A/N: Here's chapter eleven! This first scene might seem pretty familiar…Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bloodlines.

"Good evening. My fellow Kindred, my apologies for disrupting any business or interfering with prior engagements you may have had this evening." His voice was very light and formal, completely contradictory to the faces of those on stage, "It's unfortunate that the affair that gathers us tonight is a troubling one. We are here because the laws that bind our society, the laws that are the fabric of our existence…have been broken."

Velvet sniffed, shaking in the hands of the Nosferatu that gripped her neck from behind.

Victor stood next to Strauss in the upper balcony, overseeing the entire theater. LaCroix was pacing back and forth on the stage, with the Sheriff and some other Camarilla emissaries making sure that the two captors were being held securely. One he recognized as Velvet Velour. (Only because she would always try to make all sorts of advancements on his Regent). The other Kindred, however, was a complete mystery to him. He raised a gloved hand to his chin in thought.

"How the hell can he kill someone as iconic as VV…?" Damsel asked quietly in the audience.

"Because he's lost his shit…" Nines crossed his arms in blind fury.

"As Prince, I am within my rights to grant or deny the Kindred of this city the privilege of siring." LaCroix went on, still looking rather at ease, "Many of you have come to me seeking permission, and I have endorsed some of these requests."

Ash sat back in his seat, occasionally throwing a look at his sire.

Killian chewed on his thumbnail as he looked over to Lark, "If Nines didn't get in a fistfight with one of his Primogen, that'd be you and me, Lark."

Lark gave him a nervous look, before she turned to Nines, "Is VV going to die?"

Nines swallowed hard, but didn't say anything.

"However…" The Prince continued, "…the accused that sits before you tonight was not refused permission." The Prince looked at VV with a stern scowl, "Indeed, my permission was never sought at all." He then looked at Slade, "They were caught shortly after the Embrace of this childe."

Slade tried to keep his crying quiet as he helplessly kneeled there, his eyes wavered as he stared at the wooden floors of the stage.

"That kid looks so scared…" Anastasia said quietly.

Miranda, bored with the show, leaned on Cadmus's shoulder slowly, before Cadmus gave her a shove.

"I can't blame either of them…" Skelter muttered back to Anastasia, thankful his voice was on the quieter side, "As long as he's in the throne, no one around here's getting Embraced at all. Any Kindred that come in are gonna either be Camarilla pricks or Kindred from out of state…"

Slade helplessly looked around at the crowd, seeing thousands of figures he hasn't even seen before. Until his eyes froze at one particular Kindred he instantly recognized. Tess. His brown orbs froze, in a combined state of confusion, and anger.

Tess clearly caught his gaze, smirking and waving at him with a few fingers. Sure enough, Julius was sitting next to her with an arm around her shoulders.

"It pains me to announce the sentence," The Prince said, "But as some of you may know, the penalty for this transgression…is death." He folded his hands.

A silence as heavy as lead filled the air. Well, it would have been completely silent, if VV had not let out a muffled sob. She was shook roughly by the Nosferatu holding onto her neck, getting kneed in the back, as well. A few members in the audience winced.

"Know that I am no more a judicator than I am a servant to the law that governs us all." LaCroix said, "Let tonight's proceeding serve as a reminder to our community that we must adhere to the code that binds out society, lest we endanger all of our blood."

"Surely, he cannot get away with this." Victor mused softly, "It's too soon. There aren't enough of us here. He would directly challenge the Anarchs."

Strauss gave a slight nod, trying to calm his magister's strategic ramblings.

"Forgive me." The Prince bowed to VV, a bitter look in his eye. As soon as he said this, his subordinates got a bit antsy as they held both captives in place.

The Sheriff drew his blade as LaCroix lifted a hand, "Let the penalty commence."

VV's eyes closed tightly as she whimpered out loud, holding her head down as she bit her lip.

The doors to the theater burst open, as Isaac walked down the aisle, "Stop the execution." He shouted.

There was a muffled commotion in the audience.

LaCroix glared at Isaac, then nodded to the befuddled Sheriff.

"Isaac!" VV shouted out as the Sheriff reeled back to cut her head off.

"LaCroix." Isaac clenched his fists, refusing to name the man by his title, "I wouldn't do it." He lectured, "Harming one hair on her head would invoke the wrath of the Baron of Hollywood. Not only that but it would also spark the anger of all the Anarchs in the state." He said, "You already stole our land. So help me, if you steal one of our children too…" He shook his head.

As the blade nearly reached her neck, the Prince held a hand out, the Sheriff's eyes looked empty as he stopped the blade and pulled it away. He paused, waiting a long while before he said anything.

"Yeah, that's right." Nines stood up, "If you think we're going to abide by these bullshit tricks you call 'laws'…"

"If…Mister Abrams and Rodriguez would allow me to finish." LaCroix said, his eyes darting from person to person. Harper crossed her arms and kept her gaze averted to the floor. For some reason, she couldn't say she was surprised. "A proposition may be made, in order to preserve the lives of these Kindred. However, if any terms to this agreement are not met, than the execution will commence."

"Even if it means war?" Nines narrowed his eyes.

The Prince glared at Nines, but didn't say a word, allowing that to serve as his answer.

"Spit it out." Isaac said.

"The childe will serve the Camarilla faithfully." He said, "And the sire is to remain solely in her domain. Any sighting of her in any other territory will be immediately reported, and an execution for both childe and sire will commence without disagreement." He stated, "Furthermore, an execution will be arranged in the case that the fledgling disobeys any laws of the Camarilla."

Slade swallowed hard, he had no idea what half of these words even meant. He blinked away tears as he tried to fathom his situation.

Nines looked like he was about to argue, but Isaac put an arm in front of him, "We accept those terms."

"Very well." LaCroix smirked.

The Anarchs all seemed to collectively take a sigh of relief. Killian elbowed Anastasia, "Celebration dinner at my place?" Lark shook her head in shame.

The subordinates grabbing Slade and VV stepped back out of the way, utterly confused.

"Let no one say that I am unsympathetic to the plights and causes of this community." The Prince went on, "I thank you all for attending these proceedings, and I hope their significance is not lost." He said as the crowd began to disperse, "Good evening."

The curtains started to draw closed as VV stood up and rushed to Slade's side, giving him a hug that surely would have choked him if he still needed to breathe.

The Prince spoke quietly to Harper, who walked off stage. He looked back at Slade and VV, then left along with her.

No more than a night later Slade entered Vesuvius, heading to the VIP room. He took a brief stop at Chinatown first to purchase a pair of katanas. They were now both strapped to his back in an 'X' pattern. He knocked at the doorframe, "Uh…can I come in?"

VV opened the door, letting him in before she gently closed the door, "I…I'm…." She swallowed hard, "I'm so embarrassed, I can hardly think of anything to say." She turned back to face him, he could see the sadness in her eyes.

"VV…I'm…" He teared up, "I…I'm so sorry…"

She gently held him, "Don't apologize to me, Slade….there was nothing you did wrong…I should have never taken your life into my hands the way I did…"

"But thanks to me…you were almost executed…"

"There was nothing you could have done, Slade." She said as she gently broke the embrace to hold his shoulders, "I panicked…it was all I could think of…and now…you're…no better than a slave…"

"Yeah…about that…"

"I'll answer any questions you have…so long as they won't land me in hot water…"

"Please…if it's not too selfish…I…I'm just…so confused." He said, "I need your help…I…I don't even know where to start…"

She sat down, "Why don't you start with you telling me everything you do know?"

He sat beside her, "Uh…well…I…I don't eat anymore right…like, food…I don't…eat that…"

"No…because I've Embraced you…I've turned you into a vampire, which we call Kindred."

"So…I drink blood now?"

"Mmm hmm…" She said, then she added, "You need it to sustain your powers. The more energy you output, the more blood is needed to be input."

"We…we actually have powers…?"

"Mmm hmm. There are different clans of vampires…species, if you will. You and I are Toreadors…the…romantics, in our community. Regardless of clan, all Kindred have three powers, though I hardly use mine at all….I don't believe in violence."

"Toreadors…?" Slade repeated slowly.

"Mmm hmm." She hummed, "The clan that's most in touch with their humanity…we blend in with society the best, wear our emotions on our sleeves." She said, "We have Celerity, Presence and Auspex…so that's speed, an intimidation aura, and special vision." She crossed her legs, "That's how I brought you inside so quickly after you were attacked by that demon."

He nodded slowly, "What…what about the others…I mean…some of them…looked really…weird…"

"There are dozens of clans, sweetheart, and I bet even more I don't even know about." She said, "The kind you'll see mostly in Hollywood are Toreadors. Occasionally Nosferatu, since Isaac allows them to live underneath us."

"Nosferatu?"

She paused, "Do you remember the Kindred that was holding onto me during the execution? That was a Nosferatu. They live underground due to their appearance, simply being seen by others is a Masquerade Violation. It's an unfortunate life I couldn't fathom, but they do seem to make the best of their talents."

"Masquerade Violation…that…that sounds like a law…what…what are the laws like…here?"

"Well, the Masquerade…" She paused, "It's a common law, between all of us." Her eyes met his again, "We cannot allow humans to know about us. We cannot use our powers in front of them, tell them about us…it risks their lives…it would throw off the balance we have between predator and prey, I suppose. That isn't how I view it, but…it's the harsh reality of it."

He nodded, "And…and this Camarilla…are they like…the vampire government?"

"Well…" She sighed, "This is where any information I'm going to tell you will become obscured…" She uncrossed her legs, "I'm not in the Camarilla, therefore anything I'm going to say about them might be incorrect. Please understand this…I wouldn't want you bringing this information with you to some sort of meeting and clutch it close to your heart…"

He gave a slow nod.

"The Camarilla are an organization of Kindred who specialize in enforcing and protecting the laws of the Masquerade. The moved here…almost a year ago. That's another reason why the Anarchs are so furious with them…The Prince moved here and took the land as if it were rightfully given to him, despite the fact that he has nothing more to prove for it than a slip of paper." She said, "That's usually how the Camarilla works…with their signatures and police tape against the blood, sweat and tears of the Anarchs."

"The Anarchs…" He said, "So there are two sides of this…that's usually how it works, I guess."

"Four."

"…four?"

"The Sabbat, for one…" She said, "Kindred who have no regard for the Masquerade…truly evil beings who prey on humans every day…any evil act you could imagine falls under their umbrella." She said, "And the Kuei-Jin. They've been…fairly silent recently…but…" She looked back up, "We're still at war with them. Eastern vampires, they call themselves…they're stronger, supposedly, though if that were true, I don't think we would be at war with them at all."

"Jeez…I can't believe all this crap has just been…under my nose the entire time…"

"That's the beauty of the Masquerade." She gave a small smile, "I've always wished I could attend a masquerade…a dance where everyone wears elaborate masks to hide their identities…and at the end of the night, after you've danced and played with all the faces you've never recognized…the masks come off and you realize just…how truly beautiful people are on the inside…"

Slade gave a slight nod, wishing that were truly how the world actually did work.

She looked back up at him, "What else can I tell you…" She sat back, "Well, learning about the other Camarilla clans might be helpful. The main clan is Ventrue…they're…the business sort…cold, emotionless, calculating…the Prince is your typical Ventrue, according to Isaac, at least. I've never met him myself…I've no plans to after last evening…" She swallowed hard, "Toreadors are there, of course…I know the Primogen quite well…unfortunately…there are Nosferatu, they act as the eyes and ears of the Camarilla…" She said, "There are a few Malkavians, and a few Tremere, but you likely won't run into many of them."

He nodded, "And I have to work for that Prince guy forever now…"

"Nothing lasts forever." She said, "Though it might feel like it."

He nodded again, standing up, "Thank you VV, for everything."

"Of course. This won't be the last we meet, don't worry. I know you're going to feel alone, and scared. When you do, you can always find me. It won't last long, alright?"
He nodded, heading for the doorway, "Thanks for…putting up with me…"

She gently held his wrist, pulling him back and kissing his forehead, slicking his hair back, "Please…be careful…"

He stiffened. He would have easily blushed, but he didn't really have the capability to do that anymore, "Uh-huh…"

"You still have my number." She rubbed his shoulder, "I'll be there whenever you need me."

"Got it." He said, "I'll be back as soon as the Prince gives me some slack."

Victor hung his scarf up as he entered one of the many libraries of the Chantry, "Well…that was certainly an interesting case…don't ever expect to see an outcome like that twice."

"I didn't know either of them…" Iphigenia said, "But it was surprising seeing the Prince succumb so easily to the words of the Anarchs. I was positive he'd kill them both, it was strange for him to arrange such a deal. No doubt he's still dealing with a good amount of pressure about the ordeal…" She mused as she grabbed a book and opened it.

"We haven't been here that long…I understand the move he made." He said, sitting in an arm chair and crossing his legs as he opened up a newspaper, "Of course, Strauss's feelings are most likely at the very least mixed, as his rosy-haired admirer has survived the guillotine…"

She smirked as her eyes darted over, "I had no clue Strauss had a night life."

He turned a page, "That isn't the case at all and you know it."

She laughed, "Well, considering her outfit…"

He rolled his eyes, "My word…they shut down the entire Santa Monica pier…"

"Did they?" She mused, "I find it amusing how captivated you are with the local affairs."

"Captivated, no. Intrigued, more like it. There was a murder on the pier, exactly the same as the one in Long Beach. That's two now. Whoever this Kindred is…they're really playing with fire now…not that they weren't before."

"Most likely Sabbat." She said before she put her book down, "I haven't seen Halcyon since…" She paused, "Three…four nights ago…? You haven't spoken to Jeanette, have you?"

"Oh, I have." He folded up the paper and put it down, starting to pace, "What an odious, childish…ingrate…I have never been met with behavior more infantile than hers…" He paused, "I need to be careful, or else I'll lose my temper…"

"You see the reason I can't even speak to her now…?" She asked, "You should have seen her face when she learned I have no interest in men…I wanted to drive a knife through her skull right then and there…"

"You're telling me." He muttered, "Another few seconds of that conversation and there'd be boiled pieces of Jeanette all over the dance floor. That would ruin her business for more than just a few mere nights." He said, "It would also render me with a Masquerade Violation, but I'd have four more left."

She chuckled, "I think you'd have more to deal with than a Masquerade Violation…Therese would schedule an execution for you, I'm almost certain…" She paused, "Either that, or she'd marry you."

He plopped back into his armchair and folded his hands, "Perhaps that line of thought is not so unwarranted after all."

She raised a brow, "I doubt Therese would be the matrimonial type…"

"No. Not that. To solve the problem with Halcyon. I was trying to reason with Jeanette, when I should have been speaking to Therese all along."

"…I suppose speaking to Therese could work…though I would most likely end up throttling her as well…"

He chuckled, "I wasn't talking about you. I will make your grievances known."

"Are you sure…? I still feel in debt to you…"

"As long as it isn't speaking to Jeanette, I'm sure it's something I can handle."

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do for you?"

"This is a part of my duties, Iphigenia. A Magister has to care for his pupils."

She bowed her head, "Of course…" She said quietly, "Thank you, Mister Madison…"

"You're quite welcome, my apprentice."

Isaac looked up from his desk as Killian entered his store, "Ah, Killian, you're just in time. I finally cooled off from my old-man sparring match with LaCroix."

"Yeah, that was pretty entertaining." He walked in and smiled as the door jingled and closed, "Almost had to put down my popcorn for that one."

"You didn't think I was going to actually let them axe VV, did you?"

"I knew she'd make it." He said, "I was just waiting to see who snapped first, Nines or you. You weren't there so I put my bets on Nines…not that I really lost or anything…" He said as he leaned against the counter, "Princey-Poo looked like he'd shit himself when you spoke up at him like that. Didja see him look at all the other Cammies like he was making sure they wouldn't get mad at him? What a fucking doormat…"

"I'd love to see him shivering in his office right about now." He chuckled, "That'd be rich. He's probably received a century's worth of embarrassment for that little show…"

"Oh yeah…hope so…hope he's up there drowning in paperwork…maybe it'll kill him. Maybe he'll get a papercut and bleed to death."

He folded his hands, "That sure does lead to an interesting new life in damnation for the kid though…handing himself in to the Camarilla…part of me feels sorry for him."

"We got an inside man now, at least. We just gotta tell him the reason he's alive is cause of you."

"Now, now, that's his choice to make. If we try to control him, we're no better than the opposition party." He said, then he gave another chuckle, "An inside man though, I sort of like that. And anyway…I'm sure once this fledgling works with LaCroix for a couple weeks, he'll be begging for his freedom back."

"Of course he will. Soon as he meets us he's gonna see the light. We just have to be careful not to get him killed."

He nodded, "You were in his shoes before, remember? I sure do. I remember the night when Jack dropped you off at my jewelry store after a Caitiff Embraced you out of the blue. You had the artistic talent of a Toreador, but the hot-headed passion of a Brujah. You must know how this kid feels right now."

"Guess I'll take hot-headed as a compliment." He threw a charming smirk at Isaac, "If I see him coming around, I'll have a word with him, but I won't go over the edge."

"Ah, to business…" Isaac mused, "Has anyone had any success with that Gargoyle yet?"

"Nah, I should mention it to one of the big guns though huh?" He asked, "I don't think they'd want me to deal with it…not sure how much Potence can really do to it…maybe I'll ask Anastasia and Skelter to deal with it."

"Damn…I feared as much…don't bother them with it yet. I really wanted to refurbish that Chinese Theater but…I can't really do much with that thing rampaging around. But…it doesn't seem to bother anyone as long as no one goes in, and it's locked so…" He shrugged, "It's not really an emergency…" He took out a blood pack and put it on his desk, "Could you deliver this to Romero? I'd go myself, but…I haven't even started counting the sales for tonight yet…"

"Yeah, I guess…" He muttered as he stuck it in his back pocket, "So long as he doesn't tell me to find him another hooker."

"I wonder when he finds time to do that…" He muttered, "Thanks, Killian."

"Course. See you around, Isaac." Killian said, "Gimme a call if you need anything."

"Will do."

A/N: You'd think Killian and Romero would be good buddies, but I guess not. Well, what'd you think? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading!