AUTHORS NOTE:
Now I'm definitely feeling warm, and loved, and everything nice and fluffy in the universe and that is thanks to three particular people: Rachel452, remey74 and Leila. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! The rest of you, and I know you are out there, I say it every chapter and I mean it, I live for reviews, they are the fuel that keeps me going. Yes it is rather pathetic that I require the praise of random strangers but meh. It just means I feel like writing more, if only to get more!! So pathetic yes. But it's good for you cos than I write more…. except I won't be able to after this…though I might write I quick one on Friday, but the current plan is this chapter until 5th of November. Trust me this isn't because I wish to torture you, it is only because I will be on a ship from now till then and will not have access to technology. Not that it would miss me much anyway. So I'll try and make this a good one for you, no cliffhangers. I'll try! No promises!
DISCLAIMER:
I think I'm running out of ways in which to say I don't own these characters, they are the children of Tanya Huff, and were bought to life in Blood Ties. I have stolen them to re-enact my own fantasies. There. You happy. Sniffle you didn't have to be so mean about it! Runs off crying
CHAPTER 10: All roads led to Astaroth.
They had been wrong…twice. In fact their original assumption had been correct, Christina had just been a coincidence. But they had waited to long, and when Vicki had killed Christina they had forgotten about their suspicions of his return. The Vampire couldn't have been more helpful. By walking out on Vicki he had ensured that the P.I would be too distracted to remember her original suspicion all those long months ago. The pentagon was complete. One last sacrifice left and then the end of the world would be nigh. Norman smiled to himself. It had been a very good couple of months and their focus had been elsewhere. He enjoyed killing more than he had thought he would. But then almost a year in Hell was bound to do that too you.
He watched as Coreen enter her psychic for her usual appointment. He had paid the woman off and with the offer of life after Hell on earth she didn't resit much. Soon, Coreen would be possessed by a part of his master and the trap would be set. It was really too sweet.
His master approached. He could feel him enter and take over Coreen's body. If he were the skipping kind he would probably skip. It felt like a skipping kind of moment. Or maybe it was just because he was so gleeful. Either way Norman had succeeded and he didn't have to do anything else. His plan was so great that they would just play it out all on their own. Which meant he had time to go off and wreak some havoc for himself. He thought he deserved it.
Ilovehenryilovehenryilovehenry
"Are you sure?" the demon was surprised. Pleased on one level. Pissed on another.
"Got it from a good source" It was time to get out of town.
"When?"
"Come on you should know better than that. The underworld doesn't work to a schedule of any kind. It could be now, or years from now."
"God I hate that demon. Couldn't they help the rest of us just a little bit with a warning? I mean it's not he's the only one with world domination aspirations."
"Apparently not" He chuckled
"This is very inconvenient."
"You're telling me!"
"Buggers up all my plans."
"End of the world tends to do that."
"Well I've got stuff to do."
"Don't we all"
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The radio was pleasantly off for the trip back to Toronto. Henry could only assume that was because he had done what it had wanted him to do. He couldn't believe that that thought crossed his mind and that he actually thought it was a completely sane assumption.
Either way Astaroth was attempting to re-enter and that was excuse enough to go back to Vicki, it was enough to trick his pride anyway. The rest of him knew exactly why he was going back to Toronto and it had nothing to do with a demon.
Ilovehenryilovehenryilovehenry
Five bodies. Vicki stared at them blankly, too busy fighting down the voice that screamed at her to run. Run fast, and long and get out of this place. To be anywhere, anywhere but here.
Mike paced scratching his stubble, just as concerned as Vicki. He wanted to get her out of here; he couldn't protect her, not to mention he wanted to get out of here. They had only been able to stop him before by denying him a sacrifice. Well he had all the blood he needed. What could he do? What could any of them do?
Vicki let the fear settle in her gut, fought away the voices and took a deep breath. There was nothing they could do now; they didn't know what would happen next, had no way to stop it. How do you stop a demon from Hell entering onto earth? One thing she knew for certain though and that was she was going to go down fighting. If Astaroth wanted her soul he was damn well going to get a stomachache from it.
Mike's cell phone rang. Vicki vaguely registered the note of fear and concern in his voice followed by urgency.
"Vicki. It's Coreen."
"What?" she snapped back from her musings.
"Let's just go."
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He had known the instance he had gotten into the car exactly how he was going to stop Astaroth, how he was going to protect Vicki. It wasn't the only thing he could think of but it was the most certain. He was strangely at peace with it, which is why he knew it was the right thing to do. It would solve all the problems that Vicki and he had had together and it would allow him to do and be everything he had longed for. He just hoped that the demon would accept his terms. He thought he would. What he offered was in Astaroth best interest, it could only be good for him in the future.
He was just entering the city when the radio snapped to life. Henry looked at it suspiciously until he realised it wasn't some weird love song it was playing to him but the police frequency. He knew instantly that it was Coreen, and he knew that it wasn't Coreen in Coreen's body. The message was all to clear.
Without even thinking about it he stomped his foot onto the accelerator and sped to the club where Coreen was. He had to get there first; he had something he needed to do.
Ilovehenryilovehenryilovehenry
Astaroth had to admit, albeit begrudgingly, that Norman had done well. This plan was great. It even had an unexpected bonus. Norman hadn't factored Henry's return, but here he was standing in front of him with a most delicious offer.
Henry had stormed into the club, tackled him to the ground, pined him down and demanded that he at least listen to what he had to say.
And Astaroth was surprised.
And pleased.
Things were going so well.
What was even more amusing was that the vampire actually believed that Astaroth was going to stick to his deal. He seemed to be forgetting that he was a demon. He had said it himself some time ago 'they are demons, lying comes as easily to them as breathing'. How quickly he forgot. So it was that Astaroth accepted Henry's deal, with every intention of doing the exact opposite.
"Deal?" Henry asked looking intently at him
"Deal." Coreen/Astaroth smiled at him. Henry felt a little uncomfortable under the gaze but he wanted this. Needed this.
p.s I only said I'd try! But on the bright side I also decided to write another chapter before I leave. So wait a couple of days and I promise you you'll want to kill me less!