Chapter 35
Epilogue Part 1
'Mummy, Daddy, where are you?' Sarah Caroline Compton came around the corner of the doorway and into the drawing room. 'Eww, will you two knock it off or at least get a room,' she complained as she saw them sitting wrapped around each other and kissing passionately. 'You're too old for that kind of thing.' Tom and Cherie stopped kissing but sat locked arm in arm smiling at their daughter. 'I am not too old,' Tom shot back at her, 'I don't look a day over twenty nine cheeky and to me your mum looks as good as she did the day that we met.' Sarah laughed and leant down and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Cherie stood up and hugged her. 'True Blood Daddy?' she said walking through the dining area on her way to the kitchen?' 'Thanks love. Where's that lazy brother of yours then love?' 'Billy's just parking the car then he'll be in,' she called back.
'Honestly Mummy, I don't know how you can stand living out here in this ancient ruin at the weekends. I mean how you could ever bear to spend your time here instead of at the apartment beats me.' Cherie laughed. 'It took us a long time to get this place back in shape. It had been left to go to wrack and ruin for so long and we were very lucky when the laws were changed and your Father could reclaim what was rightly for his. And don't forget one day all this will be yours and Billy's.' Sarah let out a huge sigh. 'Oh Mums, this is two thousand and eleven, who cares for old piles like this these days.'
'Sarah Caroline!' Cherie admonished, 'this is your heritage and don't you forget it. This house has history to it, it has been through hundreds of years of Compton family history and one day you will appreciate it for what it is.' Sarah sighed. 'I know. I am sorry. You know that I love this place really, I am just a bit tired.' The micro wave dinged and she got out Tom's blood. 'Be a good girl and take that into you Father will you? I've put the kettle on, tea won't be long now.'
She walked back in the drawing room smiling. 'Here's your brew Daddy,' she said, handing Tom the warmed bottle and threw herself down on the couch next to him. She grabbed the TV remote and quickly changed channels surfing through the myriad of what she called junk looking for something really interesting without much hope. At that moment the large old oak front door slammed and a voice could be heard yelling from the hallway. 'Where are you all?' Sarah yelled back, 'We're in here in the drawing room.' 'How many times have I told you not to yell?' Tom said exasperated. 'Sorry Daddy, keep forgetting your super-sonic hearing.'
Quick footsteps coming down the hall were followed by the entrance into the room of a tall, dark haired and good looking young man with piercing blue eyes. Tom looked up and smiled. 'Hi Dad, how's it going? Where's Mum?' Tom shook his head a little as he looked at him and marvelled. It was uncanny the resemblance, Billy or Bill as he preferred, was all Compton. 'She's just finishing off cooking dinner, it will be ready in about half an hour. How was your day? Everything set for the club tonight? Did you sort out that issue with the wine wholesaler? How's the album going? Will you manage to get back into the studio sometime soon?'
'Take it easy Dad, everything's fine, no dramas, it's all sorted. You worry too much.' Tom smiled. 'I know, it's just hard to let go that's all.' Billy patted him on the shoulder as he walked past on his way to the kitchen. 'Really Dad you should retire, with all the squillions that you have from Grandad's share portfolio you can afford to. I still can't believe that you were finally able to get your hands on all those stocks after all these years. He sure had insight to have invested in the future the way he did. What a guy, wish that I had known him.'
'Hi Mum, do you need a hand?' Billy strolled up and hugged Cherie. He was taller than her and she looked up and smiled at him, her eyes lighting up as she saw him. 'No it's fine love. Go and sit and talk to your Dad, you two have hardly seen each other this week we've all been so busy. Dinner won't be long now. How was the traffic? Is it still raining?' 'Traffic was a shocker but then it always is on a Friday night but it's stopped raining so that will be good, we will be able to finish restoring that ruin of a summer house, although I really don't know why anyone would want to, it's pretty rank and disgusting, a regular mausoleum if you ask me.' 'William Thomas, never ever let your Dad hear you saying that, that summer house has a special meaning for him and it is something that he wants to do so how about you just humour him?' 'Ok Mum, will do.'
He wandered back to the drawing room, poked at the logs in the fireplace then grabbed the remote from Sarah's hands and flicked the channel. 'Heh I was watching that,' she grumbled. 'Tough, I've got it now. I want to catch the weather forecast so we can plan what we are doing over the weekend.' 'But I was watching EW, give it back right now.' Billy snorted, 'You and your cheesy entertainment shows, I don't know how you can stomach that crowd that you get around with, they are so shallow. Really Sarah, you are too good for that lot.' 'Well that crowd buy a lot of stuff from the gallery and they are very creative and appreciate Daddy's paintings and Mummy's photography too,' she replied indignantly.
'That reminds me,' she said turning to Tom, 'Daddy I forgot to tell you, you know that retro painting that you did with Mummy watching you singing in the band, that one where you were doing the duet with that Jim Morrison look alike, that hunky guy in the black leather pants?' Tom looked up at Sarah, 'Yes what about it pet?' 'Well I sold it. It was really cool. I got a call this morning about it. The guy was really cool. He had seen it online and he must have really wanted it because he didn't even ask for a cut rate or anything. And he was so nice. We ended up chatting for ever so long. We got talking about art and I was telling him about your painting and Mummy's photography and how Billy and I were both sort of creative in our own ways too and he was ever so interested. He….'
Tom was about to say something when the news report on the TV in the background caught his attention. The reporter was introducing a piece about mainstreaming and hate crimes against Vampires and as Tom looked up he caught the opening of an interview. 'Cherie, Cherie come in here,' he was calling urgently, interrupting Sarah mid-sentence. 'Daddy what is it?' Sarah looked at him startled and Billy immediately turned his attention to the TV. 'What is it Tom,' Cherie came running in at the sound of the urgency in his voice, wiping her hands on a tea towel as she hurried in. He looked at her and patted the couch motioning her to sit down on the other side of him to Sarah and pointed to the TV, turning up the volume.
'We talked to a spokesman for the American Vampire League today, William Thomas Compton, Vampire King of Louisiana. Thanks for your time today.' 'My pleasure Natalie,' he said with a pronounced southern drawl. 'Heh they said his name was William Thomas Compton, that's my name,' Billy exclaimed. 'Mummy what's wrong?' Sarah was asking too, 'You've gone white as a ghost and you look like you are going to cry. And Daddy you do too. What's the matter with you two?'
'Shh,' Tom hissed, 'I missed what he said. Now please, quiet.' 'Hate is a powerful force but hate never wins out in the long run.' 'Well thank you for your comments. That was William Thomas Compton speaking to us from Bon Temps, Louisiana. And now it's back to you Tracy in the studio.' 'Moving on to other leading news today….' Tom turned off the sound and looked at Cherie. Their eyes met and were filled with tears.
'Oh Tom, it's been so long. He hasn't changed, he is still as beautiful as he was.' Tom nodded unable to speak. Sarah and Billy looked at each other. Tom wrapped his arms around her and they both held onto each other. 'I still love him,' Tom said softly to her. 'So do I,' Cherie said too.
'Oh, Daddy how odd, I just remembered,' Sarah sounded excited, 'well it's the strangest thing. Did they say that that spokesman was from Bon Temps cause it's the weirdest thing, I am almost sure that is the address that I have to send it to, the painting. Hang on I have the details about it in an email on my iPhone.' Sarah quickly grabbed her handbag and rummaged through it till she found her phone and checked while Tom and Cherie sat silently hugging each other. 'Wow, that's it, Bon Temps, care of Ms J Hamby. Come to think of it,' she looked over at Billy and studied him for a moment, 'who was that guy on TV and how come he has the same name as Billy? Hey, he even looks like him.'
They all looked across at Billy and right at that moment, whether it was a trick of the light or something else, right at that moment he had never looked more like Bill in his life.