Brothers Of Blood by Chianna
DISCLAIMER: These characters have been created by Tanya Huff in the wonderful Blood Books series that I encourage you all to read and produced by Insight Film Studios. I mean no harm and plan to return all the characters to their original upright position.
Author's Note: This was inspired by reading Tanya Huff's blog about this episode. It seems that Mike's "Son of a Bitch" was in fact quite genuine. It seems that actor Kyle Schmid really did bite Dylan Neal who plays Mike –even drawing a bit of blood. Now that is what I call method acting…
I know everyone loves a sexy vampire, but Mike is hot and funny too. I've always had a week spot for the underdog.
Brothers In Blood
Mike's attention was devoted to contemplating his successful assault and battery on the far from good Monsignor Mendoza. Vicki's comfort with bending the rules had often caused her to tease him. Mike had never been fond of being called "Dudley," though he had to admit that his guiding mantra had always been to do the right thing. The moment he placed the spiked sun over Henry's heart, a deep sense of wrongness set in his. Seeing the shock and heartbreak in Vicki's eyes confirmed his own worst fears.
The monsignor said that the key was safe. It only took Mike a second to see the small cross on the gold chain in the fallen priest's hands to realize that the bastard had corrupted a symbol of faith and sacrifice for his own twisted ends. If he could, Mike knew as he held it in his hands that he would do everything in his power to turn it into a tool for Henry's salvation. Could he also hope for redemption and forgiveness from Vicki?
His hope turned to gut clutching fear as he heard the pounding on the small pane of glass on the door to his right. Framed in the window was the face he held most dear. Vicki's eyes filled the glass partition as she pounded on the door.
"Mike." She turned to look behind her and Mike could see the dread on her face as she quickly turned back to him.
"Mike, get me out of here."
She stepped away from the door. "Mike," He heard her scream but he could no longer see her.
With the shotgun in one hand and the key in the other, Mike could only pray she was far enough back as he kicked the door open. What met his eyes was his greatest fear come to awful fruition – the fear that Mendoza had preyed on so convincingly. Henry was bearing down on Vicki. The Vampire was in rags. Open wounds covered his bare torso. Henry's eyes were black holes. His pupils fully dilated, his mouth now a gaping maw with the normally hidden fangs glistening in relief against the darkness.
All of Mike's cop instincts told him to level the shotgun at Henry. Even alone later, Mike could not have said whether he lowered the weapon to avoid shooting Henry or simply to free his arm to push Vicki out of harm's way. He managed both, putting himself in mortal peril.
Arms like bands of steel reached around Mike and drew him into a deadly embrace. Henry lowered his head and Mike felt a tearing pain as the vampire tapped into the officer's arterial flow.
"Son of a bitch," ground out Mike with pain and not a little surprise. Under normal circumstances, with four inches on his opponent and at least 20 pounds, Mike would have easily tossed off the smaller man. Instead, Mike felt the strength drain from his legs and arms, the shotgun falling harmlessly to the floor. His head fell back as he felt consciousness slipping from his grasp.
"Henry, please, please" Vicky pleased. "Henry you are killing him."
The fog that swirled through Mike's mind cleared enough to hear the frantic tone of his ex-partner's voice.
But, there was another voice. Well maybe not a voice. Mike felt the creature's need. No, not a creature – Henry. Felt some of the desperation, the hunger and soul-wrenching pain. A connection, dark and deep, bound both victim and predator as one's heart's blood was drawn to sustain the other. In that moment, each knew what was in the other's heart. Three things that made them brothers of a sort – Vicki, regret and pain.
"Henry, stop…you're killing him. HENRY. YOU ARE KILLING HIM." Small frantic hands were pulling at him and touching the vampire. Then all he felt was the steel like arms that were holding him release and he was falling, too weak to break his fall.
Grasping fitfully to stay conscious, Mike saw Vicki linger at the Vampire's side long enough to ensure that his hunger was under control. Then she was at his side, her small hands trying to stem the flow from his neck wound. It was all he could do to gasp out, "the key, turn it." His left hand miraculously still held the key. Vicki snatched at it and rang to Henry, kneeling not far from Mike's feet. The youthful looking vampire was gasping as she placed the key in the deadly sun that tapped Henry's life force.
Mike gasped out "clockwise" before he finally let go. Vicki's hand trembled as she turned the key and threw the heinous device to the floor. Henry gasped in shock, pain and relief as he gathered his strength and control about himself once again.
Vicki ran back to Mike, her hands wrapping around the wound once again to stem any further blood flow. Over her shoulder she tossed off "Are you OK?" to Henry. Once he responded with "I will be," he stalked away with panther-like grace. Vicki turned all her attention to her ex-partner.
Mike was no angel. He reveled in the moment as Vicki quizzed him with soft concern, "Mike. Mike, you ok?" Her hands caressed his cheek, head and neck as she waited on his reply.
"God. That hurts," he replied gruffly.
Though she still held him tenderly, she could not help a note of annoyance from entering her voice. "Are you crazy? You could have gotten yourself killed." His head told him to not read anything into her actions, beyond that of concern for an old friend. His heart was never quite so practical when it came to Vicki Nelson
Drolly, he replied, "Well, you're welcome."
She stroked his hair. "Oh god, Mike."
Her eyes were filled with such concern he wondered what prevented him from milking it just a little.
"I'm fine, " came out though he gave into the temptation to rub his wounded neck.
Though Mike really wasn't in any hurry to leave Vicki's sweet ministrations, Mendoza's final mortal scream made them both realize that it was more than time for them to leave. Neither would prefer to be around when some noisy neighbor called the police. How exactly would you explain the various torture devices scattered around the room, much less one very exsanguinated corpse dressed like a priest. Mike struggled to his feet, feeling not unlike a new born kitten. He was not to proud to lean heavily on the much more diminutive Vicki. He'd known for quite a while that her strength of body and spirit belied her petite size.
As they entered the hall, Mike was not surprised to see Henry stroll into the hallway like a cat that had just finished a bowl of cream. Though his clothes were in tattlers, he looked like a young god, his skin glowing gold with health that seemed to give lie to the torture he had experienced over the last twenty-four hours.
Henry wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. There was that cat thing again, Mike thought not completely uncharitably. He had acquired a new understanding of the vampire that would take him quite a while to reconcile his new found understanding with his grave concerns for Vicki's continued well being.
"We really need to talk about your drinking problem, " Mike quipped not too unkindly. He held no great love for the departed Monsignor.
"Clearly I stopped to soon," Henry replied and glanced at Mike.
Mike was mildly shocked when the vampire joked back and staggered into the vampire. He was more astounded that Henry effortlessly caught his weight without complaint as Vicki transferred her burden, asking them to go ahead. Mike knew he could not defend himself if the Vampire turned on him in his weakened state, but oddly he felt no fear. Henry wrapped his right arm around the bigger mans back as Mike placed his arm across Henry's shoulders.
In those moments locked in a struggle for life and death they had come to understand something about each other. They were both bound by ties to Vicki that neither could break, even in their own best interest. Comrades in her fight against evil forces that defied basic human understanding. A brotherhood of war. Brothers of blood.
The End.