Mike drank hungrily from the girl, feeling the thump of her pulse beating against his tongue. As her heart rate began to weaken he forced himself to pull away - he knew to be careful this time. He stood up and backed away.

Despite the fact that his hunger was sated, it was replaced with an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he looked at his victim. Indeed that's what she was - an innocent human at the mercy of a monster. The young woman was still crumpled in the corner of the stall - her eyes glazed over and her expression blank. Mike slowly began to feel the power that came with his position – the control, the dominance, the overwhelming feeling of superiority. He reached down and took the girls hand to help her to her feet.

"Go now..quickly" the Detective whispered to her. He opened the toilet door and pushed Sinead to one side, shielding the young girl as she hurried from the restroom.

Sinead grabbed Mike by the shoulder. "What were you doing in there?"

"I was cleaning up your goddamn mess!"

She glared at him with furrowed brow. "You drank from her didn't you?"

Grabbing her by the neck Mike clasped his fingers around her throat. "Don't you dare accuse me! I'm not a monster like you." He squeezed a little harder then growled and pushed her away.

Sinead rubbed at her neck and spat back at him. "Oh but Detective that's exactly what you are!"

"Don't think for a minute you know a single thing about me." He grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her outside. "C'mon.. we're getting out of here. There is someone I need to see."


Vicki and Henry walked down the hallway of the luxury Toronto hotel towards the expensive room Henry had just booked for them.

"Seriously Henry.. it's just for a night or two. Was five-star accommodation really necessary?"

Henry swiped a key card in the door's electronic lock. "I'm already stuck in this run-down bag of bones. The last thing I feel like doing is staying in some roach-infested hell-hole."

"We should be staying at my place."

Henry held open the door for her. "We've been over this Vicki."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I know" Vicki replied as she entered the room. "You could have at least let me swing by to pick up a change of clothes." She looked around the stylish and modern hotel suite and smiled. It was furnished with soft woollen carpets, and expensive linens. A small, round dining table was set to one side and a large, flat-screen TV was on one wall - a coffee table and plush sofa sitting in front of it. Behind it were two generous queen sized beds, and the entrance to a sparkling, clean bathroom.

"The sun has already set" added Henry as he walked towards the dining table and emptied his pockets. "I'll call room service and have them pick up our clothes later to be laundered"

"What are we supposed to wear in the meantime?" Vicki asked with eyebrow raised.

Henry turned to her and grinned. "I'm not adverse to you being void of clothing all together if you so choose."

Vicki clucked disapprovingly as Henry's infamous cheeky smile spread across Mike Celluci's face. She was still amazed at how he was able to transform the Detective's whole physical persona. To hear Mike's voice speaking such proper English was strange indeed – but she was slowly getting used to it. She stood in the middle of the room and folded her arms. "I still don't know about this..." she told Henry. "It doesn't seem right...hiding out.. waiting. We should be helping Dr Sagara."

Henry sighed. "We'd just be getting in Bettie's way. I'm sure we'll hear back from her sometime soon. In the meantime.. how about we order in some of that Chinese food you're always eating?"

"Ooh great idea." Vicki rubbed her hands together at the thought of it. "You have just got to try the noodles."

"Well go ahead and phone through the order. I need to go and use the bathroom."

Vicki plopped down on the comfy sofa, reached over to pick up the phone from the side table, then noticed a neatly folded newspaper sitting on its surface. "Hey Henry...don't forget this." She picked it up and turned to hand it to him.

"Why on earth would I need the newspaper?" he asked quizzically.

Vicki tried to keep a straight face. "Well...I don't know really...it's a mysterious ritual practised by men in our society. I've always presumed that the newspaper holds some mystical quality that helps men poop."

"Thanks for the suggestion." He gave her a sarcastic smile. "I think I'll manage just fine without it."

"Hey... you do know... how to use a toilet don't you?" Vicki asked him condescendingly then chuckled.

Henry glared at her with contempt then turned and walked to the bathroom.

About an hour later they were sitting on the hotel room couch eating an assortment of Chinese dishes from little white cardboard boxes.

"I suddenly understand why you eat so much of this cuisine" said Henry, trying not to speak with his mouth full.

"Told you... you've been missing out."

"Well...for a vampire... there is nothing better than blood... but for a human well... this is not half bad" replied Henry before taking another bite.

Vicki cringed. "Ugh.. no more talk about blood while I'm eating please."

Having mastered the technique of using chopsticks, Henry was busy digging out the last strands of spicy noodles when the unexpected sound of gas escaping from his rear-end bellowed up from the couch beneath him. He paused awkwardly mid-bite - noodles dangling from his chopsticks as he looked over at Vicki.

Vicki looked back at him with one eyebrow raised. She bit her bottom lip and tried to keep a straight face. "Henry... "she asked him quietly. "Did you just fart?"

"I umm.." he stuttered, his cheeks turning bright red as he put down his noodles.

"You did!" Vicki broke into laughter, recoiling melodramatically and waving her hand around to disperse the air. "You just farted!"

Henry folded his arms defensively. "So what if I did? Not like I haven't smelled your little silent-but-deadly gaseous expulsions before!"

Vicki was blushing profusely. "Hey! I'm a lady. Ladies don't fart!"

"Ha! Indeed you do! You like to pretend that you don't. You prefer to leave the room and pass gas elsewhere..." Henry was laughing now - a good heart belly laugh. "But I'm a vampire Vicki... I can still smell it!"

"Oh my God that is totally gross!" She picked up a couch cushion and threw it at him. "You are a revolting liar you know that?"

Henry ducked and caught the cushion, holding it to his chest. "Me? I'm revolting? Seriously Vicki I've been meaning to talk to you about your diet... because that smell... well... "

Vicki gasped and attempt to poke Henry in the ribs. "Yeah well..." she fumbled momentarily. "At least I don't break wind when I'm with company!"

Henry chuckled as he tried to block her attacks with the cushion."You'll have to forgive me. I haven't had to hold in bodily functions in a very long time."

"Oh by all means..." she continued poking him. "Don't start holding them in on my account! Permission granted to fart freely your highness." She gestured with a royal salute.

"OK! Alright! Enough with the fart jokes. I can't take it any more." Henry took a deep breath and tried to control his laughter.

"Oh come on..." Vicki replied. "You know that even after five hundred years fart jokes are still funny."

"Maybe so... but it's still crass and low brow humour."

"Hey.. don't look at me... you're the one who farted!"

Henry shook his head and stifled another laugh, picking up his noodle box and burying his head in its contents.

Vicki sat silently for a few moments and looked at Henry, feeling awestruck and happy for the first time in months. Her blood was pumping with long-lost endorphins. She'd convinced herself long ago that she had only been attracted to Henry's dark side - the romantic allure of his vampire self. Now though, as she sat next to him she couldn't deny that Henry still had power over her. Even in the body of Mike Celluci Henry Fitzroy made her feel so many emotions that she wasn't ready to admit.

She sighed and looked over at him. "I miss you Henry" she said finally.

"I'm right here Vicki" he replied, returning his empty noodle box to the coffee table. "Albeit stuck in the body of Michael Celluci."

"You know what I mean..."

"No, I don't know. Tell me."

"Vicki took a deep breath. "Well.. for starters I miss looking at you. Don't get me wrong.. Mike's a looker.. but he's got nothing on you."

Henry smirked. "I think that's almost a compliment. That's certainly something coming from you."

Rolling her eyes Vicki then paused for a moment before continuing. "Seriously though...I've missedthis....I've missed seeing you smile."

"Well... a lot has happened these past few months. It hasn't exactly been the happiest of times."

"Why can't things go back to the way they were?"

Henry gave Vicki an intense stare. "I'm not sure that's possible. Things have changed..." he averted his gaze and looked down at the floor. "Our relationship is not what it once was."

Vicki sighed again. "I miss what we had."

"And what exactly is it you think we had Vicki?"

"I really don't know" she replied honestly.

Henry's expression turned sullen and sad. "And I don't know if I can wait around long enough for you to figure it out."

Before she could even refrain herself Vicki was crawling over to Henry's side of the couch, leaning in to kiss him, tasting the remnants of spicy chilli and soy sauce on his lips. Her hands were at his face, caressing the stubble of Mike Celluci's day-old beard.

She wasn't sure what had come over her. Perhaps it was the familiarity of her ex-partner's body. Maybe it was her desperate need for comfort, or the desire to reconnect with Henry. Whatever it was it compelled her to continue.

Henry gasped at first, his body stiff with shock and disbelief but as her warm lips tugged at his he began to soften and melt into the couch. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her body to his. As the tip of her tongue slipped inside his welcoming mouth he felt his human member spring to life.

Vicki groaned as she felt his desire pressing against her thigh. She pushed him further into the couch in response.

"Wait.. stop..." Henry pushed her shoulders gently. "Vicki you do know it's me in here right?"

"Of course I do." Vicki was breathless and flustered and was attempting to resume their kiss.

Henry pushed her away again. "Then why now? Why when I'm in Mike's body do you decide you want me?"

"It's not like that."

"Well surely you can't blame me for thinking it?"

She sighed and sat back in her seat."I know you're not Mike..."

"Are you sure about that?" Henry asked as he sat up straight on the couch.

"Of course I'm sure!" she replied defensively.

"Then why is it that when Detective Celluci turns evil you suddenly decide I'm good enough?"

"That's not it either!"

"Then tell me why Vicki! I'm struggling to understand your motivation here!"

"Just forget it about it OK" she huffed. "Just pretend I didn't kiss you." Vicki grumbled and folded her arms.

"No... I will not forget about this Vicki. I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise me that when I get my body back we'll talk about this."

"There is nothing to talk about." Vicki muttered under her breath.

Henry knew he'd done the right thing in pushing Vicki away, but at the same time he couldn't help but wonder if he'd just lost his one chance to be with the woman he loved.