Chapter 3

Sebastian watched the rain hit the window, as he waited for Angelique to return.

He shouldn't stay inside. He should go out and do something with himself. It wasn't right to have Angelique pay all the bills, without his even trying to find some kind of a job.

But wasn't that what he had done with Roxanne? Even as an astrologer, he had managed only because of Roxanne.

That was different. Roxanne had needed him to watch over her during the day, to run errands for her, to help move her coffin, to provide her with nourishment when she did not want to go out. And to love her, and be loved in return.

Angelique...what was he to Angelique? Some vague idea of avenging Roxanne had brought him back to Collinsport and made him court Angelique... but he had not followed through. He did not hate Angelique...He liked her in many ways. She somehow reminded him of Roxanne.

But she was not Roxanne...

"Buffy" Frank hesitated as he began to dress again.

"What?"" Buffy turned in the bed.

"I notice the sheriff is coming here very often."

"Yes." Buffy looked at him, mildly amused.

"I wonder why he comes this often. It can't be all official business."

Buffy laughed "Are you wondering if they do downstairs what we do upstairs?"

Frank blushed "I... I did not mean to imply..."

Buffy laughed again. "Yes, they do?."

"What? Barnabas? And Brant?"

"Yes, the two of them."

"I...I..."

Buffy snorted "What's so important about it, anyway?"

"You don't care at all about it?"

"He's a vampire. He brought me from an alternate reality. You and I made love to salamanders who used us for their purposes. And now you get picky."

"But the sheriff, he always looked so..."

"So straight? Well, yes. But what does that bother you? As if there was not enough here to worry about. As for myself, Barnabas saved me from Haskell and gave me a home. And he doesn't care about your coming here for me. The least I can do is not make a fuss as to who he chooses to sleep with."

Julia poured Willie some herb tea.

"You have nothing to worry about" she insisted. "Barnabas is doing fine."

"I feel awful guilty about it." Willie admitted "I couldn't even offer him my blood when he was mending himself."

"You were not in shape for that. And neither was Louella. How's she, by the way?"

"Kenneth says that she's fine. But I can't keep from worrying."

And that, Julia thought, was the understatement of the year. Probably Willie was driving Kenneth crazy.

"Willie, there is one thing that you can do for Barnabas."

"Do? What can I do?"

"You can give him something that he needs very much." Julia searched for the right words. "Something happened after her recovered. Nothing serious." she hastened to add "he's in no danger whatsoever. He's having a love affair. He's very serious about it. And this time, it is kind of different."

"Who's she?"

"It's a he."

"That's impossible! Not him!"

"It is happening. And as far as he is concerned, it is true love."

"I refuse to believe it."

"You have to. And more important, you have to be able to accept it. He cares a lot for what you think. If he were to sense that you condemn him for it, he would be terribly hurt."

Willie was silent for some moments. Acid words fought to come up his lips. Old jokes that he had repeated over and over. What he had known in jail. His own memories of men who were proud of not being fags when they had nothing else to be proud of.

And then Barnabas, who could be hurt. Who had been already hurt too much.

"You said that you wanted to do something for him." Julia insisted. "and you can. He can get blood from other sources, but only you can look at him straight in the eye ands tell him that it makes no difference to you."

Willie nodded. "It ain't gonna be easy" he confessed.

He closed his eyes and felt the presence inside him. Ruby was now behind his eyes, watching his every move.

It was strange. He was not sure that he liked it. It scared him more than a bit. Still, Ruby could not use his body unless he willed it...

Of course, he realized now, he should have held on until after he had fed. Now Ruby would be watching from inside him as he did it...

But then Frances would not see Ruby, and would never know that her privacy had been invaded.

He had to go. And he remembered, that was part of what he promised Ruby...

Ruby watched him intently... In a way, she had a right to, no matter how uncomfortable it made him feel. She had died because he had not done it properly. Now she had to see how it when when it was done right.

Frances held him close, trying not to think what he had gone through.

He moved his lips over her neck and bit. And Ruby Tate tasted blood.

Peter, pick you your things." Iris told her nephew, her patience wearing thin.

"You pick them up!" Peter said insolently.

"Peter, you pick them up." Iris tried to keep calm, trying to remember that it wasn't Peter's fault that he had been so badly raised by his father and Violet.

"You do it." Peter said petulantly. "You are a woman."

Iris almost struck him then. Just like his father.

"Peter." She caught him by the arms and shook him. "Whether you like it or not, this is my house and you do as I say. You pick up after yourself, or you get no dinner tonight."

"Don't touch me!" Peter growled at her. "Don't you dare talk to me that way. I'll tell mother on you."

She should not do it. But she did it. She slapped him.

Ruby had been silent after she had watched him feed. She had asked not explanations, nor made comments. Yet.

And he was alone thinking thoughts that were veering into an uncomfortable zone.

He loved George. And George loved him. It was not love like it had been with Josette and Roxanne... But it was strong. He had come to crave acts that in the past would have filled him with fear an revulsion. Because it was George...

He felt more strongly about George than he had for anyone.. Not even Josette? He wondered about that. Was the Josette of his memory the same Josette he had known? It was difficult to tell...

Josette was dead, and George was alive. And willing...

Would it last? And was it real?

Was it real love? Or was it a mixture of gratitude and the effect of Dave's manipulation? Dave had wanted to make George happy and if delivering him to George's bed was what it took then...

Was it real?

He did not know. He only knew that he wanted George, and that George wanted him...

There was laughter and Ruby Tate was in front of him.

"You and that cop." she said, snickering." that is disgusting."

Barnabas shivered. "Where you still,...inside me?"

"Not while you were doing it."

"Thanks. It is just too private. I still have misgivings about letting you spy on Frances and me."

"She did not know I was there." she made a face. "You were right about it. It can be harmless. Too bad it was not for me."

Barnabas nodded. "I am glad you found it that way."

She had been so young. She had missed too many things. Missed on too much of love, too much of friendship. The life she led had not provided much of it... It was up to him to give her those things now, if that was possible.

"It disturbs me that other people can be involved." he said. "Frances was not hurt, but it made me uneasy... Ruby, we have to be careful we do not hurt anyone."

Suddenly Ruby laughed. There was harshness in her laugh. Barnabas was startled at it, but reminded himself that she was not his friend. She had rescued him not out of affection, but because she balked at torture.

"You'll pay what you owe me."

'Yes."

Ruby shrugged "I never knew love, not the way you claim I should know it. Not the way you seem to think it is between you and your cop."

Barnabas blanched. "What are you suggesting?"

"The next time you go at it, I want to be in it."

Barnabas fought down his revulsion. "I cannot allow it. Not that."

The smile in her face was ugly. Life had been hard for her, and it had made her cruel.

But, he reminded himself, she could not possess him without his cooperation.