Morrigan sat on the bed Dominic had provided, Lachlan put some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and said, "Well madam, I will warn you that this may sting for a moment."
He pressed it against one of the scrapes she'd suffered at the hands of Dominic, Morrigan winced a bit…but kept her composer. Lachlan then looked at her and said, "I think it best I tell you that Master Nightshade wasn't always like this, he was more of a gentleman back when he hired me."
"Is that so?" Morrigan asked the elderly man, "Then do tell me what happened to turn a man of such wealth and luxuries into a Dark One more or less like myself."
Lachlan walked towards the window, looking out at the city, "You saw the pictures, I suppose you know Mr. Nightshade was married."
"Yes, and I'm supposing they had a child?" Morrigan asked.
"Yes, Hinda…she was only 10 months old when Mr. Nightshade hired me as his butler. The picture you were looking at was taken when she was a little more than four years old, maybe not even five yet,"
Meanwhile Dominic walked back into study and took the picture of his wife and daughter off the fireplace, tracing his right index finger along his daughter's age-less face. "Why?" he whispered to himself.
"those times were the only times I'd ever seen Mr. Nightshade truly smile, I mean he still does…but it seems more the smile of a demon, some incubus that's dreaming of release. The times I speak of were much happier times…but like all happy times, they don't last."
"What happened?" Morrigan asked.
"I don't know—I don't know if it's my place to say." Lachlan replied.
"Please, I may be a demon…but I am not icy hearted, please Lachlan, continue." Morrigan told him, the old butler gave a heavy depressed sigh and said, "Alright, it was four months after his daughter's seventh birthday…I can still remember the day myself, Mr. Nightshade was busy running his businesses. I can't say that he cared more about his job than his family, but to keep living the lifestyle they were used to he needed to. His wife and daughter had went to see a movie together, but at about 3:15 P.M.—Dominic got a phone call from the hospital, there had been a car accident."
Meanwhile Dominic was looking at the picture, then he looked out the window and looked at the dead bushes that were out in front of the mansion's courtyard. Suddenly he had a flashback, the dead bushes turned into beautiful rose bushes…the sun was indicating mid-late morning, a woman was tending to them.
Suddenly a marginally younger Dominic entered the scene and said, "Out of all the roses I see here, I still think I found the most beautiful one." Dominic whispered in the woman's ear.
She then put her hand in his as he helped her up, he then embraced her as he looked into the blue eyes of the woman he'd married, "I have to say I didn't do too bad my self…my white knight." She replied back.
Dominic then saw a pair of grayish-blue eyes watching them from a few rows of bushes back, he then kissed his wife only to hear "Ewww…" Which was then followed by the giggles of his daughter as she came running towards them, Dominic let go of his wife and scooped his daughter up into his arms, both laughing…both happy to be alive, then the picture fades back to the present, Dominic then puts his hand against the window and hangs his head.
"His wife had died on the scene of the accident, the doctors said there was little suffering for her…but his daughter, her diagnosis is what shattered his heart, she was internally bleeding…the doctors said that if they'd gotten to her sooner perhaps they could've saved her, Mr. Nightshade could only watch as he lost the only thing remaining in his life. His only chance at happiness…die right before his eyes."
"My word." Morrigan said under her breath.
Meanwhile Dominic had another flashback as he looked at the photo again, he was at the hospital this time, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN!" he yelled at one of the doctors.
"Exactly what I mean Mr. Nightshade…there's to much internal bleeding—if we'd gotten to her sooner perhaps…" The doctor said calmly, but he didn't finish his sentence.
"You're saying all I can do is stand here and watch the light in my life die?" Dominic asked, still frustrated.
The scene then jumped to a grave yard where he looked at the two grave stones CHRISTIAN LYNNE NIGHTSHADE, and HINDA ALIEEN NIGHTSHADE. From there the scene jumped back to here, only Dominic was shrieking, storming around knocking everything to the floor and shrieking, "WHY, WHY, WHY, DAMN YOU GOD WHY!" He then looked at the table, tears streaming from his eyes. He then smashed his hand against it, but instead of hitting it, it split it from where it struck. Dominic fumbled to the floor only to scurry and pick himself back up again, "How the hell did I do that?" he asked himself.
"And that's how it happened, how he became one of the Dark Ones?" Morrigan asked.
"Well, next he called his mother…long distance call because she was living down in New Orleans, when Dominic told her of what he'd done she decided to tell him that she wasn't surprised, for he'd done something similar…if not more dangerous when he had been no older than seven himself." Lachlan told her.
"So he had the power all that time, then why didn't he use it as he got older?" Morrigan asked next.
"Well, once he had that information it brought back a rather scary repressed memory of his." Lachlan answered.
"You see Dominic and his father never truly got along together, especially when it came down to something as simple as Math homework. Now Dominic knew a lot about financial mathematics…but when it came to basic Math Dominic was the small fish in a big pond, his father would yell at him for it of course. His mother told me that they'd argue at least four times a week."
"Then one night Dominic had had enough of his father and gave him a blow to the shin with his fist, but instead of striking it…"Lachlan told her.
"He accidentally released his powers and sliced it off." Morrigan murmured to herself.
"Yes, while in the hospital Dominic swore to never use his powers again…and to make sure so he tried to repress that memory in general."
"And with that memory his powers." Morrigan said to him.
Lachlan nodded, "That's my theory yes…and his powers stayed dormant until he couldn't hold them back anymore, until he was an emotional wreck and called on them to help him with his aggressions. When he first had them he tried commiting suicide with them, but after several tries he found out he couldn't kill himself with them. Which only made him angrier, he then left to travel the world…I don't know what happened," Dominic then turned away from her and said, "but when Dominic came back he was not the same man I'd worked for. He neither laughed nor cried, well he laughed…but it wasn't the laughter I'd previously known."
"He embraced the darkness…" Morrigan told him.
"Come again?" Lachlan asked.
"He embraced the darkness within his heart, he savored the fear of what he was becoming and from there…" Morrigan told him, "saw his true form."
"But why would he give up such primary human emotions?" Lachlan asked her.
"The answer is Lachlan, that in the world of the night…there are no need for masks," said the voice of Dominic behind them, Dominic then looked at Morrigan and asked, "am I right?"
Morrigan nodded, Lachlan left the room…leaving Morrigan and Dominic alone.
"So now you know…" Dominic said with a heavy sigh.
"She was a pretty little girl, they were both beautiful…I could see why you'd have gone to pieces over them." Morrigan told him.
"I mean Christian I could've probably survived without…but my daughter, she was the light in my life. After she died it was pretty much love in the dark." Dominic told her.
"Nothing I can do but Total Eclipse of the Heart." Morrigan told him with a giggle.
"So you know that song…huh, a succubus with an ear for music…who'd have thought it." Dominic said as a joke.
"Oh come on now, you don't think you're the only person whose ever heard that song in their life." Morrigan said to him.
"Right," Dominic said as he stood up, "well…best get your rest my dear, wouldn't want you waking up cranky tomorrow." And with that he left.
As Morrigan prepared for bed, she thought to herself, "Dominic Nightshade…a man haunted by his past, reminds me of Jon a little. But then he has luxury and wealth, like Demitri…difference being he's willing to share it with me willingly."
"Hmm…maybe he's the medium, the best of qualities of both of them rolled into one package." She said to herself. "I could get used to this relationship."
Meanwhile Dominic was looking at his list, he had his two major players…as well as two minor ones, all others were pretty much against him, but he knew that he'd crush them like bugs when phase two of his plan was done. But then there was still Felicia…his rouge chess piece, she was neither with him, nor was she against him…but being in the middle made her a dangerous piece in his plans, if he didn't find out which side soon…he just might have to have her have an 'accident'.
Michael, Ajax, and Othello came in. "So boss what's the nest move?" Michael asked.
"Ah Michael…just the man I wanted to see, you're going to help me secure the placing of a fellow Darkstalker that I consider a rouge chess piece in all this." Dominic said.
"Okay…just show me who this 'chess piece' is and I'll see what I can do." Said Michael.
Dominic handed him a picture of Felicia, Michael's face screwed up instantly as his said, "Her?"
Ajax and Othello looked from behind, "Hey Mikey…aian't that the girl you have poster of over your bed?" Ajax asked him.
"Shut up A-JAY." Michael growled at him.
"What are you two talking about?" Dominic asked.
"Well you see, Michael here has a poster of the girl in this picture hanging above his bed on the ceiling, if you ask me I'd define that under the category of a hor—." Ajax started to explain, but Michael interrupted saying, "HEY, I DON'T GO POKING INTO YOUR PRIVATE AFFAIRS!"
"I really don't care, either of you…Mike, see if you can influence her or something." Said Dominic sternly.
As they left Dominic thought, "It's great having this power…and soon as phase two rolls around, I'll have a lot more."