- Chapter 1 -

Several days ago …

Paris

The plane touched down on the runway and slowly made its way to the private hangar section. Several of the structures were opened, displaying airplanes of various makes and models as men and women enacted preventive maintenance.

One hangar, the largest in that particular section of the airport, sat closed. A limousine rested outside its huge hydraulic door. A blonde-haired woman wearing sunglasses, black blouse and skirt stood outside against the vehicle as she watched the airplane approach and come to a halt several feet away.

The boarding ramp opened and lowered to the ground and Lance disembarked. He stepped into solid ground and turned to help his sister Coraline descend from the plane. The woman straightened and walked over to the pair.

Lance smiled at the woman's approach. He bent down to place a kiss on her cheek. "Claudia. As usual, your timing is impeccable. I am very tired and would like to be taken to my loft immediately."

Claudia gave the vampire an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid that isn't possible at the moment, sir. Your presence has been requested."

Lance snarled at the woman but Claudia stood her ground, completely unfazed by the vampire's anger. Coraline stepped past her brother and queried, "Am I needed as well?"

Claudia turned her gaze to her and nodded.

"Most definitely."

#

The limousine pulled to a stop in front of La Tour d'Argent restaurant. Claudia led the siblings inside and up the stairs to the third floor where a few workers milled about preparing the tables for the evening shift. A woman wiped down a grand piano perched on a circular stage in the center.

At the far side of the restaurant floor, a man stood alone with his hands in his pockets on an elevated dais facing a window that overlooked the River Seine. He did not acknowledge their approach by turning around as they made their way to where he was standing but began to speak as if to them.

"Right on time, Claudia. Thank you for bringing them here so quickly."

Lance smiled uneasily as Claudia sat down at a table to the side, leaving him and Coraline to stand alone. "Malcolm. I thought you would be in England."

The tall vampire slowly turned and smiled at the brother and sister for a second. He walked over and gently traced a finger along Coraline's cheek. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you where I just flew in from, Lance. London has been pretty much the same for the past fifty years. Unless it's important, you won't catch me there for longer than a day."

He shoved his hands back into his pockets as he finally faced Lance. "When I find a member of my line has been sent back here chained up like some type of farm animal, it intrigues me to a whole new level. So I would like to hear from you personally … what happened."

"What I did was I attempted to clean up my sister's mess is all, Malcolm." Lance shot Coraline a withering glare. "Rest assured, everything will be straightened out very soon."

"How, Lance? Malcolm gestured in surprise. "Your head will be detached from your body if you so much as set foot in Los Angeles again. I heard about the threat made against you. No, my friend. I believe the role you've played in this has come to an end."

Malcolm held up a hand to forestall further comment from Lance as he turned to Coraline. "But despite your brother's failure, it seems he is correct. Your mess you created in 1952 is becoming a bigger headache than even I care to admit."

"Malcolm, everything would have been fine if Lance hadn't had Cynthia hire someone to download a list of the Los Angeles vampires from the Archivist and send it to the district attorney's office. You know how Josef Kostan is protective of what goes on there. A list like that would have exposed a few hundred of our kind."

Malcolm glanced over at Lance and chuckled. "I think you've been hanging around me too long."

He grew serious as he focused on Coraline. "Still, I could care less about what happens there as long as our hand is invisible. Lance already exposed us too much, but you … you helped them in Detroit with the Archivist, you killed Cynthia -"

"Wait." Lance stepped closer. "Cynthia's dead?"

"Your sister took it upon herself to stab her in the chest with a stake coated with the compound. I had Claudia hack into the medical examiner's computer servers and pull the death certificate." Malcolm did not take his eyes off of Coraline as he spoke. "I recognize the components they found in her autopsy as part of the compound. It could have only been Coraline."

Lance's face twisted in rage. "If I remember correctly, sister, she saved you when you suffered a similar fate. Stabbed in the chest by a human, of all things. Cynthia, she saved you! Granted you the gift of immortality once again!"

His eyes grayed over as he stepped close. "And you repaid her by killing her," he snarled, hand outstretched for her throat.

Malcolm stepped between the two with the speed of a dancer, sending Lance backwards with a vicious backhand into a table and chairs on the lower level several feet away. The noise made several workers turn their heads to the direction of the vampires for a second before continuing on their business.

Coraline spun to face Malcolm who continued to glare down at Lance. "How do you know all this? We haven't seen or spoke with you in weeks."

He stood over Coraline, forcing her to look away. "I flew to Los Angeles a month ago on a separate matter, but I ended up having to clean up behind you two and claim Cynthia's body for burial. I also eliminated Talbot, the district attorney. That business with the list had run its course for far too long."

Malcolm casually strolled down to where Lance struggled to extract himself from the furniture. With one hand, he reached down to grasp him by the throat and snatched him high off the floor, carrying him past the tables before bodily slamming him onto the top of the piano. "You forget your place, young one," he snarled. "It is not you who hands out punishment in this family. Not as long as blood runs through my veins."

Lance struggled to free himself from Malcolm's grasp to no avail. Finally he gasped, "Will - you punish her - this time?"

The anger on Malcolm's face gave way to puzzlement. He released him, allowing Lance to slide off of the piano. "You feel that she needs to be punished?"

"For the better part of six decades, she has wronged you and our family," said Lance. He straightened his clothes to regain some sort of dignity and composure. "Marrying St. John, then turning him! Creating that compound! Aiding St. John and Kostan when it should have been me to whom her aid should have been rendered!"

Lance pointed to Coraline as she turned to face the men. "St. John should have died that night she turned him human. I spared him in exchange for her compliance. To bring her back to you. And what happens? Nothing! St. John continues to roam free, and she faced no consequence for her actions."

Malcolm looked down at his hands as he considered his words. Finally he looked up and smiled at Coraline. "My dear, he has a point. You went against everything this family has stood for by bringing that commoner in like a stray and turning him. And do you remember what he did to you? When he set you on fire? And yet you still go to him, even though you no longer hold a special place in his heart."

"Then I'll stay away from him forever!" Coraline pleaded with Malcolm but glanced at Lance as she said, "I came here in part to make sure Lance arrived safely. I'm almost not as welcomed as he is. There's nothing for me there anymore."

Malcolm walked over and held Coraline's face in both of his hands. He gazed down at her and kissed her on the forehead.

"My dear. It's too late."

#

Malcolm and Claudia went upstairs to the lavish apartment he owned on the top floor of the restaurant. He stood and waited as she opened the door and followed her inside into the living room. "I swear, if I wasn't immortal, those two would be the death of me," he said, lowering himself into his favorite leather chair pointing out towards a window overlooking the river.

Claudia stood over to the side and looked down at him. "Now I've known you and how you operate for the better part of two centuries. You swore you would never return to the U.S. But now I feel you're trying for two trips in a month. A record. Flight plan already filed?"

Malcolm chuckled. "Of course not. You've done an impeccable job of that since I bought the jet. Why change now? But since we're on the subject, take a seat so we can go over some things."

Once Claudia took a seat in a chair at a corner table, Malcolm leaned forward and handed her a folded piece of paper. "For weeks now I've been studying St. John and his friends in Los Angeles. Especially the cases he have been involved in. One stood out over the others. A case where he tried to administer medical aid to a district attorney who was shot. Despite St. John's efforts, he died from his wounds."

"If memory serves me correctly, he was a medic in World War II." Claudia took the paper. "What's odd about that?"

"What stood out was that the district attorney was prosecuting a case against a Mexican gang lord. Judging from the fact that his girlfriend at the time, who I surmised is now dating St. John, was also threatened, he ended up dead hours after the district attorney. I bet my fortune that St. John had a hand in that."

"Ah. La trois étapes*. Very well. I see where you are already going with this, Malcolm. I'll check into information pertaining to the case. It may take a while."

Malcolm smiled. "I've been monitoring Josef Kostan as well. The information I forwarded to John Whitley concerning where he could find him months ago did indeed ignite a fire inside the old man, no pun intended**. I only wanted to see if he could root Kostan out. Not attempt to turn him into a pile of ashes."

Malcolm rose from his seat and moved closer to the window as Claudia finally unfolded the sheet in her hand. "So I take it that you'll be traveling to New York first?"

He glanced over his shoulder at her and nodded. "Oh yes. That is where I'll start. I have someone to pick up first. And please make sure those I need are notified so they can join me."

"My brother will enjoy a trip abroad. Consider it done."

Malcolm returned his gaze back to the river and sighed. "I hate leaving this view behind. Especially when I just got back."

Claudia stood beside him. "Well, I'll make sure you're only gone for a few days. You'll be back before you know it."

"No." Malcolm shook his head. "Lance's scheme was not thought out and not well put together but … it had potential. The vampires there, they live amongst the humans trying to co-exist. But how can you co-exist while not exposing the better part of yourself? And St. John, his existence has bothered me for sixty years. He lives amongst them, he's supposedly dating one! It vexes me, Claudia. No, I will stay as long as it takes until I ensure the destruction of Mick St. John."

Claudia nodded and took her leave as Malcolm returned his attention to the view.

#

As Malcolm Rehnquist's personal assistant and most loyal and trusted advisor, Claudia Oxford knows exactly how he likes things prepared. Being the one constant in his life for more than two hundred years, experience was on her side.

So when Malcolm arrived at the hangar the next morning, he was not at all surprised that everything on the list he had given her was accomplished with her usual efficiency. She herself stood by the boarding ramp with her computer tablet in one hand and a thermos in the other. "Good morning, Malcolm. Your chariot awaits."

"Good morning, my dear." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then the jet a cursory once over. "Are we good to go?"

"Flight plan has been filed with the tower. The pilot has been instructed to play it by ear with you once you arrive in New York, but I did tell him to make sure he has a plan set up for Los Angeles once you conclude your business." She handed him the tablet. "And I also found the man you need for your little experiment. His file is in your private folder."

"Excellent." He looked down at the thermos in her hand. "Breakfast?"

"B positive. It was a good night last night."

Malcolm accepted the container and opened it. The aroma hit his senses and he closed his eyes. "Claudia, you never cease to amaze me," he said.

She smiled up at him, her demeanor for an instant turning to one of glee. Malcolm caught it and it saddened him on the inside.

"It makes what I have to tell you that much harder."

The smile slowly disappeared from her face as Claudia search Malcolm's for an explanation. He stared back in silence until finally she looked down and nodded. "You want me to stay here."

"It's a shame I trust someone outside of my bloodline with my life more than I do those within. I don't expect Coraline to be a problem but I had the same expectation of Lance. You obviously see where we are now."

Anger flashed across Claudia's face as she realized the reason for her being left behind. If it was anyone else, Malcolm would have instantly reprimanded anyone if his orders were not followed.

Claudia was not anyone else. Her complete loyalty was to him and it was merely a disappointment that she could not continue to demonstrate her fealty. She quickly composed herself and nodded. "If you need me to watch them, I'll watch them."

"That's not all. On my desk, I left some information I need you to research and get back to me with before I venture close to Los Angeles."

Claudia nodded. "I'll make sure you have it before you leave New York."

Malcolm pulled her close into an embrace. She returned it enthusiastically. "I knew I can count on you, my dear."

#

New York

Malcolm sat in a chair that was somewhat small for his tall frame as he waited in a spare bedroom. With a small outdoor balcony pointing to the exterior wall of the dwelling next door, his options was extremely limited.

He hated not having a view.

The ticking of his Rolex grew increasingly loud with his vampire hearing, which only added to his frustration. He already knew it was nearly 1 PM eastern standard time. Despite the length of the flight and drive to their destination, he hardly made a dent in the day timewise just due to crossing a few time zones.

His annoyance was almost instantly forgotten when David walked in. A slender blonde, he looked and dressed as if he should be gracing the covers of a fashion magazine, qualities Malcolm rarely pays attention to provided his affairs were taken care of first and foremost.

With David, he knew he had no need to fear due to the diligence and professionalism he gives when accomplishing his tasks. Qualities equaled to that of his twin sister, Claudia.

"Everything is prepared, Malcolm. The nurse is subdued downstairs in the basement. We're just waiting on the doctor."

"Unharmed?"

"Unconscious, but unharmed."

Malcolm rose and reached for his jacket. "Does the residence have adequate cooler facilities? I want us all rested when it's time to leave."

"It does." David waited until Malcolm shrugged his overcoat on before moving out into the hallway. "I already have Grayson resting. Lucas is bringing some things from the jet."

Malcolm clapped his hand on the shorter vampire's shoulder. "My friend, I would not know what to do if it wasn't for you and your sister," he said as he stepped past.

The two stepped outside into the bright afternoon sun. David withdrew a pair of sunglasses from a jacket pocket and covered his eyes while Malcolm tilted his head to stare into the sky as if the brightness did not affect him.

They quickly crossed the street and skipped past several apartment buildings until they came to one with elaborate French doors marking the entrance. A small, bespectacled man with tousled brown hair, carrying a medical bag stood out front of the residence, staring at them nervously.

Malcolm held out his hand. "Doctor Ian Ellis?"

Ellis looked from Malcolm to David and back again before slowly grasping the outstretched hand. "I am. I assume you are the one who called me?"

"Malcolm Rehnquist. Thank you for meeting with me." Malcolm released Ellis' hand. "I know this is a little unorthodox but time is of the essence and I simply can't afford to waste much time with this. Other matters need my attention."

David held out a zippered money bag. "That is $20,000 just to speak with me, Doctor," said Malcolm. "I know my assistant offered you half that amount over the phone, but as I said, time is of the essence and I need your full attention."

The doctor looked down at the bag in David's hand as if he was holding the rarest of diamonds. "You have it, Mr. Rehnquist," he said, nodding vigorously.

Malcolm smiled and gestured for Ellis to take the bag. "Then let's take this conversation inside, if you don't mind."

Ellis slid the bag under his arm. "What is this place?" He indicated the brownstone they stood in front of.

Malcolm walked up the steps and opened the door. He inhaled and could detect a decadent musk he was not familiar with. "Doctor, this is 301 Waverly Place. The home of the subject of our conversation."

#

David led the way upstairs with Malcolm and Dr. Ellis following not far behind. "You have been a leading expert in hematology for more than a quarter century, correct?" asked Malcolm.

"I would consider myself as such if others had faith in my work." Despite the disdain in his tone, Ellis swelled slightly with pride. "Until then, consider me as someone who can readily answer your questions with confidence."

The three stopped at a closed set of double doors. David turned to Malcolm and asked, "Will you be needing anything else, sir?"

"No, David. Just be sure you go and see to that package in the basement, will you?" He gave David a subtle wink.

David grinned and retreated to the stairs as Malcolm faced Ellis. "Doctor, I have plenty of questions for you. But once I show you the reason why we're here, you will no doubt have questions for me."

Ellis glanced past Malcolm at the doors behind him. "Then let's see what we have and we'll go from there, sir," he said, the eagerness in his tone highly evident.

"Your enthusiasm is appreciated." Malcolm smiled as he turned and opened the doors. "I hope it holds true."

Ellis stepped into what he perceived to be a master bedroom based on its size. A fireplace with two velvet covered chairs rested along the far wall. Before it sat a king-size bed of an antique setting surrounded by the more modern styles of hospital equipment and monitors.

In the middle of the bed under the covers, dressed in a laced embroidered nightgown, rested a beautiful young woman with auburn-colored curly hair. Her head, resting on several plush pillows, was turned facing the door in the direction of the new arrivals, but her eyes remained closed. The rhythmic beeping of one machine recorded the slow, irregular beating of her heart.

Ellis tentatively stepped into the bedroom, pausing only to look back at Malcolm who nodded permission to continue forward. The doctor walked over and leaned in to examine the sleeping woman more closely.

"Her name is Sarah Whitley, Doctor." Malcolm closed the doors behind him as Ellis placed his fingertips against her wrist. "She is the only daughter of a real estate developer here in the city."

Ellis straightened and turned back to Malcolm. "Did she suffer some type recent form of trauma? If so, whoever is maintaining her care is doing an extraordinary job. Though I don't approve of home care."

Malcolm started to speak but paused, as if struggling with how he was going to proceed further. He lowered his eyes to the floor. "What I am about to tell you will be … unbelievable, Doctor. You will call me a liar. A clown. Any name that comes to your head to help you not believe my words until I will be forced to prove myself."

His gaze lifted to lock onto Ellis' eyes. "If you believe anything I tell you, believe me when I say … you do not want that."

Ellis swallowed nervously as he glanced back at Sarah's still form in the center of the bed, clearly more intrigued in her condition at the moment. He placed his medical bag and money satchel at the foot of the bed and took off his jacket before looking back at Malcolm.

"I am open to reason."

Malcolm held Ellis' gaze for a second longer before nodding. "Very well." He took a seat in a chair close by the door. Ellis remained where he stood by the bed.

"How old does Sarah look to you?"

Ellis gazed down at the woman again and pursed his lips in thought. "Based on her skin texture, if I had to surmise a guess, I would say … twenty-three?"

"You're good." Malcolm nodded solemnly. "Sarah celebrated her twenty-second birthday … over sixty years ago."

Malcolm's casual finish did not dawn on Ellis at first. The smile slowly disappeared from his face as he took in the seriousness in Malcolm's countenance. He turned to stare at Sarah again, this time unsure of what he was looking at or for.

"Doctor, what have you heard about vampirism?"

Ellis paused in his examination as he considered the question. "Only what I've seen in movies and read in books. Anne Rice, Stroker, Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Malcolm snickered. "I imagined your knowledge would be limited to television and special effects. Understandable. Well, decades ago - in 1955, to be exact - Sarah met a man by the name of Charles Fitzgerald, who portrayed himself as a businessman. It was nearly a year before she realized that he was really a vampire who at the time was over three hundred and fifty years old."

Ellis stared at Malcolm incredulously for a handful of seconds before pointing to Sarah. "And she's one as well?" he whispered.

"She is … something else." Malcolm rose and walked over to the foot of the bed. "I don't know the whole story but from what I could ascertain, Fitzgerald attempted to turn her. Somewhere, something went tragically wrong. She's been like this ever since. I want you to see if you can reanimate her."

"I see." Ellis walked around Malcolm and checked the readings on one of the monitors. "Where is this Fitzgerald now?"

"He lives in California under the name Josef Kostan, and from there he has cared for this woman ever since." Malcolm watched as Ellis leaned forward to brush a lock of Sarah's hair to the side. "He owns this property."

Ellis nodded absently. "The venom vampires secretes to start the transformation process. A whole list of things could have happen and without Fitzgerald, or Kostan here to examine, it will be hard to determine what went wrong."

He circled around Malcolm again and opened his medical bag. "I have a theory but I need to take a sample of her blood to examine. I don't know much about … how it's done, but if I'm right, the process could be reversed."

Ellis held up a syringe and vacuum tube for Malcolm to see. "With your permission?"

Malcolm nodded and watched as Ellis applied a tourniquet and quickly found a vein. He moved away from the bed to the bay doors. "I have to admit, you're taking this better than I thought, Doctor."

"The threat against my life is pretty unnerving," said Ellis as the blood flowed into the tube. "But one thing I always like is a mystery. I like solving puzzles. Riddles. Breaking a problem down to the most common denominator."

The tube filled to capacity and Ellis pulled it free from the syringe. He held it up to the light and stared at it in awe. "For me, a chance to reanimate a vampire after a sixty-year long sleep … it trumps a death threat. I could be holding the key in my hand right now."

"Very well." Malcolm gestured to Ellis' belongings. "David will take you to your lab to do your research and when you're ready, he'll bring you back here."

As if on cue, the bedroom doors open and David stood waiting patiently in the hall. Ellis looked over at him and then Malcolm. "I never bothered to ask. Are you all … vampires, too?"

Malcolm indicated the door.

"Time is of the essence, Doctor."

###

* Translates from French to English as "The Three Stages."

** In the episode, "Sleeping Beauty," John Whitley hired an Army Ranger to kill Josef Kostan, stressing that fire would need to be used while not telling him that Kostan was a vampire.