Disclaimer: I don't own V:tMB and I kinda own my main character, the part I don't own is the fact that she's Tremere

Disclaimer: I don't own V:tMB and I kinda own my main character, the part I don't own is the fact that she's Tremere. Her clan, plus all the identifiable V:tMB characters are owned by White Wolf Inc. The rest of my main character I do, in fact, own. Please be kind, this is my first V:tMB fic.

0. Prologue

10 years earlier…

The only sound I could hear through my thick blanket of sleep was the omnipresence ticking of the elegant, antique French clock that sat on the mantle. It once belonged to my grandmother, who gave it to my mother right before she died of a stroke in 1993, last year. It was a beautiful golden clock that had roman numerals for numbers, and two sharp hands that pointed at the numbers like putting knives to their throats.

My older sister, Lynette, and I had moved back into our parents' home after our attempt to live on our own. Lynette had rented an apartment with me in Hollywood; a glamorous apartment for two; single girls in their early twenties to start their adult life. Our apartment was a beautiful mix of red wallpaper and green curtains; containing two bedrooms and one bathroom. The floor was made of shining dark wood, and we had a flat screen which we put downstairs. Our apartment was more of a small loft than an actual apartment—but it was that which strengthened our drive to have it as our own.

But a year on our own brought in problems. Lynette tried to get a job, but didn't have the necessary skills. She couldn't even work at the Red Spot, but that was her own fault because she said it was 'beneath her' apparently, it didn't matter that we were barely making enough to get groceries, let alone pay rent. Our financials depended entirely on me and selling my photographs. I was a photographer, and that brings in surprisingly less than one would expect; especially for someone who hadn't made a name for herself in the business yet.

Once we lost our apartment and our attempt at independent lives in Hollywood, we moved back in with our parents, only until we were able to get back on our feet. I, unlike my sister, had to actually work to make money. Lynette was so beautiful, she would probably be able to get her hooks into a rich man and make him her husband. Her tummy was flat, while mine wasn't; her ass was small and tight, not like mine; and she had a chest as big as all outdoors. I suggested she use her beauty and work at Vesuvius, but she refused to strip for money. So, I could respect her for that.

I smelled the smoke, but I was lost in my maze of dreams. I dreamt that I was with my love, my dearest Maximilian; my precious night owl. We sat in a beautiful meadow, shrouded in darkness. The fact that it was so dark made me remember that it was just a dream, he could only come out at night. I knew why he went out only at night, and he promised to always protect me if I protected his secret. He wasn't thrilled in the least that I knew what he was, and he grew very somber when I promised to keep it a secret.

"I promise," He said to me after I found out his secret. "That if you keep my secret, I'll guard you with my life." And I agreed. It wasn't like he had to do anything different than he already was; we were madly in love with each other and he was already protecting me with his life. I was almost twenty two—and when I turned twenty seven, he said he would change me so I could be with him.

But suddenly, the field erupted in bright orange flames. They crackled and jumped into the sky as Maximilian pulled me into a protective embrace. Despite the fact that vampires were more vulnerable to fire than humans, Maximilian didn't seem afraid. He seemed more interested in keeping me safe than he was about keeping himself safe.

"Oh god! Violet!" I could hear him shouting through my dreams. "Wake up Violet! For god's sake! Wake up!" I sprang foreword; it wasn't his constant yelling that had woken me, however, it was the overpowering smell of black smoke that was sifting its way through my house.

I jumped out of bed and, without being entirely conscious that I'd done it, I grabbed my stuffed rabbit off the shelves and locked it in my arms. The flames had created a barrier between the door and me; but I was overtaken by the bravery which could only be brought on by extreme fear. I'd managed to leap through the guard flames with very little damage to myself. I patted the flames off my nightgown and ran for the door.

In my room, the flames had already outlined the upper and lower parts of the walls, and had just begun to spark onto the sheeted canopy of my bed. I watched my other stuffed animals, my books, and my precious camera be swallowed into the stomach pit of the jumping and excited flames. That place, it was no longer my bedroom. My rabbit doll was the only thing of my room I had left.

The right thing to do at that point would have been to run off. I could have bust a window open and tumbled out safely onto the snow that littered the ground; but I didn't. I ran for my parents' room. Fear gripped itself like a vise around my center, twisting it in every possible direction until I felt I would heave all over the flames.

My parents room had already been consumed entirely, I could see my father attempt to smother the flames with a sheet; and my mother try to press herself to the ground as low as possible so she wouldn't suffocate in the smoke—despite how many flames there were on the floor.

"Run Violet!" My mother screeched. Hearing my name made my father's attention shoot to me like a bullet.

"Save yourself Violet! Get out!" Tears streaming from my eyes, I did as I was told. I ran out into the hallway and threw myself through the window. My body propelled through the snow like a missile, with pieces of rather large glass as my only companions. I skidded a few feet; landing on my side. Unable to wake my senses right away, I laid there with my fist wrapped tightly around my rabbit and my nightgown pulled nearly over my underwear, I watched as the beautiful house burst into flames—and then collapsed.

When I woke, Maximilian was sitting beside the bed I was laying in. The concern swimming in his big, brown eyes broke my heart; and made me want to cry. I tried to sit up, but he nudged me back down on the bed. After looking at my surroundings, I saw I was in his house. My heart rate had slowed considerably, almost as if I'd woken from a good sleep.

"Thank god," He said. I liked the way his black hair fell in front of his eyes, it made me smile internally. He had such nice hair, and beautiful eyes. He was unnaturally beautiful, but that was partly because he was a vampire. "Listen, Violet sweetie, what happened?"

"My parents…" I mumbled. My throat was sore from the smoke I'd inhaled. It was enough to hurt my throat—but not enough to kill me. "…are…gone."

"What else happened, Violet?" He asked.

"Lynette…she died too…" I answered. "There was fire everywhere…everyone died…the house is gone—"He hushed me by touching my face with his ice block hands. I felt like crying, but I didn't.

"Listen, I know what happened to your family." He said. "Did you see any men? Possibly ones that looked like animals?" I shook my head.

"Why?" I asked. He bit his lower lip and brushed my hair with his frosted hand.

"I caught news of a Sabbat raid at your house, but I didn't get there until it was too late. I'm so sorry Violet; I should have acted quicker—" He said. I placed my hand over his, feeling the dramatic temperature change.

"Max, calm down, it wasn't your fault." I said, "Tell me what a 'Sabbat' is, please?" He sighed and nodded.

"Sabbat—they're a clan of vampire that gave into the beast inside us all. They have absolutely no humanity and show no mercy for anyone. They go out of their way to betray the masquerade, and they were the ones who burnt down your house and killed your family." He said. "Again, I might have been able to fend them off if I'd acted sooner. I'm so sorry Violet."

My silence made him unhappy, but I was trying to process everything he'd told me. It was difficult for a mortal such as myself to understand the vampire world, and I suspected he knew that. He stayed at my side, until the pain from the shattered glass and the cuts created from skidding across the ground finally caught up with me. I was surprised at how delayed the reaction was, but when it finally came; He came towards me like a bullet, trying to think of a way to help.

"I'm going to help you, but don't hate me after this." He said. I'd never heard such a great amount of pain in his voice. It was like the fear of me hating him was a tight grip around his throat, strangling him until nothing was left. I nodded.

"I promise," I said. Despite my promise, I could see he was still unsure about helping me in his chosen method. I could almost see a thousand attempts to find another way, but none seemed to work for him. All he did was lean over me and sink his teeth into my neck. The reaction was delayed, but when I felt my blood being pulled out of me through my neck; I let out a loud, painful scream.

He took his mouth away from my neck within a matter of seconds, his lips a bright and smooth crimson. Quickly, he got up and went into his kitchen. I felt myself sinking into the depths of darkness, positive that I was going to die. I closed my eyes, nearly welcoming death, until I felt droplets of bitter liquid drip into my mouth. I opened my eyes, and saw Max holding a slit wrist over my mouth.

"Drink," He said to me in a low whisper. "Drink and live, forever." I, at first, denied his internal liquid. But the choice of being with Max forever was much more promising than letting myself die. I took his wrist and put it to my lips, doing exactly what he told me to do. After he took his wrist back he said "Now, sleep. Go to sleep Violet, and enjoy it."

I shut my eyes just as I'd been told to do, and within a few moments I was asleep. The events of the night fabricated nightmares in front of my eyes; but when I woke, it was already two nights after when I went to sleep. I felt so much better than I did when I went to sleep. The wounds from the glass had healed, along with the burns from the fire. My throat felt like new, and it seemed as if I'd never been hurt in the first place. Max smiled when he saw I was alive.

My first year of being a vampire was spent with Max. He taught me everything I would need to know, and my first lesson was what clan I was. I was a Tremere, just as he was. I didn't know what that meant, exactly, he just said that I'd probably have a hard time with the Camarilla, should their paths and mine cross at any point.

During my first year, we left L.A. for Max's secluded cabin in the woods; but he wouldn't tell me why right away. It was among some of the things I learned that year. I learned about the disciplines that I, as a Tremere, had the ability to use. He taught me Dominate and Thaumaturgy, and told me that Auspex came naturally to every vampire. He just taught me how to turn it on and off. He taught me how to feed without draining a person dry, and what would happen if I lost my humanity.

But towards the end of that first year, Max became very distant from me. There was something on his mind, but I couldn't figure out what it was. He usually told me everything, but whatever was on his mind stayed on his mind alone. I felt as though he'd decided that he didn't love me anymore, mostly because he'd never once asked me to have sex with him. But I never let the thought of him not loving me anymore sit on my mind's palate for too long.

At the very end of the first year, he came to me while I was reading in his cabin's living room. The evening was so relaxing that I decided to stay in from hunting. I wasn't thirsty and it was raining outside; a cozy night in with my lover and my book seemed like the perfect way to spend an evening.

"Violet, come on." He said. I looked up from my book as he put a coat over his shoulders. "We need to go somewhere."

"Where?" I asked.

"Back to L.A." He said. I felt a sharp pain of insecurity when he said L.A. Especially because he said that if we went back, the Camarilla would kill us both because he'd sired without permission. When he looked at me and saw I wasn't even moving, he grabbed my coat off the rack and tossed it to me. "Come on. Let's go." I nodded and did as he said. As I was walking out the door, he gave me my stuffed rabbit. "You'll want this," I nodded and took it, becoming more and more worried about what was happening.

We climbed into his car and he said nothing about why we were going to L.A, the only thing he said were numbers as he counted a large number of bills.

"Why are we going back to L.A? You said we couldn't—" But when he shot eye daggers at me, I retracted my question and sat looking out the door, holding my stuffed rabbit. I was scared, but I also trusted him unconditionally, perhaps, blindly.

He drove for hours; I was almost worried that the sun would come up while we were out. I'd been asleep against the door for an hour when the car jostled to a stop. I opened my eyes and saw that, outside my door, was a giant skyscraper with a blue light over the front door. I gave the building a questioning look before I looked over at Max, who held an envelope to me.

"Listen Violet, this is really important." I nodded. "When you get in there, go to the security guard and tell him you're here to see Mr. Sebastian LaCroix. If he won't let you in, tell him to call Mr. LaCroix and tell him to ask if he's expecting anyone with your last name. When you see Mr. LaCroix, give him that envelope. Got it?" I nodded. "Repeat that."

"Sebastian LaCroix, give the guard my last name, give LaCroix the envelope." I repeated. Max nodded and, just as I got out, gave me a kiss on my mouth. The severity in his kiss made me wonder what was going to happen; but, as much as I wanted to ask him what was going on, I did as I was told.

He didn't let me leave without my rabbit, something that made the fright tighten itself around my throat once again. I wrapped the rabbit in my arms and started towards the tower; but, when I got to the door, Max and his car sped away. With my mind exploding with lighting thoughts, I ran from the door after his car until I reached the street light on the corner. By then, his car was so far ahead of me that there was no point in chasing after it. I looked between where his car had gone, and the tower; and decided that the best thing to do would be to see the assistance of Mr. Sebastian LaCroix.

Despite my very good advice, I still stood beside the lamp post with my rabbit and the envelope in hand. I hoped that Max would turn around, but the longer I seemed to wait; the less likely it was that he was coming back. I was knocked over by a wave of sadness, causing me to sink to the ground and cry. I was lucky that it wasn't raining, or else the envelope and its contents would have been soaked.

At last, I decided to follow my own very good advice, and go into the tower. I dried my eyes with the sleeve of my jacket and hid my rabbit inside one of the giant inner pockets. The last thing I needed was for someone to look at me like a lost child with her dolly, despite the fact that it would have probably helped.

I went in and saw a very…thick…security guard sitting at the desk. Taking in a tight breath, I went to him and asked to see Sebastian LaCroix.

"I'm sorry miss; I don't think he's expecting you. He never gave me any description." He said. I knew what to do in the situation, but that didn't stop the pin-needle of surprise from pinching my heart.

"Could you call him, please?" I asked. "Give him the name 'Young'." The security guard looked me over for a moment before smiling wide.

"Alrighty miss. You look like you've been having a rough night. I'll cut you some slack." He said. I didn't realize I looked that bad.

"Do I really?" I asked. I really was having a bad night, and I was grateful for the kindness the guard showed—but I didn't know I looked bad. He nodded and while dialing Mr. LaCroix's number, He handed me a clean-licked spoon to look at myself with. It was stupid, Vampires had no reflection. So I just pretended to try and fix something while I waited.

He gave LaCroix my name, and then he hung up. It was a very fast conversation, they couldn't have said more than a few words to each other before the phone went back to the receiver and he looked at me.

"Alright miss." The guard said. "Mr. LaCroix says you can go on up. Listen, you need somethin' you just ask for officer Chunk." I nodded and thanked him for his kindness. I went to the elevator and waited until it opened up. I went into a very beautiful, French rococo styled pent house. The man in the suit stood from his desk and motioned for me to come foreword.

"Miss. Violet Young, am I correct?" He asked. I nodded and nearly threw the envelope at him. He opened it up and took out a piece of white parchment. I couldn't tell what it said, but after he read it, he looked inside the envelope, and then back at me. "I've arranged for a haven in the Skylines apartments for you. Apartment four," I was surprised I hadn't been put to death. I had also decided not to question my good fortune. He put his hand in his pocket and tossed me a card key. I caught it rather smoothly. "I'll contact you when I—"

"Max said that if you ever found out about me, I'd die." I said. Once again, I don't follow my own advice. "But I'm not dead."

"Yes, and you should be counting your blessings; fledgling." He snapped. "I'm feeling rather charitable this evening. That's why your head isn't rolling on the floor, and Maximilian was able to abandon you the way he did."

"Alright," I said, and he dismissed me from his office.


The other chapters probably won't be this long. Btw. This is for the Sebastian LaCroix challenge and because school is starting and I seem to do better when I have a project to work on. For some reason.