In Death I Am With You

Eve rolled away from her nightmares and stared blankly at the dark blue paint on her walls. All night she had dreamed about her visions, all night she had expected the mystery to be solved. There was no answer; she still didn't know what was happening. Sitting up she was startled by the ring of her telephone. Answering took effort and she fumbled with the telephone.

"Hello?"

"Hey there, I heard you were at the Raven last night." Brent's voice rumbled warmly through her ears. " I heard you met a mystery man."

Eve frowned, " How would you know that?"

He laughed and it resonated through her. " How about you tell me all about him when I come over?"

"When are you coming?" She asked, trying to figure out what time it was.

"I'll be there in about ten minutes." He laughed again and hung up.

Eve sat in her warm bed and stared at her telephone trying to figure it out. Brent was coming over. Brent? Why? She shook her head and hurried to get ready. For once she tried hard not to dress in black, instead she wore a navy blue shirt with dark blue jeans. Leaving her hair the way it was she raced down stairs just as he knocked.

Opening the door she was taken back by what she saw, instead of a white chef's coat she saw a cashmere sweater and tailored slacks. Looking up into his face, Eve registered that he was grinning at her.

"Hello to you as well." He said lightly as he swept back his hair with a smooth motion. "Can I come in or do you have company?" The tease was obvious.

"Are you here to tease me or what?" Eve snapped as she stepped aside and waved him in. "I thought you were working?"

"It's just before seven in the evening, Evelyn." Brent managed to sound serious while grinning at her. " So tell me about this man of yours."

"There is no one." She countered, walking into the kitchen. Hiding in the refrigerator appealed about now. Instead she took out food and stared at it for a moment. " At least not that I know of, he was pretty cool about things. Besides he's got a girlfriend."

Brent perched himself across from the sink as she rooted around for a frying pan. " How about a name for this man?"

"Uh," She paused and had to think about it. " I think he said it was LaCroix or something like that."

"Really?"

Eve turned, her eyes staring very closely at him. " What Brent?"

He shrugged, " Nothing."

"No there is something. You know him don't you?" She forgot about her food and gave the man her full attention. " Spill it." Brent met her eyes for a moment a charge filled the air and made her skin tingle. "What are you doing?"

He blinked and sat back, " Evelyn I think we need to have a long talk."

"About what?"

"About this man you met and about you and about me." Brent relocated to the living room but just paced back and forth. " This isn't something we are encouraged to share with...humans. But seeing as you've met Nick and Jeanette and even LaCroix, well it just seems natural you would know the truth."

Eve arched a brow as she sank into the couch and watch Brent pace. " What are you going on about?"

Brent paused to look at her for a long couple of minutes. "When you met Nick did you feel anything?"

She smirked. " Yeah."

"No I mean, did you skin tingle or anything like that?"

"Not that I can remember, but when I met LaCroix is sure as hell did. It was like there were fire ants crawling under my skin." She shivered at the memory and remembered how he had spoken and she had melted. " When he spoke my will melted."

Brent frowned. " How strange," He shrugged, " It must be his personality."

"Brent please just explain yourself."

"You're familiar with the legend of Dracula right?"

Eve laughed, " Everyone is, what has that got to do with anything?"

Brent took a deep breath, dropped his head and slowly lifted it up. Eve choked at what she saw and felt her blood go still. Instinct told her to run for cover and to get away from him. But she sat rooted to her seat and stared at the glowing green eyes and fangs that sparkled in her friends mouth.

"Look at me and tell me if you can still bear to talk to me." Brent's words were muffled as he spoke to her.

"Oh my god, how can you...I don't believe..." Eve felt tears and shook her head. "Brent why?"
His confusion showed as he reverted to normal. " Why what?"

"Why has this happened to me?" She started to cry and pressed her hands to eyes.

He sat down and pulled her close. "Eve what do you mean?"

"When I had the vision of my mothers death I saw a vampire in it. He wasn't doing the murder but he was involved in other ways. I could feel it then and I always feared that he was still out there. Waiting for me to fall into a trap and then he could kill me too."

Brent pulled in a breath. " Could you recognize him?"

Eve nodded. " I know his signature."

"Come with me." Brent pulled her feet and out the door. " I know someone you need to talk to." Using the elevator, they went up to the top of the building and down to one of two doors. He knocked and pulled it aside leading her in with a tug and closing the door behind him.

Eve stared at the grand piano, the skyline view of the city and the leather furniture. There was a second floor that could be glimpsed from the main floor. It looked like a bedroom and private art collection.

"Nick!" Brent called up and the blonde detective looked down at them. " We need you."

Eve stared at the three-piece suit and thick shoulder length blonde hair. That explained the accent and the look in his eyes. Everything fell into place as she watched him descend the stairs and approach them.

"Hello again Miss Glassman." He smiled slightly. " I see Brent finally came clean with you. He has been moaning about it for weeks."

"We have a problem Nicolas." Brent said harshly. " There was a vampire involved with her mother's murder."

Nick looked at her for a moment. " Would you care to sit down Miss Glassman?"

She took a seat at the nearby table as Brent and Nick sat down across from her. Brent stood up seconds later and began to pace again.

"For heaven's sakes Brennan just relax." Nick shook his head slightly. " Now can you tell me what you saw?"

"It was a few weeks after my mother's death, I was staying with my father and it hit me. Just like in the Raven last night. Like a wall it slammed into my body and ran through it like fire. I saw faces and people, it felt like I was back in the eighteen hundreds." As Eve talked, she let the memory play out. When something clicked in her mind. " Holy shit, he did it again."

Nick and Brent exchanged glances, " Who did what?"

"It was the same guy that forced Matt to have that car accident, he was controlling him. He was controlling the whole thing." Eve wanted to cry but hot anger burned up her tears.

"How can you tell?" Nick asked.
"A feeling, a hunch, something in the two visions is the same. It's the same person, I know it."

"We have to tell LaCroix," Brent jumped in, " If there are any old ones around he would know it. Besides you said her vision involved him as well. It could be that this guy is going to try and go after LaCroix too."

Nick frowned, " LaCroix can take care of himself."

Eve turned to look at Brent only to turn and find herself looking into a different room. A roaring fire sat in a black marble fireplace; chintz furniture sat in a Victorian drawing room. Sitting in the high-backed chair was the man. As he turned in the chair she something snap in her mind. Fear crawled up her spine and exploded in a thousand binding arms. It couldn't be! Eve tried to turn away from it, tried to stop the rest of the vision. She didn't want to see this!

"Evelyn!" Brent grabbed her and shook her. " Evelyn talk to me, tell me what is happening!"

She had fallen to the floor on her knees and was shaking. Although her eyes were open, it was clear she wasn't seeing them but another place. Something that she didn't like, tears were falling as she struggled to speak and control her shaking body.

"It's him," her words were broken and tight as if she were drowning. " He's close, sitting in a drawing room in front of a fire. He's trying to hold onto me, to keep me with him. It's him."

Nick removed Brent's hands and held the vampire back. " You shake her any harder you will break her. Now calm down Brennan, go and call Jeanette tell her what has happened." He pushed the man toward the telephone and knelt beside Eve. " Can you describe where the this room is located?"

"No he is blocking me. God he is strong."

"Evelyn you need to focus, is he really in the room or is it an illusion?" Nick was speaking calmly as he gently held her shoulders.

Eve fought back the waves of pain as she struggled to maintain her sanity. "He's elsewhere."

"Do you know where?"

"I can't." She gave a final shudder and collapsed in his arms. Nick jumped back at the first drops of blood that ran from her nose. " Brent!"

The vampire appeared with telephone in a hand. " Jeanette says that LaCroix was summoned to a meeting in the city. She doesn't know where but said he was upset by it."

"Come on, we need to get to him." Nick stood and moved to carry Eve but pulled away. Instead, he pressed fingers to neck, " Her pulse is weak and fading fast. Get her to the club see if Jeanette can help her, I'll find LaCroix."

**
The Raven was busy but no sound reached the back rooms of the club. Brent wanted to pace and sit at the same time. He couldn't stand to look at Eve's pale face and do nothing. She had been his friend, his work-mate for years. Never once did she complain like some of the others. Very rarely did she ask for days off even though she had been so busy. When he looked at Evelyn Reed, he saw his former life. That had been over a thousand years ago, but when he looked at Eve, he saw the spirit of his people, his clan. He saw his love and wanted to hold onto it forever.

"Brennan, you can't will her back to life." Jeanette gently closed the door behind her. " I have called for Dr. Lambert to come. She is on her way." The woman settled into a chair and gazed at the vampire. " You love her don't you?"

"I love what Eve can make me remember, I am not a fool Jeanette, she is not my wife nor my daughter. But I love the memories of them."

"You had a family?" Jeanette couldn't hide her surprise; " I didn't know that."

Brent smiled, " Few people do. Yes I had a wife; her name was Erinne and two daughters, Taryn and Shelia. Our son died early in life so we tried hard not to hold our daughters to his legacy."

"You were an Chieftain in Ireland if I remember correctly."

Brent nodded, " When I was brought across I went back to them. My clan wanted to kill me but Erinne changed their minds." He gave a soft laugh, " Like Evelyn, my wife could see things that others couldn't The clan was fearful of her so they backed down when she told them to leave me alone. But when I tried to take her in my arms, she cried and ran from me. I knew then that I could never return to them. So I watched as my family moved on and I was forgotten. I watched my grandchildren and great-children grow and die. As the centuries passed I lost track of them and gave up hope of ever find them."

Jeanette glanced at Eve, " You think she might be from your clan?"

"It is possible." Brent sighed, " Do you suppose it would change anything?"

"I don't know." Jeanette moved to stand as she gazed at the form on the bed. " It won't matter unless she survives."

The door opened again revealing Nick and LaCroix, the white haired vampire was a little brunt around the edges. His gaze went instantly to the bed his body followed a moment later. Nick motioned the others out and closed the door.

"What is that about?" Jeanette asked as they stood in the hall.

"I am not sure, but when I told him she was sick, he rushed here. I have never seen him so worried." Nick shook his head. " If I didn't know better I'd say he cares for her."

"Perhaps he does Nicolas." Jeanette said sharply, " He can love just as easily as anyone of us."

Nick drew in a breath; " I'll believe that when I see it."