This Mortal Coil
By Piper Sargasso

(Disclaimers, etc. in Chapter One)

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Chapter Six
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Claudius told me he was acquainted with a discreet and reputable doctor who didn't ask many questions. The promise of this man's visit to Scully's bedside the next day was the only thing I took solace in when I had to leave her side that night. When the sun finally set on the following day, I climbed out of my canopy bed with the single-minded goal of getting to Scully's room.

"Mulder," a soft voice floated from the shadows. I stiffened and heard a low chuckle.

"It's just me, Mulder." Claudius. He chuckled again at the sigh of relief I let out. "I thought we'd go feed before you see her. It would be best."

I flipped on a light out of habit rather than necessity. "What did the doctor say?"

"She's improving, of course. She'll still need a lot of rest until she's stronger. He was a bit concerned about the transfusion you'd given her, though there is no doubt it saved her life."

I stared at Claudius open-mouthed. He smiled. "He knows all about our kind. I suppose one could call him an ally. He's been a friend of mine for quite some time. You look surprised."

"Well… yes. I thought our kind didn't want to be known to mortals."

"True.  But there are the few exceptions. And as I told you before, my man is discreet. He's very interested in learning more about our kind, being a scientist. I hope you don't mind, but he took a blood sample from Miss Scully; it's very rare that a vampire allows so much of his own blood to mingle with a mortal's without completing the Transformation, so her blood was a treat for him indeed. It isn't often he has the opportunity to collect such a specimen."

"No, I suppose it isn't."

There seemed to be nothing more to say on the subject. Claudius clapped his hands together. "So! How about getting out of these rooms and going out for a bit? I know just the place."

"I'd like to check on Scully for a moment first, if you don't mind."

He smiled. "Of course."


                      ~*~


The place was similar to the club where Julian took me, only vampire fetishism didn't seem to be a prerequisite to gain entry. Everything down to the leather-studded attire was present, yet I didn't sense the same strong undercurrent of debauchery there.

"We will never set foot in that place," he explained, hearing my thoughts, "as it is Julian's favorite hunting ground. We vampires are as proud as we are dangerous and we respect each other's territory."  

We fed quickly on two inebriated blondes, twins, and were gone before the lust-haze left their eyes. Less than an hour passed before we were back at the manor. I was anxious to get back to Scully, but Julian stopped me in the foyer.

"There will be a meeting tonight, Mulder. Your presence is required as it concerns you."

"Concerns me? How?"

He shook his head. "Many things will be revealed tonight, I promise you that. I'll meet you at the bottom of the stairs in two hours." With that, he was gone. I smirked at his completely Julian gesture and headed up to Scully's room, thinking about what Claudius said. What could possibly be revealed now? Everything seemed pretty cut and dry; Julian was homicidal and possessive, Liliana was insane and a constant threat to Scully's safety. There was an unnatural attachment between those two I didn't even want to think about. The Convenire was a band of lunatic bloodsuckers; Claudius was safety and knowledge. I had a vague idea what the Council of the Vampyres was all about, knew enough to have a healthy respect for their power.

One important thing I learned about vampires was that their emotions led them; therefore, there was less subterfuge, less second-guessing. If a vampire loved you, he told you, and you felt the intensity of that love. If a vampire wanted you dead, you were dust before daybreak. Maybe centuries of existence quelled the need to bullshit.

                                                                            ~*~ 

She was looking much better, I noted with relief so great it made my chest ache.

"Mulder?"

I smiled, warmed by the strength returning to her voice. "Yeah, Scully. It's me."

She sighed. "Why are you so far away?"

I moved to sit next to her on the bed. "Closer," she said, and I lay down behind her, arm draped over her waist. It felt incredible to be this close to her without worrying about feeding. "Mmm, that's much better."

"How are you feeling?"

She snuggled her bottom closer to my body and turned her face so that I could see her profile. "A little better. Weak, but I think I'm improving." She was silent a moment. "A doctor came to see me today, did you know that? I can't remember clearly," here she frowned as if disturbed that she couldn't remember, "but I think he took a blood sample."

"I know."

"You know? But what about the blood you gave me? Won't there be abnormalities?"

I had to smile. Here was my former partner, lying in bed after having almost all her blood drained out of her by a vampire, and still she was thinking in terms of research and lab results. My Scully, ever the scientist, and just paranoid enough as a result of her time on the X-Files. Of course, I did have the very same thoughts just a few hours earlier. "Claudius brought the doctor here to see you. I spoke to him about it tonight and he assures me that everything is fine." I gave her a gentle squeeze, ever mindful of her mortal fragility. "Don't worry, Scully."

She said nothing more, but I sensed she was still nervous, knowing a vial of our mingled blood was floating around God knew where and for God knew what purpose. The short conversation was taxing for her though, and I soon felt her drifting to sleep, relaxing deliciously warm in my arms.

                                                                              ~*~

Our two hours of peace passed quickly, as moments of happiness invariably do. Before I knew it, the time had come for me to meet Claudius at the foot of the stairs.

The candlelight underscored the unnatural brightness of his blue, vampire eyes and I couldn't help but notice the strange way he was looking at me. Was it fear? Worry? He seemed anxious. That did nothing to ease my own nervousness. What was I going in to?

He offered a lopsided smile, which was at once boyish and scary. Fangs have a way of making any smile menacing. "Are you ready?"

Was I? "What's this all about, Claudius?"

"It is a gathering. Come, you'll understand once we get there." Without another word, I followed my teacher and mentor through the labyrinthine corridors until we reached an ornately carved door. He turned the knob and gestured for me to enter.

The room was full of unwelcome sights. Claudius stood by my side as I took in the faces of vampires I never wanted to see again. Maeve, the confident redhead "Ancient" held her companion's hand, the young Egyptian orphan named Caleb. Demetrius glowered at everyone from the corner of the room. Another man sat next to the fire, gray-haired with a sallow face, seeming at first to be oblivious to his surroundings. A closer look revealed sharp eyes missing nothing. I was reminded of my father's talent for appearing at his easiest when he was most on his guard. It was unnerving seeing the same gift in this creature.

I glared at Claudius. "What the hell is this all about?" After all the trust I put in him, how could he allow these people into his home? The fresh blood I'd taken in that night pounded in my temples. Could Julian be here, too? Had I been deceived?

He laid a cool hand on my arm. "Please, Mulder. You must hear us out – all is not what it seems."

"No shit, I can see that. What the hell is half of the goddamn Convenire doing here, Claudius?"

"I invited them here," he replied. "Please, you've trusted me so far. I need you to continue to trust me now."

I narrowed my eyes at the man next to me, muscles tensed and ready for anything. In my mind, I calculated how my preternatural abilities could carry me upstairs and into Scully's room. But it was no use; before I could get her to the window, these monsters would be upon us. Frustration prickled under my skin like hot quills.

I had no choice but to listen.

The gray-haired one stood. "Shall we get going, Claudius? I don't have time for this."

Demetrius smirked from his corner. "All we have is time, Rueben, don't you agree?" 

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the two glared at one another. It was the old man – Rueben – who broke the silence. "I am here because Claudius requested my presence." It seemed he was answering a question Demetrius hadn't verbalized. His eyes burned a vibrant blue-green that looked out of place in his elderly face. Then again, what is age to a vampire? I watched the scene unfolding with interest. What grudge did these two have against each other? What did any of this have to do with me?

"Everyone in this room knows my position on these affairs," he went on, temper rising. "Julian and his brood must be stopped!" He punctuated the last sentence by pounding a fist into his hand. A cacophony of voices filled the room, some in protest, some in agreement. I was minutely relieved to find that no matter what the protests, this wasn't exactly a Julian fan club.

Claudius called the 'meeting' to order.

"Please!" he called out.

The voices subsided.

"I believe our guest is at a disadvantage here. Mulder, this is Rueben Malkov, an Ancient and representative of the Council. He is…a most powerful vampire, as all of the Ancients are." The "Ancient" in question appeared bored with the conversation. "I asked him to join us tonight because we all know that with your Transformation, Julian has finally incurred the wrath of the Council. Rueben's opinion on the matter is the same as his colleagues'. Liliana is also at risk of the Burning because of her botched attack on your partner."

"It's an outrage!" The elder exclaimed. "These two have trod on the Council's ancient by-laws for centuries, and then she has the sheer audacity to not only create another against her will, but leave the Transformation half-finished! I shudder to think of the exposure she could have brought to our kind!"

"Perhaps it would be best to explain some of the more basic laws we must live by to Mulder," Claudius said. "He is so very new to us, after all, and his maker told him nothing of these things."

"Of course he didn't," Rueben scoffed. "And why would he? Julian follows no one's rules but his own."

Maeve, whom I hadn't spoken to since the night I arrived at the Convenire, interrupted. "If I may, Rueben." She placed a hand on the man's arm and he calmed. Taking this as a sign to continue, she turned to me and spoke in her Irish lilt. "Mulder, I know what you must think of us. Please understand that we meant you no harm the night you were turned. We wanted to stop him, but there was nothing we could do. You have no idea how powerful he's become."

I glared at her and injected as much sarcasm as possible in my voice. "Forgive me if I find little comfort in that."

"Yes, well, I expect no less than your anger, but perhaps by this night's close you will come to understand."

I said nothing to that, just waited for her to continue.

"Let me begin by explaining a few of our laws. First of all, to leave a mortal in the midst of the Transformation is an abomination. We could be discovered, should the mortal be examined. Or worse, miserable creatures called Halflings can result from the incomplete fusion of the Blood with a mortal's. They are robbed of their minds, as their bodies cannot handle the failed Transformation, and become, in effect, something like zombies. They crave nothing but blood, and are forced to wander around, mindless, until they die. It is a painful death, but merciful given the circumstances. Halflings never last more than a few tortured months, if left to their own devices. Most are killed by the Council long before then."

Horrified, I thought of Scully. Claudius seemed to read my mind. "The large transfusion of mortal blood counteracted yours. She was very lucky."

"Second," Maeve went on, "any vampire who wishes to make another must receive permission from the Council of the Vampyres. Ancients are given that permission once, and are trusted to make wise decisions from there on out. However, there are a few exceptions."

I nodded impatiently. "Yes, I've heard all this before. Julian and Liliana," I spat the name, "were never given permission. Not that that stopped them."

She gave me a rueful smile. "No, it didn't. The Council has overlooked this in the past because of its high regard for Claudius. They were his children, and he was expected to keep them in line."

"I'm afraid we placed too much in Claudius's hands," the elder added. "Especially leaving him responsible for one as willful and reckless as Julian. When he made you, Mr. Mulder, he risked our world. We would never have allowed a person of such high profile to be turned. The Council wants blood for his transgressions."

"And we're searching for an alternative to the Burning," said Maeve.

"The Burning?" I asked.

"It's an execution," Claudius explained. "One is tied by unbreakable bindings and is left to the morning sun."

"Like Vivienne," Maeve said sadly. "Our beautiful, gentle Vivienne. How I loved her."

"We all did," said Demetrius. His usual derisive manner was gone. "I wanted to kill Julian that night."

"There was no time," she replied, then turned to face me. "And we've been frightened of Julian ever since. She could've been any one of us."

"Why haven't you all just killed him then? Or turned him over to the Council?" I asked, feeling like I was speaking to a room full of slow children. It seemed none of them were choosing the most obvious solution.

Maeve looked stricken. Claudius just shook his head. It was Demetrius who answered. "I despise what Liliana has become. She is ruthless and indiscriminate in her feedings, but she is my maker. I loved her more than my mortal soul. I can remember a time not long ago when she felt the same. We were desperate for each other, Liliana and I. There will never be a time when I could raise my hand to harm her."

I gaped at them. "I don't believe this. They have flown in the face of all these laws you hold sacred, they've killed their own kind, they openly feed in public – that goddamn club of theirs… What's the problem? Do you think Julian is sitting in that mansion considering his tender feelings for you all? I know damn well Liliana isn't. If you don't move now, you're going to have a real problem on your hands, because I just don't see either of them letting Scully and I leave so easily." Disgusted by their indecision, I threw my hands up in the air. "You need to make a choice here. I know I don't want to sit here waiting for Julian to make his next move." 

No one spoke. Frustrated, I left the room.

                                                                          ~*~

It was with some difficulty that I forced myself into composure, standing in Scully's sitting room. It wouldn't do her any good to see me worked up. Besides, she would want to know what was wrong, and I didn't think it was the appropriate time to explain it all.

I made no noise coming into her bedroom, in case she was still asleep. To my surprise, she was sitting up in the bed with a book in her hands.

"Mulder," she smiled. "I was hoping you'd come back."

If I'd still been human, I might have blushed with embarrassment. "Sorry about leaving you tonight, Scully. Claudius had some things he wanted to talk about."

Her eyes narrowed, but she let it go at that. She yawned, stretching her back in the process. The gesture was endearing. "I'm so tired. Do you think I'll ever just not be tired? By all accounts, I should have made a complete recovery already."

Yes, Scully, if you hadn't been infused with vampire blood and left to die, I thought angrily. Now I understood that her body was forced to fight the worst kind of infection. I flinched, thinking about the Halflings Maeve told me about. The Burning was far too good for Liliana.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to your eyes doing that glowing thing," she said. "Come to bed, Mulder."

Repressing my anger, I crawled into the bed next to her. Satisfied, she settled her body against mine in a now-familiar position. "Stay with me this time. Please?"

"It…it could be dangerous. The sunlight—"

She chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, Mulder. I won't fry you in the morning."

I smiled against her hair and twisted to make sure the drapes were closed up tight. By the time dawn touched the night with its rosy-gold glow, we were already asleep.

~ End Chapter Six ~