Chapter 14: The Questions Begin

Danielle and Coop walked to the door hand in hand ready to meet with lance. Danielle stumbled slightly on the bottom step but Coop kept her up. "Are you okay?"

Ignoring the blinding pain in the side of her head she gave him a smile, "Just nervous."

"Hey Josef gave his word right. All we have to do is tell the truth here but if you aren't ready for this we can bail."

The butler opened the door before they had a chance to know or say anything more. They were lead to Josef's study silently. Danielle squeezed Coop's hand and hoped to reassuring him she was fine. Jean moved to greet them as soon as they came in. "Thank you for coming over."

Jean gave her friends a friendly smile, "Now Lance has requested to speak to each of you separately as your involvement was separate."

Coop pulled Danielle a little closer in response. "I don't know if I want Danielle alone with him."

"It's okay Coop. We have nothing to worry about," Danielle assured infusing her faith in her friends into her words.

"She's right," Jean backed her up. "You're safe. He's just making people uncomfortable."

Coop nodded reluctantly, "He'd like to speak with you first Coop. I'll show you to him then I'll come back and sit with Danielle."

Danielle gave him a slow soft kiss before letting go of his hand to let him go. As soon as Jean and Coop disappeared through the door she made her way to the bar and poured herself a glass of water and dug into her purse. She pushed around for her precious bottle of pills. She was sure it was just stress induced worrying over her brother and his soon to be fatherhood. Then there would be his turning to worry about. He baby brother would have eternity with the woman he loved and his child, with her children too.

Finding her small bottle of pills she pulled two out and popped them in her mouth before washing them down drinking the whole glass. Jean arrived a few seconds after she put the glass back on the bar top. "This shouldn't take too long."

"Its fine. Like you said Coop did some computer work to find her. I had no contact with her. It makes sense for us to go first, get up out of the way."

Jean sat down gracefully on the couch, "You aren't quite first. Lance already worked his way through Josef's men and after a failed attempt to speak with Mick and Beth he came back here to interrupt Josef and mine…sleep."

Danielle could see her friends frustration even when she tried to hide it. "He saw Beth?"

"He showed up unannounced as they were leaving to follow up on a case. I'm surprised he wasn't more insistent." Jean leaned over to Danielle who had sunk down next to her on the couch and spoke more softly unsure just how good Lance's hearing was. "Don't misunderstand I don't want him to be dogged but…I never expected him to take the delays well. It almost seems like he is just going through the motions."

Danielle shrugged, "From what you've said she wasn't very close with her family. Maybe its just familial obligation."

"Maybe," Jean sat back not completely buying it. "I just get this feeling is all."

Smiling she looks up to the door just as it opens and Coop comes in. "I'll walk you back to Lance."

Coop takes Danielle by the hand and gives her a gentle embrace. "He's creepy that's for sure. I'll be right here for you Danielle."

"My knight," Danielle brushes her lips to his before heading to the door ready to get this over with.

As Jean goes to lead the way Coop grabs hold of her arm and whispered, "Stay as near her as possible please."

Nodding her agreement Jean takes Danielle's arm and they head down the hall to the room currently being used for interrogation. Jean knocked softly on the door and stuck her head inside, "Danielle is ready to speak with you."

"Bring her in," Lance raised his hand easily directing .

Opening the door fully Jean and Danielle stepped inside. "Danielle this is Lance Duvall, Lance this is Danielle browning my very dear friend."

"Yes the other half of your human couple you let know about our world."

Jean places her free hand on her hip, "Human or not they are family to us."

"Thank you for bringing her in, I'll send her out when I'm finished."

Jean knew he didn't want her to sit in on his interrogation that much was clear but she didn't feel comfortable leaving Danielle completely alone. "I'll be outside." He couldn't argue with her, this was after all her home and her friend.

Lance waited until the door shut behind Jean then moved closer to Danielle holding out his hand. Danielle sucked in a breath surprised by his speed and sudden closeness. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Danielle gave her his hand and held her breath as he kissed her knuckles. "I hear you have bore two children…" he looks her up and down before releasing her hand, "…might I say it does not show."

"Uhhh…thanks." She moved to the chair furthest from him and sat down keeping her eyes down unable to look at him without staring into his black eye. "Look I don't know anything about your sister. Everything I know I heard from the others."

"I understand that my dear but you did work very closely with my sister and I'm very interested in that. What were you working on?"

Ringing her hands nervously she bit her lip. "She had a cure for vampirism. It was only temporary of course but she was trying to make more of it, make it permanent. Josef didn't trust her and I work for him doing research and he paired me with her to keep an eye on what she was doing."

"How did that turn out?"

"We had some promising leads but nothing ever panned out." She relaxed a little talking about work.

Lance leaned up against the back of the chair opposite Danielle lowering his body somewhat grabbing her attention once more. "What did you discover?"

"Nothing really. We had some trouble finding one main ingredient in the compound, a plant that no longer exists. All of our substitutes failed. The closest we came made the subject mortal and then dead." She shrugged, "It didn't matter. She reverted back to being a vampire and Mick decided he no longer wanted the cure so Josef shut the project down."

Giving her a sinister smile he continues, "You didn't continue working on it after she escaped?"

"No," Danielle shook her head quickly cringing as the pain was set off again by the sudden action. "Ah..no I didn't. Josef told me he sent the cure back with you."

"Does my question cause you discomfort?" He asks picking up on her pain.

"I've been having headaches for a while now is all."

"I see," he looks her over. "What did you do with your research?"

Looking into his black eye once more she blinked away, "I saved it. I made a copy for Josef which I assume he gave to you and then I put one in the files."

"So you could continue your work in private?"

"What?" She sat up straight completely shocked. "No I haven't thought about the cure since Josef shut it down. Why would I?"

Lance's face lit up with a smirk, "Yes why would you work on a cure when you long for escape from this mortal coil yourself."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Danielle insisted even as her checks flamed red.

"Are you telling me you don't wonder what it'd be like to live like us…forever?"

"Of course I've thought about it but that's not my path." Danielle explained easily the phrase she told herself every time she found herself thinking of the future always as she is now. She loved Coop and he didn't want eternal life and she didn't want to live without him.

"So you are content to live on and grow old as those you surround yourself with stay as they are never worrying about death." Lance poked seeing he was poking an old wound.

Danielle raised her eyebrow, "As you are here to discuss your sisters death it would see being a vampire doesn't make you immortal."

Lance bowed his head slightly giving her the well placed mark, "Very true. Though for an ordinary life like this one it could be."

"I'm happy with my life," Danielle answered honestly. "Now do you have any further questions for me that relate to your sister because I would like to get back to my boys."

"One last question. What are you working on currently?"

"A new supplement to help with low iron levels." She smiled, "It is to help insure the safety and longevity of the freshies."

Looking at her thoughtfully he nodded towards the door. "That is all the questions I have for you at this time I'll follow up with you if I desire any further explanations." He moved back into the room where he had been when she first arrived. He watched as she opened the door and Jean was waiting to take her back to her husband.

To Be Continued…

Evilous