Chapter 4: Jason

Sean returned to Bennington to meet up with Andrew. Even though he was on vacation he felt it was a good idea to keep tabs on his clan. He was still the primogen after all, and the idea that the Gangrel might need him kept him from going back to a period of self induced languor.

Andrew was waiting for him at Carmody's, a privately owned restaurant specializing in Irish cuisine, on Main Street. Carmody's had been in service for seven years now, and it stood next to the Photographer's Eye and the Pea Pod. Andrew sat at the table where a wall decoration sporting Murphy's Law hung. It was a slow evening so Sean didn't have to worry about leaking sensitive information. Andrew looked up and waved him over.

"How have you been?" He asked as Sean sat down.

"Tired, quiet, angry, depressed," Sean replied, not looking directly at his childe. "I didn't leave the house until this morning. You?"

"Little of the same. Kyle and I weren't really that close, but…"

An unofficial period of silence fell over them. It was the same period of silence that fell over people who weren't just mourning, but mourning together and happy enough that there were other people to be grieve with that they were content to be silent for a little while longer.

It wasn't until the waitress came to take their orders that they spoke again.

"Well, being interim primogen certainly isn't as boring as I thought it'd be," Andrew said, keeping a low voice. "I had fifty complaints over territory state wide, clear out an Anarch nest in an abandoned factory, and the requests for embraces are overwhelming. If I let too many get embraced we push the limit of Kindred, yet we have the free embrace until January."

Sean sat back and thought. It was good to solve problems again. "Tell you what, we'll set the limit at twenty for the whole clan. Pick out the first fifty requests and single out twenty good ones. As time goes on we'll allow others to be embraced, but that'll depend on the Prince's judgment."

"All right," Andrew said, relieved to not have to think about it any longer. "What about the territorial complaints. I've got a small group of Gangrel up near the Canadian border who are fighting with a group of werewolves. No one's been killed yet, but apparently the werewolves are killing too many deer for food and not allowing the vampires to feed on people in their town."

"They'll have to figure something out on their own," Sean said instantly. "We have an understanding with the lycans and I'm not about to jeopardize that. They have as much right to live in this state as we do. If these Gangrel can't come to an understanding they'll just have to move on."

"Okay. What about the abandoned factories? It seems like Caitiff and Anarchs come through here way too often and those factories and other unused buildings are big breeding grounds for their kind."

Sean dwelled on this one for a second. He considered all the possible scenarios, remembering his past dealings with the clanless ones. "Has Zarius said anything about the matter?"

"Only that he wants the primogen to figure it out. Mary is the only one interested in speaking to me and the others kinda just brush me off."

"All right, here's an idea," Sean said. "Talk to Mary. Have her clan buy up as many of the old factories as possible. We can go through each one and see what buildings need to be destroyed and what ones can be renovated, and we'll turn the ones that can be renovated into affordable housing. It helps the homeless problem here in Vermont and the added security around the area will keep Caitiff at bay."

Andrew thought about it for a second and decided it was a good idea. He was glad to get it all out of the way finally. The waitress came back with their drinks and informed them that their lunch would be out shortly.

"So how's life on the force?" Sean asked, shifting the focus to conventional matters. "Is the town of Bennington giving you a hard time?"

"Actually the normal work is a breeze by comparison. DUI's, possession charges, speeding tickets, it all goes with the territory. They asked me to teach a gun safety course at the high school."

"Ah, I remember those. You want to prevent school shootings but they teach kids to use guns anyway."

"It's only for hunting. Rifles and bows and things like that. I took it once when I was a freshman, remember?"

They talked about their days in high school. How Sam Becker always threw a fit when he lost in Quake 3, the copy cat bomb threat, the time someone let stink bombs off in the Career Development Center. Sean was a year ahead of Andrew, and he remembered quitting the chess club his freshman year because the other members were getting too snotty. Andrew talked about the girlfriend he took to see The Phantom Menace and how he broke up with her that same year.

When the food arrived they were in a much happier mood than they were the day before. Sean was even able to talk about the first time he and Trent had a class together without choking up. It was the year Sean had been embraced, and by the time the school year was well underway he was no longer the sworn enemy of the Kindred.

Trent was with him in Model United Nations and he was chosen to represent China. Sean represented Afghanistan, and they both sat on the Security Council. They worked together to improve their bills, helping each other with research and providing feedback when it was needed. Trent's bill addressed the fighting between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, and it was so long that Sean had to read the last operative clauses when they presented it to the Security Council. Trent earned an award for the Best delegate and Best bill.

"Did you see his cap at graduation?" Sean asked, munching on the Irish potato chips.

Andrew swallowed his food and said, "Nah, I get held back a year remember?"

"Well Trent had built this paper castle on the top of his cap. It was cute but it didn't go very high when he threw it up."

"It's too bad you didn't get held back year," Andrew commented. "You had more friends in the class of '02 than in your own class."

Sean shook his head.

"Nah, I'm glad I graduated the year I was meant to. For one thing I think people were getting suspicious that I wasn't aging much. Plus I dealt with Mount Anthony for long enough that I was ready to get the hell out and not look back. The hardest part was abandoning my family, making them forget I ever existed so they couldn't be hurt to get to me."

"You could have gone to Maine with James Reed."

"I'd have been a fish out of water. No, I don't regret staying here and I don't regret a minute I spent being what I am. I just wish I could have seen ahead before bringing you guys into this. If I had known embracing you and Kyle would mean the possibility that you could get killed, I might never have bothered."

Andrew shrugged. "I don't regret it. Kyle didn't regret it and I know Trent, Jeff, Ryan and Alex didn't regret it when they were embraced by their clans. Okay, yeah, I don't think I ever want to be a primogen ever in my unlife, but for the most part I enjoy the perks. Being able to turn into a wolf or a bat is possibly the coolest part about being a Gangrel. And do you know how much crime we're able to stop with our abilities that a human cop couldn't do with his own limited resources?"

"You handle the bad element nicely," Sean admitted. "But for what it's worth, you'd make an excellent primogen."

Sean went for a walk after lunch. He strolled down Main Street, absorbing the lights and the sounds of the town. Traffic was picking up again as it got closer and closer to Christmas. In the window displays stores advertised holiday sales and discounts. It started to get a little colder as pedestrians rushed to finish their errands. The owner of The Bennington Bookshop was sweeping the sidewalk just outside his shop. Sean walked in and looked at the titles in the New Releases.

A book caught his eye and he picked it up from the shelves. It was a debut novel by a new author. Sean read the cover of the book and skimmed the first few chapters. It seemed interesting enough and he carried it with him as he walked down the aisles.

"Hey, I know you," someone said.

Sean looked up and saw an old friend of his from the high school. He'd grown a few inches last year and from the traces of yellow in his roots it was clear that he still bleached his hair.

"Jason?"

"Yeah, and you're Sean," Jason said, smiling. "I haven't seen you since high school."

"I've been traveling a lot. How have you been?"

"Good I guess. I just got back from a trip to Egypt."

"Wow," Sean said, clapping Jason on the shoulder and drawing him into a brief hug. "What are you doing tonight? We need to catch up."

Jason shrugged.

"Nothing really, but I have to be home before dark. It's a long walk back to Shaftsburry."

"I can give you a ride. I've got a car now."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I got it a few years ago. Come on, I'll buy you some coffee."

Sean paid for his book and led Jason to the bank parking lot where he left his car.

From the roof of the bank two hawks watched him. They exchanged silent glances as the boys got into the car. The first one jerked its head back out towards the parking lot, and the second one flew away with barely a sound.