Chapter 26: An Unholy Alliance

Frank had been pulled out of heavy sedation on Tuesday morning. By dinnertime the same day Phil wished the doctors would put him back under. The first time he saw Frank's chocolate brown eyes open they were filled with pain, and he'd found precious little relief since.

Thursday rolled around and Frank was able to stay awake and alert for longer periods of time. Dr. Barringer had allowed him to have a morphine pump to give Frank a little control over his pain management.

"Babe, you can only hit that morphine pump so many times an hour. Okay?" Frank laid the button down on the mattress with a solid thump.

"I know you're frustrated and you're hurting. But just think, they might be able to take you off the vent tomorrow." Frank rolled his eyes, then he squinted as he tried to focus his attention on the clock on the wall.

"What are you looking at?" Phil turned around and noticed the time, he still had thirty minutes before the ICU nurse would shoo him out of there. Then it dawned on him.

"You've got forty five minutes before the pump will work again." Frank closed his eyes.

"Babe, I've got to tell you something. I'm going home tonight, you're dad's going to ride up in the morning and visit with you and your mom." Frank opened his eyes at that.

"Joe, Chet and I are going to Biff's grandfather's funeral." Frank's eyes widened. More than likely Frank didn't remember much about Alf Hooper's help, or the fight and flight from the vampires Saturday morning. But that story could wait for another day.

"He died in his sleep, Biff found him Monday morning when he didn't answer his phone all day Sunday. Biff's taking it pretty hard." He could see the sadness in Frank's eyes, he was sure if he were able, he'd want to be there for Biff too.

"Would you like for me to bring you anything back from the apartment?" Frank used his right index finger to scribble into his left palm.

"Writing…writing pad…writing tablet…tablet! You want your tablet?"

Frank blinked once.

"Okay. Your glasses too?" Another blink, then his eyelids began to droop. Phil knew trying to stay awake and bear through the pain was exhausting for Frank, and there was no use in making him feel like he had to stay up for his sake.

"Alright Babe, I'm going to head home. Your mom will be here at the next visitation." He leaned over and kissed Frank's forehead. Frank grabbed his hand and squeezed it, and placed it on his chest.

"I love you too."

…..

"Present arms!"

The three volleys of musketry boomed overhead. Phil didn't care what faith you were, there was something about military funerals that always choked him up. Biff had been holding up well, but by the time the mourners had reached the graveside, the cracks were starting to show. He had positively broken down when the first strains of "Taps" began to play.

At the luncheon held in St. Luke's social hall afterward, Joe, Tony, Chet and Phil finally got to catch up with Biff.

"I'm so sorry about Alf, Biff. I never got to properly thank him for helping us find Frank." Joe said as he poked at the ham biscuit and macaroni salad on his plate.

"He knew you were grateful. And he'd tell you in a heart beat he was glad to do it. That's just the way he was." Biff sighed and pushed his plate away.

"Are you going to continue hunting?" Tony asked.

"You better believe it!" Biff actually smiled.

"Well, if you ever need any help with a hunt, we'll be there for you. Your being a slayer brought my brother back to us, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for your help." Joe said earnestly. Biff sat back with a cocky grin on his face.

"Joe Hardy helping me with a case. I could get used to this."

…...

Phil was winding up the charger cord for Frank's tablet to put in his messenger bag Friday night when he heard a knock on the apartment door.

"Coming!" Phil peered through the peep hole and immediately flattened himself along the side of the wall. His heart was going to pound out of his chest and he was trying to inch his way toward his phone.

"I mean you no harm Mr. Cohen, I only wish to talk to you." Phil checked his neck. Yep, the silver chain was still there.

"What do you want?" Phil asked, his voice squeaking nervously. He hadn't bothered to drink anymore vampire blood since the battle Saturday, he wasn't sure if he still had it in him to take this one down.

"I would prefer not to discuss our business out here in the corridor." the black woman on the other side of the door said.

"I would prefer not to die."

"You can start by calming down. I am not able to break down the door to your home. I cannot even enter your apartment unless I am invited in."

"That's not very comforting, considering what may happen if I try to leave."

"Will it ease your mind to know that your and Frank's mortal lives are under my protection?"

"Your protection? Protection from what exactly?"

"Eric Langhorne."

…..

Phil nerves were fraying by the second. He had just attended the funeral of a vampire slayer earlier that day, and now a vampire was sitting on his sofa. Something was definitely wrong with the world.

"Can I, offer you something to drink?" Phil asked, and immediately regretting asking such a stupid question. Amy gave him an amused smile, but shook her head.

"I'm quite satisfied, thank you."

"I had sort of hoped Eric had been blown up in the explosion, I take it that's not the case."

"Fortunately for Eric, he had left the premises more than a day before. He was looking for you."

"Me?"

"He was in a pique of jealousy. If he had found you, he would have tried to draw you out of your apartment and kill you." Phil paled at the information.

"How can I be sure you're not here to finish the job?"

"Like I said before, you and Frank are under my protection."

"Well, if you don't mind my asking, how did we receive such an honor?"

"Your lover Frank is a very unique human. I have encountered very few like him in almost four hundred years. Despite the way Eric treated him during his captivity, when you invaded, he made sure my child was safe and he saved me from Magnus' wrath."

"Yes, I recall that last part. That's what's landed him in the hospital, we're not even sure if he'll ever walk again." That last bit was an exaggeration, but Phil was in no mood to sugar coat things to spare this creature's feelings.

"All the more reason for you to accept my help. I am indebted to him. It is a rare thing for a vampire to be shown such kindness by a human, even more so to owe a human their life."

"Yeah, it's one of Frank's character flaws." Phil snapped. Amy sighed, reached into her clutch purse and pulled out a folded piece of parchment.

"I am sworn to your protection, it is final. No harm will come to you from my hand. And because I declared such in Eric's presence, he cannot touch you or Frank either, at least not directly. Eric knows where you and Frank live, of course. You need to move."

"What? No! Frank would never want to leave Bayport, his family's practice is here, and we have roots here."

"I never said that you needed to leave Bayport, although that would be ideal. I am saying you need to move from this apartment, and soon. This is the deed to a house east of here…"

"We don't need your charity…"

"This is not an act of charity…"

"Then what it it?"

"You know, I simply cannot understand what Frank sees in such a stubborn…"

"You know nothing about Frank or me…"

"Will you just shut it!" Amy boomed and stood from her seat. "Mr. Cohen, this deed has an enchantment on it. I had an associate of mine draw it up. No creature will be able to catch your or Frank's scent within a ten mile radius of this house, and the enchantment will disorient anything while it is in the area. That radius encompasses your offices as well." She handed the parchment to Phil. When the form was in his hands everywhere his skin came in contact with it began to tingle. He looked up to Amy with a quizzical look.

"It's the enchantment."

"Vampires can enchant objects?"

"No, that's the work of witches."

"Oy vey." Phil quickly dropped the parchment onto the coffee table. "I'm sorry, Miss…"

"Johnson."

"Miss Johnson. I've had to absorb a lot of information in the last three weeks. It's getting to be a bit much."

"I was born in an age when believing in the existence of such things was not nearly as incredible as it is today. You are a smart man, Mr. Cohen, but you have so much more to learn." Amy pulled a small envelope from her purse and set it on the coffee table.

"The keys to the house. I don't know where Eric is now, but Ezekiel and I have not been able to detect his scent anywhere in Bayport, or between here and Center State Medical. I am hoping he is in a warmer climate cooling his head. I would suggest you make your move soon."

"I haven't said yes to any of this yet."

"You will. Drop by the house in the morning before you head for Center State, my associate will give you the tour."

"The same associate who drew this up?" Phil asked lifting the parchment.

"Yes."

"Even if I did agree to all of this, and I'm not saying that I am, how am I supposed to explain the sudden move to our friends and family?"

"As I said, you're a smart man. You'll figure something out." Amy buttoned her coat and headed for the door. "By the way, the house is also conveniently located a mile away from a highly acclaimed physical rehabilitation center."

…..

"Baywood Drive? Well that's a swanky part of town." Joe commented as Phil drove to the address on the deed.

"Yeah, I figured the apartment wasn't going to be the ideal place for Frank to convalesce. The distance from the parking garage to the main entrance, down to the elevator… Then negotiating a wheelchair or crutches around that narrow apartment… And with what we were discussing the other day..."

"Okay, okay! You don't have to sell me on the idea." Joe smiled. "Whoa!"

Phil pulled the car into the driveway of a nineteen twenties Craftsman bungalow.

"Well, this is nice." Phil said nervously. Oh G-d, what had he gotten himself into?

A young woman with long, straight red hair and a plethora of freckles on her face hopped merrily from the front porch onto the sidewalk.

"Mr. Cohen? Hi there, I'm Bridget Hayes with Wicker Trail Realty. How are you this morning?" This woman was way too chipper for eight o'clock in the morning, on a Saturday.
"I'm good." Phil shook the woman's hand and followed her back up to the house.

"This is a lovely four bedroom, two and a half bath Arts and Crafts with formal dining, eat in kitchen…" Phil and Joe let her prattle on as they looked over the house.

"Can you seriously afford this?" Joe hissed. "And four bedrooms? It's just you and Frank."

"I could turn one into an office." Phil shrugged.

"Actually there's a room that can be used for an office just down the hall here." Bridget pointed out. "And the master bedroom with a spacious bath is on the first floor."

"See Joe, its perfect. Wide open spaces, first floor master so Frank won't have to go up and down stairs. Nice neighborhood so he can walk around and get his strength back…"

"And a back yard!" said the woman from the French doors that led out to a pergola covered patio. "You two come on and check it out!" Joe put his hand on Phil's arm as he started to follow Miss Hayes.

"Seriously Phil… You take forever to make decisions, this just seems awfully sudden. I don't want to see you biting off more than you can chew." Phil nodded in comprehension and Joe followed the realtor outside.

"Oh, if you only knew."

…..

"One tablet, fully charged."

"Thanks." Franks said in a raspy voice as he was handed his lifeline to the world.

"And, tah dah! Glasses!" Phil handed his boyfriend the glasses, Frank accepted them gladly and tried to adjust the earpieces under the tube for the nasal cannula. He blinked several times as the world came back into focus.

"Oh lord! Phil, could you do me a favor and drape that sheet over my leg?"

"What? That is one sexy leg there."

"Phiiiilllll…." the brunette whined. Phil covered the injured leg and came around to the other side of the bed and sat on the edge.

"So, going back under the knife Monday huh?"

"I'll be glad to get it over with. Doc said we'd start the physical therapy as soon as possible."

"Now don't go getting ahead of yourself Babe. I thought he said we'd get the leg moving from where your knee has been in one position for over a week. He didn't say anything about putting weight on it yet. This next surgery is going to be a lot more invasive than the last one."

"I've just got to get up and out of this bed. This flat on your back business is for the birds!"

"Now you're starting to sound like your old self."

Frank chuckled then grew solemn.

"What's wrong Babe?"

"Hmm, my old self." Frank said. He turned his head to face the window. "They got the results in from the rape kit."

"And?"

"I'm clean. Of course, little do they know vampires aren't afflicted by, nor carry, S.T.D.'s. Although from the evidence they found, I have, at least in the last two weeks, been a victim of a sexual assault. I thanked the doctor very nicely and told him to leave."

"Frank, baby…"

"They're going to send a therapist down to start talking to me next week when I'm out of ICU and on the orthopedic floor."

Phil scooted closer to his boyfriend, but Frank stopped him.

"Could you…" Frank patted the mattress. "Could you lie down next to me?"

Phil arranged himself so he was lying on his side in the space between Frank and the edge of the bed. He gently rested his hand on Frank's chest over his heart. Frank wove the fingers of his right hand with Phil's.

"It's a nice day out, isn't it?" Frank said wistfully.

"Yeah, it might actually get up to thirty degrees today." Phil laughed.

"But the sun's out." Frank said. "It's beautiful."