AFTERMATH

Before the vision ended, Ethan played the lowlight of Rory's time in Jesse's gang.

Ethan made sure Natalie viewed Rory's ignoble trip to the Westdale Theatre with Jesse's gang.

Rory had pushed that night into the back of his mind; so seeing it now, as Jesse began his murder of Sarah's friends in the Dusker fan club, and Rory still technically in the gang, left the adult version almost speechless with shame and humiliation.

"Well, Rory?" was all Natalie said, with her arms crossed.

"I didn't really know was going to go down, Natalie" Rory mumbled.

"Otherwise he wouldn't have told us in advance" said Ethan.

"He didn't kill anyone" Benny volunteered, as the other time travellers were silent. "Rory didn't even realize why he was there."

Ethan was surprised at how red Rory's face could get in a rare moment of embarrassment; that is, as Teen Ethan nearly staked Teen Rory, and admonished him not to feed on humans. Teen Rory said something about looking for a twelve step plan to get off blood and left.

"That twelve step plan . . . that says a lot about Rory" said Natalie broodingly.

"Do you want to see the vampires and Jesse die?" asked Ethan, "Well, see Jesse die for the first time?"

"I'm good" said Natalie. "I want to go back."

And with the vision fading into a sea of blurred colours, they were back.


And here, again, were Sarah and Krypto, waiting on the sofa for the three "time-travellers" to return to life after sitting vacantly at the table for so long.

Krypto gave a bark of joy, but then sank down with a whine. Neither Natalie, Rory, Ethan nor Benny looked cheerful.

"Is there anything else that I can explain, Natalie?" said Rory.

Sarah looked at Natalie. Natalie had her lips pursed, which Sarah did not interpret as a good sign. But Natalie's eyes were focussed in the distance, and Sarah's opinion was that Natalie was deep in thought instead of angry.

Sarah literally could not remember the last time she had seen Rory embarrassed. She knew Rory had exposed the truth at the risk of all his dreams for the future.

Rory's face was very red; still there was a brightness in the eyes. An intense eagerness, as if Rory was just waiting for a chance to argue and beg for Natalie's understanding.

Sarah didn't blame him. If Sarah hadn't fallen in love in Ethan, she could imagine how embarrassing it would be to explain her year and ten months undead to another man. Or how desperately she might want him to still love her after hearing the whole truth. And Sarah hadn't been a follower of Jesse for one moment. Well, except previously she had been his girlfriend and a super-fan of a series of book about sparkling vampires. That was humiliating enough without ever being a bloodsucker thrown in! In fact, Sarah now remembered how embarrassing it had been for her when her vampire powers being exposed (fighting zombies) had led to her being dumped at Lotta Latte.

Sarah looked at Ethan lovingly, who had never let that change his judgement of her. But Ethan initially didn't notice. He was rudely (to Sarah's eyes) stifling a yawn, as he was looked exhausted and pale. At once Ethan did notice, and that it was not a good thing to yawn while your wife was looking at you lovingly. Ethan returned Sarah's look with an embarrassed smile of his own.

"I'm just tired" Ethan said abruptly, to everyone's confusion but Sarah's.

And Krypto, who had his eyes on theirs.

"I know, Ethan" said Sarah. "Would you mind me talking to you, Natalie, while I pull out Rory's foldup bed. Ethan's going to be asleep for hours."

Rory's embarrassment was now mingled with suspicion. Especially as Krypto was looking expectantly up at Rory.

"I can speak for myself, Sarah" Rory protested.

"Girl talk" said Sarah.

"Oh!" Rory's eyes rolled in thought as he considered if the "girl talk" had anything to do with him and if he should continue to argue.

"Girl talk" said Natalie.

That settled it.

Rory sat beside Krypto on the sofa. Ethan yawned heavily and slumped back on the recline.

"Sarah, I don't have to sleep" muttered Ethan. "I just need some coffee. Four or five 14 fluid ounce cups worth."

"If you're staying with your parents in Whitechapel" Rory observed. "Then you'll also need four or five pitstops on the way there after that much coffee.

"But I give my best pal two minutes before he's passed out senseless" said Benny, who looked at the watch he was wearing and set the stop-time. "These types of visions take a lot out of you."

"Ethan, you mind helping me in Rory's office!" said Sarah a moment later, putting her head through the door. "Benny do you mind helping him into the room."

"Helping him?" objected Benny, perplexed, looking at Ethan as he stumbled to his feet. "Oh, yeah . . . helping him. He's half-asleep already."

Benny made the pretence of helping Ethan up.

"I can take Ethan's other side" asked Rory, not catching on at all this time . . . as Sarah expected. "Last time the dude did something like this I think he was out for four, five hours."

"That's okay, Rory" yawned Ethan. "I can make it now."


Ethan didn't rest on the fold-out sofa just yet. He sat at Rory's desk, rested his head on his elbow, and yawning away.

Sarah helped Ethan. She massaged the exhausted Ethan's shoulders while she spoke, mostly about how she had hated being a vampire and had only agreed to talk about it again to help Rory.

"You might not want to hear it from me" said Sarah, although looking concerned more about Ethan than Rory at the moment. "Having been a vampire myself. But Rory was never your typical vampire. Really, Rory was . . . was . . . the truth he was an idiot as a teenager, but a nice guy who was turned through pure bad luck."

"I know" said Natalie, with a sigh. "I wish he hadn't been so naïve."

"I was a Dusker" said Sarah, a little irritably. "I used to love the story."

"Apparently, Jesse thought that made you a prime candidate for un-death" said Ethan, shaking off his lethargy to say this with some vehemence.

"Yeah" said Benny, wryly. "But Rory wasn't a Dusker, and he took it as a superspeed, flying, superhero adventure, while spending the daytime hours hanging around with his usual buddies as the mild-mannered alter-ego Rory Keener."

"Mild mannered?" Ethan challenged.

"I saw" Natalie interrupted.

"Worst thing he did with us" said Ethan, with another yawn, "was show off his fangs to us a few times, before he realized we considered it freaky to see your friend with yellow eyes and undead-teeth. After that, we only saw them on him as his involuntary reaction when he was in danger. Maztec Sky Queen might have been the last time, I can't say for sure."

"What else did he do as a vampire?" asked Natalie.

"He was at the beck and call of the Vampire Council the last several months" said Ethan.

"But the worst he did for them was spy on me" said Sarah. "And serve several hours as Anastasia's guard, when she was desperate. But that was during his last hours as a vampire . . . and even then Rory was ultimately forced to keep cooperated by glamouring."

"Vampire hypnotism" Benny explained.

"The other vampires treated him as a joke" Sarah said.

"I sometimes thought since they trying to, uh, mould him" said Ethan, through a colossal yawn.

"Grandma thought that was Anastasia's ultimate goal with him" said Benny. "Your typical evil vampire."

"No, as far as I know, they definitely didn't take him seriously" said Sarah. "Erica told me Rory was even thrown out of their Halloween Party. Not that I know myself, not that I liked having anything to do with the others."

"Wait, actually, he did attend some sort of orientation" said Benny. "For a while, I thought it was some unspeakably evil secret ceremony. Yet it wasn't. Rory said it was extra-boring, Anastasia gave a speech about vampire brethren-ship and the vampire council being its ultimate expression."

"The undead version of the first day at Engineering school" Ethan quipped, albeit in a tired voice.

"Erica thought it was cool" said Sarah, with a laugh. "She told me about it when she criticised me for never attending."

"Rory thought orientation to engineering and architectural school was cooler than vampire council orientation" observed Benny.

"That was long after Rory changed his mind about being a vampire, or even still thought much about it" said Sarah. "So it's not like it was an objective measure."

"Well, orientation at the faculty of engineering is far better!" said Natalie, heartily.

Benny and Sarah looked at her, Ethan looked thoughtful and gave a slow, calculated, almost contemplative yawn . . . if in fact a yawn could be called thoughtful or contemplative.

"Of course it is" said Sarah. "It's just boring."

"Well, that's when he finally mentioned vampire council orientation to us . . . for the first and last time" said Ethan, slowly blinking his eyes. "When we complaining about Professor Krugman's long and monotone speech. He told us it wasn't half as boring as vampire council orientation. At Vampire HQ, that's what he used to call their building. So I guess we'll never know if Rory was genuinely impressed or bored. And nothing in this world will make me go there right now."

"I'm sure it sucked" said Natalie dryly, whose lips were now unpursed. "Really, I've heard people say Rory has little common sense. Sometimes my friends say that about me."

"You have a lot more common sense than Rory" said Sarah. "And Rory's nowhere near as bad as he used to be."

"I'll talk to Rory myself" said Natalie. "I owe him that much."

"Good luck" said Sarah.

Natalie slowly walked out the door.


"I think she's already forgiven him" said Sarah. "Rory's problem was that was he was stupid. Not malicious."

"The last time we talked to Rory about it in-depth . . . and that was, again, back after university orientation" recalled Ethan. "He said they warned you about drugs but not vampires."

"Seriously?" asked Sarah. "But that's Rory through and through."

"Sarah's right" said Ethan, stumbling to his feet. "You don't have to be a seer to guess she'll forgive him."

"I hope so" said Benny. "Those tailor-made monkey suits aren't refundable. Can you believe Prudhomme says it's his best work?"

"I think I look awesome in morning clothes and top hat" said Ethan, as he went to lie down. "Like a time-traveller. A real one. And you should see Sarah, Benny. She's looks like she's going to the Galactic Senate in Star Wars Episode One. If Earth had a representative."

"I think you look handsome too" said Sarah tolerantly, to Ethan, as he nodded his approval. "But I'm satisfied we didn't go all the way. Weddings should be beautiful, but you should remember it's the best day of your life. Rory's and Natalie's too formal. I think we struck the right balance."

"Your Mom helped strike the right balance" Benny reminded Sarah. "But at least Krypto will be there with Rory. With you taking care of Ethan, Sarah! And Rory pleading with Natalie . . . I think I'll take Rory's best friend for a walk."

"And you'll try to use Krypto to win yourself a date for the wedding" observed Sarah wryly.

"Natalie's folks are paying for a dinner" Benny protested. "The Benny's made reservations for two."

"The Benny? That's new, isn't it?"

"I owe it to the Cretes to make sure I have a party of two" Benny finished lamely.

"What about your grandmother?" asked Sarah.

"She's had her own invitation" said Benny. "Do you think the Cretes will have us sitting together?"

Ethan didn't say anything, as he was already in a deep sleep.


Natalie had asked Rory to take a walk with her outside. She had even called him "Rorster". As this was a very good sign, Rory brightened up considerably.

Still, the two were very quiet as they walked together to the grounds behind the condominium tower. Eventually they arrived at a bench looking out to the lake. It was still a sunny day. A flock of Canada Geese were honking happily near the shore. At a distance were the sails of yachts and the lower profiles of motor boats. Far off on the horizon was a freighter travelling through the gently lapping turquoise water.

Rory was a master at giving off-topic and ill-timed statements.

"Krypto loves chasing geese" said Rory. "He doesn't like to have then on the shore; which is okay as they leave a lot of droppings. They're not that bad, really."

"I like them" said Natalie, coolly.

"Do you still love me?" said Rory, turning to Natalie.

There was a pause.

Rory ignored the turquoise of the lake and looked deep into the blue of Natalie's eyes. If he could read expressions as well as most people in the world, he would have known by the gentle yearning and look of loving kindness. And, just to make things easier, the brilliant sunlight beamed down on her cream coloured shirt and light blue shorts.

She, of course, didn't sparkle like a lame Dusk novel. But the full afternoon sun made her expression obvious. She did not want to be separated from Rory.

Be that as it was, and whatever Rory's difficulty in noticing the obvious, Rory intuitively felt she must love her. No beams of sunlight required.

"I love you" Rory said.

"I do Rory" blurted Natalie, at once.

They embraced and kissed. For how long, only the Canada Geese knew.


Unfortunately, the moment couldn't last forever. It was broken up by a cacophony of honking and quacking as a raft of mallard ducks had swam in on the geese's territory and the two groups were honking and quacking their disapproval of one another's usurpation.

"It's like an old school Hollywood movie" said Rory. "Us, not the birds."

"You know I like old school."

"Then there's no problem?" asked Rory.

"I just want to know"

"Know what?"

"Why?" said Natalie. "I understand why you lied to me now, it was a plan to break it to me gently. But why were you so happy being a vampire?"

"Oh" said Rory.

The romantic moment passed, and Rory looked off over the lake.

"You look like Ethan" said Natalie. "Without the glowing eyes."

It was as if Rory was looking off into the past, Ethan-style. But Rory was thinking. And so Rory decided to explain matters in the respectful, professional tone he left when reporting to his immediate superior, Mr. McMurdo, at the very old school firm of McMurdo Abbott.

"Until I met you" said Rory, in this thoughtful tone, "it had really left my mind most of the time. I haven't thought of it much since high school . . . I thought it one long weird adventure. By the time I finished high school, I had been cured longer than I'd be a vamp. To make the story short, Jesse had sold me on the fun part without telling me everything. It's like everybody said. Superpowers, no asthma or glasses. You can put it a lot of ways. Superman superpowers. That treatment Captain America had . . . the super-soldier serum. Or you can say being bitten like Erica was like being bitten by a radioactive spider . . . only don't tell her I said it. It was just that being a vampire was more like Spiderman being tainted by the Symbiotes."

"Did you realize you were cursed?"

"No" said Rory bluntly. "Not then. I can still remember telling Ethan and Benny the next morning I was a full vampire. "Do you know what you've done to yourself?" Ethan said."

"Did you?" asked Natalie.

"No, but I learned about a lot of the drawbacks really fast" said Rory, with a frown. "I didn't tell my friends about it until later, but you know I had to make sure I had a standing invitation to get into my own house. I can't forget the time I turned the key in the lock and burnt my hand trying to open the door. 'Cause my invitation to my own house wore off. An invite I had to keep getting from Mom and Dad. Man, that sucked. It was like if you were to slap me across the face right now. Then there's all the bottles of SPF 100 Sunscreen I had to plaster on myself. I missed blowing up those mutant crocks with Ethan and Benny because I was busy putting that stuff all over myself."

"You told me you burn easily. So do I."

"We don't burn vampire easily" Rory said indignantly. "Vamps don't get sunburns. When the UV's too much . . . they really start to burn."

"What about the rats you ate?"

"The whole time I was a vamp I liked them" said Rory. "Gross as it seems. I snacked on them the first year between meals or at nights. But even then, it was a mega-pain to have to hunt for your food instead of just enjoying your meals like everyone else. Ethan and Benny were always bitter with me for snacking on chips or apples at Ethan's place, because they said I didn't need it."

"I don't think that was fair" said Natalie.

"They were just joking" said Rory. "I think. Or it was because a few times I ate all the chips on them. But once I was cured, they deprogrammed me in a couple hours. Garlic pizza, tricking me into biting into a sewer rat . . . I came this close to puking. And finally, the clincher. They reminded me why holy water was lethal to vamps."

Rory didn't elaborate; he didn't need to.


Natalie and Rory stared at the geese honking victory in the distance. And the ducks, swimming several yards away from their fellow waterfowl, still quacking indignantly and plotting their inevitable return.

"There was one time I admitted it sucked, while I was a vamp" Rory said finally. "By accident mostly. It was when Jesse had won that night with Sarah. Jesse was desperate to make her a full vampire, and he won . . . at the moment. I tried to cheer Sarah up, but all I ended up doing was pointing out that being a bloodsucker stunk like Limburger. For the first decade, I said. Well, now I know it would have stunk even more. Being fourteen while you're twenty-six, losing most of my friends."

"Maybe even, through the years and centuries, becoming another Anastasia" suggested Natalie. "But even at fourteen, I don't see it as fair that you could lose both your life and soul through one night's misadventures. Especially, after what I've seen."

"I'm lucky it didn't hold forever" said Rory. "I'd wouldn't be able to hang with either my friends . . . besides Sarah and Erica . . . or even my family anymore; I'd even been a joke with the other vamps, like Jesse said. And almost worst of all, I'd be without you!"

Natalie gave a gentle smile, but then realized something about the comment

"Almost worst of all?" asked Natalie.

"Well, my soul being hidden from the light!" Rory explained animatedly. "I should say I love you with all my heart and soul . . . which I do . . . and I'd do anything for you . . . which I would . . . but since I spent one year and ten months of my teen years cursed, unreflecting and undead, it's serious Nat!"

Natalie's gentle smile broke into a beaming grin.

"You're right, Rorster" said Natalie. "Then how could we love each heart and soul?"

"Whole heart and whole soul" said Rory, holding up his hand as if giving an oath "As a former mole scout, and as a Jedi."

"As far as I'm concerned, you're having been a vampire for two years was just a weird adventure you had" Natalie returned.

Natalie's grin was mirrored by Rory's own.

There was another old-school, Hollywood type kiss.


After that, the two walked off hand-in-hand along the shore. But, suddenly, Rory stopped short.

"The wedding's still on, Nat?" asked Rory. "Right?"


"That bachelor party was the worst!" grumbled Miles Crete.

Miles had left Niagara Falls, and was soon to start his new job engineering for private residential projects at the distinguished but dull firm of McMurdo Abbott.He had moved back home in the interim.

"I think it was awesome for Rory to even invite you" said Natalie indignantly.

Natalie was quietly sitting in the more comfortable den of the her house, avoiding, as she usually did, the stiffly formal and uncomfortable living room. Right now she was sewing; she was working on what she considered a fun embroidery of the Australian continent, highlighted by a jumping kangaroo, a koala, a kookaburra, Ayer's Rock and the Sydney Opera House.

"How much did you drink?" Natalie added, looking at Miles' slightly red-eyed appearance.

"I've got the strength" said Miles wryly. "I'm good for a pitcher of beer and still staying under the point-oh-eight legal level. And I needed it to get through the night with good cheer. The only one of Rory's friends you can talk to is that Malcolm Brunner."

"I don't like you criticising Rory" said Natalie.

"I'm not. Keener's a good man even if he's addlebrained" said Miles, taking a look at Natalie's sewing. "Nice work, sis! You two love animals. Perfect!"

"Thanks" said Natalie. "But Rory's not addlebrained."

"Okay" said Miles agreeably. "He's not addlebrained. I really owe Keener getting me out of the rent-a-cop game. But not so much now, after watching a Star Track triple feature and pretending to be mind-blown."

"Star Trek" said Natalie, with emphasis. "It's not about a train."

"Whatever it's called, the show is about this space captain and officers on some American spaceship a couple hundred years in the future" said Miles, who had only vaguely heard of the franchise. He thought he'd explain it to Natalie. "Except the first mate is a pointed ear alien."

"You might know Rory and I love the show" Natalie told her brother.

"So I don't have to explain that thing?"

"No" said Natalie, putting down her sewn map of Australia. "And I hope you're not going to be an overgrown brat at the wedding."

"Of course not" said Miles, he paused a moment.

"You'll be happy to know that Cheryl isn't going."

"After begging me to invite her. And arguing with Mom about Miles and guest?"

"I'm done with her" said Miles, in a bitter voice. "Sis, can you believe she didn't want to go? It seems she didn't like meeting the family formally. And she didn't want to miss a night's work? Can you believe that? You know the pawn tickets I have?"

"If that's the case" said Natalie kindly, "I think you've very lucky Miles."

"Me too" said Miles, morosely. "In a few weeks, I'll be able to buy back my golf clubs."

As soon as Miles made his way heavily up to his room, Natalie's mother, Etta, drifted in the room.

"Mom!" said Natalie. "You weren't listening!"

"I always liked Rory, the moment I met him" hummed Etta, as she dodged the question. "He's already won my trust. Wait until your father hears. That's a lovely embroidery, Natalie, though just a little too childish and below your level. But I'm sure Rory will love it. He's a fine man, but needs to be taken firmly in the hand."

Although Natalie loved her mother, at the moment she was very happy she was going to spend the first years of her marriage in Australia, at the other end of the world.

TO BE CONCLUDED