THE RETURN OF FORREST GATES
by Soledad Cartwright
A ''Pathways in the Dark'' story.
Disclamer: Most of the characters in this story belong to their respective creators. The Nosferatu characters' names were borrowed from the Nosferatu Genealogy of White Wolf Online. I don't know a thing about them, but found the names interesting and gave the characters a background of my own.
Rating: R (I think), for f/m sexual context and blood play
Author's notes:
I've been asked about the many Nosferatu characters that appear in this part of the story - seemingly without any reason. Well, that is not entirely so, although the reason might not be clear just yet. Later, when Hawk moves to L.A. to take over the responsibility of the Nosferatu Primogen, these very same vampires would form the hard core of his followers, building, uncharacteristically, a Nosferatu community which will support their Primogen - and the new Prince of the City (who is Angel) as well - with crucial information the Nosferatu are so very talented to gather. I had to introduce them somewhere, and since this is a Nosferatu story altogether, I thought it would be the best place.
About the Claiming - this is part of the feudal system vampiric culture kept alive from the Middle Ages. Again, you might or might not agree with my concept in this (shared by many fellow writers, by the way). I just wanted to warn you, that it plays an important part in my AU.
There will be probably two or three more chapters to this particular story - eventually.
CHAPTER TREE: BECOMING A MONSTER
Timeline: Summer break of 2000
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Timeline: Summer break of 2000
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The small interlude with his newly-Embraced Chidle had left Hawk extremely horny. It was pure luck that Bat Child found Sunset just about the same time.
The young black woman was a Nosferatu, no doubt about it, but a Failed one: a clanless Anarch, with mixed blood in her veins, made by some idiotic minions - practically raped over to eternal unlife by a buch of other clanless Anarch. She used to reside in L.A., until a rather unfriendly run-in with Angelus, only a few weaks earlier,* and fled to Sunnydale, hoping to find a better hiding place in the vast underground caverns. But she only found the Slayer and her lackeys, and was now in just as much danger as in L.A.
Bat Childe found her wounded and scared in an abandoned crypt and rought her to the Primogen to decide about her fate. Hawk eyed the girl meticiously and liked what he saw. She wasn't very tall, but slender and pleasantly rounded on all the right places, with firm breasts and an especially sweet, round ass, her thighs well-shaped and musculous. Exactly the thing he needed in his bed, at least until his Childe could take that place, specifically reserved for him.
''Do you want to join our Clan, following the Rules and Traditions of the Camarilla?'' He asked. The girl glared at him with big, terrified eyes. She'd never even heard about the Camarilla, but she knew all too well, that without a pack, her chances to survive were almost nothing. Still, she wasn't able to give a proper answer, since she hadn't even understood the question.
''Who's your Sire?'' Hawk continued.
The girl shrugged. ''I don't know. I was attacked by a street gang and got bitten. I thought I was gonna die. Then I awoke alone, some time later, hurting all over, crazy with the Thirst...''
''She's not one of poor blood'', Bat Child said. ''I'm afraid, there were several minions of different origins who made her. But she's Nosferatu... more or less.''
''That won't be a problem'', Hawk said. ''I'll Claim her and declare her part of my own family.''
''That might not be enough'', Bat Child warned him. ''She hasn't been properly Embraced. She won't be able to control the Beast, unless you Blood Bond her.''
Hawk shook his head. ''I don't intend to take her freedom. Taking her in my bed is one thing... but the Blood Bond would make her less than a slave.''
''And more than a lover'', Bat Childe remainded gently. ''As her Regnant, you would be able to control her blood lust, read her thoughts - and she'd be able to read yours. She'd never be alone again - and you'd have a willing lover for your pleasure.''
''Exactly the thing I won't force upon anyone. We're not the Ventrue, Bat Child.''
''But she might need it, Hawk'', the smaller Nosferatu insisted. ''Look how confused, frightened and lost she is. She needs your guidance, your protection... and your skills. You can teach her things she'd never dreamed of. Otherwise, I won't give her a decade. Not here, in the Slayer's Domain... or in L.A., in Angelus'.''
Hawk had to agree with the wisdom of Bat Child's words. Still...
''I'll think about it'', he said. ''First let me tend her injuries. Then I'll Claim her. We can decide about the rest later.''
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sunset didn't object, so Hawk cleaned up her wounds, then took her to his bedroom.
''Sit'', he instructed her. ''Before we take this any further, I want you to understand your choices.''
''Do I have any?'' the young woman asked bitterly.
Hawk nodded. ''Sure. You can leave Angelus' Domain and seek shelter in an Anarch or Sabbat city. I won't keep you here by force. Or you can stay here with us and move back to L.A. as a part of my household.''
''Which part?''
''There are three possibilities. You can accept my protection, as long as you keep the Rules of the Camarilla. I'll plea for your safety by Angelus, and he'll most likely provide it. Or I can Claim you, adopting you into my own bloodline. This way, you'd be officially my Childe, no matter who your real Sires used to be. It would give you a stable place in Kindred society. Or I can Blood Bond you, make you my thrall. As your Regnant, I'd take every responsibility from you. You'd be safe and guarded every moment in your unlife. But you won't be free any more. You'd be my property. As Bat Chidle said: more than a lover but less than a slave.''
Sunset shuddered. ''N-noo... I won't be your slave. I won't be anybody's property. If this is the only way, I'd rather you killed me now.''
''It's not the only way'', Hawk said, ''and I won't force this Ventrue slavery upon you. I've been born into slavery after all, I know damn well what's it like. That's why I offer you the choice. Do you want to stay with us? To belong to my household?''
Sunset rose her eyes to face him. ''Yes, please'', she said quietly. ''I do want to belong. You can screw me as much as you want, just let me stay.''
''Sunset, the Claiming isn't simply sex'', Hawk explained patiently. ''It's about making a Childe my own, through blood-sharing and - well, sex, too. My scent on you would tell every other Kindred that you have a legitimate Sire now, a bloodline and a family that will protect you. But you can simply stay with us as an associate, too, if the Claiming goes against your wish.''
''It doesn't mean too much to me'', Sunset admitted. ''I just don't want to be alone any more.''
''It should mean a lot to you'', Hawk warned. ''Once Claimed, I can demand from you to share my bed any time I want. The Claiming gives me the full Sire's rights over a Childe. I also can send you to my Childe when I feel it necessary. Are you ready to accept that?''
Sunset nodded. She knew full well what becoming the Childe of the intimidating Nosferatu would mean. But it was still better - a whole lot better - than living on her own, without guidance and protection. At least Hawk gave her a choice.
''I understand'', she said in a somewhat shaky voice, ''and I choose to belong to your family. I never really had a family... not even when I was still Warm.''
The big, scary man nodded.
''Very well. Then come to my bed now.'' Sunset obeyed, and there hadn't been much talking for a very long time. Hawk turned out to be almost gentle in bed, certainly more so than the males of the Anarch gang that had made Sunset and continued using her in an almost rape-like fashion. It was actually more like lovemaking than the casual, rough fucking she was used to. And when she felt the fangs of her foster Sire piercing her neck, Sunset went over the edge and truly climaxed, for the very first time since her Becoming.
Hawk was thoroughly enjoying himself. It had been too long for him, and the small, firm body under him so beautifully yielding. He only used the basics of his skills to bring the girl to release and was surprised by her explosive reaction when he marked her.
''Good girl'', he murmured, waiting for her to calm down. ''Bat Child almost manages to find the jewels in the dirt. You still have to learn a lot, though, before I can give you to my Childe... but I'll teach you. I want you to be his.. and I want you to be able to satisfy his needs... all of them.''
''And yours'', Sunset looked up to him with pleading eyes. ''Please, Sire...''
The word falling from her quivering lips warmed Hawk's heart. He might not have made her, still, she was his Childe now - and what a sweet, eager Childe she was!
''If you want to'', he agreed. ''You are mine now. I'll love you and teach you and protect you, just as I do with my boy. I'll take care of your needs and expect the same from you. I won't Blood Bond you, since it's against your wish, but by sharing my blood with you, we'll have a bond anyway... one tha doesn't bond your will, bu connects you to me. You'll never be alone any more.''
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Recovery had been a long time for young Forrest - Hawk had learnt his name finally, after Four-Eyes, their computer wizard, managed to copy all the remaining Initiative files in the collapsed labs and comb through them -; it took him months, despite andvanced Kindred healing. Most of this time he spent laying naked among the soft, white silk sheets Hawk had purchased for him - even clothing would have been painful for his slowly healing wounds. But he was recovering, nevertheless, and spent more and more time awake - well, half-awake at least. Anyway, it made him more able to listen to the murmured conversations around him.
The others kept watching ober him, never leaving him alone, not even for a sec, and he slowly started to notice small differences between them - beyond the obvious ones as gender and skin colour. Listening to their conversations, he began to know him more and more every passing day, and understood, how lucky he was comparing to them, who didn't even know their Sires, or what generation they actualy belonged, which made them hardly more than outcasts even among their own Clan. Very few respected Kindred were open-minded enough to look at their achievments and worthiness, instead of their unlucky origins.
Four-Eyes, for example, had been around for almost two centuries. He used to be a college professor - a historian -, until forcibly Embraced by some unknown Nosferatu in the cellar of his own college. He went through the burtal Change without any help, and miraculously kept his sanity, but lost everything else that had ever made his life worthwile: his beloved profession, his wife and small children, all his belongings. Out of fear that he might harm his mortal family when the Beast gets out of control, he left the small town he'd spent his whole mortal life after he finished Becoming, without looking back. Fortunately, later he met the Justicar Petrodon (Hawk's Sire), who was impressed by his knowledge and kept him on his side to teach his Childer. When Hawk was selected as L.A. Primogen, Petrodon asked Four-Eyes (who got his name because of his old-fashioned glasses) to join him. The two having been friends for over a century, Four-Eyes readily obeyed. Forrest grew fond of the tall, uncharacteristically well-clad Nosferatu scholar, who still looked like a college professor (except of his taloned hands, but he had learnt to work with his talons on computers years ago), and was a bit disappointed when the man left for L.A. to prepare their new haven. But Hawk promised him that Four-Eyes will be available and happy to share his knowledge, once they had moved to L.A. themselves.
Bat Child, of course, was another matter entirely. He went willingly and eagerly into the Dark - but suffered severe memory loss during the Change, which wasn't so merciful to him as to Four-Eyes. The small guy must have died severely malnourished, since he looked so incredibly thin, and his face looked more like that of a bat (with big, pointed ears and an elongated snout) than that of a man. He was also often dirty and smelly from the sewers where he spent most of his time and wore filthy clothes, despite Hawk's efforts to keep him in a somewhat acceptable shape. But he had a gentle, almost child-like soul, longing for love and acceptance - and an irresistible curiosity. Forrest was deeply grateful for that, since this curiosity was what actually saved his life, leading Bat Child into the remnants of the Initiative labs where the small Nosferatu detected his broken, dying body. Bat Child was used to be tossed around and looked down at, and followed Hawk - the only respectable member of the Clan who seemed to genuinely like him - around like a faithful puppy.
Isis actually represented an anomaly in Clan Nosferatu, through the fact that she was beautiful: a small, fragile-looking, dark-skinned woman of Indian descent, who looked incredibly sexy with her fine-boned, bald skull, pointed, little fairy ears, long, graceful neck and huge, cat-like dark eyes. As a mortal, she served in a Temple of Kali as a sacral dancer and became orphaned after the priests destroyed her Sire and lover. Isis took bloody vengeance on the priests, then, after having lived in the ruins of the Temple for decades (and being feared and worshipped by the local folks as an incarnation of the Goddess), she left India and came to the States through Singapore, some time in the late 19th century.
Chen was her lover and her soul-mate ever since. Chen used to be a middle-aged Chinese merchant whose family had been killed during the Boxer Rebellion. He also was one of the very few people who've experienced the actions of Angelus and his family first hand and lived to tell the tale... well, sort of, since he'd already been a vampire at that time, albeit a newly made one, and watched with morbid fascination the Anarch clan falling apart because of Angelus' regaining his soul. He warned the Slayer (who, in fact, had been a niece of his), not to go after the weakened Master Vampire, because he knew that the youngest member of the group. William the Bloody, would defend his Master by any means necessary, but the girl wouldn't listen. When she was killed, there weren't any living family left for Chen to protect. He decided to leave China and start a new unlife (since his Sire got killed in the fire in Beijing, before he could ask which bloodline he actually belonged). Luckily, he met Isis in Singapore shortly after that, and they never left each other any more.
Peter, the Cockroach, a small, puny and ugly guy, had already lived in the sewers as a human. He was homeless, penniless, without any family and without a job, in spite of his incerdible mechanical skills. One night, a hungry Nosferatu group invided his hiding hole and decided to take him as dinner. They got a bit carried away with feeding and drained him almost completely. When his heart stopped, the vampires got worried (they were Camarilla types, after all) and hurriedly Embraced him - then abandoned him, as soon as he went through the Change. He was never told which one had actually sired him. After decades of aimless and lonely wanderings he ended up in Sunnydale, shortly after the big earthquake. Here he met Bat Childe, and they had stuck together against the rest of the world ever since.
Sunset was the youngest addition to the group - and the youngest one, too, only a couple of years in the Dark. Isis took the confused girl under her wings, shared her centuries-long experience with her, taught her, guided her. Forrest was surprised that the girl was able to keep her hair and a thoroughly human appearance - not unlike the vampires he was used to through his Initiative work -, but the others explained him that Sunset, in fact, was of mixed heritage, just as most of the Caitiff at the Hellmouth, and so her Change was only partial, at least on the outside.
This was the family he found, after having died not only once but twice already - but this time, it seemed, he was in for the duration. Save of unfortunate accidents or a run-in with the Slayer, he was done with dying, forever.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* See: First Impressions, AtS, season2.
For better visualisation, I've 'cast' actors for the parts of the Nosferatu characters - as follows:
Four-Eyes -Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson from Stargate)
Sunset -Kelli Kirkland (the young black felamle vampire from First Impressions, AtS)
Chen -Robert Ito (Sam Fujigama from the TV-series ''Quincy M.E.'')
Isis - Persis Khambatta (Ilia from the 1st Star Trek movie)
Bat Child - Dustin Hoffman (no need to introduce him, hopefully; I was inspired by his character in Asphalt Cowboy)
Peter the Cocroach -Max Grodénchik (Rom the Ferengi from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Alonzo Guillen -Peter Williams (Apophis from Stargate - the character will appear later, in L.A.)