light and dark. Light called her forward as dark held her back. "Henry I could have gone to the light, but dark held me back. Are you the dark? Did you hold me back?"

"Not dark. No not that. I held you here to give you a choice of life or death. I forced you to drink my blood, trying to start vampire healing. I bought you time. I didn't know about the battle for your soul until I saw the marks were flaming. That gives you two choices. Live a life as vampire, or die and take your chances with light or dark." He made no declaration of love.

Vicki started to sit up and Henry placed a hand on her chest holding her down. "Don't move. The bleeding is controlled, but the wound has just started healing. It won't fully heal until you have had more of me. Decide what you want and I will abide by it."

There was no pain. She allowed her eyes to wander around the room. The light was dim but she could see better than she had in years. Vampire blood had already given her sight. A hunger for his blood gnawed at her middle. She examined Henry's life as she observed him living it over the year they were friends. She remembered light calling her forward and dark pulling her back. She thought about how long that battle could last - eternity. If she wanted the light, she would have to defeat Astaroth before she died. If she became vampire she would have to do all the things Henry did to live. "Henry what do you want me to do?"

"I made my own choices. You must make yours." Henry turned his face away so that she could not see what he wanted written on it.

With steel in her voice she said, "I don't want to be a pawn between light and dark. I need to live until Astaroth is sent back."

"Are you choosing vampire?" He wanted to tell her of his love and need for her.

"I'll be vampire until Astaroth is gone. Get on with it. Make me vampire." She would not tell him of her love until she knew his feelings. He offered his bleeding wrist and she drank. He felt his life blend with hers as she fell into a deep sleep.

He knew dawn was close and fought the urge to hide until he fed her once more. He had found a sanctuary in her apartment. He would be safe enough for the day. He held out his wrist where he had reopened the wound. She looked at it. "Are you sure? There is no going back if you take more." She nodded, and he placed his wrist on her lips. As she pulled the blood from his vein, he allowed passion to hold them both in the moment.

A swallow filled her completely. Hunger and pain gone. Needs she didn't know she had were satisfied. She drifted off to sleep and dreams of love.

Henry pulled down the attic steps, climbed up, closing the trapdoor behind him. It was not the first time he had spent the day in an attic nor would it be the last.