Evening, 16 April 1206, Burkhan Khaldun Mountain, Mongolia
LaCroix tightened the cloak that was wrapped around his shoulders and draped over his head. Not that he needed extra warmth, but to make a barrier to the wind. He wanted no distraction while he studied the night sky. Head back, his hood fell as he turned around, taking in the whole of the heavens, comparing what he saw to every other night he had done this. There was only one spot that drew his final attention, only one area he had been recently watching. The sounds of boots crunching along the dry grasses and loose dirt shifting along the mountain distracted him, along with the warm sound of a beating heart. LaCroix narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but only briefly, then turned to face the approaching mortal.
"Staring at the stars again? You know that is dangerous."
LaCroix smiled. "It is not the stars that interest me tonight."
"Oh? Then what?"
LaCroix turned around. "There," he nodded, "those two wanderers. They have finally moved to be together this night." He turned to face his companion. "Do you know what that means, Temüjin?"
Temüjin eyed the heavens again, noting the two bright points of light that were close, then shook his head. "No stories speak of this because no one has ever seen them this close before."
"I have. I have also seen those planets closer than this."
Temüjin felt a cold shiver run along his skin and convinced himself it was due to the wind. He knew what LaCroix was but found it hard to believe in his age. Temüjin knew what the old looked like, and this other man did not look like that. "So what does it mean?"
LaCroix looked up again. "Every celestial entity is unique, able to reveal the mysteries of the universe if you can determine what they are saying." He looked down on Temüjin again. "Jupiter and Saturn are the markers of time, heralds of great changes to come." He studied the mortal, who had warred and brought to heel all the tribes of these plains. "What you have already accomplished will pale compared to what these heralds announce," LaCroix predicted.
Temüjin nodded. "Then it is finally time I called for a kurultai and to begin the great changes I have planned."
LaCroix grinned in anticipation. This is what he had been looking forward to. "And I will be most honored to teach you how to war with the outsiders and conquer the world."
Early Morning, 5 March 1226, Western Xia
LaCroix stared into the heavens, the dawn was still some time away, but he was already thinking of what needed to be started once the sun rose. He held the parchment that had been delivered a while ago, the most recent message from his favorite daughter. He had been away from Janette too long, and her message echoed his own sentiment. He should go back to her, but he was still drawn to staying here. He had wanted to see how far Genghis Khan could go; how much, under the influence of Jupiter and Saturn, the Universal Ruler could accomplish. LaCroix looked back up into the sky, reading what was there.
"Staring at the stars again? I keep telling you that is dangerous to do."
LaCroix smiled. "It is not the stars that I am following now."
Genghis Khan glanced at the bright point in the sky. "I thought the last time those two came together I would never see such a sight again. Yet here they are, and so close they finally appear as one."
"Yes."
"So, what does this mean?"
"It means I must go."
"They influence even you?"
LaCroix nodded. "The last time I saw them as one was over 850 years ago." He recalled how, within a few years of that event, he had met a mortal, the first he considered a companion. He had released other offspring soon after making them, but that one had stayed by his side for centuries. When mortal's lethal blows had finally separated them, he had been inconsolably distraught until he had met Janette and knew she would remain by his side. And now Janette was pleading with him to return, and the wanders were one again. LaCroix knew this bright event meant change to his family, and he needed to leave.
Early Evening, Winter Solstice, 21 December 2020, Paris, France
On the rooftop, LaCroix adjusted the focus on the telescope. For the last couple of weeks he had been watching the approach of Jupiter and Saturn, and soon they would finally meet. He stood back and looked up into the sky. The wanderers would still be 6.1 arcminutes away from each other, but that was close enough to count as a joining, though he remembered times when they were even closer. Still, LaCroix thought as he looked again through the telescope, a rare event regardless of not being entirely as one. Modern calculations could predict these great conjunctions that happen every twenty years or so, but he still found it exciting to watch each time they occurred, regardless of how far apart they were.
As the time approached, LaCroix observed their approach through his telescope. However, when they came together as close as they were going to, he leaned back and looked up at the sky unaided. He wanted to see them as he had seen them for most of his existence – only with his eyes.
Over the centuries, the planets had been given names and attributes, their movements meaning, and so many interpretations of what their alignments heralded. Now, LaCroix thought, these wanderers were known by some as the Great Chronocrators, the lords of time, affecting events that encompassed years and defined eras. And, he added to himself, vampires, who could live long enough to see these eras begin, end, and begin anew under the influence of these alignments. Sitting down in a chair and reaching over for his wine glass of blood, he wondered what this alignment would mean for him, what new era Jupiter and Saturn were moving him into. He took a long sip from his glass. The last two close great conjunctions had brought him into contact with mortals he desired as companions, but not all of them had been brought across. And none of those who converted were with him now.
He looked back up at the sky with the wish that Fleur could have seen this and idly pondered if she had seen the one that had occurred almost 800 years ago. Had she looked up into the heavens as he had, seen the same bright lights at the same time as he had? LaCroix wondered if that event had been the one to prompt her interest in the heavens and love of the stars. A sharp snap of pain in his heart caused him to look down, to look away from the thing Fleur loved. He clenched his eyes while he rode out the storm of her memory. He refused to try and push the memories of her back, refused to try and lock them away; he cared too much about her to do that.
When the memories finally subsided, LaCroix leaned his head back on the chair and concentrated on calming down, to still the shaking and his racing heart. After a few minutes, he had remastered himself and slowly became aware of his surroundings. He could feel the cool air on his skin. He heard the sounds of city life and mortal heartbeats around him. He felt a vibration. LaCroix stiffened and quickly opened his eyes.
"Bonjour, LaCroix."
LaCroix rose up out of the chair, giving a tug to straighten his jacket when he reached his full height. "Nicholas. What a pleasant surprise." He did not recall feeling his son approach and had the distinct impression the other vampire had been there for a while.
Nick glanced around the rooftop while nervously tapping the bottle he held. "It's been a while."
"Over two decades."
"I didn't realize it had been that long."
LaCroix felt their link tremble. "You needed … time." He saw Nicholas nervously playing with the bottle in his hands. "How are you doing?"
Nick winced at the question. He had thought he needed space away from everyone, had retreated to remote areas to be alone. But the solitude had worn on him, and he had finally emerged, seeking companionship. He had gone to Janette, but her soothing presence had not been enough, had not been what he was looking for. "Better." It was all he could manage to say to his sire.
After Toronto, LaCroix had let his link to Nicholas atrophy. He had refused to do as his son had begged, and Nicholas, fangs bared and hatred flowing through their link, had driven him away. Saddened, LaCroix had left, giving Nicholas the isolation he wanted, that he needed. And now his son was back. Possibly.
Nick glanced over at the telescope. "Staring at the stars again?"
The edge of LaCroix's lip twitched into a smile. "There was a great conjunction tonight. It is over, but," he said while pointing to the telescope, "you can still observe the planets if you would like to." But Nicholas just stood there, nervously worrying the bottle. "It is alright if you want to leave." LaCroix immediately felt anxiety and fear emanating from his son, fear of rejection and abandonment. He took a step forward. "You can stay, Nicholas." He took a few more steps, stopping in front is his nervous son. He reached out to put a hand on the bottle, sure Nicholas was going to break it with his non-stop fidgeting of it. "I am not going to push you away."
"I would deserve it, for all the things I have done to you."
"No," LaCroix quietly objected, "you do not." With a slight tug on the bottle, Nicholas released it into his care. He looked at his quivering child. "In your wandering, what did you find that brought you back? What is it you seek now?"
Nick looked up into the sky, at the bright pinprick of lights he had been watching getting closer over the last few weeks. He wanted what they had achieved this night: to be with each other. He looked back at his sire. "Companionship. I never realized, even when we fought, that we were together. When I went away, I found that hole and …." Nick trailed off.
LaCroix tentatively reached out and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. Nicholas stood completely still. "I … also seek companionship."
Nick looked down, avoiding his maker's ice-blue eyes. "Fleur would have been better for you. I am sorry for that," he confessed.
LaCroix took his hand off his offspring's shoulder and placed it under his chin, raising the head up until he could see the slate-blue eyes. "I loved Fleur, but I chose you." He dropped his hand and stepped back. Lifting the bottle slightly, he said, "Shall we go inside and share a drink while we talk?"
Nick, feeling deep relief wash over him, nodded and followed LaCroix, his companion. Nick knew he would no longer wander alone.