Chapter 21: Bon Voyage

Dave shouldn't have been surprised when Grey collapsed. If anything he was relieved at the timing.

His place was the kind of stark, modern apartment with lots of sharp surfaces, particularly the stairs. Grey, thankfully, fell just short of the steps. Dave remained where he was for a few seconds, long enough for the tension to drain out of him. He slowly uncurled from around the countertop, like that would have helped if Grey went off on him. It didn't matter, it was all over thanks to Grey's weird case of vampire narcolepsy. The clock hanging in the kitchen showed it really was close to dawn, but not that close. It was even earlier than the last time Grey passed out on him.

Dave crossed through the living room to where Grey had fallen. He was right next to the stairs, and he was willing to bet the door at the top was the bedroom, but he didn't feel up to carrying him again. There weren't any windows in the apartment to worry about. He transported Grey from the floor to the couch, even tried to arrange him to make it look like he had fallen asleep there. Dave sat down on the other side of the couch, putting plenty of room between them. He didn't feel right exploring the place while Grey was out of commission. That, and he was afraid of what he might find. He didn't want to know if Grey's brand of craziness included collecting stuff like jars of toenails or human fingers or… He stopped there.

Despite his best efforts, Grey just looked dead. Maybe it was the lighting, but he seemed paler. Dave examined his own skin, but it were the same jaundice yellow it had been since he died. The boils were the same, too, though one of them was starting to ooze.

He went back on his decision not to explore after sitting there in silence for a minute. There wasn't a TV, but there was a pale spot on the wall where a flat screen might have been. He could at least look if it was still somewhere in the apartment.

"You really are fucking nuts, I hope you know that."

There was no argument from Grey, but Dave still felt bad for saying it. "Sorry."

Unlike the haven he'd been loaned out, Grey's cupboards were filled with plates and cups that still looked new. That figured. The real surprise came when he tried the door just off the kitchen. He was barely able to open the door for all the junk piled in the tiny room. There were chairs piled just behind the door, which explained why the kitchen table had none, and perched precarious on top of them was a pot with a very dead fern of some sort hanging over the edges. There were pictures lying upside down on the floor, and all kinds of books piled on top of them. At the very back of the room, inaccessible thanks to all the other crap was a washer and dryer set. No sign of a TV, but it might have been buried toward the back somewhere. Dave quietly shut the door. So it wasn't as bad as he expected, but it was still weird.

There was a desk with a fairly new looking computer in the upstairs foyer. It wasn't turned on, and Dave managed to resist temptation and kept moving. He wondered if anyone had tried to contact him since he disappeared. Probably not.

He was right about the apartment having no windows. The bedroom had none, nor did the bathrooms. The place was practically made for vampires. Grey's bedroom was just as nondescript as the rest of the apartment, but at least now he knew that was because all the decorations had been shoved in the laundry room for some weird reason. His bed was nothing but a mattress lying in the floor with some sheets strewn over it. One of the pillows was lying against the wall. Dave had no intention of sleeping there, it didn't even look that comfortable, but he must have spent more time wandering the apartment than he thought. He still wasn't quite used to how suddenly that tired feeling hit, but the bed was right there…

His eyes snapped open sometime shortly after sunset. Before he could feel guilty about using Grey's bed when he'd left him on the couch, there was a brief moment of panic over waking up in a strange place. He was up out and out of bed as soon as he remembered where he was and what he was supposed to do that night. He hurried downstairs to the living room, but Grey was still asleep where he left him. Dave didn't want to see how long it would take for him to wake up this time.

"Hey…" He nudged Grey, but there was no response. He tried again, harder, and jerked his hand back as Grey stirred. That was something, but he wasn't quite there yet.

"Come on, wake up," Dave said. "The sun's obviously set." He went as far as to shake Grey a little. "What is wrong with-"Grey's eyes snapped open. Dave quickly sat back, but not quick enough to avoid Grey's hand as it shot out. He caught him by the throat and yanked him closer. Grey's eyes were open, but he definitely wasn't the one in control at the moment. The growl that rumbled from his throat was proof of that.

"Whoa, okay, bad idea"

Grey bared his fangs at him.

"Grey, c'mon, please, can we not do this again? I know you're in there somewhere… Grey? Grey?" It was like trying to reason with a very annoyed, very hungry tiger. There was still no trace of anything human in Grey's eyes. In desperation, Dave put his hand to Grey's forehead and tried to push him back. It was easier than he thought it would be, but Grey still wouldn't let go of his throat. He dug his fingers in harder. Dave wasn't in any danger of choking, but the pressure made it really hard to speak.

"Grey," he croaked. "Please. I really don't wanna… hafta…Ow!"

The pressure suddenly eased up. "Dave? What--"

But Dave was already pushing against him from the moment his grip loosened. He met no resistance this time, and so he accidentally sent Grey tumbling backwards over the side of the couch. Grey cursed, very loudly, as he hit the floor. At least that meant he was back in control, even if it was only temporary.

Dave peeked cautiously over the arm. Grey was lying in a very confused heap on the floor. "What the hell was that for?!"

"What else was I supposed to do? You were growling at me a second ago!"

"Growling? What?"

"Look, I didn't want to wait and see how long it took for you to wake up. We've gotta go back to Santa Monica."

"Why?"

"I could've told you that last night if…" He forced himself to stop. Best not to go back down that road. He changed gears and spoke quickly, just in case Grey's temper fired up again over being involved in the mission. "Look, the warehouse wasn't enough. Now LaCroix's going on about this thing called the Ankaran Sarcophagus."

Grey nodded He looked distracted, but Dave went on regardless.

"It was being transported here on a ship called the Elizabeth Dane, only when it got here the whole crew was dead. I'm- I mean we're- supposed to go aboard, get the police report and the cargo manifest, and try and see what the deal with the sarcophagus is. The thing is the ship is crawling with cops now, so..."

"You can't be seen," Grey finished for him as he rubbed his eyes.

"That's kind of a given now with everything." Dave gestured vaguely at his face.

Grey stood up. "The lady awaits us, then."

"Look, you don't really have to go with me, even if LaCroix said…"

"Where you go, I will follow," Grey said. "Lest I be dragged in your wake."

That last bit sounded particularly sour, but Dave didn't dare call him on it. He kind of missed the angry Grey. When he was like that he at least talked like a normal person, even if he was shouting.

Dave wanted to take the sewers, but Grey refused to go with him. He said it would be faster to take a taxi, only he said 'golden chariot' instead of taxi. Dave hesitated at the front door. The apartment was in the middle of downtown LA, and there'd definitely be a lot more people out at this hour than when they'd come in the night before.

"Wait," Dave said. "This isn't gonna work. It's bad enough I'm standing here."

They were alone in the apartment's lobby, but one of the neighbors could come in from the street, or out of the elevator, at any moment. Dave was looking nervously at the door marked 'maintenance', something he'd overlooked the night before, when Grey reached out to him. Dave flinched, which Grey ignored as he pulled up the hood of Dave's sweatshirt. He took a step back, examining Dave like a painter before an unfinished canvas. He stepped forward again and yanked the hood further down.

"Now I can't see."

"Just keep your head down and your hands in your pockets."

With that Grey opened the door and guided him outside. Dave was terrified. He was exposed in the middle of the goddamn city, and it'd take a lot more than an oversized hoodie to hide all that was wrong with him.

"Grey…" he whispered desperately.

"This is the world's easiest dance," Grey said. "Put one foot in the other. And again. Good. You're a natural."

They reached the curb, where a car was waiting. Even with his head down Dave could see the checkerboard pattern over the pattern over the bright yellow body. His surprise over their good fortune almost made him forget why he had to keep his head down.

"How?"

"Fate provides," Grey said simply, opening the door for him. Dave crawled in ahead of him, relieved for the relative darkness inside the cab. He could use that to his advantage.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked. Dave recognized that voice. It was the same guy from the night he'd almost been beheaded.

"Santa Monica Pier," Dave said, cutting Grey off before he could get the chance to use some weird metaphor.

"You got it."

Along the way, Dave wondered how they'd been lucky enough to have a cab waiting for them.

Dave remained hidden as he followed Grey down to the beach. Grey constantly glancing over his shoulder as he walked probably looked odd to anyone watching, but he was crazy, so it didn't really matter. Dave couldn't tell him he was still there for fear of ruining the illusion. They stepped out of the tunnel of the beach to find it was nearly deserted. The only person in sight was a man in a rumpled suit standing just out of reach of the surf. He waved when he saw Grey, and ran to them as fast as his loafers could manage on the sand.

"Ah, Mercury," Grey said amiably. "I see you have your wings back."

Dave barely recognized Mercurio without all the open wounds and the one eye swollen shut. With one last look around, Dave let the illusion slide off him. He shivered slightly, feeling as though a protective cloak had just been pulled away. Mercurio took a step back with Dave's sudden appearance, but to Dave's relief that was all he did.

"Good to see you," Dave said.

Mercurio grinned. "Hey, what can I say? You preserved my ass. I truly appreciate you not saying anything-" his eyes flicked to Grey as he said it. "-and I want you to know I take care of those who do me favors." He paused long enough to make a futile attempt to smooth the lines of his off-the-rack suit. "So from now on- you need equipment, info, you come see me. Don't hesitate..." The smile faded. "Guess that goes for the both of ya now."

"Thanks," Dave said.

"One good turn…" Grey said with a shrug.

"C'mon," Mercurio gestured they follow him. "Your chariot awaits."

Their 'chariot' was a tiny motorboat in the surf. The Elizabeth Dane was a toy boat on the horizon. It was debatable if the dinky little craft LaCroix provided would be able to make it to the ship and back without running out of gas or sinking, whichever came first. They'd find out soon.

Mercurio talked as they walked, filling what would otherwise be yet another tense silence. "I tell ya, that blood you guys got's an amazin' thing. Helped close up a few wounds. This back alley patch fixed up the rest." He gingerly patted his side.

Dave barely heard him. He wondered how they were going to pull this off. He'd tried to talk strategy with Grey on the way over, but Grey basically said it was pointless to plan when they didn't know what they were walking into. The way he said it made Dave feel even worse for getting him so involved.

"I needed that beating," Mercurio was saying. "Good reminder not to overestimate my abilities. Last time it's gonna happen. Here we go. Go ahead and hop in."

The boat was even smaller up close. There was barely enough room for both Dave and Grey to fit, but it was the only way. They both climbed in without a word. Dave hoped Grey's silence was because he was focusing on the task ahead, not because he was silently cursing him or in the midst of some kind of psychotic fit or something.

"Oh by the way," Mercurio said. "I stopped by the beach house early this morning. I gotta say, I like what you did with the place. Wish I coulda seen it."

"Um, yeah, thanks…" Dave said. He tried not to look at Grey.

"Anyway, I took care of the rest for ya, don't worry. Those bastards had it comin'."

"Right," Dave said.

Mercurio single-handedly pushed the boat into the water with both Dave and Grey in it. Dave was impressed, even if it had to be the vamp blood at work.

"Good luck!" He called. "Don't do anything stupid!"

"Great advice coming from him," Dave muttered.

Grey surprised him by chuckling.