Underworld - The Turning

Written by
Wendy Dale Smith
st7ci-at-hotmail.com

To Reviewers: Just a reminder, I've moved the review replies to the end of the chapter.



Chapter 9

Michael rubbed his aching neck as he walked down the hall to the bedroom suite. For almost two hours he had sat vigil over that young female vampire. It was nearly dawn. The odd hours he'd been keeping of late reminded him vividly of his days as a medical intern. With a fierce sigh, he pulled his loosened tie out of his shirt collar and stuffed it in his pants pocket. He had discarded his jacket and unbuttoned his vest over an hour ago.

With a twitch of his nose, his heartbeat quickened. Selene had been in the hallway just recently. It was amazing to him that he knew her smell so well he could pick it out of the tumult of strange scents around him. His eyes held steady on their bedroom door as he approached, and he saw pale gold light through the small slit at the bottom. He knocked softly. "It's Michael," he said quietly, not wanting to startle her. When he failed to hear a response, he opened the door carefully.

With surprise, he saw Selene standing quietly in front of the fireplace. She was still dressed in the finery of the previous evening. Her posture was stiff, with her arms hanging loosely at her sides. Her head was bent to the fire. To Michael, she looked like a flawless, fragile statue. He then took in her mood, and what he felt brought instant worry. She was staring into the flames, lost in very troubled thoughts.

"How is the girl?" she said suddenly in a near whisper.

"Fine. Vivienne came and got her," he replied quietly. He dropped his jacket on the vanity chair and cautiously approached her side.

Still looking into the flames, Selene said nothing in reply.

"Are you all right?" Michael said in growing concern. He watched her with intensity. Her eyes flickered so imperceptibly, only someone paying close attention would have noticed the kaleidoscope of tormented emotions within them. Michael saw, and felt, every single one of them.

"No," she whispered finally. She looked up, and blasted him with those emotions. "No, I'm not."

Michael stood paralyzed as she gazed at him. Suddenly, without warning, she was in his arms, her mouth on his. The kiss was hurried, anxious, and unmistakably hungry. Michael barely had time to react, barely had time to get his hands about her waist to pull her closer, before they heard a knock at the door.

Selene instantly pulled her mouth from his. Both were panting, clutching each other desperately. Seeing the passion, the want, in her eyes made Michael suddenly and fervently wish they were back home in front of their fireplace, where there were no painful revelations, no threatening disruptions. He watched in utter frustration as she pulled her emotions back from him yet again. Gently, she took his hands from about her waist. They could both sense the person standing on the other side of their door, anxiously waiting. "You had better get that," she said as she stepped away.

Michael sighed in complete disgust. If living with other immortals was like this all the time, then they could all go hang. Selene and he needed at least a day before they could manage any more upheaval. He went to the door and yanked it open, fully prepared to tell whoever it was to go away.

To his surprise, it was Eleanor, the tall, elegant-looking woman Vivienne had called the alpha female, the leader of the lycans. She looked at him and into the room just briefly before yanking her eyes down to the floor. She was incredibly anxious, which seemed strangely uncharacteristic to Michael. Though he really didn't know her at all, she exuded the same sense of ageless perception that Vivienne conveyed without effort, and he knew intuitively she must have been as old as her venerated leader.

"Please forgive me, Sir, for disturbing you at this hour…Madam," Eleanor said abruptly as Selene walked cautiously to the door, bringing herself into full view just behind Michael. Eleanor took a step back from the doorway. She was just as wary of Selene as Selene was of her, Michael noted. He glanced back at Selene in annoyance. She looked at him and raised her brow, not sorry in the least of her affect on the lycan. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought she was being possessive. He shook his head impatiently.

Turning back to the meek woman, he said, "Is something wrong?" He hadn't intended it to sound so biting.

She recoiled at his vehement query, but stood her ground. "M-My Lady said to come to you, that you might know what to do," she said and took a deep breath, as though for courage. "We have lost our doctor you see, and…" She looked up at Michael then, beseeching him with her exceptional, violet eyes. "It's Geraldine. She's gone into labor, but the infant," she swallowed down panic, and Michael suddenly realized her fright was not wholly because of him. "Something's wrong with the baby," she said in anguish.

Thinking of the pregnant woman they had met just the day before, Michael glanced back at Selene in alarm, his annoyance at being disturbed forgotten. Selene was now watching the lycan with passive detachment, which was far more encouraging than her usual expression. She looked back at him, noncommittal. Finding no help there, he grimaced at her.

He looked back at Eleanor with uncertainty. "I'm not sure what I can do. I'm not an expert. I've only delivered a couple of babies, and that was…"

"Michael," Selene interrupted impatiently. When he turned to face her, she had that same indifferent look on her face. "Go," she said simply.

With that direct command, Michael sighed in resignation, giving in to the need to help. He pulled off his vest quickly and laid it over his jacket. He looked back at Selene. "It'll take hours," he said in warning, needing to know for certain it was all right to leave her alone.

"I understand," she said impatiently, glancing at the nervous lycan woman.

Michael gave Selene one last look before walking eagerly out the door. Eleanor was instantly relieved that he would help them. "Thank you so much, Sir…Doctor," she said in sincere gratitude.

"Don't thank me yet," he said, humbled that the woman would treat him in such a deferential manner. "And I'm Michael. Just Michael."

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Selene woke in the late afternoon to find Michael still gone. With nothing to occupy her time or mind, Selene cleaned her weapons again, and then cleaned his. She took a bath, but even that usually relaxing distraction was tedious. Through the early evening hours she resisted the temptation to go down and see him, knowing her presence amongst the lycans would only create more disruption. She would only be in the way.

Selene shook her head as she stared out the large bay window. Sometime over the last few months, she had become dependent on his company. It was difficult to admit, but she was honest enough with herself to realize she had wanted him to stay with her instead of going to help the lycans. And she knew, if she had protested, he would have stayed. She was also honest enough to acknowledge the shame that came with that admission. She had no right to demand he be at her beck and call. Michael was a doctor. It was his duty to help that woman and her child.

Selene closed her eyes. "What am I doing here?" she whispered. She raised tormented eyes to the luminous Paris night, totally oblivious of its beauty. She suddenly wondered what it was about her that made Viktor stop his rampage. Why didn't he butcher me as well? she thought, her confusing and persistent anguish bringing forth the unwanted question. She swallowed with difficulty. He had thought it a fair trade, the immortal life he had given her. She drew her brows together and turned away from the window.

Restless, Selene wandered out into the hallway, walking aimlessly. Ordinarily, in the mood she was in, she would have been miles away from the farmhouse. Driving always settled her thoughts. The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of Vivienne's private quarters.

She stood at the double-doors, working up the courage to knock, when one of the doors was suddenly flung open. Vivienne stood there, still in her sleep robes, with a scowl that turned to surprise at seeing Selene. Selene glanced briefly into the room and her eyes widened in mortification. Through the antechamber, into the bedroom beyond, she could see quite clearly a figure lying in Vivienne's bed.

Seeing her embarrassment, Vivienne glanced behind her, then turned back immediately with a roll of her eyes. "Selene," she said with a laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. It's just that little stray we found." She then promptly grabbed Selene and pulled her into the chamber.

Vivienne firmly closed the door behind her and walked back into the bedchamber. Selene hesitantly followed. "They have been sending me word every hour about Geraldine. The baby is very close now," she said, worry heavy in her voice. She walked quietly to the far side of the bed and gazed down at the other new member of her coven.

"It took half the day to get her clean," Vivienne shook her head tiredly as she looked down at the sleeping youth. With surprise, Selene saw thick blond locks framing a beautiful face. Seeing her reaction, Vivienne said quietly, "Yes, I was surprised myself…until I remembered who created her." Her face darkened slightly, and Selene realized she was thinking of Kraven's taste for attractive blonds.

Vivienne smiled softly and sat gently on the bed next to the girl. "She is an angel though. After her initial feeding, she hardly woke, even during her bath." Her look saddened. "She does not sleep well. She keeps waking up and shoving the covers off, like she thinks something alive is on her," she said, and sighed heavily. "I can't imagine what company she kept in the catacombs. I only hope the damage is repairable."

Selene remained quiet, not wanting to hurt the elder vampire by revealing her disinterest. As Selene was now aware, adding a new vampire was not a common occurrence in Vivienne's coven. That the woman was reveling in the care of her new charge was obvious. Selene had no doubt the young vampire would be spoiled rotten inside a decade. It was yet another difference between her and Viktor's coven. New vampires there were treated as servants, taking over functions the lycans performed in Vivienne's coven, but with admittedly far less efficiency. Vampires simply weren't suited to servitude.

With a quiet sigh, Selene looked around the bedchamber. It was modestly and tastefully appointed, which surprised her. She shook her head, realizing that Vivienne's shallow and inane behavior while in Viktor's coven had been nothing but a front. Everyone had believed the woman had become apathetic and jaded in her dotage. Selene had fallen for it absolutely. That the woman managed to maintain such a façade over so many centuries was a testament to her resolve. Yet to go to such extremes to bring back the ancient ways between vampire and lycan was baffling to Selene. Why did she do it?

"I noticed few vampires venture anywhere near the lycans, that even here they dislike them…Was it always so?" she said cautiously, hoping the older woman would not be bothered by her prying into history. Viktor had not allowed such talk, so much so that even mentioning it in passing still made Selene uncomfortable.

"Yes, unfortunately," Vivienne said with a grimace. Then she shrugged. "But they accept us well enough. We have a natural collaboration. I think they endure our bigotry because we are so few. I do not allow the random turning of humans, and we simply do not reproduce as frequently or effectively as the lycans."

Thinking of the multitude of lycan children below, Selene raised her brow at that understatement. "So I noticed."

"The shortcoming is ours, Selene, not theirs," she admonished the younger woman. "I would have a dozen children, if I could," she smiled reflectively. "Despite the risks."

Selene wasn't surprised at all by her admission. The woman had a most unnatural mothering instinct for a vampire, which led Selene to ask the obvious. "Did you have any?" she asked without thought.

At the woman's sudden frown, Selene flinched slightly and unconsciously lowered her head in contrition. She had crossed an invisible boundary with that very personal question. She was about to retract it, but held her tongue when she saw Vivienne suddenly look away and smile, as though in fond remembrance. "God and fate saw fit to bless me with one," she said reverently. She then looked up at Selene, her smile merging with grief. "But she died," Vivienne said softly. "A very long time ago."

In an instant, everything became clear to Selene. Why Vivienne so hated Viktor, why she conspired with Lucian and Kraven to bring down the Elder's power. Why she tirelessly protected the lycans. And why she felt no animosity toward Michael. It all fit. It all made sense. Selene stared at the twelve-hundred-year-old woman so intently her unblinking eyes began to water. "You were Viktor's consort," she whispered in utter shock.

Vivienne looked away from Selene as her face darkened considerably. "A very long time ago," she repeated. She looked down as the girl shifted suddenly in her sleep. Vivienne began to stroke her golden locks, soothing away distraught dreams.

With a wrench, Selene looked away, blinking rapidly. She cast about desperately, wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible. She spotted an original Dutch masterpiece hanging on the wall, and walked to it. After several moments, she shook her head. "Only you could be so reckless…to place an entire coven in the center of Paris." The words sounded harsh, but her tone had softened considerably. She closed her eyes tightly, willing her uneasiness to abate.

Vivienne continued to stroke the girl's hair as she answered Selene's outburst. She shrugged. "Peut-être. It's seems to have worked so far," she said quietly.

"Well, it can't last. You'll be caught. You really shou…"

"We've been here six centuries," she interrupted, still looking down at the sleeping young woman. The girl suddenly bared tiny fangs in her sleep, only to resume her angelic appearance a second later. After a moment, Vivienne glanced up at Selene, who was now staring at her in shock yet again. "We have no intention of leaving now."

Selene merely gaped at the woman, openly skeptical. Six centuries? That's impossible.

Seeing her incredulity, Vivienne asked the question, "If you wanted to conceal something, where would you hide it?"

The answer came without thought, making Selene roll her eyes. She was familiar with the old adage. "In plain view."

The much older, much wiser vampire looked frankly at Selene, measuring her next words. "Sometimes, the most significant truths are hidden in plain view. It's doubly so for those truths that terrify us." Vivienne sighed and stood carefully from the bed. She slowly moved toward Selene as she gazed at the priceless Dutch painting. The work of art was an innocently serene still life of a provincial kitchen table, until one notices a human skull sitting plainly amongst the lavish bounty. "Humans see us only as the horrible myths they created, because the truth is more frightening," Vivienne said soberly. Her gaze then fixed on Selene, who had suddenly realized they weren't talking about humans at all. "The truth that they are no better."

Something splintered inside Selene as she absorbed what those words truly meant, what the woman was unmistakably accusing with her eyes alone. She stared at the elder as a scorching heat unbidden and unwelcome crept through her, painfully constricting her heart. As panic began to build, she swallowed down nausea. She had to leave. She took a step back, then another. "I have to go. I have to go back," she said quietly, as if herself.

Vivienne's mood instantly shifted as she looked at the younger woman in alarm. "Selene, don't even think it." As Vivienne moved toward her, Selene was already turning for the door. "You can't go back, girl. All you'll find is death!"

Vivienne's words barely reached Selene as she hurriedly fled the elder vampire's bedchamber.

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To Reviewers:

Imraith-Nimphias – The vampire stray scene seems a bit "forced"? Could you elaborate? I'm not sure what you mean. Honest! Some of the dialogue is unnatural? Which dialogue? [scratches head in confusion] I will try and refrain from using the word vampire. From now on, I will sprinkle in the term bat-like-individual or person-with-pointy-teeth. [grin] Oh that's much better, yeah.

Josh Maxwell – Menstruating? You mean…have Selene on her period? [snicker] Josh, there are some really tasty non-alcoholic beverages out there. Do try some. [grin] While bloodlust is an integral part of this story, I do not go into detail about vampire reproductive cycles. That is, perhaps, best left to another story. And I've never seen Blade all the way through. I keep fixating on that one opening scene in the rave (what a hoedown that was!)…though I'm sure my husband knows exactly what you're talking about. He adores that movie. I'll have to ask him about that scene.

Katylar – Good Lord…that's quite a review! I shall attempt to keep my novel-sized reply to a minimum. [grin] Another Blade comment…now I really have to see this scene you are referring to. Pulling out Kraven's teeth is symbolic here only…sort of like emasculating him in grand vampire fashion. De-fanging a vampire was the nastiest punishment that I could think of besides execution…and Vivienne isn't the type to just "kill the transgressor and be done with them". That's Viktor's gig, not hers.

Regarding Michael and bloodlust – see a review reply I posted in the previous chapter.

The new vampire girl will be in the story a bit more, yes. As to why Jacob (Vivienne actually) wanted Michael to go with him to the clinic…well, you answered your own question…Michael is a doctor, and would not be nearly as shocked at what she suspected the patrol soldiers had in their bag. Vivienne needed someone there who could act fast in a medical crisis…who better than Michael?

The word "batard" is French. It has quite a few nasty meanings…half-breed, bastard, misbegotten, baseborn, mongrel, mutt, impure, inferior, deformed, cur…I could go on, but you get the point I think. [grin]

Vivienne is a bit long in the tooth, yes. Ahem…sorry, couldn't help myself there. [grin]

Most of the immortals know at least French, English, and one of the Slavic vernaculars (Hungarian, Czech, Bulgarian, Croatian, etc., but never ever Romanian - a Latin language never ever considered a Slavic tongue [grin at trivnbugs]). They are encouraged to speak English because – like it or not – that is the universal language of the times…just as French was the "universal" language of previous centuries, and Latin before it. Vivienne encourages her "staff" to speak English, to learn it thoroughly. But Vivienne is also very VERY French. [grin] She knows several languages, but can't quite break the habit of mumbling in French. When I read her dialogue now, I can SO clearly hear her French accent. It's hilarious.

Nicky – Who would be interested – besides you, of course – in my Underworld soundtrack suggestions? I mean…CRABLOUSE for God's sake! Heh…okay, so that song in perfect for Kraven…but still…

Brettley – There are 14 chapters in all.

Jubillie-gurl – Okay…deep breath…Kraven had his power stripped because he was feeding off humans and dumping their bodies in the catacombs. That girl in the body bag was one of Kraven's victims – one who managed to survive his bite to become a vampire herself. It's a terrible crime in the Underworld in general, but particularly so in Vivienne's coven. Vivienne shows Kraven great mercy by letting him live in the first place.

The vampires think the girl is a lycan at first because it's not uncommon for lycan strays (like stray dogs) to find their way to Paris, to Vivienne's lycan den. Lycans not under the guidance and protection of Vivienne's den are at the mercy of the full moon. They don't have the drugs to curb their transformation. They cannot control themselves when they turn into their bestial form, and often bite humans. As you know, when a lycan bites a human, that human becomes a lycan. In other words, it is understandably much more common to come across a lost lycan than a lost vampire. Vampires rarely ever lose control and bite humans. They are not at the mercy of their urges quite like the lycans are. The vampires – Selene and Jacob – were utterly shocked at seeing a stray vampire. It rarely ever happens. But Vivienne, being as old as she is, has seen vampire strays before, and knew the signs of one.

Agentalana – [grumbles defensively] …well then why'd you lecture me about vampires seeing their reflection…and stuff…