Disclaimer: Don't you know this by now. Newsies, not mine. Respective other characters, respective owners. Just a few of them, mine. That is all, have a nice day. (9/13/05)

A/N: ok, so this chapter is a little bit dark and disturbing at the end. If it hadn't been rated R before it sure is now.

Last Chance

Chapter 6

Hotshot

Vampires did not dream. There were many people who claimed not to dream, but for vampires such as them it was true. In the hundreds of years since she had been changed Loki had not had a single dream, not even a hint of an image entered her mind while she slept.

Tonight, however, she had had trouble falling asleep. When she finally did all she could see was his face. Noah was there, in the very room they had shared until his death. He was sitting there, across the room, in the chair that sat near the intercom. It was the chair that everyone else knocked over, yet Noah balanced it on its two hind legs perfectly and she had never seen him fall.

She tried to get up and throw herself into his arms but fatigue overcame her and she could barely lift her head from the pillow. Instead she opened her mouth to speak his name. No sound escaped her mouth. She tried again and again, but to no avail. It was enough to make her want to cry. She was struggling so much to communicate with him while he was sitting there doing nothing but grin at her like a goddamn Cheshire cat.

I fucking hate you, she thought violently, glaring at him.

He laughed silently and shook his head as if to say, 'No you don't.'

Oh, so he could understand her. If she remembered correctly her dreams had been fucked up like this when she was alive too.

What are you doing here? She asked.

He shook his head, no easy questions.

You know what's going on, don't you?

He nodded.

Can you help?

He shook his head no firmly.

We're completely fucked aren't we?

He gave her a wry grin, one that gave her no sense of comfort. He stood up and very suddenly Loki was scared. There was a small and lethal stake protruding from his chest. Either his shirt had hidden it before or it has just appeared in her vision, or dream, whichever this was.

There was fire now; burning him as she was sure it had the night he had been murdered. Except tonight it was slow and he seemed not to notice. He took steps toward her bed and the fire blazed brighter and she could almost feel the heat of it on her own skin. As he reached a hand out toward her she began to scream. Like everything else she had tried that night her voice stuck in her throat.

Just as his hand neared her cheek something struck her hard across the face, jarring her entire head in one direction. Noah disappeared in a puff of smoke and she became very aware that the dying echo of bloodcurdling screams fluttering around her room.

Her eyes shot open and she sat up, nearly bumping foreheads with a very concerned Spot. He grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from springing out of bed.

"I'm sorry. You wouldn't wake up."

Loki put a hand to her cheek. That was what she'd felt; he'd slapped her to wake her up.

"What the hell was that, Loki?" he asked. "I live at the other end of the floor and I could hear you."

There were voices by the door and they both turned to find a few of the more concerned teenagers in the doorway, none quite daring to step into the room.

"Spot, since you were changed, have you ever had a dream?"

He looked a bit taken aback by the question and mulled it over for a moment. "I don't think so."

"No one does. Ever." She shivered, "But Spot, I just did. Noah was in here, and he knew things, about now. He was on fire. There was a stake in his chest when he stood up and he was burning."

Spot took on the ashen complexion of a cartoon vampire. His eyes darted around the room and landed on the urn in which Noah's ashes lay. He moved as though to touch it.

Loki knew his plan immediately. He was going to throw the urn into the fireplace as though it were an evil spirit.

"If you even attempt to do it I will kill you," she hissed.

He frowned but sat back on her bed, thinking. Finally he seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Ceja is in Queens with Specs tonight. Go sleep in her room; I don't want you in here by yourself."

"Spot, it was real. It wasn't just some meaningless dream!"

He leaned in close to her. "We'll tell Tobias in the morning and the others as soon as we can. As for right now, the sun is barely at midsky and none of us is going anywhere soon."

Loki looked at the urn as though she expected something of it, then got up and walked past Spot and out into the hall. Perhaps it would be good to get away from Noah's memory for a few days.

1

If Loki would call her experience with Noah a dream, then Jack's night could only be described as a nightmare. Leith was waiting for him when they arrived back in Manhattan.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"I was told you would have information for me tonight."

"Oh." Jack pulled a rolled up packet of paper from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to the older vampire. It was a copy of all the information the teenagers had collected, save for a few small details.

Leith gave a curt nod and motioned with his head to the stairs. "Why don't you come upstairs and go over the information with me?"

Jack gulped. It wasn't an invitation, it was an order. He nodded and walked up the stairs ahead of Leith. Once the door to Leith's chamber had been closed and locked the same old fear settled into Jack's chest.

"Did you feed well tonight, Jack?"

"Yes."

"Good. I have important information for you, concerning Balthazar. It won't be long until he arrives now."

"You said we still had another week."

"Sooner." He motioned to Jack with his hand and Jack removed his shirt.

Jack clenched his jaw as Leith dug into his chest. The scar from tonight would be small as Jack was neither screaming in pain nor ready to run away at the end. The blood dripping down his chest made him shiver and he closed his eyes in wait for the pain that was sure to follow in his neck.

"Jack," Leith's voice was right by his ear, "Are you frightened?"

Jack was unsure of what exactly Leith was talking about, but it didn't really matter. The answer was the same in either case.

"Yes." He clenched his jaw to keep from trembling.

"Good."

The pain in his neck was suddenly blinding. He squeezed his eyes shut and was happy to see the blinding white light that he knew meant he was fading fast.

When he woke up there was a young man sitting in the chair next to his bed. Track marks ran up and down his arms and there were hollows around his eyes. His eyes were open and he was staring at Jack only with interest that someone in his altered state could muster.

Jack pulled the boys neck to him and began to suck down his blood. It tuned bitter in his mouth. He drained just enough to keep himself sustained until he could get to the stores downstairs, then he released the boy and pushed him back into the chair. His eyes were open in shock.

Jack avoided meeting his eyes before ripping the bonds on his wrists off.

"Get out." He ordered. "Take a right down the hall and a left out the door at the bottom of the stairs. Don't ever come back here and get your ass off those drugs."

The boy didn't need any further prodding and sprinted for the door.

Jack sat on the bed until he heard the door downstairs slam shut. He made his way slowly down the hall and down to the kitchen where pints of blood were chilling in the freezer. There was so much information bouncing around inside of his head that he knew it would be impossible to go back to sleep. Balthazar would be arriving in the next few nights. They had to be ready and present when that night came.

There was going to be a ritual performed, the same one performed at every covenant. Jack vaguely wondered if any of the others had been around at the time of the last covenant meeting to witness the ritual.

It didn't matter. There were still people who would be seeing it for the first time, and it would disturb some of the newer vampires.

All Jack knew was that he had to get a hold of Spot and Roman as soon as possible. They had to know about it. They had to be prepared

1

It had barely been dark for ten minutes when both Jack and Spot showed up in Queens. Skittery, Dutchy, Specs, Ceja and Roman were playing cards when they came in through the back door. If they were surprised to see either of the boys they were even more surprised to see them together.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ceja asked. The question was directed at Spot but both boys answered.

"Loki had a dream." Spot said.

"I have some news." Jack reported at the same time.

Roman glanced between the two. It was all coming down to him because these two couldn't get along. He may as well make the most of it.

"Then we should get everyone over here so we don't have to repeat ourselves. Ceja, get Swifty. You can go over to Brooklyn and we'll send him to Manhattan."

"Sure." She stood up and headed for the stairs.

Spot stared after her. "If I'd told her the same thing she wouldn't have done it."

"No shit."

He turned to look at Dutchy, "Excuse me?"

"She's not exactly your biggest fan."

"I'm the Brooklyn leader. She'd better respect me."

"She does," Specs told him, "She just thinks that you're an arrogant little bitch. She's right of course."

"What?" Skittery interrupted them.

Jack was staring at Skittery and he had finally noticed. Jack had remembered something from the night before and couldn't help bus stare at the boy.

"I'm not kidding, Kelly. Stop staring at me like that." Skittery snapped. "First Cian, now you. Why is everyone giving me this frickin' pitying look!"

Jack turned his head away and watched Ceja and Swifty walk out the door. "Everybody better get here soon." He muttered.

They arrived soon enough. Loki and Jack shared what they knew though Jack did not address his reasons for staring at Skittery. They had two days to be ready. Balthazar was going to arrive in two nights. They had to be ready. Some of them had to be at the airport when he arrived. It was necessary for all of them to be at the chamber to witness the ritual. Those were the important facts.

1

Two nights later Tobias, Driu and Leith brought their selected broods to the private airfield just outside the city. Along with Spot came Racetrack and of course Loki. Roman brought Specs, Swifty and Swinger. Jack brought David, Combat and Cora. They had taken care in choosing who they brought. Despite the seriousness of the situation there were certain people, mostly the girls, though especially Dutchy and Skittery, who would unknowingly cause trouble. They had chosen the more serious members of their clans.

The New Yorkers waited silently and anxiously as the plane taxied to the gate. There were very few people on board besides the three leading vampires they had been expecting.

Balthazar was the first to emerge. He was pale, like a man who rarely ventured outside. Dark hair and eyes, and sharp features gave him a stereotypical Italian look. He was well dressed and did not look terribly old. He was handsome in a way that made anyone worry and fear him.

Malakai and Lucivar were right behind him, followed closely by a few of their own people. The group stopped as though waiting to be claimed.

Leith, Tobias, and Driu stepped forward. There were handshakes and hushed words exchanged. The group moved toward the exit and a path was cleared for them.

Loki clenched her fists as she observed those who passed them. Around his neck Malakai wore a heavy silver cross. Spot grabbed hold of her arm to keep her from going after him. Once they were out the door the other vampires started to file out after them leaving the teenagers towards the back.

"That ass was wearing Noah's cross," she hissed.

"What exactly do you plan on doing, going over there and taking it back from him," Spot snapped right back. "Yeah, that's gonna look great as our first move."

"So you want me to just keep my mouth shut?"

"Exactly." He released her arm and stalked away.

1

The vampires filled the chamber to nowhere near its capacity, though they did fill an impressive portion. The three leaders of New York, as well as most of the world-leaders the teens had studied were seated in the front row, directly next to the stage. Balthazar sat in their midst, his eyes focused on the procession of vampires.

The teens filed in after the last of the adults. They took seats in the first completely empty row. Even with upwards of fifty of them there were not even enough of them to fill one section. Balthazar was glancing at them with a calm eye. They mixed, presenting themselves as a united front rather than three separate clans.

Once everyone was seated the noise in the room died quickly. Silence was indeed a deafening sound. Not a soul in the room dared to so much as breathe deeply. All eyes were on Balthazar, waiting for him to move.

After several agonizingly long moments of silence Balthazar rose from his seat and walked to the podium onstage.

"My Brethren," he greeted them, "It has been many years since such a meeting has occurred. There is much to be discussed and much to be discovered. By the end of these days I believe we shall vastly improve this world for those who appear here tonight, those who remained behind, and those who are now… ash."

There was a moment of absolute silence. Several people shivered, especially those who had lost others recently.

"Some claim that the traditions and rituals of our ancestors have no place in modern vampiric society. To them I say they are not worthy of witnessing such sacred rituals. If you are one of these… unbelievers you may leave the chamber now."

One eyebrow rose ever so slightly, daring someone to move. No one did. It was a sure death sentence if they actually left.

"Very well." Balthazar nodded, satisfied. He began a low chant, and one by one every vampire in the room who had previously attended a council joined in.

The words could not be translated into any other language, but every vampire knew their meaning. 'Death unto them all. Death is the beginning of life. Death will free us all…' It raised hair on the back of many unliving necks.

Once the voices had leveled off at a point, repeating the mantra over and over, the center doors to chamber opened. Malakai and Lucivar entered, holding between them a young dark-haired girl clad in a white dress.

"Who the hell is that?" Ian whispered.

"We were about to ask you the same thing." Rings said, exchanging a glance with Kinks. The three of them looked at Roman. He had been to his fair share of council meetings. He sighed and tried to remember the Catholic Churches latest leader.

"Elijah, who is the Pope right now?" he asked.

"Pope Pius XVII," he said without thinking.

Roman looked at the girl. She couldn't have been more than ten or eleven years old. She was crying, and screaming and struggling. Roman knew she had probably been injured repeatedly on the way to America.

He sighed, "That is the favorite niece of Pope Pius XVII."

Everyone within hearing distance stared at him, and the news quickly spread down the line. Vampires did not kill children; that was one of their laws. Children were innocent and it had always been discriminated against. Even the very first vampires had kept their victims over the age of twenty. However, at their councils the vampires always took the Pope's youngest and favorite female relative and sacrificed her.

Her screaming grew louder now. She was being tied down to a stone slab with rough rope. Balthazar hovered over her and their chanting changed. The other major leaders were joining him onstage and surrounding the girl.

Once she was completely surrounded the screaming stopped briefly, but as they leaned in close to her it started up again, even louder than before. She was screaming in Latin now, phrases over and over again at the top of her lungs.

They all looked to Elijah, it was his specialty now.

He translated without seeming to notice them:

"Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with Thee.
Blessed art Thou among women
And Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners now
and at the hour of our death.
Amen."

The chanting continued, though most did not know the words' meaning now.

Jack did. Leith had given him the very words the night before. 'Her blood, so pure, shall not be drunken, yet drained. Her very life will stain the floor. What is white will turn red. What is innocent will no longer be. Her blood will lead us to righteousness and immortality.' The words vibrated through his very soul. He felt ill.

Spot stood very close to Jack in their line and saw the disgust on his face. He had never before witnessed the ritual, but he understood it.

When the leaders stepped away the girl lay quiet and lifeless on the stone slab. Her white dress was stained the bright red reserved for blood, yet none of her blood had been drunken. It pooled around her on the slab, dripping onto the floor and congealing on the stone. Her eyes were still open, Spot could see, yet none made a move to close them.

The chanting died quite suddenly. Balthazar turned to face the crowd, wiping blood off of his face. He looked over their entire congregation as though trying to put a name to each face. The look that covered his face was wicked. He said nothing of the dead girl on the table, or even mention the sacrifice. He let out a bit of a deep laugh before raising his arms in a motion for them all to stand. They did so without question. None would dare to defy such a powerful vampire.

"We shall reconvene two nights from this night," Balthazar ordered. He looked at his fellow leaders. "We shall make some alterations to those who are necessary in attendance before then."

With that the procession began. On his or her way out of the chamber every vampire passed the body of the dead girl and had to look her in the eyes.

The mood on the boat ride back to New York was somber. Even those who had witnessed the ritual before were a bit jarred by the vividness of the death they had just observed. The teenagers had a boat almost entirely to themselves, save for Draven and Regn whom Leith had ordered to go with them. They were expected to be planning, but in all honesty who could be planning after such a night.

Blink had been to one no council meetings before, yet the scene he had witnessed reminded him of a vivid death. Living during the French Revolution his family had not been trusted. His own grandfather, the Marquis de Launay, had been executed in the storming of the Bastille, and the deaths by guillotine during the Reign of Terror had left him orphaned. Had it not been for the vampires he surely would have suffered a similar fate.

But the night's events had brought back terrible memories of witnessing the people literally tearing his grandfather to shreds. Several other gruesome scenes followed in his mind. He contemplated leaning overboard and feigning seasickness, but knew no one would believe him.

Shock sat with him and rubbed a slow steady circle on his back. "Don't think about it," he suggested.

"Easier said than done."

To be honest, the scene before them had frightened Shock a bit too, but he knew it had to be much worse for Blink. He put a comforting arm around the boy and remained silent.

Combat sat between Jack and Cora against the wall of the boat. The three of them had been staring up at the stars since the boat had set off from the dock. None of them dared to so much as look at one another, afraid of what their faces would reveal.

"You knew what was going to happen, didn't you?" Combat asked, his voice laden with emotion.

"Yes," Jack admitted.

"You told us all the other stuff Leith warned you about, so why the hell didn't we hear about this? We could have just sent the people who could handle it."

Jack sighed, "If we hadn't all gone Balthazar would have taken it as a sign that we think we're superior in some way. I told you there was a sacrifice."

"Jack!" Cora snapped, "That was not a sacrifice; that was a brutal torture and murder! To a child no less!

"Leith told me not to say anything."

"Screw Leith!" Combat yelled at him, "If he tells you anything it's your responsibility to relay that information to us. I mean, if one of us was going to be sacrificed you would have certainly told us, wouldn't you."

Jack winced, "Of course I would."

"Jack, from now on, we hear everything."

Jack nodded, "Alright."

Spot sat with Racetrack and Pickpocket. Racetrack had Becks under one arm. The girl was being rather quiet and Race did not dare try to bring her into the conversation.

"You don't think it's going to be like that every day, do you?" Race asked.

"Of course not," Pickpocket snapped.

"It doesn't matter," Spot said, "As far as Balthazar is concerned we will no longer be allowed to attend these meetings."

"He never said that."

"I know neither of you is stupid," Spot said, looking his two closest friends over, "Who do you think he was referring to when he said they would cut back who needed to attend?"

"Well, I'm sure Balthazar will try to get rid of anyone who won't vote his way too," Loki muttered taking a seat next to Spot on the deck. Ceja was with her.

Spot sighed, "You two, I really don't feel like getting into a bitch fest tonight so could you not-"

"I forgive you." Ceja said plainly.

"For what?"

"For killing me the way you did way back when."

"Oh," Spot looked at her. "Why so suddenly?"

"Because that was so much more gruesome and wrong than what you did to me. Plus if either of us dies in this ordeal I'd feel really bad about hating you."

Spot couldn't help it, he smirked. "You know deep down you always loved me."

The girls exchanged glances and Ceja spoke, "Don't push your luck, Conlon." With that said she got up and left.

"You." Spot addressed Loki, "are not to go after Malakai. You're too important to us to go getting yourself killed."

She fixed him with an icy glare, "Who isn't."

1

1

1

A/N: Wow, I cranked that one out pretty fast. This chapter is brought to you by my late night work yelling at funny drunk horny college students, real food, and the Jacks Mannequin CD (that's right no apostrophe). Ummm… however, I do finally have papers assigned so the next one might take a bit longer. Though I am working both nights this weekend so there may be plenty of time.

So yes, much love to gothica, sinhe, and time is a waste of life for their wonderful reviews. As for anyone else reading this, leave me a goddamn review. The purple button is your friend. Anyway, I can't think of anything else to say except that I will try to post again soon.

Hotshot