Hell is Round the Corner

"Open it up," Pam stated unceremoniously, her lucid blue gaze resting on a petite pink-haired stripper working a pole gleaming with violently red LED lights.

How Festive.

While enjoying the busty human's gymnastic prowess, she silently regretted not outfitting Fangtasia with something similar when she had the chance.

"What is it?" Tara asked, almost yelling over the heavy bass of Partition as she shook the ornately wrapped gift in her lap.

Scooting over on the strip club's supple leather seating, Pam whispered an almost cryptic answer into Tara's ear.

"I prefer to think of it as the gift that keeps on giving."

For months she'd pondered over what would be the perfect gift for her rash and increasingly restless young progeny. At four years old, it seemed Tara was going through the vampire equivalent of puberty. She was moody more often than not, showed impressive gains in physical ability, fed constantly and developed a formidable sexual appetite that even Pam failed to completely satisfy. Trying was still seriously enjoyable.

After several expensive pairs of panties were unceremoniously ruined at the hands of her enthusiastic lover, she readied herself for Tara's spontaneous tendencies by forgoing them altogether. It was a move that spurred the younger vampire to make more frequent and feverish advances both at home and in public. Given where they were, Pam was certain her present would be put to good use before the night was through.

"Strapon drawers, really?"

"I thought it might come in handy," Pam replied innocently, totally unashamed of the gift she'd purchased more for herself than Tara. The fact that she had the keys to a brand new motorcycle waiting for her progeny at home also helped free her conscience of any guilt.

"Private dance?"

Pam looked up to see an attractive human dancer hovering overhead.

Tall. Blonde. Nice tits. Promising.

"No, thanks," Tara declined, hiding Pam's generous new "gift" with a leather jacket.

"Yes, please" Pam countered defiantly, giving the human stripper an appreciative once over. Producing a large billfold, she held it up between two long, well-manicured fingers and tilted her head discretely in her companion's direction.

Getting the message, the dancer took hold of curious patron's cold hand and led her away to a private room. Pam merely smirked at the glower Tara shot in her direction before disappearing behind a black velvet curtain.

It took roughly three minutes in Pam's estimation for her progeny to return wearing a decidedly serious expression in place of her usual smartass smirk. Her normally bistre colored eyes were black and gleaming with red reflected light.

"Let's go."

Arching a pale brow, the older vampire took note of her lover's rigid body language and low tone. Their species were forceful creatures by nature, constantly making plays for and displays of dominance, but this was getting ridiculous - fun, but ridiculous nonetheless.

"That was quick," Pam remarked, crossing her legs and leaning back nonchalantly while inwardly she was virtually humming with anticipation.

"She wasn't my type," Tara responded simply. "You comin' or not?"

Her hair cascading messily about her face and mini dress pooled around her waist, Pam was in no uncertain terms coming. Taking her from behind, Tara was making excellent usage of all the gifts she'd been given. Employing nearly all of her preternatural abilities, the younger vampire drove into her with almost incomprehensible speed and force.

Having long lost track of time, Pam knew she'd had enough as the muscles of her inner walls clenched and contracted uncontrollably around her lover's new endowment. Reaching around to massage herself with her free left hand, she felt like crying when Tara roughly pushed her hand aside. She wanted their connection to last, but the friction. The pressure. It was all getting to be too much.

As if sensing this, Tara quickly changed their positions, hoisting Pam up to rest on the edge of a copper plated counter. Instantly missing the closeness, Pam attempted to guide Tara back to her, back inside her to no avail. In the absence of comprehensible words, she groaned her protest instead.

The wait was mercifully short.

Face to face now, Tara's frenetic pace slowed to a crawl. Vigorous grinding became long sinuous strokes. Gone was the lusty determination Pam saw in her lover's dark eyes. Somewhere along the way it had shifted to something that looked frighteningly close to veneration.

"I love you," she heard Tara murmur as she pressed forward one final time.

Pam's response was a decidedly less romantic assortment of high-pitched noise.

Her eyes closed, she reeled from the lingering sensation of the most exacting orgasm she had ever experienced. Lingering in darkness, glimmers of long forgotten faces came rushing back to her mind's eye, men and women, some whose names she could remember, others whose names she never learned.

They'd staked claim to her body, certainly, but had any of them ever claimed to love her? She couldn't recall anyone ever uttering those words to her in more than a century of walking the earth. It was because no one ever had. And no one truly did.

No one until her.

Pam opened her eyes then, just in time to see Tara awkwardly attempting to remove the prosthetic phallus jutting almost ludicrously from her knickers before pulling on her pants.

"What?" Tara asked sheepishly after realizing she was being watched.

I adore you.

"Nothing," Pam replied as she stood and adjusted her dress.

"Rise and shine, Pamela!"

Larimar eyes shot open and were met by the unfamiliar sight of a large hotel suite. Pain coursed through every inch of her being as she climbed out of bed.

"Care to join me for breakfast?" Nora asked, gesturing toward a half-naked man who was sitting unconscious on the sofa. His head lulling grotesquely and dried fang marks marring his pale upper body, he looked as though he'd nearly been sucked dry.

"What happened?"

Nora looked over at the human. "Nothing really, just felt a little peckish."

"To me," Pam clarified impatiently.

"Oh, of course. Our bartender friend here silvered your drink at Hell last night. I suppose he thought he might have his way with a vulnerable vamper. But, as you can see, it didn't quite work out in his favor."

"Where's Eric?"

"Am I my brother's keeper?" Nora asked with a shrug. "Lost track of him just before you passed out."

Pam ran her hand across her throat, a feeble attempt to soothe the searing pain she found there. When that didn't work she grabbed a hotel phone and dialed Tara's mobile. After multiple unanswered calls, she swallowed hard. Tara was pissed.

What else did you expect?

"I need to go," Pam announced, not quite sure why she was voluntarily communicating with her maker's sister.

Nora scoffed amusedly, easily pushing the younger vampire back down onto the bed. "You're in no condition to go anywhere. You need to feed. Luckily, I saved you a bit of A poz. Thought you'd want to finish him off."

Of course he's A fucking positive.

Glaring at the human with disgust, Pam's fangs descended with a click.

The bitter taste of indignity was still stark on the haughty vampire's tongue when she neared her typically quiet street. Upon arriving, she found it quickly replaced by another seldom experienced emotion - - - dread.

Cordoned off by blue and white police tape, the vile smell of vampire remains was heavy in the air. She felt a piercing stab in her chest and silently prayed that it was the reminisces of colloidal silver flowing through her blood that had been causing her pain and not...

Pam quickly dismissed the morbid thought. Quelling her emotions, she breached the cordon with startling speed that surprised the lowly officer whose job it was to make sure no one entered.

"Oh, fuck me!" the human exclaimed before running after the blonde specter.

Upon arriving at her townhouse, Pam soon noticed a sticky puddle of remains staining the sidewalk leading to the front door. She knew from the smell alone that it wasn't Tara's, but there was still no sign of her or Nola.

Fear for Tara and the toddler they'd cared for the past four months threatened to spill over and cloud what little clarity of thought Pam had as she surveyed the scene.

"Hey, why the hell is she in here?" a silver haired detective questioned everyone in earshot.

"She lives here," a much more recognizable voice called back. It belonged to noneother than Pam and Tara's neighbor, Winston."Don't you, honey?"

Pam glared at the human severely, but stayed silent as he approached and led her back to his home.

"I'm sure you'll understand this is all quite a shock," Winston explained to the detective.

"I don't give a toss," he barked. "Just get her out of my crime scene!"

"Come on in," Winston invited, stepping into a colorfully decorated and middle eastern inspired foyer that was not unlike his neighbors' in terms of layout.

"She's here," Pam stated, noting a heavy and distinctly youthful scent in the air.

"Yes, about that," Winston started, but soon found himself talking to no one as Pam sped off into the house.

She quickly found who she was looking for sitting uncharacteristically quiet between Aminah and her battered pink bunny. Nola's ghostly green eyes stared fixedly at the tablet in her lap. Engrossed in the digital art she was creating, Nola seemed unaware or uninterested that every adult in the room was watching her intently.

"Nola," Pam called out to the toddler who looked up at her briefly with a defiant glare and fierce frown before returning to her painting.

Stepping forward in her six-inch heels, Pam crouched low in front the baby vamp. When she realized she wasn't going to gain Nola's attention by proximity alone, she brushed the toddler's kinky curls out of her face and spoke as gently as she knew how.

"Nola, I need you to listen to me because I have to go."

This seemed to get the child's attention, as she looked up from the tablet pouting.

"Then I be.. I be by myself," Nola stammered miserably.

"You're going to be with Winston and Aminah."

"No!" Nola folded her arms in the same manner she'd seen Tara do whenever she was upset.

Patience Pam.

It was what Tara had told her the first night the baby vamp spent in their home and nearly every night thereafter when the child invariably broke something expensive or dear to her. And so, despite her instinct and desperation to seek out her missing partner and those who wished to do her harm, Pam did what she knew Tara would want of her no matter the circumstance .

She was patient.

She listened intently as Nola showed her the superfluous Band-Aid wrapped neatly around her tiny finger. She apologized for not being there when she woke up as usual. She bargained, promising the toddler a trip to a castle with a princess. She soothed and reassured her when Nola still refused to let her leave without a tantrum.

And to Pam's surprise, she felt like shit when finally the obstinate baby vamp peaceably agreed to watch cartoons with Winston.

"Maybe you should take this," Aminah offered, removing a .45 ACP from her waistband once they entered the kitchen. "Tara gave it to me, but I figure you could use it more than us."

"Not my style," Pam declined smoothly. "Are you sure she didn't say who attacked her?"

"Yes. she said she didn't know who they were... But she did mention someone named Peña, I think."

"Is this place in your name or Winston's?" Pam questioned as her eyes scanned the room.

"Winston's."

"Good. Don't let him answer the door. No one's dumb enough to try anything with pigs crawling all over the place. But cut the lights and keep Nola away from the windows just in case."

"Just in case what? What are we dealing with here? Who's Peña?"

"The queen of New York," Pam answered casually, flying out the kitchen door before the younger vampire had a chance to question her further.

"Ya Allah," Aminah whispered to herself. The full scope of the danger they were in was now startlingly clear.

Alright, sorry for the delay, guys. Been a little busy, but I never want to leave anyone hanging too long. I can't say much since I'm sleepy, it's late early and I have to get up early early, but thank you for all of your feedback and comments…and urgings to update. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

As long as there's an audience for it, I'll try to make the next update sooner to take your minds off of the crappiness of the actual show, which no longer exists in my head :D. Get at me if you have any questions, comments…or rants!