A/N: Here's chapter fifty-three! Um…so, just a heads up, lot of stuff goes down…and…maybe none of it was intended until the last minute? We like to surprise each other sometimes. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.


Victor limped his way through downtown, once he weakly pushed the Chantry doors open, he knew he was safe, he went to his quarters, hanging up his scarf and trying to dust off the dried bits of blood all over his clothes.

"Mister Madison…?" Iphigenia slowly creased the corner of the page she was on, putting the aged book down on the table and standing up, "Are you alright?"

He felt his head, "Yes. I'm fine." He said, gently trying to lower himself into a seat.

"Would you like me to get some blood for you?"

"No, it's…quite alright, I drank a little bit before I came back here…"

"Alright…" She said, "I'll just be right back then." Her voice was firm as he heard her heels against the floor of the stairs, as well as the hallway, before she came back in and handed him a blue blood bag.

"Yes, thank you." He took the blood bag and drank from it until it was empty.

She sat down on the couch again, "Might I ask what happened?"

"Well, I was confronting the Kindred who made the tape and monsters in the first place."

"Oh, I see…" She said slowly, "And they're…dead now?"

"I'm afraid not." He said, "In fact, I would have perished if I didn't escape first." He added, "It appears to be a Tzimisce fiend who's behind all of this. Do you know what a Tzimisce is?"

"I've read a bit…" She crossed her legs, "So what was the point of the tape then?"

"Apparently it was a mistake…but he intends to use his creations to destroy the Camarilla. Tzimisce are notorious for being leaders of Sabbat districts, and this one in particular is very stubborn."

"You should bring it up to the Regent's attention."

"You're right, I should." He stood up and left the room, followed by Iphigenia.

Strauss stood up from his chair when the two of them entered, "I was about to speak to the both of you."

"You were going to speak to us?" Victor asked.

"It appears my…creation…has been more out of hand recently." Strauss said.

Victor looked surprised he was talking so openly about this in front of Iphigenia, As far as he knew he himself was the only person Strauss talked about this too. "How so?"

"It seems Isaac Abrams has discovered the Gargoyle in his domain as of late." He said, "His disrespect for the Camarilla, is surpassed only by his hatred of LaCroix. He cannot learn that this Gargoyle is my creation."

"Gargoyle…?" Iphigenia asked quietly, before she tilted her head to the side a bit, something that she must have seen Halcyon do more times than she could count, "What would you like us to do with it?"

"It must be destroyed." Strauss said, "If Abrams finds out the truth, it will be a source of great embarrassment to the clan, and the Camarilla."

"And how does one fight a Gargoyle?" Victor asked.

"With much difficulty, I'm afraid. Firearms and blades are useless to their stone hides. Blunt force is the only thing that they will understand." Strauss said.

Victor gave a small bow, "It shall be done, my lord."

"Here, take this." He handed them each a tiny artifact, "These are ancient wards that will help you in your battle against the Gargoyle. You need only to carry it on your person to enjoy its effects."

"Thank you, sir." Iphigenia tucked the relic into her back pocket with care, "We'll do what we can in removing the Gargoyle."


"You'll have to forgive me for calling the two of you on such short notice." Isaac said, looking from Skelter to Anastasia.

"Of course, it's no problem." Skelter said, "What can we do for you, sir?"

"I'm having a bit of trouble at the moment with my old Chinese Theater, I had to close it down a month or two ago. There's a…Gargoyle in there…"

"Gargoyle, huh?" Skelter asked, "Well I'll be damned. Not the friendly type, is it?"

"Not at all. I've been sending some younger Anarchs to deal with it for weeks, and it keeps sending them back with a few less limbs." He said, "I can't have that monster terrorizing Kindred in my city…"

"Any clue where it might have come from?" He asked, occasionally casting a worried look in Anastasia's direction.

"Not a clue." He said, "All I know is that it refuses to leave the theater, some of the kids tell me that it says it's 'his domain' or something to that effect."

"It can talk?" He seemed even more confused, then he shook his head, "Don't worry, Mister Abrams, we'll handle it."

"It's just that…well, I've sent Killian to try to deal with it a few times…and…he's a good kid…but I don't want to send him in there one night and have him not come back. Now, you two." He smiled, "Are the two most formidable Gangrel I know. That and your Disciplines are a bit more defensive…I have a better feeling about this decision."

Any sort of raw anger that bubbled up from the mention of Killian's name fizzled away as Isaac continued, "Course. You don't have any other information about it that might be helpful with taking it out, do you?"

He shook his head, "I didn't even know they existed until this one showed up. Worse than that is I'm not sure what I'll be able to pay you. I'm sure Killian's told you about the…Internet Café he destroyed…"

Now he really had to hide his anger. He held a hand up and offered a short chuckle, "No payment is required, sir. It's respectable enough you manage to keep a Barony in LaCroix's turf, I'm not gonna take money from you, you're just holding onto our land."

"I appreciate the sentiment." Isaac said, "In truth, I would prefer this Gargoyle to be an ally…that would shock the Camarilla soldiers if they were to try and take this city…a Gargoyle defending Hollywood's borders…but I doubt it's going to be chatty…"

"I'll see what we can do with it."

"I appreciate it."

"See you as soon as we can, sir." Skelter said as he turned around and they headed out. He wanted to bring up some form of small talk, but he knew she'd brush it aside. He wanted to make a joke, but he knew she wouldn't laugh. Even if he wanted to get her to tell him what was on her mind, to try and make her feel better, he knew she wouldn't. He figured the best thing at this point was silence. She didn't need any other problems, and he wasn't going to be the one to give her any.


Victor hauled the sledgehammer uneasily in his arms, "Here…" He said, "I believe Strauss mentioned something about…Gargoyle's…being…weak to blunt force, correct?"

A smirk spread across Iphigenia's lips as she watched him try to carry it, "Would you like me to carry it, dear?"

"I…I don't see…the problem…with me carrying it…"

"Alright, alright. If your back gets sore, we can switch off, I don't mind."

There was a pause, he was a prideful sort, that much Iphigenia knew, "Perhaps it would be a better idea if you carried it…"

She reached over and took it from his hands, slinging it over her shoulder. She felt a bolt of pain run down her spine, like a lightning strike. What was it, fifty pounds, at most? She chose clan Tremere for their magic, for their power, and fear instilled even among other Kindred. It was something she told no one, but she hated how being Kindred made her so much physically weaker. She longed for the days she could bench over a-hundred pounds, and now could hardly carry over fifty without gritting her teeth.

Victor put his hands in his pockets, "You were always, uncharacteristically strong, for a Tremere."

She looked over with a bit of a smile, "I still forget I'm not as strong as I was, usually it comes up at the most inopportune times." She said, remembering the battle with the hunters.

He smiled back, "I very well suspect that eliminating this Gargoyle will detract the second of your Masquerade Violations."

"Good. Perhaps then the Prince can untie his panties from the huge knot he's tied them in."

He stepped in front of the black metal gate, "This is where Strauss said the Gargoyle would be." He said, "Inside this Chinese Theater."

"So what's the plan?" Her eyes were all serious, "Bust in and take him out?"

"Yes, I suppose." He said, then he sniffed the air, sniffing it a few more times to be sure.

"Is there something in the air?"

"I smell something…peculiar…" He said slowly, "I smell a supernatural presence…which is most likely the Gargoyle…but…I smell something additional. It can't be. Her scent." He frowned, "This changes everything…"

"Her? Who?"

He held a gloved hand up, "When we get in there, I want you to be very attentive to my instructions, even if they seem…odd, for the circumstances…"

"Understood."


Skelter and Anastasia looked around the inside of the old, rundown theater, trying to find the Gargoyle, "So…are we going to kill it, or try to get it to ally with Isaac?" Anastasia asked quietly.

He was thankful she even spoke, he was worried she'd be completely out of it, "We'll try to have a word, and if he ain't the talkative type, then we'll have to beat the shit out of 'em."

"It didn't seem like Isaac knew much about Gargoyles to begin with…"

"It's not like he's a complete expert on the supernatural, he's more of a…" He kicked a piece of broken concrete aside, "Politics guy. I'm sure Beckett would have known about him, or maybe Jack."

A large stone creature crashed through the glass ceiling, shattering it. The Gargoyle growled at the two of them, "Kindred invaders! Monsters! I will smash you! Crush you! Tear the flesh from your bones!" He snarled.

"Now, now, hold on." Skelter held a hand up, "W-We just want to talk." Clearly he was surprised it could talk. And identify them with bad intentions. And identify them as Kindred.

"No! Kindred are always talking! Scheming! Plotting against one another!"

"We don't want to scheme, we're not the scheming type, I assure you." He said, "We heard about you living here, and were just wondering if you wanted to work with us rather than against us." He said, keeping his voice under control. He knew if he stuttered or hesitated even slightly, the Gargoyle would either snap or think he was lying.

"No! I wish for no part in your petty machinations! I will not take up the chains of your servitude once again!"

"Servitude?" Skelter asked quietly under his breath, "No, no, we're not gonna use you. We're not like the other Kindred who go around and use others to do their bidding." He said. Whoever this Gargoyle was, it must have dealt with Camarilla Kindred, or maybe even Sabbat. Kindred that had some sort of ranking, and who decided it was a bright idea to put him on the bottom, "We're all equals, we're trying to divide and conquer those who do use that kinda twisted hierarchy. We could use your help."

"Am I to exchange my one chain to another? Bow to you instead of my old master?"

"There is no bowing. None of us exceed the other, we all do work together, we all get our hands dirty. You holding onto this building, keeping it from anyone else, it would be a huge help to us. And in exchange, we'd do things for you. We all watch each other's backs, keep each other safe."

The theaters doors burst open, and Victor and Iphigenia ran in, "Iphigenia!" Victor shouted, "Kill the Gargoyle!" He looked at Skelter and Anastasia, "Leave these wretches to me!"

The Gargoyle growled, "Liars! All of you Kindred are liars!"

Skelter's eyes nearly bulged from his head, "The hell are Cams doing here!?"

Iphigenia's eyes slid from Skelter to Anastasia, before she grabbed the sledgehammer and ran towards the Gargoyle, swinging at him with no hesitation.

Anastasia crept back in fear. She had a score to settle with Victor, but she was much too fatigued with all the drama surrounding Cadmus to do anything about it. Victor snarled and plucked her by the white strand of hair, she screamed as she was dragged towards him. He held a hand out, his fingers bent and twisted as a red glow came from his hand, causing Anastasia to vomit up blood.

The second Victor landed his hands on Anastasia, Skelter's body rumbled and snapped. Doubling in size, he ran forward to tear into Victor. Victor snickered darkly, another dark charm was heard, as Skelter and Anastasia both vomited. Anastasia fell to the ground, doubled over in pain, "Turn into whatever you'd like. Be as strong as you can possibly be." Victor taunted, "You'll never be able to touch me…"

Skelter coughed like a dog, and again, shook his hackles before he jumped back and held out a paw. A pair of wolves jumped out to tackle Victor. Victor frowned, coating himself in the essence of blood itself, he was defenseless against the wolves, but the damage was at least sponged. With his Blood Shield donned, he held a hand out again, and both Anarchs threw up again.

Skelter coughed again, his Protean fizzled away and he held his heaving chest. He grit his teeth and used up all but one drop of his blood to send out a burrowing beetle, set on carving itself into Victor's flesh.

Victor flinched, as there were not many things more pleasant than a beetle crunching its way through your body. He held a hand out, and Blood Purge came to his aid again. He looked down at Anastasia, who was crying at this point, hardly having anything left to throw up, "You wretched brat!" He stomped on her head. He gave a fiendish laugh as he pulled a knife out, "I'm going to make sure you die a slow and painful death…"

"Oh, no you aren't…" Skelter got out his gun and held it tight in his left hand, the other hand balled into a fist as he ran forward to punch Victor over the head, and shoot him in the gut. His eyes widened, he chose to dodge the fist, taking the gunshot wound instead, but thanks to his Blood Shield, Skelter had no idea how much damage he was doing to him.

The second Victor stepped back and took the shot, Skelter dove in and scooped Anastasia up into his arms, holding her close. He eyed around for an exit, then cussed as Iphigenia swung her sledgehammer down on her head, being finished with the Gargoyle. He dropped to the floor and grunted as he took the hit to the back, shielding Anastasia from the blow, "Goddamn…" He grunted, "I thought Tremere were supposed to be weak…"

Iphigenia lifted the sledgehammer, reeling back to hit him in the head, "And I thought Gangrel were prone to frenzying, but I suppose you're enough of a beast as it is."

He rolled out of the way as cinderblock and pieces of tile floor spit up in his face. Quickly getting to his feet again, he clung onto Anastasia like she was a child. He knew at least Victor could use Suicide. He knew Victor was playing with them, he was getting joy from this, specifically from dealing with Anastasia. He ran towards the wall, hoping to bust through it and make a mad dash for it, so long as his humanity remained intact.

"You cannot escape me…" Victor ran after him and tackled him over, still armed with his knife, "Where was all that you said before about revenge? Hmm?" He taunted, "Aren't you going to strike me down?"

Skelter grunted as Anastasia rolled out from his grasp. But instead of freaking out or frenzying, he grabbed onto Victor's shoulders and reared his head back to bash it into Victor's. Even afterwards, he held onto Victor tightly, not letting him up.

Victor flinched, feeling incredibly dizzy, "Iphigenia…" He ordered bewilderedly, "You have more blood than I…immobilize these fools…"

She dropped the sledgehammer and held a hand out towards Skelter, a bolt of blood struck Skelter in the face. He grunted and held onto Victor tightly, wrestling him over so Victor was on the bottom. He was about to lunge in and bite Victor's throat out when Iphigenia grabbed the sledgehammer and swung it down in the same spot she did before.

Skelter screamed as he fell back to the ground and held his back, completely immobilized. His breathing grew raspy before he got back to his feet, the Beast consuming him. Iphigenia stepped back, her eyes wide with fear as she grabbed Victor's arm and pulled him to his feet.

Victor snickered darkly, heading over to Anastasia slowly, the latter of which already backing away from him. He picked up some fallen debris, a piece of wood. He gauged it for a minute or two, seeing if the wood shard or his knife was sharper. He ran at Anastasia, slitting her throat with his knife and kicking her against the wall. She screamed in pain, completely powerless as Victor started carving off every piece of flesh on her body he could find.

He was drowned in a mist of deep satisfaction, until he heard a completely unrecognizable scream. He turned his head to see Skelter taking Iphigenia's waist in his mouth and shaking her around like a dog with a chew toy, before he tossed her in the air and battered her down to the ground. She was coated in blood, so he knew she had a blood shield, but she still wheezed and groaned as he stepped on her over and over again, roaring. She'd use Blood Strike on him, but it seemed to hardly damage him with his thick pelt and hide.

As for the sledgehammer? It was just a few inches out of reach.

Victor stuck the bloodied knife in his mouth. It looked like he was enjoying his live dissection way too much to be involved, "Damned frenzying dog, is that all they do?" He would have to cut this short. He stimulated his blood, letting it run through his veins and reanimate and strengthen his muscles. With Blood Buff up, he reared the wooden shard back and penetrated Anastasia's chest with it. Anastasia choked, as he blood spilled everywhere. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she laid completely limp on the ground. Victor turned around, trying to take advantage of the last few moments of Blood Buff. He ran at Skelter, slashing him in the back with his knife.

The beast gave a pained growl as he turned away from Iphigenia and looked at Victor with nothing but hunger in his eyes. He reared a massive paw back to swat Victor's head off from the rest of his body. Victor swallowed hard, he jumped back, "Iphigenia! Run! Get out of here! I will follow shortly!"

She gave a weak moan as she got to her feet, kicking her heels aside as she deactivated the Blood Shield and limped off.

The beast panted a bit, Victor could tell he didn't have much fuel left at all. He still lunged forward with the ferocity of a werewolf to bite him in the face. Victor dodged again, escaping himself when he found an opportune moment.

The beast looked around dumbly, completely missing where Victor went. His vision was beginning to get hazy, his moments stunted and delayed. His hearing completely left him, until his sight darkened to nothing. He gave a soft moan as he fell on his face and returned to his human-like form, completely unconscious.


A sneer spread its way across Killian's lips as he rolled his eyes, looking at his watch. He thought the cluster of people crowded outside Vesuvius would fade away after a few moments, as it usually did. Isaac was smart when he designed his venues, he knew the people wouldn't want to stand out in the dark night streets longer than they had to. There were pleasant waiting rooms inside, spaces for people. So why was it so packed?

He'd been standing out there for a total of two minutes before he grabbed the shoulder of the man in front of him, "The hell's going on in there?" Irritated? Sure. Frustrated? Sort of. He was more afraid, hoping nothing terrible had happened to VV.

"They got the hottest chick in Hollywood dancing tonight!" He said, "God, she's to die for…you ever see her? Velvet Velour?"

Velvet dancing? She took pride in her dancing, sure, something Killian could respect. But she hardly danced anymore. She had so many dancers that needed money for food, for living conditions, she understood that. So much so, that she never danced. She let them take the money, only forking in a very small profit for herself. She was likely one of the best employers in the area, it was no wonder any aspiring dancer wanted to go to Vesuvius.

But VV dancing? That meant one of two things. And neither of them were good.

He pushed his way through the crowd, earning a series of hollering and outraged fans as he went in. It was even packed in the lobby, and the main room. Sure, there were a few girls giving lap dances, but a huge horde of men surrounded a pole in the center of the room. And there she was, twirling around upside down with more skill than Killian had ever seen. He was stunned, momentarily, wondering if she could even make a mistake at all.

She seemed to have caught his eye, or perhaps it was his bright blonde hair. Regardless, she eventually got off the pole, men throwing their entire wallets at her. She didn't take a single penny, instead she approached Killian. Her voice was even softer than usual, with no inflection at all, "I'd like for you to leave."

Yeah, something was definitely wrong. "V…hey, what's wrong?"

"Just leave." She demanded sharply, they were certainly attracting attention, "Go…"

He took her arm, she met his gaze with tears burning in her eyes, "I'll be in your VIP room." He said, "You'll meet me there."

"I will do no such thing." She tore away from him, "I don't listen to men who tell me what to do."

"I know you don't." He said bluntly, "Maybe you should."

"Get away from me." She demanded, turning her shoulder towards him.

"What did I do, V?" He asked, "If you're not going to answer, I'll wait in that VIP room all god damn night if I have to."

"Then go ahead, be my guest!" She swatted a hand at him and went back to the pole in the center of the room.

Killian scowled as he turned away and went back towards the VIP room, wondering what exactly put her in such a foul mood. Never had he seen her so bitter. All four years of this life that he knew her, she was never like this. She never got angry with someone, besides herself, perhaps. She would carefully craft a passive response, if you really bothered her, but she would never hiss or spit at someone, never raise her voice.

He settled himself on the couch with just a few layers of leather. Honestly, the sofa could use some more cushioning, but it was designed for style, which he could understand. It was clearly comfortable enough for him to lean back on and doze off.

His eye peeked open when he heard the door close. VV walked in and took her heels off, her toenails painted deep red. "Your snoring could be heard from the lobby."

He rubbed his eyes, "My bad…" He said, "Guess it's instinct, huh?"

"What do you need, dear?" She asked, her eyes weary.

"What do I need?" He asked, "I need my girlfriend to stop being so…" He held a hand up, "Weird."

"Weird…? That's what I am…?" She crossed her arms and looked away, "You can leave now."

"What's wrong, V?"

She paused, clearly he wasn't going to leave her alone, "Have you ever…had a day, where everything seems…seems to go wrong?" She said, "I just…I needed some grounding. I needed something that wouldn't go wrong. Dancing…it's always been something I've had…it's always been there for me, it's been a way for me to express myself, to empower myself…that's all."

"Alright, I get that." He said, "So why did you have a shitty day, is my question?"

She rubbed her forehead as tears leaked down her cheeks, "Slade…" She whimpered.

He sighed, "Slade…it's always Slade, isn't it? God, you're fucking obsessed with him!" He said, "Guess what, VV? You win, I'm jealous. You give that kid more attention in one day then you've given me in our entire relationship. I'm your guy, VV, your boyfriend, the person you're, you know, supposed to fall back on? I'm not too good at all this monogamy shit, but I know a thing or two about it, and whatever the hell you're doing…" He shook his head, "It's just wrong."

"It isn't about you, Killian…" She said, "It's never been about you…"

His brow furrowed, "So I just don't matter?"

"Can't you see?" She turned around, "Slade…" She shook her head, "I loved him. I'll admit it, if that's…if that's really what you need. He was always there for me." Her voice faltered, she swallowed hard in hope it would come back, "Always. He did what I told him to, and he respected me." Dark tears trickled down her cheeks, "He saw me for who I am, he didn't judge me, or even get mad at me for Embracing him. No, he cared about me, he cared about me!" She exclaimed. It was like Killian was speaking to a whole new woman, "And…and they've…" She looked away and shook her head, "They've turned him into some sort of…of monster…"

"They?" Killian asked, "VV, that was you."

She bit her lip as she leaned against the wall, "It…it couldn't have been…he was kind…even as a Kindred, he was kind…He'd hold me and say…such nice things…and he was so scared…so, so scared. It all built up around him, a wall of enemies…he just couldn't balance it all…he couldn't handle it, maybe you're right, maybe it is my fault!" She decided, "I should never have met him, I should never have spent one second around him, I've done nothing but ruin his life!"

Killian looked towards the door, "I don't get it." He turned back to her, "Why are we together then? Why do you even try with me? I'm not anything like him. I'm angry, I'm bulky, I'm…I'm just nothing like him…"

"You think I don't know that?" She asked softly, a tone of irritation in her voice.

He crossed his arms, "Well, guess I should thank you for at least having the dignity not to sigh his name when I'm getting you off. Least you kept quiet about it. Cause that's so much better."

She sobbed into her hands, "Why doesn't he like me…? What did I do wrong…?"

"I don't know, V." Killian's voice was low. Killian could cry, he wasn't afraid of sadness. It just wasn't something he experienced often. Most of the time, he found his sadness living for about three seconds, before an overwhelming sense of anger consumed anything else.

"It's because I coddled him…" She sniffed, "I treated him like a child, it drove him away…" A sob shook her chest, "Do you know what he said to me? He told me he needs to be his own type of man to get by in this world…he needs a man's mindset." She sniffed again, "Because I'm just in his way, aren't I?" She asked weakly, "I've been in his way from the very beginning…I've just been another obstacle for him…so why…why did I let him do that to me?"

"Do what?" His voice lacked any sort of care.

"Why did I let him get inside my head?" She exclaimed, "That is the only place I don't allow men…I don't allow anyone. Not after…" She closed her eyes tightly, she couldn't even look at Killian and think about his family, "Not after everything…my mind is the place that…that is mine…it's the only thing I have…and he took it away from me…"

Killian stood up, "I'm leaving."

She sniffed as she grit her teeth, "Good….that's all you were good for, wasn't it? You can trust me with your problems, but what happens when I need you? When I need someone to listen, you just leave?"

"I thought that's what Slade was for."

She put her face in her hands, "Get out of my sight."

He went downstairs, then turned to the girls who were still staying late for some extra cash. His pause only lasted a brief moment, before he turned and walked in.


A/N: Two Kindred in torpor, two more experiencing a break-up…or is it? Thanks for reading!