Chapter 63 – Epilogue
80 years later
Godric the Gaul worked diligently with the various branches of American law enforcement for several decades, rather than the five years originally agreed upon, before 'retiring' to return to private life. In the early days of his work, he suggested that in order to maintain an adequate threat level to vampires for criminal activity in the American criminal justice system, that no vampires convicted of multiple crimes should ever have concurrent sentences; rather, they should be sentenced to consecutive sentences which would ensure incarceration long enough to keep vampires disposed to commit crimes on the straight and narrow. The laws to enforce this idea were swiftly enacted on both the federal and state levels and to this day remain in effect in spite of two challenges through the Supreme Court.
Because it often takes a long time for a criminal to come to trial, especially high-profile criminals, this change in the law was enacted prior to the trials for the suspects involved with the Stackhouse kidnap case and the attempted overthrow of the American government, and the sentences handed down in those cases were as follows:
Bill Compton – convicted in Louisiana of conspiracy to commit kidnapping; sentenced to 25 years in prison. Paroled for good behavior after 9 years. Earned his bachelor's degree in prison in computer technology; however, his conviction prevented him for working in any field that involved any finances. Unable to find an I.T. job, he started working behind the shoe counter of a bowling alley where he remains to this day, his computer skills now hopelessly out-of-date.
Lorena Ball – convicted in Louisiana of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit assault, vandalism, and conspiracy to commit murder; sentenced to 75 years in prison. Bad behavior prohibited parole; she served the entire sentence. Released two years ago, she was staked three nights after her new-found freedom for threatening a nest of vampires who refused to grant her admission to their group.
Andre Paul – declared criminally insane; incarcerated in the Louisiana state facility for the criminally insane. Reviews for sanity and release every 2 years. Still incarcerated after nearly 80 years; attending psychiatrists do not foresee a release date as it appears that Mr. Paul's mental health is still in a state of decline. The two vampires who had been working with him to kidnap the Stackhouses were each convicted of accessory to attempted kidnapping, sentenced to 15 years each and paroled after 8 years.
Felipe de Castro – Convicted in Nevada of kidnapping and sex trafficking; sentenced to 50 and 25 years consecutively in prison. Paroled in poverty after 55 years. Would have been released 10 years earlier but for his penchant to wear his bedsheets as capes. Prison psychologists saw this as a dangerous delusion.
Sophie Ann LeClerq – convicted in Louisiana of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, assaulting federal law enforcement officers, and embezzlement. Sentenced to consecutive sentences equaling 175 years in prison. Still incarcerated and not eligible for parole for another twenty years. One of the stipulations of her incarceration was that she would have to release each of her progeny.
Wybert and Sigebert were never charged with any crimes and remained free. Once released by their maker, they moved together to Muscle Shoals, Alabama where they used their savings to open a successful Big and Tall Menswear Shop.
Clancy and Freyda – mysteriously disappeared and were never heard from again…
Dermott Brigant – returned to Fae and ultimately executed for crimes against his sovereign.
Floyd Grout of Parhump, Nevada – worked out a plea bargain which lowered attempting kidnapping charges down to a single charge of attempted malicious mischief with intent to cause harm and was placed on five years probation. Six months into his probation he was arrested with an under-aged prostitute in the back seat of a car on the Las Vegas strip, and served the rest of his term as a guest of the Nevada Department of Corrections alongside the actual Were kidnappers of Jason Stackhouse, who were all serving 25 years each for kidnap for hire. The incarceration of the Weres forced their reveal to the world since they must change at the full moon, and the prison had to take the necessary precautions.
Vampires of the failed United States revolution – varying sentences based on the level of participation in the uprising, and then paroled in accordance with cooperation, only on proving rehabilitation and ability to assimilate into American culture. Total length of sentences varied from 5 years to the current date (more than 75 years after conviction). Most released within first 20 years.
Diane Johnson – entered the witness protection program, and under her new identity, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree through a combined online/night school curriculum in business administration. She is now working in Silicon Valley as an administrator for a Fortune 500 company, and she's currently happily married to her long-time love, international civil rights attorney, Sylvia Delaney, a human.
Malcolm and Liam – convicted in Louisiana of murder in the first degree, with special circumstance; sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Will never be released, and kept in separation from the human prison population, therefore subsisting only on True Blood for eternity. Fifty-two years, three months, fifteen days into the sentence, Liam thrust a pencil into his own heart to meet the true death. Malcolm lacked the courage for such an act, and now lives alone in prison isolation, without access to television, computers, or music… or humans…
Victor Madden – his name was neither reported nor revealed, and he passed, unknown, into oblivion.
Back to the Present Day
The pole made a soft kerplunk sound as it entered the water again, and there were soft lapping sounds as the water gently splashed against the boat as it moved through the canal. The vampire and his bride held one another as he fulfilled his promise to take her on a late-night gondola ride on their honeymoon. The nearly full moon was shining brightly overhead and reflected like so many diamonds on the rippling dark water of the canal.
The beautiful fairy bride giggled merrily after something that the vampire had whispered in her ear. In return, she whispered something in his ear which caused him to smile broadly and chuckle. And then they gazed into each other's eyes and kissed, deeply, passionately. They looked so… happy.
I smirked as the gondola moved past me without notice. I remained in the shadows as I watched them pass. As much as I wanted to eviscerate the vampire for what he had done to me and mine, I would let them have this short time together. Patience was a virtue I'd spent millennia perfecting. Yes, I would destroy the Viking. Then, the fairy princess would be mine…
AN: Well, here we are at the end of the story. Thank you so, so, so much for all of the support I've gotten from so many readers along the way. I am very serious about the possibility of a sequel, so if you'd like to make sure you get alerted to that, make sure you 'follow' or 'favorite' me as an author. That way, anything I post in the future will give you an email notice. At least, I think that's how it works. At any rate, I want to really, really thank all who reviewed since the last posting, as of 10/11/20: AmandaKate92, April4evr, bttrflybelle, Asami's clown, msbuffi, Nicolle1977, ciasteczko (which I was delighted to learn is Polish for Cookie!), Duckbutt, FanFicGirl5000, Perfecta999, Jackie69
