(If you're enjoying this one, please check out my other titles… The Omen: rebirth and retribution 1 in Misc movies and Bloodrayne: lessons in blood in the misc rpg in games, and, Chronicles of Narnia: the red queen in C.s lewis, harry potter and the daughter of evil in harry potter/books.….)

Italy 1602

The youth looked over the still form his bride. His green eyes taking in every inch of her now pale skin, her red lips. His hand reached forward and he caressed the black hair that surrounded her face. He held back tears. He could not let the family see him cry. her white dress was of the softest silk. It was supposed to be her wedding gown. Now she would be buried in it. Another man placed a hand on the youth's shoulder. He shrugged it away. He picked up her cold hand and held it in his.
"Someday I'll find you again. Next time it will be forever. I promise" he murmured, still holding her hand.
He replaced the hand across her breast and ran from the crowded room. The other man followed and found him in the courtyard. The younger man sat racing an empty balcony, watching the soft red curtains flow gently back and forth in the evening breeze. The other man, a tall blonde named Marcello, sat quietly next to his young cousin. Marcello could not think of anything to say to comfort him.
"That was her balcony" the boy said suddenly. "Every night I would climb the stone wall to sir here and wait for her to come out every evening .I even played the violin for her..." He looked to Marcello.
"I could have..."
"No" Marcello said quickly, cutting him off. "She was too soft, too much of a child. She would not have handled a life like ours well enough to survive."
He knew Marcello was right. He'd been holding back those tears. But the memories were breaking him. He sat there on the edge of the fountain. The tears of his kind fell freely.

Present day

The club Dark Things was one of the hottest alternative nightspots around. It wasn't quite opening time yet. The sun had only been down about an hour. Inside the building, it was being set up for night. In the booth above the large dance floor, a tall blonde-haired man in a fishnet shirt was sorting through numerous cd racks. A set of headphones over his ears was blasting music into his head. He continued to rifle through the racks before him, writing down songs for the night's play lists. The booth door opened behind him and a younger dark-haired man stepped in unnoticed. He tapped the one in the headphones on the shoulder. Marcello turned away from his play lists to see who it was. He smiled coolly and took the headphones off. It was only one his cousin, one of the other owners.
"Evening Orion, my melancholy cousin."
Orion's green eyes peeked out from under the raven black hair hanging in his face. He brushed his long hair over his shoulders and tied it back.
"Evening Marcello. Have the others...gone out?"
"Yes they have."
Orion nodded and stared out across the room. He surveyed the dance floor, the sitting area that was sectioned off from the dance floor and the main bar by a huge glass wall. His eyes stopped upon the main bar where he would spend most of the night. He glanced at Marcello writing songs down.
"What have you got planned?"
"I was thinking lots of industrial tonight, lots of dancing and electronics."
Orion nodded.
"I'll leave you to it then."
Marcello waved at him over his shoulder, engrossed in collection of music in front of him.
Orion headed back across the dance floor to the bar, looking around the place as he went. The club had been up and running twelve months now. He took care of the bar and getting the humans drunk. Marcello would get the big security guy called Bear to get them all to leave about five thirty, just before sun up. This club was the only thing that Orion had any pride for in his unlife. He didn't care much about anything else. He only remembered to feed because of the terrible ache inside him every time he didn't. He wanted to forget what he was. After she died, all he felt like was some monster. He had convinced himself that that was what he was and all he would ever be. It was a little different now of course. He had the club to occupy his thoughts and his time.
He hoisted himself up onto the bar effortlessly and began playing with an empty shot glass. After a few moments he placed the glass back on a rack of similar glasses. He pulled back his hand but not before glimpsing the gold band on his left hand. It was his wedding ring from all those centuries ago. He played with it, wondering why he still wore it. He kept reminding himself to take it off, but never seemed to manage to do so. He sat there for a while on the bar playing with the ring.
He heard one of the front doors open. Marcello and Orion's other companions had returned. There were three of them. They were happily chatting away when they reached Orion at the bar.
"Evening Orion" said a male voice.
"Evening Morgan" Orion replied without looking up.
"Sheesh, you really are in one of your funky moods today aren't you?" asked a female voice this time.
Orion looked up finally. A red haired woman was standing in front of him with her arms folded in front of her.
"I'm sorry Marie. I promise I'll cheer up ok."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You better."
"I will."
Another woman stepped up to him. A small brunette. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands gently and smiled.
"You don't always have to be dark and brooding all the time you know."
"I know."
"The past is the past. We cannot change it, just as we cannot change what we are. So, I want you to promise that from now on, you're going to cheer up a bit and just enjoy the world around you ok."
"Ok I promise."
"Good"
She stood on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. The redhead spoke up again.
"We're just going to go start getting ready for tonight."
Orion nodded. He watched them walk away with Morgan and disappear behind a door near the other end of the bar. That was where their resting quarters were hidden. Despite the fact that Charlotte and Marie always mothered him a bit, he had to admit Charlotte was right. He had to stop being so down and melancholy all the time. He had to start dealing with the world around him. Start dealing with what he was. At least Marcello would stop harassing him now. Orion checked the clock on the wall behind him. It was almost ten o'clock now. They would be opening the club soon. He listened carefully, and without much effort, he could already hear people hanging around outside.